Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical(批判性的) thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes（过程）. Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.
The word “critical” here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen--beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning.
Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are interested in life and want to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker. If you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.
Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning（推理）are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today’s world: fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure（尺度）of intelligence（智慧）, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banesh Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein. Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately made Hoffman feel comfortable by saying, “Please go slowly. I don’t understand things quickly.”
小题1:Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically, _______.
A．it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast
B．we might be controlled by other people’s ideas
C．we will follow the ideas of others naturally
D．we might be fooled by other people’s ideas小题2:If you are a critical thinker, you will ________.
A．take one view against another view
B．trust the reports in the newspapers
C．think deeply about different ideas
D．criticize other people for their mistakes小题3: In the last paragraph, “something new” suggests that ________.
A．speed can improve intelligence
B．intelligence is not decided by speed
C．the smarter you are, the faster you do things
D．the faster you do things, the smarter you become
