阅读理解
The most exciting kind of education is also the most personal. Nothing can exceed the joy of
discovering for yourself something that is important to you! It may be an idea or a bit of information
you come across accidentally or a sudden understanding, fitting together pieces of information or
working through a problem. Such personal encounters are the "payoff" in education. A teacher may
direct you to learning and even encourage you in it-but no teacher can make the excitement or the joy
happen. That's up to you.
A research paper, assigned in a course and perhaps checked at various stages by an instructor,
leads you beyond classrooms, beyond the texts for classes and into a process where the joy of
discovery and learning can come to you many times. Preparing the research paper is an active and
individual process, and an ideal learning process. It provides a structure within which you can make
exciting discoveries, of knowledge and of self, which are basic to education. The research paper also
gives you a chance to individualize a school assignment, to suit a piece of work to your own interests
and abilities and to show others what you can do. Writing a research paper is more than a classroom
exercise. It is an experience in searching out, understanding and synthesizing, which forms the basis of
many skills applicable to both academic and nonacademic tasks. It is, in the fullest sense, a discovery,
an education. So, to produce a good research paper is both a useful and a thoroughly satisfying
experience!
To some, the thought of having to write an assigned number of pages, often more than ever
produced before, is disconcerting. To others, the very idea of having to work independently is
threatening. But there is no need to approach paper assignment with anxiety, and nobody should view
the research paper as an obstacle to overcome. Instead, consider it a goal to accomplish, a goal within
reach if you use the help this passage can give you.
1. According to the writer, personal discoveries in study ________.
A. will give one encouragement and direction
B. are helpful in finding the right information
C. are the most valuable part of one's personal education
D. will help one to successfully complete school assignments
2. It can be inferred from the passage that writing a research paper gives one chances ________.
A. to fully develop one's personal abilities
B. to practice the skills learnt in the classroom
C. to prove that one is a productive writer
D. to show how well one can accomplish school assignments
3. From the context, the underlined word "encounters"(Para. 1) most probably means "________".
A. interests
B. experiences
C. entertainments
D. abilities
4. The writer thinks ________.
A. one should explore new areas in research
B. one should trust one's knowledge and skills when doing research
C. one should use one's ability to meet course requirements
D. one should consider research paper writing a pleasure, not a burden
