我们是海龟

朱子曜

海龟是一种动作缓慢、智力平平的动物。但2018年5月，中国留学生朱子曜关于“We are the turtles”的分享，却颠覆了我们对海龟的认知。这段轻松幽默而又励志的分享让我们重新认识了海龟精神：坚定、抗压、持之以恒，并最终到达终点。

愿心有目标、勇往直前的你，同样也具备这种精神，最终能达成心中所愿。

?文章词数 8分钟473 难度 ★★★ 建议用时

1Good afternoon,ladies and gentlemen.Our dean,faculty and staff,proud parents and above all,students of class 2018,congratulations!This is your day!

2I always have random（随意的）questions in my mind,but there was another question I had the first day I learned about UMD(University of Maryland):Why our mascot（吉祥物）is a turtle?Many other schools pick fierce animals or figures:Princeton has a tiger,University of Chicago has a phoenix,and Duke has the “blue devil”.This question was not solved until I came to UMD and met the people here.

3My first several months in Maryland were a nightmare.I had no friends here.I didn't know how to drive.So I could only lock myself in my room.I started to have a hair loss issue due to academic pressure since I had to spend 3 hours figuring out the most basic concept!Worst of all,I attached this label to myself:a slow learner and an underachiever,just like a slow and foolish turtle.

4It was Professor Zhang at the Smith School who helped me realize that the way to success is never easy.Under unimaginable pressure during her PhD life in Harvard,she had to get up at 4 every morning and every single day she doubted her ability,her choice and her future.Eventually she became the wonder woman in the field of statistics and inspires hundreds of students like me.Just like a turtle with a tough shell,bearing all the pressure and hardships,she still moves forward.

5Then I learned more from my classmates.Despite all difficulties,none of them raised the white flag easily.Now,many of them earned excellent grades and have already found satisfying jobs.Just like turtles,when the chaos of life surrounds them,they still know their directions.

6This experience made me realize what we are all made of.We are all turtles.Life is not a sprint（冲刺）or even a marathon.Life is a triathlon（铁人三项赛）.We might be not as super talented as the lucky ones,but we don't belittle ourselves.We might start things slow and be constantly discouraged by setbacks,but we know we choose to do things not because they are easy,but because they are hard.We might not be the first ones crossing the finishing line,but we are surely the ones knowing where we are going and why.

7This is the turtle spirit,which could be explained by these 3 amazing letters that I will never forget:UMD,that is U Must be Determined.

8The steps you are taking today might seem small,but some day you will see the big picture,as long as you are moving forward fearlessly,be it fast or slow.And please remember,UMD will always be there for you.

Ⅰ.Choose the best answers according to the text.

Genre 1.What is the type of this article?

A.A letter. B.A lecture. C.A narration. D.An argumentation.

Detail 2.Which can best describe the author's first several months in Maryland?

A.Exciting. B.Pleasant. C.Frustrating. D.Embarrassing.

Inference 3.What kept the author moving on according to Para.4 and Para.5?

A.The expectation of parents. B.The pursuit of good grades.

C.The power of good examples. D.The encouragement of turtles.

Inference 4.What played a key role in the author's success according to the text?

A.Good luck. B.Intelligence.

C.Smart choices. D.Determination.

Ⅱ.Discussion

As a high school student,what should you do to pursue success apart from the spirit of turtles?

Ⅰ.Discover useful structures in the text

as long as...只要 be it...不管

The steps you are taking today might seem small,but some day you will see the big picture,as long as you are moving forward fearlessly,be it fast or slow.你今天迈出的步伐可能看起来很小，但总

有一天你会看到大局，只要你无畏地前进，不管是快还是慢。

Ⅱ.Memorize some text-centered chunks

above all首先；尤为重要的

academic pressure学业压力

raise the white flag认输；放弃

figure out理解；弄明白

bear all the pressure and hardships承受所有的压力和艰辛

big pictures大图景；大格局

主题应用·语库构建

常用语料

Ⅰ.高频表达

1.学习活动

discuss讨论

practice练习；实践

instruct v.指导；传授

instruction n.教诲；教导；指示

instructive adj.有教育意义的

praise赞扬；表扬

lively活泼的；活跃的

analyze分析

assessment评估

assignment作业

attain/obtain/gain/acquire获得

attend参加；出席

attention注意；专心；关心

comprehension理解

concentrate集中(注意力)；聚精会神

effect效果；作用

inspire启发；鼓舞

improve提高；改进

presentation呈现；演示

revise/review复习

summarize概括；总结

2.学校人员

educator教育工作者；教育家

class-teacher班主任

instructor导师；教练；讲师

junior低年级学生

senior高年级学生

president/headmaster/principal校长

schoolmate校友

roommate室友

classmate同学

3.课程设置

Chinese语文

maths数学

English英语

physics物理

chemistry化学

biology生物

politics政治

history历史

geography地理

music音乐

PE体育

4.情绪表达

excited兴奋的

eager迫切的

delighted高兴的

hopeful满怀希望的

worried担心的

frustrated沮丧的

concerned忧虑的

depressed压抑的

disappointed失望的

anxious焦虑的

nervous紧张的

upset难过的

5.正能量

be serious about对……严肃/认真

spare no effort to do sth不遗余力去做某事

have a good command/knowledge of精通……

make progress in在……方面取得进步

lay a good foundation in在……方面打下良好

的基础

work hard at努力做……

do/try one's best尽力；尽最大的努力

make full use of/take advantage of充分利用

catch up with sb/keep up with sb赶上某人

get full marks得满分

gain scholarship获得奖学金

get good grades获得好成绩

speak highly of sb高度赞扬某人

praise sb for sth因某事表扬表人

achieve success获得成功

beabsorbed/buried/occupied in全神贯注于……；

专心致志于……

be admitted to/into被……录取

concentrate (oneself)on/focus (one's attention)

on全神贯注于……

keep it up(不断练习)以保持某事物；坚持下去

live up to one's expectations达到某人的期望

make it通过；成功

on schedule按时

pass/get through an exam通过考试

pay off取得成功

take an active part in积极参加

take in理解；吸收

think for oneself独立思考

team up with与……合作；与……协作

be in harmony with与……关系和谐

6.负能量

cheat in an exam考试作弊

fail the examination考试不及格

be late for/be absent from迟到/缺席

break the school rules and regulations违反学校

的规章制度

skip the class逃课

get into a bad habit染上坏习惯

drop out of school退学；辍学

fall behind落后

be blamed for因……被责备

be punished for因……而受惩罚

7.其他

social investigation社会调查

voluntary labor义务劳动

physical activities体育活动

have a picnic/barbecue去野餐/烧烤

hold a sports meeting举行运动会

have an outing去郊游

compulsory course必修课

optional/selective course选修课

life skills生活技能

be strict with sb对某人要求严格

help sb overcome the difficulties帮助某人克服

困难

peer pressure同龄压力

Ⅱ.美句背诵

1.I fully understand that parents wish their children to have competitive advantages,yet I don't believe it's a wise choice to cram in too many expensive classes.我完全理解父母希望他们的孩子有竞争优势。然而，我不认为上太多昂贵的课程是明智的选择。

2.Every time before an examination,I am so upset.I'm afraid I may fail the exam and can't live up to my teacher's expectations.每次考试前我都非常沮丧，害怕因考试不及格而辜负了老师的期望。

3.When facing difficulties,I have enough courage to get them over.当遇到困难的事情时，我有足够的勇气克服它们。

4.Only by reading widely can we gain more knowledge and broaden our horizons.只有博览群书，我们才能增长知识、开阔视野。

5.Not only did the activity get us close to nature and give us relaxation from heavy school work,but also it promoted the friendship among us.这次活动不仅使我们接近大自然，从繁重的学习中得到放松，而且也促进我们之间的友谊。

6.Despite the fact that peer pressure is most commonly seen as a very negative issue,it can also be positive in some situations.Positive peer pressure from good friends and peers can help you reflect on your actions and amend your ways to become a better individual.尽管同龄压力通常被视为一个非常消极的问题，但在某些情况下也可以是积极的。来自好朋友和同龄人的积极的同龄压力可以帮助你反思你的行为，并修正你的处事方法，让你成为一个更优秀的人。

7.Today's teens are less focused on physical activities and more concerned with learning how to balance work and school.现在的青少年不太关注体育活动，更关心如何平衡作业和学习。

8.The steps you are taking today might seem small,but some day you will see the big picture,as long as you are moving forward fearlessly,be it fast or slow.你今天迈出的步伐可能看起来很小，但只要你无畏地前进，不管是快还是慢，总有一天你会看到大局。

Ⅲ.主题写作

假定你是李华，上周日你校举办了主题为“Know more about China”的英语演讲比赛。请你为校英文报写一篇报道。内容包括：

1.时间和地点；

2.比赛的过程；

3.比赛的意义。注意：

1.词数80左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Ⅳ.主题测评

见P55～P59自测园地