1．
Choose the best answer. (根据短文内容，选择最恰当的答案。)
Xiamen University is offering a new class
this term: Tree-Climbing.
In June, 2011, the President of Xiamen
University(XMU)visited Cornell University in New York, and he was so impressed
with the course there that he instituted(设立)it
on the XMU campus.
A look at the "tree-climbing" page
on the Cormell University website offers us a new picture. The staff who teach
the subject come from many serious fields: forest management and logging(砍伐), environmental studies and conservation, even engineering.
These professors do not just let the
students climb with their bare hands. They teach the proper safety techniques
like those used in rock-climbing: wearing helmets and other protective clothing,
and using ropes and harnesses to prevent falls and injuries. This discipline
can be a valuable field survival skill, like swimming and the identification of
edible(可食用的)plants in the wild. In a
time of disaster such as floods, earthquakes, plane crashes, etc. , such
knowledge may make a difference between life and death.
It is also a challenging class in which
students gain skills, physical strength and endurance, triumphing over
obstacles and earning a sense of confidence in themselves that no classroom subject
could ever give them. It is an example of the huge collection of
possibilities that need to be available to students in our educational
institutions, as they try out many aspects of life to find and develop their
own particular inborn skills and talents that define their purpose of life.
The child should no longer be seen as an
empty cup into which knowledge must be poured by an all-knowing teacher, but
should be recognized as a mine rich in gems of great value waiting to be
discovered, polished, and allowed to shine in the world. I hope climbing trees
will awaken the potential in many students！
