My first term at MIT（麻省理工学院）was awesome—I got all A’s, and I declared math as my major. My parents were expecting me to become a doctor like them so I was trying to satisfy them. But I was desperately running away from them. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My third term, I ended up with a D in math. I didn’t do that well in my other classes, either. It seemed like all my friends were doing so well, getting opportunities over the summers.
My fifth term, I realized that I was awful at higher-level math. I had lost all confidence in myself. I went to a few classes at the beginning of the term, but after by midterm, I had totally stopped. My only relief was the dance team I was on. I would sleep all day, and then go to dance practice, and then go back to sleep. As expected, I failed in all of my classes and had to withdraw from MIT.
I had no choice but to tell my parents. Instead of yelling or hitting me, though, they just held me and cried. The next day, my dad took a day off from work and took me to a nearby, small arts college.
I had lost all confidence in myself. Before my first biology test, I didn’t think I could pass. I did pass. Since I had so much free time, I decided to join a biology lab. I realized that was what I wanted to do! I wanted to be a scientist!
This past May, I graduated with the highest honors, and now I have my PhD in biology. Though it ended up taking me 5 years to graduate from college, I can say now that dropping out of MIT was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I’ve realized that a person is not their grades. I’ve realized how much my parents loved me. I’ve finally discovered my passion（热情）in life!
【小题1】How was the author’s first term at MIT?| A．He was busy with exams. | B．He knew his goals clearly. |
| C．He did well in all subjects. | D．He was fed up with math. |
| A．They hit him. | B．They yelled at him. |
| C．They quit their jobs to teach him. | D．They forgave him for what he did. |
| A．rebuilt his confidence | B．volunteered at many labs |
| C．found it hard to learn biology | D．hated the learning environment |
| A．He felt sorry for his parents. | B．He discovered his true interest. |
| C．He realized the importance of grades. | D．He felt ashamed of his failing at MIT. |
