The United States is on the verge of losing its leading place in the world’s technology. So says more than one study in recent years. One of the reasons for this decline is the parallel decline in the number of U.S. scientists and engineers.
Since 1976, employment of scientists and engineers is up 85 percent. This trend is expected to continue. However, the trend shows that the number of 22-year-old the near term source of future PhDs is declining. Further adding to the problem is the increased competition for these candidates from other fields law，medicine，business，etc. While the number of U.S. PhDs in science and engineering declines，the award of PhDs to foreign nationals is increasing rapidly.
Our inability to motivate students to pursue science and engineering careers at the graduate level is compounded because of the intense demand industry has for bright Bachelor‘s and Master‘s degree holders. Too often，promising PH.D.candidates, confronting(面临) the cost and financial sacrifice of pursuing their education, find the attraction of industry irresistible.
1. The U.S.will come to lose its leading place in technology probably because ________.
A. the number of PH.D. degree holders is declining
B. the number of scientists and engineers is decreasing
C. the number of 22-year-ilds is declining
D. scientists and engineers are not employed
2. The field of science and engineering is facing a competition from ________ .
A. technology B. foreign nationals
C. such fields as law，medicine and business
D. postgraduates
3. Large-scale enterprises now need _______.
A. bright graduates and postgraduates B. new inventions
C. advanced technology D. engineers
4. PH.D. candidates "find the attraction of industry irresistible" means that _________.
A. they find industry is attracting more and more college students
B. they don’t think they can prevent themselves from working for industry
C. they cannot resist any attraction from all sides
D. they cannot work for industry any longer
Software Trainer
If you are aged 24-25 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make your own decisions, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV(简历) to Mrs. R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.
Wanted, Someone for a Kiss
We're looking for producers to join us on the sound of London Kiss 100 FM. You'll work on the station's music programmes. Music production experience in radio in necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100.
Father Christmas
We're looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.
Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December 17 to December 24 except Sundays, 10:30-16:00.
Excellent pay.
Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Centre, Station Parade, Eastbourne.
Accountants Assistant
When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level, we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.
Wealden District CouncilWe learn from the ads that the Enterprise Shopping Centre needs a person who ____.
| A．is aged between 24 and 40 |
| B．can work for about a month |
| C．should deal with general duties |
| D．may do some training work |
Which position is open to recent school graduates?
| A．Producer, London Kiss. |
| B．Father Christmas. |
| C．Accountants Assistant. |
| D．Software Trainer. |
What kind of person would probably apply to Palmlace Limited?
| A．One having good computer knowledge. |
| B．One with some office experience. |
| C．One with GCSE grade C level. |
| D．One trained in producing music programmes. |
The African elephant, which is the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna (大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.
It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and under-bushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B．The effect of African elephants’ search for food. |
| C．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| D．The eating habit of African elephants. |
What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
| A．Fixing the time. |
| B．Deciding the conditions. |
| C．Improving the quality. |
| D．Worsening the state. |
What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
| A．They result from the destruction of rain forests. |
| B．They provide food mainly for African elephants. |
| C．They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. |
| D．They are home to many endangered animals. |
The passage is developed mainly by ______.
| A．giving examples |
| B．pointing out similarities and differences |
| C．describing the changes in space order |
| D．showing the effect and then explaining the causes |
Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage for five days where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating (纪念）the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that’s the traditional togetherness (友爱）that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song.
This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. “People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation,” Riedel said. “It’s really easy to relax, and it’s great seeing family and friends have fun together.” These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests.
With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue (举办地）for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.
The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug.4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug.8.The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to _______.
| A．gather people with different musical tastes |
| B．collect old stories of folk music |
| C．exhibitive good voices of great talents in folk music |
| D．remind people of the real sense of folk music |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations. |
| B．It’s hard for people to appreciate Blues. |
| C．Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5years. |
| D．People have to pay $2 for a plate of food. |
We can learn from the passenger that .
| A．the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized |
| B．people can get tickets easily for the festival |
| C．driving one’s own car to the festival is highly recommended |
| D．bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday |
What would the best title for the passage?
| A．Folk Music of Blues |
| B．Edmonton’s Downtown Park |
| C．Festival for Family Gathering |
| D．One Festival for All |
It was a dark, wet November morning. It seemed like it would take a million years to get to summer again. I thought bears have got it right---- what a perfect idea to sleep through the worst part of the year and wake up when spring comes!
“Want some words of affirmation(肯定)?” a coworker, seeing my mood, kindly suggested. “You don’t think they would cheer you up?”
“Today? No.” I shook my head.
“I used to think so too,” he said, “until I realized the effect my words had on a certain person. Well, it was someone I knew pretty well. I have to say I treated him rather badly.”
“You? But you are always so positive! How did you treat him badly?”
“I told him I did not like anything about him, really. I told him I did not even like his name. In fact, it wasn’t only what I said. I also did pretty bad things to him. When he was hungry, I did not give him the chance to eat proper food. When he felt like doing something fun, I said to him that he was being childish and having fun was not productive (有成果的). And worst of all, when he was sick and needed care, I did not care. I told him to get up and get to work. And when he did, I never told him he did good work. You could say I was ashamed of him,” he said. “I wanted to get rid of him because he just wasn’t good enough for me---but couldn’t.”
“But that was heartless!”
He nodded. “Then one day it all changed. I stood there in front of the bathroom mirror one morning. I saw the dark circles under his eyes, I saw the excess (过量的) weight. I saw the hair that needed cutting. And I saw the eyes that once had looked at the world eagerly. Now they were so sad and tired. And there and then I realized he deserved better. So I told the man I had disliked for so many years that he was a good person after all.”
My jaw (下巴) dropped. I looked at him---full of positive energy, in good shape, always ready to encourage others.
“Wow…”
He winked (眨眼) at me. “So how about having a little positive conversation with the bathroom mirror? The person in there has the greatest effect on you!”The first paragraph implies that .
| A．the author felt frustrated that morning |
| B．the weather in November was the worst in a year |
| C．the author didn’t enjoy his work environment |
| D．the author always felt bad in winter |
The author’s coworker used to be a person who .
| A．was very proud of himself |
| B．treated people differently |
| C．worked hard to keep fit |
| D．criticized himself a lot |
Which paragraph gives a clue about who the person that a author’s coworker treated badly was?
| A．Paragraph 4. | B．Paragraph 8. |
| C．Paragraph 6. | D．The last paragraph. |
What does the author’s coworker suggest the author do?
| A．Be helpful to those in need. |
| B．Be confident in the face of difficulty. |
| C．Be positive about himself. |
| D．Be kind to those who make mistakes. |
Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.
If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart. When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
Communication begins with the concerns of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore everyone. Even if you just say “Hi”, and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing.
If you looked up the word “communication” in a dictionary, it would say “the exchange of ideas, the conveyance (表达) of information, means of communication such as a letter or a message”. To keep a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it’s just by writing a note.
When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Yelling or walking away only makes the situation worse.
This is an example: one night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let the incident go. Communication is the key factor here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
Communication isn’t a one-way deal: it goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie’s, tell the other person how you feel—listening is the key factor to communication.In the writer’s view, dealing with parents is __________than with children.
| A．more difficult | B．easier |
| C．more uninteresting | D．more interesting |
The main idea of the second paragraph is __________.
| A．the importance of friendship |
| B．to make your feeling known to others |
| C．the importance of communication |
| D．the disagreement between generations |
The example in this passage proves that __________.
| A．Sophie is very polite to her parents |
| B．Sophie’s parents are willing to listen to her |
| C．explanation is the best way to solve a problem |
| D．communication is the solution (解决办法) to misunderstanding |
All the following statements are correct except __________.
| A．If you don’t agree with others, you’d better let them know |
| B．It is better to say “Hi”to others than say nothing |
| C．If you are not able to communicate, walk away |
| D．Communication is a two-way deal |