If you are a recent social science graduate who has had to listen to jokes about unemployment from your computer major classmates, you may have the last laugh．There are many advantages for the social science major because this high-tech "Information Age" demands people who are flexible（灵活的）and who have good knowledge of social science．
There are many social science majors in large companies who take up important positions．For example, a number of research studies found that social science majors had achieved greater managerial success than those who had technical training or pre-professional courses．Studies show that social science majors are most suited to change, which is the leading feature（特点） of the kind of high speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in．
Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are also finding jobs more easily．A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-level positions with social science graduates．The study also showed that the most sought-after quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as "very important" by 92 percent of the companies．Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they are．It is probably due to these skills that have been offered a wide variety of positions．
Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained classmates to land the first job．recent graduates report that they don't regret their choice of study．
50．What's the main idea of the passage?
A．Social science graduates are more likely to be employed．
B．Computer major graduates are more likely to be employed．
C．A lot of people take up the social science majors．
D．Why is the unemployment problem so serious nowadays．
51．What is our present society's clearest feature?
A．It is full of pressure． B．It is full of chances．
C．It is full of changes． D．It is full of failures
52．Why are the social science graduates offered many jobs?
A．Because they are more experienced than the other kinds of graduates．
B．Because they are more flexible than the other kinds of graduates．
C．Because they can deal with problems better than the other kinds of graduates．
D．Because they have better communication skills than the other kinds of graduates．
53．What's the attitude of social science graduates towards their major?
A．Disappointed． B．Satisfied． C．Interested． D．Bored．
For the past two years, 8－year－old Harli Jordean from Stoke Newington, London, has been selling marbles(弹珠)．His successful marble company, Marble King, sells all things marble-related—from affordable tubs of the glass playthings to significantly expensive items like Duke of York solitaire（独粒宝石）tables—sourced, purchased and processed by the mini－CEO himself.
“I like having my own company. I like being the boss,” Harli told The Mirror.
With profits now in the thousands, “the world's youngest CEO” has had to get his mother and older brothers to help him meet the growing demand.
Harli launched Marble King after swapping（交换）marbles at school led to schoolchildren depleting(削减) his marble collection. Yes, he literally（确切地）“lost his marbles.” Harli and his mother, Tina, turned to the Internet to find replacements.
Harli saw an empty space online: the marbles he wanted were hard to find. Within months, Harli had his own marble－selling website and orders started pouring in.
Tina says her son's obsession(迷恋) with marbles started when he was just 6.
“His obsession became so big we started calling him the Marble King, so when he wanted to set up a website it was the natural name for it，” she told The Sun.
“I never thought it would become so popular—we are struggling to cope with the number of orders at times.”
The 8－year－old boy has his sights set on expanding his business and launching his own brand of marbles.
“Sometimes his ideas are so grand we have to scale them back a bit. But his dream is still to own Britain's biggest marble shop and open stores around the world.” Tina told The Daily Mail.
“At the minute he is annoying me by asking about creating his won Marble King marbles, so that could well be the next step for him.”Why did Harli's marble company become popular as soon as he launched it?
| A．Because it was run by “the world's youngest CEO”． |
| B．Because it filled the gaps of marble business. |
| C．Because Harli was fascinated with marble collection. |
| D．Because his mother and brothers helped him a lot. |
How many mass media are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined expression “scale back”？
| A．make smaller | B．carry out | C．turn down | D．frighten away |
What message do the last two paragraphs carry?
| A．Conflicts often occur between Harli Jordean and his family. |
| B．Harli's mother and brothers are worried about Marble King's future. |
| C．Marble King marbles will be more popular with marble fans around the world. |
| D．The “Marble King” has great ambitions for his Marble King Company. |
Everyone agrees that all the creatures want happiness and are afraid of pain and grief. The question, however, is “What is real happiness?” The desire for happiness has no meaning without understanding the real nature of happiness.
Generally, ordinary beings consider sensual（感觉的） pleasures as happiness, and their actions are directed toward gaining these. According to them, searching for happiness means searching for pleasures of the senses. The question, “What is happiness?”, does not arise（出现） in their hearts, because in their hearts they think of a life full of sensual joys as a happy life.
Some thinkers say, “Happiness does not lie in the objects of enjoyment; happiness or unhappiness lies in the imagination.” To prove their belief they give examples like the following one. A man has a two-storey house. When he thinks of those who have a house with three storeys or more, he feels unhappy. When he thinks of those who have just a cottage, he feels happy. Such happiness does not lie in possessions（占有物）, but in the imagination. They advise people to take inspiration from those who have few possessions but are quite happy. If you only consider people wealthier than yourself, you will always be unhappy.
If you want to be happy, they say, look at the poor. But it is unreasonable to hold that happiness lies in the imagination. And it is inappropriate to think that someone is happy if he only imagines himself better than the poor and the unhappy. This attitude also satisfies the sense of pride of possession. This can never be called happiness. Unless we find out where happiness lies, we cannot really become happy.
Some ask people to do this or that, and say, “This way your desires will be satisfied. That way you will get what you want and become happy.” People holding these views regard happiness as satisfaction of desires and unhappiness as denial(否定) of such satisfaction.What kind of life can make common people feel happy?
| A．Life without pain and grief. |
| B．Life full of sensual pleasures. |
| C．Life with desire for possessions. |
| D．Life full of imagination. |
The underlined word “cottage” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to ________.
| A．a house in one’s imagination | B．a modern building |
| C．a desired object | D．a small house |
The author may agree that ________.
| A．by comparing themselves with the poor, people will feel happy |
| B．people won’t feel happy without a desire for happiness |
| C．possessing wealth may lead to a sense of pride |
| D．people have to experience pain and grief before finding happiness |
The best title for this passage would be “________”.
| A．What Is Happiness? | B．How to Get Happiness |
| C．Happiness and Desire | D．Happiness and Imagination |
Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.
The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes— they are failing because the “ academic” classes are not sufficient.
It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.
Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art— there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge — certainly not a good preparation for the real world.Music and drama are not included in the high-school curriculum mainly because________.
| A．the school committee pays no attention to them |
| B．the school is afraid of losing financial support |
| C．the students are not interested in both of them |
| D．the state standardized test is more important. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The sufficiency of the classes determines students’ performance in the mastery test |
| B．students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons |
| C．The school committee completely influences students’ attitude towards the arts |
| D．Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today’s school system. |
We can learn that music and art can ________.
| A．make students round-shaped people in future |
| B．provide students with analytical thinking |
| C．motivate students in creativity and expression |
| D．prevent students graduating from high school |
The best title of the passage can be ________.
| A．Who Killed Music and Drama? |
| B．Can Curriculum Go Without Music? |
| C．Why is Music So Important? |
| D．How To Prepare For the Real World? |
The Golden Compass is the first movie based on the Philip Pullman’s bestselling novel, His Dark Materials. It is a work of imagination that tells us about a young girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend. Along the way she meets strange creatures, like witches and so on. Finally , she saves not only her world, but also ours as well.
Lyra is a young girl among scholars in Oxford’s Jordan College. She spends most of her time with her friend Roger, a kitchen boy. Together, they share a life with no worries. However, when Lyra hears a conversation about a very tiny particle(颗粒), she is thrown into a dangerous adventure. This particle is said to unite different worlds, and is feared by many people who want to destroy it. At the same time , children began to disappear without a trace, including Lyra’s good friend, Roger. As Lyra starts this horrible struggle, and begins to search for Roger, she meets strange creatures both big and small, and bad people who are not what they seem to be. Gobblers(饕餮者) that kidnap(绑架)children appear in the most unexpected places. And a magical compass made of gold will answer any question if one is skilled enough to read it. In unbelievable danger, Lyra doesn’t know that she is doomed to win, or to lose, this battle…
With the movie The Lord of the Rings making New Line cinema over a billion dollars, it’s easy to see why they got the rights to Pullman’s His Dark Materials quickly. The books, sold more than nine million copies in the world, have a different idea from the Harry Potter series. Pullman’s imagination may look suitable for children, but it works far better for adults.In the film The Golden Compass, Lyra______.
| A．is a student in Oxford’s Jordan College |
| B．is a kitchen boy |
| C．hears a conversation of Roger’s |
| D．meets many strange creatures |
The film is named The Golden Compass probably because______.
| A．the compass is useful enough to help Lyra |
| B．only skilled people can read the compass |
| C．the compass which is made of gold can answer any question |
| D．the compass throughout the whole story is a clue |
From the passage we can conclude that______.
| A．New Line Cinema won Pullman’s trust through its achievement |
| B．The Lord of the Rings is also based on one of Pullman’s novels |
| C．His Dark Materials is similar to the Harry Potter series |
| D．New Line Cinema made over a billion dollars through the Harry Potter series |
Which group of people will like the film The Golden Compass the best according to the passage?
| A．Children | B．Junior students | C．Adults | D．Only old people |
Spring is coming, and it is time for those about to graduate to look for jobs. Competition is tough, so job seekers must carefully consider their personal choices. Whatever we are wearing, our family and friends may accept us, but the workplace may not.
A high school newspaper editor said it is unfair for companies to discourage visible tattoos nose rings, or certain dress styles. It is true you can’t judge a book by its cover, yet people do “cover” themselves in order to convey certain messages. What we wear, including tattoos and nose rings, is an expression of who we are. Just as people convey messages about themselves with their appearances, so do companies. Dress standards exist in the business world for a number of reasons, but the main concern is often about what customers accept.
Others may say how to dress is a matter of personal freedom, but for businesses it is more about whether to make or lose money. Most employers do care about the personal appearances of their employees, because those people represent the companies to their customers.
As a hiring manager I am paid to choose the people who would make the best impression on our customers. There are plenty of well-qualified candidates, so it is not wrong to reject someone who might disappoint my customers. Even though I am open-minded, I can’t expect all our customers are.
There is nobody to blame but yourself if your set of choices does not match that of your preferred employer. No company should have to change to satisfy a candidate simply because he or she is unwilling to respect its standards, as long as its standards are legal.What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Hiring managers make the best impression on their candidate. |
| B．Candidates have to wear what companies prefer for an interview. |
| C．What to wear is a matter of customers’ acceptance to a great extent. |
| D．Companies sometimes have to change to respect their candidates. |
Which of the following is the newspaper editor’s opinion according to Paragraph2?
| A．Customers’ choices influence dress standards in companies. |
| B．Candidates with tattoos or nose rings should be fairly treated. |
| C．Strange dress styles should not be encouraged in the workplace. |
| D．People’s appearances carry messages about themselves. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Appearances Do Matter |
| B．Hiring Managers Matter |
| C．Personal Choices Matter |
| D．Employees Matter |