Preparing for the Next Job Market
The latest spike in the unemployment rate is being felt across the board ?in 98 percent of metropolitan areas, in high-wage and low-wage jobs, among young and old, women and men, but especially men.
This landscape means that young Americans who are trying to plan their futures right now have some hard choices.Do they go to college and take on debt without hope of getting a job? And what about high school students? Do they have any chance of securing a job without a college degree? Perhaps the education system needs to react to this rapidly moving economic crisis.
In our current economic collapse, the connection between education and employment could not be more different than it was during the Depression.Education must now hold center stage, not because of an enemy abroad but because of the global economy.The jobs of the future will demand levels of education, particularly skills in mathematics, technology and science, which exceed those now taught in high school.
A healthy society should strive for full employment.In our times, that goal cannot be realized, or even approximated by creating jobs for the unskilled.The long-term prospect for economic recovery depends on the extent to which we improve our educational system.And this is where America is now at its weakest.
Our high schools produce graduates who do not write well enough, have limited reasoning skills and are unable to use the tools of mathematics.Their command of science is far inferior to that of their counterparts in other nations.And all too many young people drop out.We may still have the best university system, but it benefits only a minority.
We will need more engineers, scientists and service providers, particularly in the health professions, with a quality of education that cannot be obtained in the current system.Radical change, not reform, is called for.
What should be done? First, high school should be cut short and end when students are 16.Second, a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills that the economy needs should be created.Third, access to four-year colleges should be expanded, giving more Americans the chance to acquire the deep learning that makes breakthroughs in technology possible.Fourth, we need to recruit more public school teachers and train them better, particularly in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, so that our children can be prepared to compete.
68.Nowadays, students graduating from high school____.
A.write well enough
B.have limitless reasoning skills
C.can't use the tools of mathematics
D.command science as much as their counterparts in other nations
69.What should we do to improve the quality of education?
A.Students shouldn't study in high school until 16.
B.We should create a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills the economy needs.
C.We should limit access to four-year colleges.
D.We ought to recruit more private school teachers and train them better.
70.What does the word "collapse" in the third paragraph mean?
A.success B.failure C.development D.booming
71.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Young Americans planning their futures have difficult choices.
B.Education must hold center stage due to the global economy.
C.The best university system benefits a majority.
D.A health society should struggle for full employment.
Time Zones(时区)
Strange things happen to time when you travel. Because the earth is divided into twenty-four zones one hour apart(相差).You can have days with more or fewer than twenty-four hours, and weeks more or fewer than seven days.
If you make a five-day trip across the Atlantic Ocean(大西洋),your ship enters a different time zone every day. As you enter each zone, the time changes one hour. Travelling west ,you set your clock back; traveling east , you set it ahead. Each day of your trip has either twenty-five or twenty-three hours.
If you travel by ship across the Pacific(太平洋), you cross the international date line. By agreement, this is the point where a new day begins, when you cross the line, you change your calendar one full time day, backward or forward. Travelling east, today becomes yesterday; traveling west, it is tomorrow.Strange things happen to time when you travel because______.
A.no day really has 24 hours | B.the earth is divided into time zones |
C.time zones are not all the same size | D.no one knows where time zones are |
From this passage it seems true that the Atlantic Ocean___.
A.is divided into five time zones | B.is divided into 24 time zones |
C.is in one time zone | D.cannot be crossed in five days |
If you cross the ocean going west, you set your clock_____.
A.ahead by 25 hours in a new time zone | B.one hour ahead for the whole trip |
C.back one full day for each time zone | D.one hour back in each new time zone |
The international date line is the name for______.
A.the beginning of any new time zone | B.the point where a new day ends |
C.the point where a new day begins | D.any time zone in the Pacific Ocean |
A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: “AAAhhhhhhhhhh!!!” To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountains: “AAAhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Curious, he shouts: : “Who are you?” He receives the answer:” “Who are you?” And then he screams to the mountain: “I admire you!” The voice answers: “I admire you!”
Angered at the response, he screams: “Coward (one without courage)!” He receives the answer: “Coward!”
He looks to his father and asks: “What's going on?” The father smiles and says: “My son, pay attention.”
Again the man screams at the top of his voice: “You are a champion!” The voice answers: “You are a champion!”
The boy is surprised, but does not understand. Then the father explains: “People call this ECHO (回音) , but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.”
This relationship applies to (适用于) everything, in all aspects of life; life will give you back everything you have given to it.”The boy is surprised because __________.
A.he falls over his own feet. | B.his father can shout as loud as he does. |
C.he hears his screams repeated. | D.someone calls him a coward. |
What’s the father’s attitude towards life?
A.hopeful | B.disappointed | C.upset | D.hopeless |
Which of the following sayings is in keeping with the father’s teachings?
A.Faith will move mountains. | B.A great talker is a great liar (说谎者). |
C.Love me, love my dog. | D.Do well and have well. |
One day,four lawyers were riding their horses along a country road. There had been a rain. Water was dripping (滴) from the trees,and the grass was wet. They rode slowly,talking and laughing. Suddenly they heard some noises from the tree above them. “What is the matter?” asked the first lawyer. “Oh, it's only some old birds!” said the second lawyer. “The storm made one of the babies fall out of the nest. It is too young to fly, and the mother bird is very worried.” “What a pity! It’ll die down there in the grass,” said the third lawyer. “It doesn't matter. It's only a bird,” said the second lawyer. Then they rode on, talking and laughing as before. But the fourth lawyer, whose name was Abraham Lincoln, stopped. He got down from his horse and took the little one in his big warm hands.
“Never mind, my little fellow ,” said Mr. Lincoln. “I will put you back in your little nest.” He climbed up the tree and put the bird softly into their warm little home. A few minutes later, Mr. Lincoln joined them again. His shoes were covered with mud and he was wet. Then the other three laughed at him. They thought it was foolish for a strong man to do so much just for a young bird. “Gentlemen,” said Mr. Lincoln, “I could not sleep tonight if I had left the helpless bird in the grass.” Later Abraham Lincoln became very famous as a lawyer. He also became the president of America. He was one of the greatest American presidents.The reason why the mother bird was worried was that __________.
A.there was a rain |
B.the lawyers were under its tree |
C.one of its babies fell out of the nest |
D.it could not fly |
The underlined phrase “little fellow” in paragraph 2 means __________.
A.the mother bird |
B.Lincoln's little friends |
C.the other three lawyers |
D.the baby bird |
The other three lawyers laughed at Lincoln because __________.
A.he climbed the tree |
B.he was wet |
C.his shoes were covered with mud |
D.they thought it foolish for him to do so |
From the passage we know Lincoln __________.
A.liked riding horses |
B.was very kind and loved birds and animals |
C.liked being laughed at |
D.wanted to be the president of America then |
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If you own a small successful business but have no time for yourself, I am an honest woman looking to become a working partner in your business. Call Mrs Meikle 4783784 |
If you want to buy an automobile business, you should call __________.
A.3421577 | B.6560232 | C.9497221 | D.3328725 |
Whom should Dora call?
A.Mr Kent | B.Stein | C.Walter | D.Mrs Meikle |
How many selling ads are there in the chart?
A.Four | B.Six | C.Eight | D.Ten |
One of the most important meals of the day is breakfast. In order for children to build strong bodies and for adults to keep well, they should always eat a good breakfast. Eating the right food is necessary for good health. You should eat different kinds of food in order to keep a good health.
It is understood that a good breakfast may contain eggs, bread, milk, and so on. By eating breakfast every morning, you can feel alive and active in the morning’s work. After a good breakfast you can step out into the morning air and feel wonderful. Anybody can feel better by eating a good breakfast.
Many fathers and mothers are unable to get their children to eat breakfast. There are many reasons for children not to eat breakfast. One reason could be that they do not have a good example. It could be that the father and mother do not eat breakfast. What ever the reasons are for children not to eat breakfast, it can be bad for their health.
Without breakfast children may not grow as fast as they should and may not study and play as well in school in the morning as they could. They can have more illnesses, and, when they are ill, it may take them longer to be in good health again than it takes children with good health habits.
Good eating habits mean eating breakfast. Unless you eat breakfast, you do not eat a full meal from dinner the night before until lunch the next day. This is quite a long time for the body to go without food.
Food is the source of power for the body. Unless the body gets food, it cannot keep operating at top speed. Without food the body will slow down. Nobody will live without food. It is necessary to start the day full of power. So you must eat breakfast so that you can keep in good health and do your best each morning. What should adults do in order to keep good health?
A.Eat less and take more exercise. | B.Have less for lunch. |
C.Have more for supper. | D.Have a good breakfast. |
Many fathers and mothers are unable to get their children to eat breakfast because they __________.
A.always eat a big breakfast | B.eat a little for breakfast |
C.eat more for breakfast | D.don’t have breakfast at all |
What will happen to the children without breakfast?
A.They may not grow as fast as children with breakfast. |
B.They may grow faster and better than children with breakfast. |
C.They may grow as fast and well as children with breakfast. |
D.They may study as well as or ever better than children with breakfast. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Breakfast can provide us the power we need. |
B.Adults needn’t have breakfast. |
C.Many fathers and mothers are unable to afford their children breakfast. |
D.Only breakfast is important to us. |