In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic (学业的) achievements and felt confident that their degree would help them to find a good job.
However, in the past five years the job market has changed greatly. This year’s college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets. For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose State University, got a degree in religious studies, but no job prospects. He points out that many people already working are getting laid off and don’t have jobs, so it’s even harder for new college graduates to find jobs.
Five years ago, the future looked bright for the class of 2006. There were many high-tech job chances. Graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries and benefits such as insurance (保险) and paid vacations. However, "Times have changed and it's a new market," according to an officer of the San Jose State Career Center.
The officer says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago. They worked during summer vacations, they have had several short-time jobs, and they’ve majored in one of the few fields that are still hot, like chemical engineering, accounting, or nursing, where average starting salaries have actually increased over last year. Other popular fields (like information system management, computer science, and political science) have seen big declines (下降) in starting salaries.
Ryan Stewart (he had hoped to become a teacher) may go back to school in order to become a college teacher. He thinks college teaching could be a good career even in a bad economy.
In conclusion, these days a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth for some students. For now, they can only hope the value of their degree will increase over time.The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．skills | B．interests | C．chances | D．ideas |
Which of the following majors has the best job offers?
| A．teaching | B．accounting |
| C．political science | D．computer science |
Ryan Stewart will have to ____________.
| A．go back to school | B．get a job teaching |
| C．change his major | D．become a religious leader |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ____________.
| A．the best way to get rich is not to get a college degree |
| B．most students with degrees will not be able to find jobs |
| C．having a college degree does not mean that one has money for travelling |
| D．a college degree does not mean that one will find a well-paid job |
The main idea of the passage is that _________.
| A．a lot of graduates are losing their jobs |
| B．Ryan Stewart has been able to find a job |
| C．salaries in some fields have increased in the past year |
| D．the job market has changed greatly over the past five years |
What time of day can you think most quickly? Are you a morning person? Or does it take you a few hours to get your brain going? A lot of recent research suggests that we should pay attention to our body clock. It can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
Many people work best later in the morning. This is because the body’s temperature takes time to rise through the day. Taking a warm shower when you wake up can help your body’s temperature rise quickly.
But everyone’s body clock is different and some are special. Morning people will get up early and
work better early in the day. Evening people will work later but work better towards the end of the day. Research shows that we’re better at some activities at certain times of the day. Physical performance is at its best between 3 pm and 6 pm, so it’s better to exercise later in the day.
Between noon and 4 pm, people begin to pay less attention. This is because we think less quickly
after a big meal. Research also shows we become sleepy around 2 pm. This is why people in Spain take a short sleep in early afternoon. Finally, it is best to eat when we’re active. This allows our body
to burn calories better and stops our blood sugar levels from getting too high.__________ can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
| A．Morning people | B．A warm shower |
| C．Our body temperature. | D．Our body clock |
A morning people will ________.
| A．get later but work better |
| B．work better early in the day. |
| C．only work in the morning |
| D．go to bed late every night. |
What is the best time for physical performance?
| A．Between 3 pm and 6 pm | B．Between 7 pm and 10 pm. |
| C．Between noon and 4 pm | D．Between 5 pm and 8 pm. |
Why is it best to eat when we’re active?
| A．Because eating makes the brain unable to think quickly. |
| B．Because it makes our blood sugar levels higher. |
| C．Because our body can burn more calories. |
| D．Because we are allowed to eat then. |
What is the best title for this article?
| A．How can we work better |
| B．The best time to exercise |
| C．How can we keep healthy |
| D．The perfect time to do something |
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Do you agree with this old saying? Joanne Gordon does. She is the author of Be Happy at work and other books about careers(职业). Gordon believes that about 30% of employees(雇员) in North America do not like their jobs, and she thinks that is terrible. She wants to help people who do not feel satisfied with their jobs find work that is good for them. Joanne says, “There are no happy jobs, only happy workers.” She believes that happy workers share three main characteristics.
First, happy workers enjoy the daily activities of their jobs, and they look forward to the workday. Take Tony Hawk, for example. At age 14, he became a professional skateboarder. Now he is a businessman working on projects related to skateboarding—films and video games, but he still skates every day. He once said, “My youngest son’s pre-school was recently asked what their dads do for work. My son said, ‘I’ve never seen my dad do work.’” Tony agrees that his job doesn’t look like work. He has found a way to spend each day doing a job he enjoys.
Second, happy workers like the people they work with. Sally Ayote says, “I work with the coolest people in the world.” She and her group cook for almost 1,200 people in Antarctica. Most of these people are scientists who are doing research. Sally loves to sit and talk with them. She says, “There is no television here, no radio, so I get to know the scientists and what they’re studying.” Sally thinks she has a great job, and the best part about it is the people.
Third, happy workers know that their work helps others. Caroline Baron’s work helps people who have had to leave their home countries because of war or other dangers. She is a filmmaker who started an organization called FilmAid, which shows movies in refugee(难民) camps around the world. Caroline believes that movies can be very helpful in these camps. For one thing, entertaining movies let refugees forget their troubles for a little while. Movies can also teach important subjects like health and safety. For example, in one camp, thousands of refugees saw a movie about how to get clean water. Caroline knows that is helping other people, and this makes her feel proud and happy about her work.
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron all get great satisfaction from their work. Tony Hawk says, “Find the thing you love. If you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.” Joanne Gordon would agree. She encourages people to find something they enjoy doing, find people they like to work with, and find ways to help others. Then they can be proud of what they do, and they will probably be happy at work.Who is the book, Be Happy at Work, written for?
| A．Joanne Gordon herself. |
| B．Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron. |
| C．People who do not feel satisfied with their jobs. |
| D．The workers who agree with the author’s ideas. |
Why did Tony Hawk’s son say, “I’ve never seen my dad do work.”?
| A．Because Tony Hawk’s job doesn’t look like work. |
| B．Because Tony Hawk always finds something enjoyable in his job. |
| C．Because Tony helps people forget their troubles while skating. |
| D．Because the best part about his job is to spend each day skating. |
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron are good examples that show us ____________.
| A．how to be a successful businessman |
| B．how to help people in difficulties |
| C．how to get along with the coolest people |
| D．how to become a happy worker |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some people believe that only a few kinds of jobs can really make people feel happy. |
| B．The writer of the passage tells us that many different kinds of work can be enjoyable. |
| C．The author of Be Happy at Work thinks that happiness at work is really important. |
| D．Joanne Gordon believes that people will probably be happy at work when they are proud of what they do. |
An old man lived with his family. The family would eat together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, dropping to the floor. When he grasped his glass of milk, it often spilled clumsily(笨拙地) at the tablecloth.
With this happening almost every night, the son and daughter-in-law became annoyed with the mess.
“We must do something about grandfather,” said the son.
“I’ve had enough of his milk spilling, noisy eating and food on the floor,” the daughter-in-law agreed.
So the couple set a small table at the corner.
There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in wooden bowls. Sometimes when the family looked in grandfather’s direction, he had tears in his eyes as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp warnings when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening, before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood pieces on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy replied, “Oh, I’m making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
These words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears streamed down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must be done. Eating was difficult for the grandfather because ________.
| A．his son and daughter-in-law didn’t like him |
| B．there wasn’t enough food for him |
| C．life was hard for the poor family |
| D．he was old and weak |
The couple served the old man’s food in wooden bowls to ________.
| A．show how sick they felt of the old man |
| B．make the old man’s food more enjoyable |
| C．prevent the old man from breaking more dishes |
| D．encourage their son to make more wooden bowls |
What would the end of the story be like?
| A．The couple gave their son a good beating. |
| B．No more milk was spilled by the old man. |
| C．The old man had every meal with the family. |
| D．The whole family started to use wooden bowls. |
What’s the difference between the British Isles, Britain, the United Kingdom and England?
The British Isles is made up of two large islands: One is called Ireland and the other Britain. Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger of these two islands and it is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England.
The United Kingdom (UK) is short for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is made up of Scotland, Wales, and England (i.e. the whole of Britain), and also about one-sixth of Ireland, the Northern part. The rest of Ireland is self-governing(自治的).
England is the largest, most populous (人口众多的), and generally speaking, the richest section. English people often use the words “England” and “English” when they mean “Britain” and “British”. This sometimes makes the Scots and the Welsh angry. The Scots are very proud of their separate nationality. The Welsh too do not consider themselves as England, and have a culture and even a language of their own. Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but is soon grew discontented (不满的), and for forty years the “Irish Question” was the greatest headache of British Parliament(国会). At last, Ireland divided itself into two: Northern Ireland remained loyal(忠诚于) to the Crown(英国王室), and in 1922 the rest of the country broke away to form Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland.Which is the largest in area?
| A．The British Iles | B．Great Britain |
| C．England | D．The United Kingdom |
Which is the largest island of the British Isles?.
| A．Ireland | B．Britain |
| C．England | D．Northern Ireland |
The United Kingdom is mainly made up of .
| A．3 parts: Scotland, Wales, and England |
| B．4 parts: Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland |
| C．2 parts: the whole of Britain and Ireland |
| D．2 parts: the whole of Britain and Northern Ireland |
Strictly speaking(严格地说), which is wrong?
| A．“English” refers(指) to people of England. |
| B．“The Scots” refers to people of Scotland. |
| C．“England” refers to all the people to the UK. |
| D．Only one-sixth of Ireland belongs to the UK. |
Who will be happy if we use “England” when we mean Britain?
| A．The British | B．People of England |
| C．People of the Republic of Ireland | D．The welsh |
Mother’s Day is a holiday for mothers. It is celebrated(庆祝)in the United States, England, India and some other countries. In a short time, it becomes widely celebrated. Mother’s day falls on the second Sunday in May. On that day, many people send gifts(礼物)of love to their mothers.
Those whose mothers are still living often wear a pink or red rose or carnation(康乃馨)， while those whose mothers are dead wear a white one.
The idea of a day for mothers was first given by Miss Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia. As a result of her hard work, the celebration of the first American Mother’s Day was held in Philadelphia(费城） on May 10, 1908. Soon the holiday became popular all over the country and around the world.
In China, people do the same on the day for mothers. And, in some cities, people sometimes ask a song to be broadcast(广播) for his or her mother only. This might cost a little money for some of them, but, as it is said, “Love is invaluable.”
On May 8, 1999, just the day before the Mother’s Day that year, a Chinese mother was killed in criminal bombing(罪恶轰炸). Her name is Shao Yanhuan, a heroic mother. All the Chinese will remember her forever. Mother’s Day .
| A．is a holiday for mothers |
| B．is celebrated in the United Stated only |
| C．falls on May 10 every year |
| D．was given by Miss Anna Jarvis |
What was the date of the Mother’s Day in 1999?
| A．May 7. | B．May 8. | C．May 9. | D．May 10 |
On Mother’s Day, people.
| A．send some flowers to their mothers. |
| B．wear a pink or red rose or carnation |
| C．wear a white flower |
| D．send gifts of love to their mothers |
the underlined word “invaluable” means “”.
| A．美好的 | B．无价的 | C．永恒的 | D．无私的 |
Maybe you’ve known the criminal bombing, which of the following ideas do you agree to?
| A．Shao Yunhuan is a heroic mother. |
| B．A Chinese mother is the same as an American mother. |
| C．The bombing cannot get away with the crime (难逃罪责). |
| D．All of the above |