An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor john Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done. ” He added.
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the pubic sector（部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.” Professor John Beath’s lectures are .
| A．given in a traditional way |
| B．connected with the present situation |
| C．open to both students and their parents |
| D．warmly received by economics |
Careers in the public sector are more attractive because of their .
| A．better reputation | B．higher pay | C．fewer applications | D．greater stability |
In the opinion of most parents, .
| A．economics should be the focus of school teaching |
| B．more students should be admitted to universities |
| C．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened |
| D．children should solve financial problems themselves |
According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters .
| A．get jobs in Child Trust Funds | B．have access to better equipment |
| C．confident about their future careers | D．wiser in money management |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Universities have received more applications. |
| B．Economics is attracting an increasing number of students. |
| C．College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty |
| D．Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection. |
Homestay UK/Great Britain
Here you will find a selection of homestay hosts and host families in the UK. If you want to learn more about the British host family of your choice, please click on information at www. Homestaybooking. Com. You will then see a personal introduction of the UK homestay host. If you don’t want to search yourself, just register for free and receive our matching recommendations.
Chika and Tara from London, the United Kingdom
Information about the homestay host
Chika is 28 years old. She is away from home most of the time. Tara is 18 years old. She is at home every day. They both speak English.
Chika and Tara’s guests can stay for at least 5 nights and up to a maximum of 365 nights. Chika and Tara have no children living at home. It is a non-smoking residence(住宅). No pets live in this household.
Information about the homestay accommodation
The accommodation is in London. The name of the neighborhood is Greenwich. The distance to the city center is 1.6km. The next access point to public transport is at 15 m distance.
Three guests can stay in Tara and Chika’s house at the same time. The following accommodation is generally available:
Single room with shared use of the family bathroom
*Size: 12.0 ㎡
*Facilities: desk, Internet access, mirror, hairdryer and wardrobe(衣橱)
*Price per night per person: ￡20.00 per night(one single)
Twin room with shared use of the family bathroom
*Size: 15.0 ㎡
*Facilities: TV, desk, Internet access, mirror, hairdryer and wordrobe
*Price per night per person:
￡20.00 per night(one guest)
￡17.00 per night(two guests)
The room charge includes the following services: Internet access, regular room cleaning, breakfast, free use of the washing machine.
Additional available service at an extra charge: Pick-up service(￡60.00 one-way); Lunch(￡6.00 per person per day); Dinner(￡6.00 per person per night)
Vegetarian(素食的) meals are available.Chika and Tara’s house would be a good choice for _______.
| A．a pet lover |
| B．a heavy smoker |
| C．a person who eats no meat |
| D．one who needs a one-night stay |
What do we know about Chika and Tara’s house?
| A．It lies in the center of the city. |
| B．It is not far away from Greenwich. |
| C．Public transport is convenient there. |
| D．The distance from the house to London is 1.6 km. |
If Mary chooses a twin room and pick-up service(two-way), how much should she pay per day?
| A．￡140. | B．￡137. | C．￡80. | D．￡77 |
When Armida Armato’s daughter, Alexia, came home from school one day last year keen to go on a school trip to Ecuador, she wasn’t too sure how to feel. She was happy that her daughter could experience something she never did as a teen but was fearful of letting her travel to such a remote part of the world.
Alexia was 16 at the time, a student at Westwood High School. The school sponsored a humanitarian trip for 26 students and two teachers to spend 18 days living in a mountain village to build a one-room school. Even though Armato trusted her daughter, the other students and the teachers, she was worried about the side effects from the travel vaccines, possible accidents, and medical care.
Now that Alexia was home, Armato said she saw her daughter’s new maturity, greater confidence and independence. “This is the best thing I ever did,” Alexia said. “The experience was so eye-opening and life-changing. You’re with people who are not as lucky as you are. They live in very poor conditions but they’re so happy and outgoing. You say, ‘My God. I’m taking everything for granted back home.’”
She said they built a one-room school from scratch with no mechanical cement mixers. They used their hands, shovels and basic tools. She and another student lived with a local family in a small village about eight hours outside the capital, Quito. Despite the initial strangeness and knowing only basic Spanish, she said they grew very close and felt like a family.
Every year, groups of students at Montreal High School like Alexia pack their bags and fly off with classmates and teachers to developing countries where they volunteer for a variety of projects.
“Armato’s worries are very common among parents,” says Bill Nevin, a teacher at St. George’s High School. He organizes a humanitarian rip to India to the Sheela Bal Bhavan orphanage and says the three biggest fears families have are health, security and contact.When hearing the news that her daughter would go on a school trip to Ecuador, Armato was _______.
| A．proud and happy | B．supportive but concerned |
| C．fearful and nervous | D．excited but puzzled |
The underlined phrase “from scratch” in Paragraph 4 probably means “______”.
| A．having great help | B．using high technology |
| C．ending up in failure | D．starting from the beginning |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Volunteering helps students grow and develop. |
| B．School trips make parents worried about their children. |
| C．Ecuador is the most attractive travel destination in the world. |
| D．Brave Alexia dreams to work in Ecuador one day. |
There are many commonly held beliefs about eye glasses and eyesight that are not proven facts. For instance, some people believe that wearing glasses too soon weakens the eyes. But there is no evidence to show that the structure of eyes is changed by wearing glasses at a young age. Wearing the wrong glasses, however, can prove harmful. Studies show that for adults there is no danger, but children can develop loss of vision if they have glasses inappropriate for their eyes.
We have all heard some of the common myths about how eyesight gets bad. Most people believe that reading in dim light causes poor eyesight, but that is untrue. Too little light makes the eyes work harder, so they do get tired and strained. Eyestrain also results from reading a lot, reading in bed, and watching too much television. However, although eyestrain may cause some pain or headaches, it does not permanently damage eyesight.
Another myth about eyes is that they can be replaced, or transferred from one person to another. They are close to one million nerve fibers(纤维) that connect the eyeball to the brain, so it is impossible to attach them all in a new person. Only certain parts of the eye can be replaced. But if we keep clearing up the myths and learning more about the eyes, some day a full transplant may be possible.If a child wears appropriate glasses, __________________________.
| A．he will lose sight |
| B．the structure of his eyes will be changed |
| C．it is harmful |
| D．the structure of his eyes will keep the same as before |
If an adult wears inappropriate glasses, __________________.
A. it will make no difference to his eyes
B he will suffer a lot from the loss of vision
C. his eyes will be weakened
D. the structure of his eyes will be changedWith the technology we now have, doctors _______________.
| A．still can’t do eye transplant even certain parts of the eye |
| B．can transplant the whole eye in a new person |
| C．can transfer certain parts of the eye in a new person |
| D．know almost nothing about eyes |
The author of the passage tends to _________________.
| A．explain wearing glasses is no harm to children |
| B．correct people’s wrong beliefs about eyes |
| C．explain the importance of protecting our eyes |
| D．imagine what doctors can do with the eye in the future |
Needa solid excuse to dust off your running shoes? Joggers have been found to live an average of six years longer than those who don't jog.
However, you’ll have to run for at least one hour a week for benefit, according to a new study in Denmark.
Researchers found that jogging was associated with a 44 per cent reduction in the relative risk of death for those over 35 years compared with deaths among those who did not run.
The same benefit applied to both men and women.
The 44 per cent reduction translates to an ‘age-adjusted survival benefit’ of 6.2 years in men and 5.6 years in women, according to Dr. Peter Schnohr, chief cardiologist from the Copenhagen City Heart study.
Furthermore, the jogger’s lives are not only longer but happier too as those who ran reported an overall sense of well-being, said Schnohr.
The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health,' Schnohr said in a statement.
'We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits,' he continued.
The study also found that the optimum benefit of jogging was for those who jogged at a slow-to-average pace for between an hour and two and a half hours spread over two or three weekly sessions.
Researchers then compared deaths among the joggers among the non-joggers in the main study pool of almost 20,000.
Over 35 years, 122 joggers died compared with 10,158 non-joggers.
All the participants involved with the Copenhagen City Heart Studyhad their cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, and BMI, measured and they were questioned about smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and income.In order to do good to health, the joggers should run ______.
| A．for at least one hour daily |
| B．for at least one hour weekly |
| C．for at least one hour monthly |
| D．for at least one hour yearly |
Why do joggers live more happily?
| A．Because they taste part sense of happiness. |
| B．Because they taste overall sense of hardship. |
| C．Because they taste whole sense of happiness. |
| D．Because they taste part sense of success. |
Which of the following is true according to the article?
| A．Regular jogging decreases longevity. |
| B．The more jogging you do the longer you live. |
| C．The less jogging you do the longer you live. |
| D．Regular jogging makes people live longer. |
It can be inferred that the study of jogging benefit is ______.
| A．complete and reliable |
| B．partial and unbelievable |
| C．incomplete but reasonable |
| D．reasonable but undependable |
BBC Sports program Sunday.
We are currently planning our Volunteer Program, which will ensure volunteers are trained and ready to go for 2012.Up to 70,000 volunteers will be needed to help put on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our program will aim to encourage a wide range of people to join in. We will provide the training to make sure our volunteers' skills are of the highest standard. London 2012 is an opportunity to inspire everyone to develop their interests and volunteer—in sport and also more widely within their community.
Applications will open in the late 2011.We'll recruit(招募) volunteers from across the UK—from a range of communities and backgrounds. Our recruitment process will be open and fair. Our goal is to select applicants who meet our standards and who will bring passion, enthusiasm and energy to the Games. Previous volunteering experience is not necessary. We'll give each successful applicant a specific role, allowing them to contribute meaningfully to the Games. There will be two kinds of Games volunteer—specialist and generalist.
Specialist volunteers will have specific existing skills or qualifications that are needed for them to complete the role, for example, sport or medical training.
Generalist volunteers will not need any special skills or qualifications and will receive full training. They might be given roles in areas such as event services, uniform distribution (分发) and village operations. All volunteers will be expected to attend training events that will give them the knowledge they need to carry out their role.
There are lots of charities and sporting organizations that are looking for volunteers to help them. While you are waiting for applications for the London 2012 volunteer program to open in the late 2011, why not consider getting involved locally? You can find opportunities to volunteer in a range of activities in your local area by following the links on the right hand side of this page or make local enquiries about the needs in your community.Where will you probably find this article?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．On a webpage. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．In a textbook |
Who can apply to become a volunteer in the 2012 Olympics?
| A．People from some English-speaking countries. |
| B．People with volunteering experience. |
| C．People who meet the standards. |
| D．People with a knowledge of the Olympic history. |
Which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．Two kinds of volunteers will be needed. |
| B．Specialist volunteers do not have to attend training events. |
| C．Applications will not be accepted until 20. |
| D．Generalist volunteers will be fully trained. |
What can you do in July, 2011?
| A．Do some volunteering work locally. |
| B．Apply to become a volunteer in the 2012 Olympics. |
| C．Get trained in the Volunteer Program. |
| D．Join in the Olympic Games. 64-67 BCBA |