When your parents advise you to “get an education” in order to raise your income, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide manpower（人力资源） for your society, but not so much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.
Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you will be occupationally dead unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison, and you can successfully dropout in grade school.
Get a college degree, if possible. With a B. A., you are on the launching pad. But now you have to start to put on the brakes. If you go for a master’s degree, make sure it is an M.B.A., and the famous law of diminishing(逐渐减少的) returns begins to take effect.
Do you know, for instance, that long-haul truck drivers earn more per year than full professors? Yes, the average salary for those truckers was $24000 while the full professors managed to earn just $23030.
A doctorate is the highest degree you can get. Except for a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, if you pursue such a degree in any other field, you will face a future which is not bright. There are more doctors unemployed or underemployed in this country than any other part of the world.
If you become a doctor in English or history or anthropology or political science or languages or—worst of all—in philosophy, you run the risk of becoming overeducated for our national demands. Not for our needs, mind you, but for our demands.
Thousands of doctors are selling shoes, driving cars, waiting on table, and endlessly filling out applications month after month. They may also take a job in some high school or backwater(闭塞) college that pays much less than the doorkeeper earns.
You can equate the level of income with the level of education only so far. Far enough, that is, to make you useful to the gross national product, but not so far that nobody can turn much of a profit on you.According to the writer, what the society expects of education is to turn out people who ______.
| A．will not be a disgrace to society |
| B．will become loyal citizens |
| C．can take care of themselves |
| D．can meet the nation’s demand as a source of manpower |
Many doctors are out of job because ______.
| A．they are improperly educated |
| B．they are of little commercial value to their society |
| C．there are fewer jobs in high schools |
| D．they prefer easier jobs that make more money |
The nation is only interested in people ______.
| A．with diplomas |
| B．who specialize in physics and chemistry |
| C．who are valuable to the gross national product |
| D．who receive little education |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Bernard Shaw didn’t finish high school, nor did Edison. |
| B．One must think carefully before pursuing a master’s degree. |
| C．The higher your education level, the more money you will earn. |
| D．If you are too well-educated, you’ll be overeducated for society’s demands. |
The writer sees education as ______.
| A．a means of providing job security and financial security and a means of meeting a country’s demands for technical workers |
| B．a way to broaden one’s horizons |
| C．more important than finding a job |
| D．an opportunity that everyone should have |
An Australian man who has been donating his extremely rare kind of blood for 56 years has saved the lives of more than two million babies.
James Harrison has an antibody in his plasma that stops babies dying from Rhesus disease, a form of severe anaemia. He has enabled countless mothers to give birth to healthy babies, including his own daughter, Tracey, who had a healthy son thanks to her father's blood.
Mr. Harrison has been giving blood every few weeks since he was 18 years old and has now racked up a total of 984 donations. When he started donating, his blood was deemed so special that his life was insured for one million Australian dollars.
He was also nicknamed the “man with the golden arm” or the “man in two million”. He said: “I've never thought about stopping. Never.” He made a pledge to be a donor aged 14 after undergoing major chest surgery in which he needed 13 litres of blood. “I was in hospital for three months,” he said. “The blood I received saved my life so I made a pledge to give blood when I was 18.”
Just after he started donating he was found to have the rare and life-saving antibody in his blood. At the time, thousands of babies in Australia were dying each year of Rhesus disease. Other newborns suffered permanent brain damage because of the condition. The disease creates an incompatibility between the mother's blood and her unborn baby's blood. It stems from one having Rh-positive blood and the other Rh-negative.
His blood has since led to the development of a vaccine called Anti-D. After his blood type was discovered, Mr. Harrison volunteered to undergo a series of tests to help develop the Anti-D vaccine. “They insured me for a million dollars so I knew my wife Barbara would be taken care of,” he said. “I wasn't scared. I was glad to help. I had to sign every form going and basically sign my life away.”
Mr. Harrison is Rh-negative and was given injections of Rh-positive blood. It was found his plasma could treat the condition and since then it has been given to hundreds of thousands of women. It has also been given to babies after they are born to stop them developing the disease.
It is estimated he has helped save 2.2 million babies so far. Mr. Harrison is still donating every few weeks now.How old is James Harrison？
| A．56 | B．70 | C．74 | D．78 |
What does the underlined phrase “two million” refer to?
| A．dollars | B．babies | C．mothers | D．all of the above |
Why did James decide to donate his blood? Because _____.
| A．someone else’s blood saved his life |
| B．he has a golden arm worth a million dollars |
| C．a vaccine called Anti-D is to be developed |
| D．his daughter asked him to help her son |
The sentence “The disease creates an incompatibility between the mother's blood and her unborn baby's blood” (underlined in Paragraph 5) suggests that _____.
| A．all the patients have a rare antibody in their blood |
| B．babies suffer permanent brain damage before born |
| C．Rhesus disease contributes to permanent brain damage |
| D．. the mother and the baby have different types of blood |
What can we infer from the sixth paragraph?
| A．His wife Barbara needed to be taken care of badly then. |
| B．Some of the tests to develop the vaccine are dangerous. |
| C．Mr. Harrison was glad to help develop a new vaccine. |
| D．His blood type was accidentally discovered after tests. |
Win a week in England!
You still don’t know what to do this summer? Well, here’s your chance to win a one-week language course in Kent, England! Free4Fun and ETC (English Travel Connections) are giving away two trips to Rochester. This historic city is less than an hour’s drive from London and close to the sea resort of Herne Bay. It is also the home of one of England’s most famous writers, Charles Dickens. The town of Rochester is in Southeast England. Charles Dickens often wrote about it in his books. His home, Gad’s Hill, is there, too. A popular attraction is Rochester Castle, a large Norman fortress（堡垒）. It was built in the 11th century and rebuilt during the 14th century. Other attractions are Rochester Cathedral, which was built during the 13th century, and Dickens Centre. It has got its name in honour of Dickens himself.
The trip to England includes:
* travel by train (via the Eurotunnel) to and from any railway station in Germany
* room and full board with a guest family for one week
* language course in small groups
* two trips to London
* large choice of sports and entertainment
* German-speaking advisors available 24 hours a day
Interested? All you have to do is to answer the following question:
When was Charles Dickens born?
So, take the chance and send your answer by 1 May to:
Free4Fun "Rochester"
Free4Fun, 24 Elphinstone Road, Hastings, 2FQ6VJ
fax: 089 / 85 763-103
e-mail: free4fun@netlight.com
The two winners will be contacted directly before 5 May. They will also be announced in the June issue of Free4Fun. Good luck!
For further information contact:
phone: (03212) 144 43
fax: (03212) 144 42
e-mail: info@etc. comRochester Cathedral was built in the.
| A．1400s | B．1300s | C．1200s | D．1100s |
What activities can you participate in during the trip?
| A．Enjoying sports and entertainment. |
| B．Learning the German language. |
| C．Traveling by train with a guest family. |
| D．Working as a language advisor. |
If you want to win a prize you have to send your answer to.
| A．the June issue of Free4fun | B．ETC |
| C．info@etc. com | D．free4fun@netlight. com |
This ad was designed to target.
| A．Italians | B．Germans | C．Europeans | D．Americans |
Scientists have not come close to understanding all the different kinds of life on the planet, but US researcher Craig Venter is already working on creating the first artificial life.
Venter and his researchers made a breakthrough this August. They successfully moved the DNA of one type of bacteria(细菌) to a yeast(酵母) cell, changed it, then put it into another bacterial cell.
“Bacteria have systems that protect them from foreign DNA,” Venter explained to the BBC. In the experiment, the team managed to block this system.
The experiment was performed on a simple type of bacteria called Mycoplasma mycoides. The team took the bacteria’s genes and put them into a yeast cell.
Putting the DNA in a yeast cell allowed the team to change the genes----in this case, taking out a gene that was not necessary for the bacteria to live.
They then put the gene into a host bacteria cell. The cell went on to divide normally, producing new healthy bacteria.
In January, the team created artificial genes of a new type of bacteria. Their next goal is to put the artificial DNA into a host cell to create a new species, according to a report in Science magazine.
“If we don’t make any errors, I think it should work and we should have the first artificial species by the end of the year,” Venter said in the report.
The first artificial life from is likely to be a simple man-made bacteria, to prove that the technology can work. But that form will be followed by more complex bacteria that turn coal into cleaner natural gas, or algae that can take in carbon dioxide and change it into fuel.
Many scientists think it’s good news to have this artificial life, but others are worried that the technology to create new organisms might end up in the wrong hands, with dangerous results.Craig Venter and his team are working to ______.
| A．create a new animal |
| B．clone a new species |
| C．produce the first artificial bacteria |
| D．develop a new system |
Which of the following is the right order of the experiment?
a. A gene was removed and put into a host bacteria cell.
b. The genes were put into a yeast cell.
c. The cell produced new healthy bacteria.
d. The genes were changed.
e. Some genes were taken out of Mycoplasma mycoides.
| A．d-e-a-c-b | B．e-b-d-a-c |
| C．a-d-e-c-b | D．b-e-d-c-a |
According to the passage, complex artificial bacteria, which will follow the first simple man-made bacteria, are intended to ______.
| A．cure deadly diseases |
| B．prepare the Earth for natural disasters |
| C．prove that the technology can work |
| D．improve the earth’s environment |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．Venter and his team are the only scientists trying to create artificial life |
| B．The experiment was based on research into different kinds of life on Earth |
| C．A new type of bacteria was created in January |
| D．All scientists are not in favor of the research |
CLASSIC TOURS — COACH BREAK INFORMATION
Luggage
We ask you to keep luggage down to one medium-sized suitcase per person, but a small suitcase can also be taken on board the coach.
Seat Allocation(分配)
Requests for particular seats can be made on most coach breaks when booking, but since allocations are made on a first come, first serve basic, early booking is advisable. When booking are made with us you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time.
Travel Documents
When you have paid your deposit we will send to you all the necessary documents and labels, so that you receive them in good time before the coach break departure date.
Special Diets
If you require a special diet you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be informed to the hotel or hotels on your coach break. Certain coach breaks the hotels used are tourist class and while offering value for money within the price range, they may not have the full facilities to cope with special diets.
Accommodation(住宿)
Many of our coach breaks now include, within the price, accommodation with private facilities, and this will be shown on the coach break page. Other coach breaks have a limited number of rooms with private facilities which can be reserved and guaranteed at the time of booking—the additional charge shown in the price panel will be added to your account.
On any coach break there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available it may be charged more and this will be shown on the brochure page.
Entertainment
Some of our hotels arrange additional entertainment which include music, dancing, films, etc. The presence of the entertainment is at the discretion of(听凭…处理) the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel. If you want to sit at the front of the coach, you should ________.
| A．ask when you get on the coach |
| B．arrive early on the departure date |
| C．book your seat well in advance |
| D．avoid traveling at peak times |
It may be necessary to pay extra for _________.
| A．single rooms | B．the best seat |
| C．additional luggage | D．entertainment |
With every booking Classic Tours guarantees you will be able to ___________.
| A．request high quality meals. |
| B．take hand luggage on the coach. |
| C．have a bathroom to yourself. |
| D．see a film if you want to. |
When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said, “I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”. But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspaper and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 (equal to $90,000 today) by the time he graduated from the high school.
And this month the 78-year-old, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world’s richest man. Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.
Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.
As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions (订阅) , he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues（优点）in investing patience.
After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.
“Learning is important to Buffett’s success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over achieved his aptitude (能力),” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner.The passage is mainly about_____.
| A．why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man |
| B．what effect Buffett’s childhood experiences have on his success |
| C．how Buffett earned his fortune and achieve his aptitude |
| D．what Buffett dreamt about when he was a child |
How did Buffett behave at the stock market?
| A．He will buy the stock whose price is lower than its value. |
| B．He often prefers some inexpensive stocks. |
| C．He always borrows money from his friends to buy stocks. |
| D．He will sell the stock if its price doesn’t go up. |
Which is the main factor that determines Buffett’s success?
| A．His desire to learn. |
| B．His family background. |
| C．His education. |
| D．His cooperation with his partner. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Buffett is an immediate success in the stock market |
| B．Buffett and Gates are business partners. |
| C．His father helped him a lot in his business. |
| D．Buffett has a good sense of business. |