My oldest child, Emma, just returned to campus after a long holiday break to finish up her last period of ______. These days, friends and family have begun _____ me with one question: What is she going to do after _____?
The job market is, after all, awfully ______. Just this month the Federal Reserve Bank _____ a study showing that “recent graduates are ______ working in low-paid jobs or working part-time.” The ______ spot, according to the study, is for students who majored(主修) in STEM— science, technology, engineering and ______— areas in which recent graduates “have______ to do relatively well”.
But Emma is a student of the humanities(人文) at a small college. She’s an American Studies major with a（an） ______ on the politics and culture of food. For quite a while, I think her field of study is so fashionable right now that I’m not the least bit ______ she will find a good job. Yet the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve decided to be honest. “I’m not sure what Emma is going to do,” I now say. “But she’s gotten a great education and has really found her ______. — and I know those things will serve her well over the _____ of her life.”
Nowadays, more and more universities and colleges are being ______ by the salaries of their recent graduates. In this climate, ______ your kid to study the humanities, seems, at best, unwise or, at worst, unconcerned with ______ a living. But a college is not a vocational(职业) school. And promoting STEM subjects should not be society’s only answer to helping the next generation grow in a competitive world.
From the beginning, we never urged Emma to ______ a college or a major with an eye on its expected return on money, ______ more and more families are doing. To Emma, what really ______ will be something that we may not be able to measure for quite a long time: Emma’s ______ to the world and how happy she is in it.
A．work B．college C．training D．project
A．filling B．covering C．flooding D．meeting
A．class B．school C．lunch D．graduation
A．tough B．fair C．exciting D．mild
A．wrote B．published C．came out D．printed
A．surprisingly B．doubtfully C．jokingly D．increasingly
A．dark B．useful C．bright D．weak
A．mathematics B．literature C．philosophy D．humanities
A．intended B．tended C．decided D．pretended
A．interest B．attitude C．focus D．point
A．worried B．astonished C．pleased D．touched
A．skill B．potential C．wish D．interest
A．program B．chance C．course D．way
A．decided B．measured C．depended D．attracted
A．discouraging B．forcing C．reminded D．encouraging
A．earning B．raising C．providing D．achieving
A．search B．consider C．get D．pick
A．while B．though C．as D．when
A．works B．matters C．attaches D．fixes
A．contribution B．enthusiasm C．desperation D．creativity
The letter was a great disappointment to me. It was from Holy Cross, the only school I really wanted to . I scanned the page, “…. We had a great applicant pool this year. …We can’t offer spaces to and place you on our waiting list.”
“What does it say, honey?” my dad asked, his voice full of for me.
“I didn’t get in, but I’m on the waiting list.”
“Well, at least it isn’t ,” he said brightly.
“Yeah, but , I don’t want to be on the waiting list; I want to be . No one gets in off the waiting list. It’s a way of saying ‘Thanks for ’.”
“Then let’s go out there and tell them so.”
“That sounds , dad.” I said sadly, “It doesn’t work.”
Upset and annoyed, I myself in my room. However，my father’s advice kept in my head. I thought about it for a few days, finally coming to the that he was right. And the next day I seated myself across from Mr. Luis Soto, my admissions officer.
“What can I do for you, Nacie?” he asked pleasantly.
“Well, sir, I am here to tell you that I love this school and would love a to be here. I just wanted to tell you how much going here would to me—it is my only dream college— and that I would use my time here to the best . I wanted to let you know that if you gave me a chance and reconsidered my application, you wouldn’t it.” The words had poured out I could stop them or check their desperate tone .
Mr. Soto looked me over for a minute before he smiled broadly.
“OK, that is the kind of thing we love to hear. Congratulations, you’re in.”
It was so and I asked, “I’m sorry?”
“We want people in the class who want to be here, who will the best of this education. I’m glad you came to talk to me. I’m happy to offer you a position in the Class of 2011.”
The whole experience taught me a lesson: if you truly want something, never, never .
A．attend B．study C．admit D．visit
A．everyone B．anyone C．someone D．no one
A．trust B．pity C．anxiety D．curiosity
A．admission B．imagination C．restriction D．rejection
A．ever B．again C．also D．still
A．recognized B．received C．accepted D．permitted
A．writing B．trying C．replying D．waiting
A．impossible B．reasonable C．painful D．practical
A．enjoyed B．comforted C．stayed D．buried
A．saying B．ringing C．showing D．reminding
A．point B．conclusion C．agreement D．arrangement
A．chance B．motivation C．degree D．change
A．refer B．turn C．mean D．stick
A．contribution B．condition C．advantage D．result
A．suspect B．disappoint C．refuse D．regret
A．as B．when C．until D．before
A．unbelievable B．unforgettable C．unbearable D．favorable
A．take B．get C．make D．receive
A．patiently B．openly C．carefully D．calmly
A．get through B．give up C．keep on D．try out
A land free from destruction, plus wealth, natural resources, and labor supply—all these were important reasons in helping England to become the center for the Industrial Revolution. , they were not enough. Something else was needed to start the industrial process. That “something special” was men — persons who could invent machines, find new of power, and establish business organizations to reshape society. Many of them were inventors than scientists. A pure scientist is mainly interested in doing his research an inventor or one interested in applied science is all trying to something that can be exactly used. He may try to solve a problem by using the theories of science or by experimenting through trial and error(反复试验). his method, he is working to get a(n) result: the construction of a harvesting machine, the burning of a light bulb, or one of many other objectives.
Most of the people developing the machines of the Industrial Revolution were inventors, not trained scientists. A few were scientists and inventors.
A．Besides B．Therefore C．However D．Moreover
A．generous B．effective C．smart D．creative
A．means B．sources C．bases D．discoveries
A．less B．better C．more D．worse
A．though B．but C．since D．while
A．make B．start C．handle D．abandon
A．Because of B．Regardless of C．In terms of D．In spite of
A．common B．serious C．similar D．exact
Years ago, if a teenager had some problems in her life, she might go home and write in her diary. Now, a teenager with problems might go onto the Internet and write about his problems in a blog. In many ways a diary and a blog are very . So, what makes blogging different from writing in diary?
The biggest difference is that blogging is much more than a diary. Usually, a teenager treats his diary like a book full of that she does not want to .
It’s interesting that someone who writes in a blog a diary will probably write nearly the same information.
I have a little sister, and sometimes I go online to read her . She writes about things like waking up early for swimming practice and not studying enough for her chemistry test. I was her age, I wrote about the same things, but in my diary. Then, after I had finished writing, I would hide my diary in a secret place because I was that my sister might read it!
The biggest with blogging is that anyone can read what you write. If I was angry with a friend during high school and wrote something about her in my diary, she would never know! , if my sister ever wrote something bad about a friend, that friend read her blog and get a “cry”.
There are also to blogging, of course. If I felt sad one day and wrote in my diary, “Nobody cares about me,” would know about it. However, if my sister wrote the same sentence in her blog, her best friends would respond and tell her how much they her. Blogs help people in touch with their friends and know what the people around them are doing.
A．the same B．troublesome C．difficult D．daily
A．familiar B．special C．similar D．different
A．a personal B．an ordinary C．a common D．a traditional
A．attractive B．public C．convenient D．quick
A．thoughts B．puzzles C．mysteries D．secrets
A．tell B．share C．publish D．solve
A．instead of B．as well as C．in favor of D．in spite of
A．blog B．diary C．report D．web
A．Although B．Since C．When D．Because
A．only B．already C．still D．never
A．angry B．concerned C．glad D．worried
A．problem B．doubt C．trouble D．mistake
A．pleasant B．wrong C．mean D．funny
A．Besides B．However C．Therefore D．Then
A．should B．will C．must D．might
A．reasons B．disadvantages C．shortcomings D．advantages
A．everyone B．no one C．anyone D．someone
A．happily B．especially C．quickly D．immediately
A．like B．miss C．need D．help
A．lose B．stay C．get D．find
When I entered Berkeley, I hoped to earn a scholarship. Having been a Straight-A student, I believed I could tough subjects and really learn something. One such course was World Literature given by Professor Jayne. I was extremely interested in the ideas he in class.
When I took the first exam, I was to find a 77, C-plus, on my test paper, English was my best subject. I went to Professor Jayne, who listened to my arguments but remained . I decided to try harder, although I didn’t know what that because school had always been easy for me. I read the books more carefully, but got another 77. Again, I with Professor Jayne. Again, he listened patiently but wouldn’t change his . One more test before the final exam. One more to improve my grade. So I redoubled my efforts and, for the first time, the meaning of the word “thorough”. But my did no good and everything as before.
The last hurdle(障碍) was the final. No matter what I got, it wouldn’t cancel three C-pluses. I might as well kiss the goodbye. I stopped working hard. I felt I knew the course material as well as I ever would. The night before the final, I even myself to a movie. The next day I decided for once I’d have with a test. A week later, I was surprised to find I got an A. I hurried into professor Jayne’s office. He to be expecting me. “If I gave you the As you , you wouldn’t continue to work as hard.” I stared at him, that his analysis and strategy(策略) were correct. I had worked my head , as I had never done before. I was speechless when my course grade arrived: A-plus. It was the only A-plus given. The next year I received my scholarship. I’ve always remembered Professor Jayne’s lesson: you alone must set your own standard of excellence.
A．take B．discuss C．cover D．get
A．sought B．presented C．exchanged D．obtained
A．shocked B．worried C．scared D．anxious
A．but B．so C．for D．or
A．unchanged B．unpleasant C．unfriendly D．unmoved
A．reflected B．meant C．improved D．affected
A．quarreled B．reasoned C．bargained D．chatted
A．attitude B．mind C．plan D．view
A．choice B．step C．chance D．measure
A．memorized B．considered C．accepted D．learned
A．ambition B．confidence C．effort D．method
A．stayed B．went C．worked D．changed
A．grade B．answer C．lesson D．comment
A．scholarship B．course C．degree D．subject
A．helped B．favored C．treated D．relaxed
A．fun B．luck C．problems D．tricks
A．happened B．proved C．pretended D．seemed
A．valued B．imagined C．expected D．welcomed
A．remembering B．guessing C．supposing D．realizing
A．out B．over C．on D．off
I was fifteen months old, a happy carefree kid until the day I fell. It was a bad fall. I landed on a glass rabbit, _ __ cut my eye badly enough to blind it. Trying to save the eye, the doctors stitched(缝上) the eyeball together where it was cut, __ __ a big ugly scar in the middle of my eye. And as I grew, this __ __ eye in so many ways controlled me.
I walked with my face looking at the __ __ so people would not see the ugly me. Sometimes people, even strangers, asked me__ __questions or made hurtful remarks. When the kids played games, I was always the “ __ _”．
Yet Mama would say to me, “Hold your head up high and face the world. If you hold your head up high, people will see your beautiful _ __.”
Those words have meant __ __ things to me over the years. As a little child, I thought Mama meant, “Be careful, or you will fall down or __ __ something because you are not looking.” As an adolescent, I found that sometimes when I held my head up high and let people __ __ me, they liked me. My mama's words helped me begin to __ __ that by letting people look at my face, I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty __ __ both eyes.
In high school I was__ __both academically and socially. I was even elected class president, __ __， all I really wanted was to look like everyone else. When things got really bad, I would __ __to my mama and she would look at me with __ __ eyes and say, “Hold your head up high and face the world. Let them see the beauty that is inside.”
When I met the man who became my __ __ for life, we looked each other straight in the eye, and he told me I was beautiful inside and out. He __ __ it. My mama's love and __ __ were the spark that gave me the confidence to __ __ my own doubt.
A．that B．which C．who D．where
A．achieving B．beginning C．surviving D．leaving
A．sightless B．careless C．stainless D．tasteless
A．sky B．rabbit C．floor D．scar
A．outstanding B．inspiring C．astonishing D．embarrassing
A．monster B．angel C．acquaintance D．stranger
A．face B．eyes C．head D．soul
A．different B．strange C．stupid D．common
A．look into B．bump into C．burst into D．get into
A．recognize B．find C．identify D．know
A．spot B．imagine C．realize D．comment
A．behind B．on C．beneath D．beside
A．awful B．successful C．cheerful D．grateful
A．therefore B．however C．besides D．and
A．smile B．laugh C．cry D．scold
A．terrible B．awkward C．skeptical D．loving
A．partner B．colleague C．leader D．master
A．loved B．got C．meant D．hated
A．statement B．encouragement C．treatment D．comment
A．increase B．emphasize C．plant D．overcome