California, once regarded as a leader in the United States for its public higher education system, ranks next to the last in the U.S.for its number of adults with at least a high school diploma, according to the report, titled “California at the Edge of a Cliff,” released by the California Faculty Association.
Meanwhile, the state’s investment(投资) in public higher education has dropped over the past three decades, and now ranks 22nd in the country.That’s despite having the country’s largest public higher education system, the report said.
“It's a collapse(衰退),” said Thomas Mortenson, author of the report, who is an independent analyst living in Iowa and a senior scholar at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education in Washington, D. C. “Ranking 49th out of 50 states is an indication that shows the quality of the state’s educational has become much worse in recent decades.” Mortenson said in the report.As of 2007, California ranked 14th in the United States in terms of college educated members of the workforce over 25 years of age, a drop from eighth place in 1981, the report showed.
Mortenson said that California has never been the state of high status in education and economy while other states have made greater gains in building a college-educated workforce.
The California Faculty Association is using the report’s findings to criticize Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed funding cuts for education.
Struggling with a 14.8-billion-dollar state budget deficit(赤字), Schwarzenegger has proposed a combination of sales tax increases, borrowing and major budget cuts, including cutting billions of dollars from the state’s education budget.The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．California’s worse situation in higher education |
| B．the dangerous situation in California |
| C．California’s research on education and economy |
| D．funding cuts for high education in California |
From the passage we can infer that __________.
| A．investment in higher education has dropped in all states |
| B．Thomas Mortenson works at California Faculty Association |
| C．governor in California agreed to spend more money on education |
| D．California had higher quality in higher education in the past |
The reason why California has a lower rank in education is that________.
| A．the number of adults has decreased recently |
| B．the result of report has been published late |
| C．the money to invest in education has been cut |
| D．the progress in other states has been made |
According to the report’s findings, ________ is to blame for the drop in rank of education.
| A．Arnold Schwarzenegger | B．Thomas Mortenson |
| C．the Pell Institute | D．California Faculty Association |
语篇解读 曾经在大学教育排行榜上位居第一的美国加州，现在的教育排名一下子跌落到倒数第二。这是怎么回事呢？
E
Could we "terraform" Mars —that is, change its frozen, thin-aired surface into something more friendly and Earthlike? Should we? The first question has a clear answer: Yes, we probably could．Spacecraft, including the ones now exploring Mars, have found evidence that it was warm in its youth, with rivers flowing into vast seas．And right here on Earth, we've learned how to warm a planet: just add greenhouse gases to its atmosphere．Much of the CO2 that once warmed Mars is probably still there, in frozen dirt and polar ice caps, and so is the water．
Most of the work in terraforming, says NASA scientist Chris Mackay, would be done by life itself． "You don't build Mars," Mackay says．"You just warm it up and throw some seeds．" Powerful greenhouse gases could be produced from elements in dirt and air on Mars and blown into the atmosphere; by warming the planet, they would release the frozen CO2, which would quicken the warming and increase atmospheric pressure to the point where liquid water could flow．Meanwhile, says botanist James Graham of the University of Wisconsin, human settlers could seed the red rock with a succession （系列） of ecosystems ?first bacteria and lichens （地衣）, which survive in Antarctica, later mosses （苔藓）, and after one thousand years or so, redwoods．Getting breathable oxygen levels out of those forests, though, could take thousands of years．
However, Mars is in no immediate danger．Some space scientists recently recommended going to the moon or an asteroid （小行星） first, and pointed out the space agency lacks the funds to go anywhere．It didn't estimate the cost of gardening a dead planet．
72．What is the most essential to make Mars fit for living?
A．Turn ice into flowing water． B．Clean the dirty atmosphere．
C．Make the atmosphere more suitable． D．Go to the moon or an asteroid first．
73．What does the author think of the idea ofterraforming Mars?
A．We could do it． B．We couldn't do it．
C．We should do it． D．We shouldn't do it．
74．In the botanist's opinion, man needs to __________.
A．enable Mars to clean its atmosphere
B．build a greenhouse on Mars
C．send some people to settle on Mars
D．cultivate ecosystems from lower to higher life form
75．What is the best title for the passage?
A．Making Mars the New Earth． B．A Good Way to Change the Universe
C．Humans' Great Power． D．Terrible Science and Technology．
D
If you want to live longer and lower the risk of heart disease, a move to the mountains may help． Research by scientists in Greece shows that living in the mountains is good for the heart and longevity． People living at higher altitude have lower possibility of dying from heart disease than those closer to sea level, even if they have factors that could increase their risk．"Residence in mountainous areas seems to have a 'protective effect' from heart disease," said Dr Nikos Baibas of the University of Athens．He and his colleagues suspect that the increased exercise from walking up mountainous area gives the heart a good workout and enables it to cope with lower levels of oxygen．
Researchers studied the health records and death rates of 1,150 Greeks who lived in three villages near Athens over 15 years．One village was 1,000 metres above sea level and the other two were in low-lying areas．Although men and women living in the mountainous village had higher blood pressure rates and other risk factors than people in the other villages, they had a lower rate of death from heart disease and other causes after a fifteen year follow-up．"The contrast was more evident among men than among women," Baibas added in a report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health．Heart disease is one of the world's top killers．Smoking, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, being overweight or obese and a family history of the illness increase the odds of developing the disease．
68．The first sentence in the passage is used to __________．
A．tell readers what the passage focuses on
B．give a very good guessing
C．warn people of the risk of heart disease
D．name a new unknown illness
69．According to the passage, a person _________ may have less possibility of having heart attack.
A．with more money B．with a better living habit
C．from higher altitude D．in a happier mood
70．How long does the research of the Greeks last?
A．At most 10 years． B．About 15 years．
C．More than 20 years． D．Not mentioned．
71．Apart from altitude, how many factors raise the chance of developing heart disease?
A．three B．Four C．Five D．Six
C
I'm really nervous opening Chatroulette （a website）．I don't know if I'm more scared of the possibility of coming face-to-face with a naked （裸体的） guy doing improper things, or the possibility of having to speak to someone normal．But it's that uncertainty that's caused the "game" to explode into an Internet phenomenon．
So, I hesitantly click "play"．My face appears in a small box to the left of the screen．I'm a 22-year-old guy, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and sitting in my warmly lit bedroom —not too threatening, I think．Believing I look welcoming and friendly, I open all features: visual, audio and text．The user can disable these at any time if they feel uncomfortable．
Quickly I find myself face-to-face with my first "partner"．A guy with glasses is staring back at me．He looks like he spends too much time in front of the computer．"Hey", I say, "how are you going?" "Good," says the guy．Sensing that he was not going to be very talkative, I hit the "next" button．
Just like that, I'm thrown across the world into someone else's bedroom．This time it looks like a middle-aged woman．I must have hit gold because 85 percent of Chatroulette users are male, according to the Wall Street Journal．She's wearing sunglasses and smiles back．Before I can even say a word, she "nexts" me．"WHAT?!"
Then, I fly through the Internet and arrive at my next partner．My nightmare, a man is sitting in his computer chair half-naked taking off his pants．Argghh! "Next, next, next!" For the next 30 minutes I keep my cursor （光标） over the "next" button．My experiences continue to be short, shocking, and largely uninteresting．I discouragingly hit "next" after seeing another naked man, and decide to end my session and close the window．This wasn't "the new social media experience" I was hoping for．Maybe it was just a little bit too random （随机的）．
64．It is the author's __________ that leads him into Chatroulette．
A．curiosity B．unwillingness C．enthusiasm D．ignorance
65．The underlined word "disable" in Paragraph 2 means __________．
A．store B．close C．misuse D．copy
66．Among all the partners, __________ seemed to be the least interested in talking with the author.
A．the guy with glasses B．the middle-aged woman
C．the man in his computer chair D．the last man mentioned
67．What is the author's attitude toward Charoulette?
A．Positive． B．Supportive． C．Objective． D．Negative．
B
Here are two letters in WORKWORRIES, a column in a newspaper:
| Dear Ariel, I got a job offer from a high-tech company with a fairly satisfactory paycheck and benefits．Even the work environment is cool．But I heard that the job requires a lot of overtime and even weekends．I know it's important for newcomers to work hard to get their feet planted firmly on the ground, but I'm scared of the idea of having nearly no free time．I still need to find a girlfriend．So, shall I accept the job or give it up for another one with much less pay and more freedom? Amoretto |
| Dear Amoretto, I have two things to say: First, you're lucky to have such an excellent offer, especially at a time when so many qualified people are struggling to find any work at all; and second, you can't figure out your work-life balance until you're actually working． Take the job．You'll be learning, doing interesting things, working in a cool environment, and making money．If you're given a contract （合同）, make sure you understand the terms before you sign．Ask your boss how many hours a week you're expected to work．If they tell you a number that is much lower than what you find once you're working, you'll be in a better position to talk to them about it． Give your work 100 percent．Work energetically and efficiently．If you're dedicated and focused, you might accomplish more than your co-workers in less time．Showing yourself to be a productive and talented worker for the beginning will give you more bargaining power．Finally, remember that taking a job doesn't have to be a life commitment．Try to give it at least a year （two is better）．If you're really miserable after that time, look for another job that will give you more freedom．By then, you'll have workplace experience, bosses and colleagues who can speak positively about your work and some  savings．Good luck!Ariel |
60．From Amoretto's letter, we know that he __________.
A．has been working for a long time B．is likely a green hand
C．expects to change his job D．is quite satisfied with the job
61．How can a man arrange his work-life balance according to Ariel?
A．By taking a training course． B．By asking people for advice．
C．By comparing with others． D．Through his own work experience
62．All of the following are advised byArial EXCEPT__________.
A．understanding the terms before signing
B．working hard and efficiently
C．getting a better position
D．doing the job at least a year
63．What does Ariel advise to do in the reply?
A．Take the job offered． B．Give up and find a new job．
C．Depend on your feeling． D．Choose jobs with great care
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
A
In the early morning of September 7, 2006, Akif woke suddenly．"Where am I?" she thought, confused, only to realize she'd fallen asleep in the children's bedroom in their east-end Montreal apartment．There was a sharp and acrid （刺鼻的） smell in the room．Could that be smoke? She leaped up, opened the door and began to cough．She ignored the flames that lit up the apartment as she raced across the small hall to her own bedroom, where a window was already open, "Help!" she cried into the dark．But it was 3:30 in the morning and nobody was around to hear．She was on her own．
Later, she'd say she thought of nothing at all．It was female's instinct （本能）that helped her uncover a supermum strength she never knew she had．She had no choice; her children would surely have died had they waited in their own bedroom for rescue．She ran back through the flames for her children, first lifting Sami, still half asleep, into her arms and carrying him to the open window in her room and dropping him to the ground from the second floor．Then, she turned back for Majda．
By then, a neighbour had called 9-1-1．Looking out of the window, Akif knew that jumping would be her only chance of survival．She also knew if she didn't, the very reason her family had moved out from Morocco five years earlier—— to make a better life and give the children opportunities they wouldn't have had back home ——would be for nothing．But
why couldn't she move her left leg? She didn't know that her polyester pants had caught fire and melted into her body．All she knew was that she had to get out of the apartment．
56．After finding her house was on fire, Akifwent to her own room to _______.
A．save her children B．wake up her husband
C．ask for help D．escape from the fire
57．We can infer from the passage thatAkif__________．
A．was bom a brave lady B．was brave as a mother
C．liked to be independent D．was careless about her children
58．Why did Akifs family move to the country where they live?
A．Because they longed for a better life and more opportunities．
B．Because they had to continue their study abroad．
C．Because they were forced to leave their motherland．
D．Because they were fond of moving to new places．
59．What follows the last passage is probably about __________．
A．why Akif was praised B．what made Akif so brave
C．how the fire was put out D．how Akif was saved