More women are graduating from colleges than men.The situation is causing some people to worry about the future.The trend could cause social problems，according to a report on July 8 by the Washington Post.
Women received about 57 percent of the bachelor’s degrees awarded this year from colleges and universities in the United States.The figure of 57 percent has been the highest since World War Ⅱ ended in 1945.During the war，many men were in the military.
The gap between men and women is greater among African Americans and Hispanics.Two AfricanAmerican women receive a degree for every AfricanAmerican man.Only 40 percent of Hispanics who get a degree are males.
The USA Department of Education estimates 698,000 females received bachelor’s degree this year.The number of male graduates was 529,000.The trend toward more female graduates began in the mid1980s.Nobody seems to know why.However，many theories exist.
Researchers say the trend could lead to social problems.They also say this may indicate two things.It may reflect the increasing success of women.But it also may show the educational problems affecting men.
High school graduation rates are slightly lower for men than for women.Males also make up the vast majority of students in special education classes.
The Business Roundtable is studying the trend.The group is an organization of chief executives of some of the nation’s largest corporations.Susan Traiman is the director of the group’s education policy.Traiman said the nation couldn’t afford to let half its population fail to develop skills needed for the future.Some people worry about the future because ________.
| A．there are many social problems in America |
| B．more and more men don’t like the life in college |
| C．more AfricanAmerican women receive a degree |
| D．fewer and fewer men receive a degree than women in America |
Which one of the following statements is right according to this passage?
| A．There must be something wrong with the education system. |
| B．40% of the Hispanics get a degree in America. |
| C．Nobody knows the reason why more women get a degree than men. |
| D．More than half of the men received bachelor’s degrees this year. |
The underlined word “estimates” in the fourth paragraph means ________.
| A．guesses | B．explains | C．introduces | D．discovers |
What Susan Traiman said means that ________.
| A．the nation should prevent the women from receiving further education |
| B．the nation would be too poor to develop its education |
| C．the nation didn’t have enough money for women’s further education |
| D．the nation should encourage men to develop skills for the future |
What is the main subject discussed in the text?
| A．Women are more successful in America than men. |
| B．More women than men are graduating from college. |
| C．Men are more successful in America than women. |
| D．There are two kinds of social problems in America. |
第三部分：阅读理解（共16小题：每小题1.5分，满分24分）
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。（共13个小题，每小题1.5分，满分19.5 分）并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Our little boy came up t
o his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was preparing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on her apron (围裙) , she read it, and this is what was said:
For going to the store for you $2.
For cutting the grass in the garden $3.
For cleaning up the yard this week $2.5.
For cleaning up my room this week $2.
For setting the table for meals this week $1.
For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $1.5.
For getting a good school report $5.
Total owed: $17.
His mother looked at him, who was standing there with expectation. Memories flashed through her mind. Then she picked up a pen, turned over the paper he had written on, and wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, No Charge(收费) .
For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you and taken care of you, No Charge.
For all the problems and troubles that you’ve caused through the years, there is No Charge.
When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge.
For all the nights that were filled with fear and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping up your nose? There is No Charge. And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is, No Charge, Son.
Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do love you..” And then he took the pen and in great letters he wrote, “ PAID IN FULL.”
1. What might the mother be doing when the boy came into the kitchen?
A. Getting the dishes ready. B. Repairing the cooker.
C. Washing dirty dishes. D. Laying the table for dinner.
2. According to the boy’s bill, his mom owed him ______ for his helping with the house work.
A. $7.50 B. $10.50 C. $12.00 D. $17.00
3. This story tries to tell us that ________.
A. real love is priceless B. housework is endless C. the mother is wise D. the boy is selfish
The young people who talk of the village as being “dead” are talking nothing but nonsense, as in their hearts they must surely know.
No, the village is not dead. There is more life in it now than there ever was. But it seems that “village life” is dead. Gone for ever. It began to decline about a hundred years ago. When many girls left home to go into service in town many miles away, and men also left home in increasing numbers in search of work, and home was where work was. There are still a number of people alive today who can remember what “village life” meant in the early years of the present century. It meant knowing and being known by everybody else in the village. It meant finding your entertainment in the village of within walking distance of it. It meant housewives tied to the home all day and every day. It meant going to bed early to save lamp oil and coal.
Then came the First World War and the Second World War. After each war, new ideas, new attitudes, new trades and occupations were revealed（展现）to villagers. The long-established order of society was no longer taken for granted. Electricity and the motorcar were steadily operating to make “village life” and “town life” almost alike. Now with the highly developed science and technology and high-level social welfare（福利）for all, there is no point whatever in talking any longer about “village life.” It is just life, and a better life.
Finally, if we have any doubts about the future, or about the many changes which we have seen in our lives, we have only to look in at the school playground any mid-morning; or see the children as they walk homeward in little groups. 0bviously these children are better fed, better clothed, better educated, healthier, prettier and happier than any generation of children that ever before walked the village street.
1．By saying that village is not dead, but “village life” is dead, the writer suggests that_______ .
A．those young people who talk of the village as being “dead” are wrong
B．the two statements are against each other
C．“village life” today is rather uninteresting
D．“village life” today is no longer like what it used to be
2．As is suggested in paragraph 2, villages in the past______________.
A．lived a simpler life than villagers today
B．knew fewer people than villagers today
C．found it difficult to enjoy themselves
D．like to wash themselves with cold water
3．The expression “…there is no point whatever in talking about…” in paragraph 3 means that______________.
A．there is no end to the talking about …
B．it is harmful to talk about …
C．it is not meaningless to talk about …
D．there is no reason for talking about …
4．What does the writer think of the “village life today”?
A．Dead. B．Worse C．Better. D．Unclear.
A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure（闲暇）. As part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted.
The figures support the western prejudice（偏见） that the Japanese are all work and no play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day week by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and stock markets will be closed on Saturdays, staff of civil service will be forced out of their offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice.
But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitors may not cut hours. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say that shorter hours are a disguised（隐性的） pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government’s plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off, either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching television, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves, too.
1．The purpose of getting the Japanese to have more spare time is that ______________.
A．the government wants to show more concern for the health of the people
B．the government needs to get more goods from abroad
C．the Japanese have been working too hard
D．the Japanese hope to change the western prejudice
2．The group of people who welcome the shorter-hour system in Japan is______________.
A．the small companies B．the industrialists
C．the unions D．the younger generation
3．The unions think that______________.
A．the shorter hours they work, the higher pay the can get
B．the more they work, the less leisure they can enjoy
C．the shorter hours they work, the less pay they can have
D．the greater pressure the government is forcing on them, the less happy they can be
4．The best title for this passage can be ______________
A．Oh no! Not Saturday Again! B．Leisure: the Greatest Threat!
C．Enjoy While You are Young! D．Less Work and More Play!
The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological （地质学的）Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .
Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt（喷发）in 1991 ?
A: Volcanoes （火山）each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .
Q: So nothing caused it ?
A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .
Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?
A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .
Q: Why such a concentration（集中）there ?
A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When they move , one might ride up over the other one . In this case , the Pacific Ocean goes under the continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma （熔岩）at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .
1．What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?
A．A text taken from a geography book . B．An interview published in the press .
C．A conversation carried out in a film . D．An oral test recorded as an example .
2．Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?
A．The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible.
B．The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere.
C．The oceans and the continents are separated from each other.
D．The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part.
3．Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is______________ .
A．to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world
B．to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption
C．to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire”
D．to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public
4．Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?
A．There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger.
B．Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before.
C．Volcanoes are waiting to be better known.
D．Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire.
We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life , but most of us don’t do a very good job . This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech .
So , you have to give a speech—and you’re terrified . You get nervous , you forget what you want to say , you stumble over words , you talk too long , and you bore your audience . Later you think , “Thank goodness , it’s over . I’m just no good at public speaking . I hope I never have to do that again .”
Cheer up ! It doesn’t have to be that bad . Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making . Ask yourself the purpose of your speech . What is the occasion ? Why are you speaking ? Then , gather as many facts as you can on your subject . Spend plenty of time doing your research . Then spend plenty of time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow . Use as many examples as possible , and use pictures , charts , and graphs if they will help you make your points more clearly . Never forget your audience . Don’t talk over their heads , and don’t talk down to them . Treat your audience with respect . They will appreciate your thoughtfulness .
Just remember : be prepared . Know your subject , your audience , and the occasion . Be brief . Say what you have to say and then stop . And be yourself . Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience .
If you follow these simple steps , you’ll see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking . In fact , you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! You’re not convinced yet ? Give it a try and see what happens .
1．The main idea of this article is______________ .
A．you can improve your speaking ability B．a poor speaker can never change
C．always make a short speech D．it is hard to make a speech
2．Paragraph 2 implies that______________ .
A．many people are afraid of giving a speech
B．many people are happy to give a speech
C．many people do not prepare for a speech
D．many people talk too long
3．The phrase “talk over their heads” means______________.
A．speak too loudly B．look at the ceiling
C．look down upon them D．use words and ideas that are too difficult
4．All of the following statements are true except that______________.
A．few people know how to make good speeches
B．a lecturer does not need to organize his speech
C．research is important in preparing a speech
D．there are simple steps you can take to improve your speaking ability
5．The title for this passage may be ______________.
A．Do Not Make a Long Speech B．How to Give a Good Speech
C．How to Prepare for a Speech D．Try to Enjoy a Speech