Hi, everybody. Over the past couple months, most of the political headlines you’ve read have probably been about the government shutdown and the launch of the Affordable Care Act. And I know that many of you have rightly never been more frustrated with Washington.
But if you look beyond those headlines, there are some good things happening in our economy. And that’s been my top priority since the day I walked into the Oval Office.
After decades in which the middle class was working harder and harder just to keep up, and a punishing recession that made it worse, we made the tough choices required not just to recover from crisis, but to rebuild on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.
Five years later, we have fought our way back. Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44 months. Another 200,000 Americans went back to work last month.
The American auto industry has come roaring back with more than 350,000 new jobs – jobs churning out and selling the high-tech, fuel-efficient cars the world wants to buy. And they’re leading the charge in a manufacturing sector that has added jobs for the first time since the 1990s – a big reason why our businesses sell more goods and services “Made in America” than ever before.
We decided to reverse our addiction to foreign oil. And today, we generate more renewable energy than ever, more natural gas than anybody, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, America now produces more oil than we buy from other countries.
We decided to fix a broken health care system. And even though the rollout of the marketplace where you can buy affordable plans has been rough, so far, about 500,000 Americans are poised to gain health coverage starting January 1st. And by the way, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.
And one more thing: since I took office, we’ve cut our deficits by more than half. And that makes it easier to invest in the things that create jobs – education, research, and infrastructure.
Imagine how much farther along we could be if both parties were working together. Think about what we could do if a reckless few didn’t hold the economy hostage every few months, or waste time on dozens of votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act rather than try to help us fix it.
In the weeks ahead, I’ll keep talking about my plan to build a better bargain for the middle class. Good jobs. A good education. A chance to buy a home, save, and retire. And yes, the financial security of affordable health care. And I’ll look for any willing partners who want to help.
Because of your hard work and tough sacrifices over the past five years, we’re pointed in the right direction. But we’ve got more work to do to keep moving that way. And as long as I’m President, I’ll keep doing everything I can to create jobs, grow the economy, and make sure that everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead. Thanks, and have a great weekend.Which of the following is not the reason for people’s frustration with the government?
| A.The government shut down |
| B.Unemployment rate |
| C.The addiction to foreign oil |
| D.The launch of the Affordable Care Act |
Why does the president mention more goods and services “Made in America”?
| A.To show that American goods and services are very popular. |
| B.To indicate that American people should be dependent on themselves. |
| C.To show that the employment rate has been increased. |
| D.To show that American auto industry enjoys high technology. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “repeal”?
| A.To abolish | B.To protect |
| C.To strengthen | D.To weaken |
According to the speech, which of the following can be implied?
| A.American people have every reason to feel frustrated with the government. |
| B.Health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years. |
| C.The president feels sorry that the economy is not moving in the right direction. |
| D.Some government officials don’t agree with the president on the medical care system. |
International students studying in the UK
The UK has a long history of welcoming international students to study in its universities and colleges. In the UK last year there were over 104,000 international students. Choosing which university or college to go to was like a life-changing decision. Do as much research as possible so that you choose the right course for the right reason.
How to apply for higher education
All applications for higher education courses are made using our online application system, which is available 24 hours a day. You fill in the application form online and it does not need to be completed all at once. Please see the When to Apply page to check the dates by which we should receive your completed application.
Choosing a higher education course to study
Try to do a lot of research when deciding which courses to apply for. You will probably want to find out even more before you accept an offer of a place on a course. When you accept an offer of a place, make sure that all of your questions have been answered. Ask teachers if there is anything to prepare before the course starts. They may suggest that you look at certain books on the course reading list or that you improve your computer skills.
Other help and advice
Unistats is a website that can help you to research subjects and universities before deciding where to apply. You can compare subjects, compare universities and explore useful information about getting a job after graduation. Unistats has statistical (统计的) information on universities, colleges, subjects and teaching style.
Yougo is a student-only networking site where you can meet other applicants online and talk about what you hope to study and the university you hope to attend.
If you have any questions, please call us at 0044-330-333-0230.One who wants to get into a university in the UK________.
| A.must have a good reason to study abroad |
| B.can make an application on the Internet |
| C.should create more learning programs |
| D.will be asked to send a plan to a teacher |
We can learn from the passage that it is a wise idea to ________.
| A.learn basic computer skills in the UK when possible |
| B.get to know as many teachers as possible in the UK |
| C.do much research before choosing a college major |
| D.borrow certain books before going abroad to study. |
Unistats is a website that works to help students ________.
| A.select the best university and subject |
| B.meet other teenage students online |
| C.study further after finishing a course |
| D.compare colleges at home and abroad |
What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A.To give information about higher education in the UK. |
| B.To describe the types of universities across the UK. |
| C.To introduce the UK education system to students. |
| D.To attract international students to study in the UK. |
A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She bought a book and a bag of cookies in the airport shop, and found a place to drop.
She was interested in her book, but the man sitting beside her grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid an argument.
So she ate the cookies noisily and watched the clock, as the cookie thief diminished (使……变少) her stock. She was getting angrier as the minutes passed, thinking,“Oh, brother, if I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken your eyes.”
With each cookie she took, he took one, too. When only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, and he ate the other. She got it from him and thought, “ This guy has some nerve (胆量) and he’s also rude. Why didn’t he even show any gratitude?”
She had never known when she had been so angry. She gathered her bag and headed for the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate (忘恩负义者).
She boarded the plane and then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached in her bag, she was shocked— there was her bag of cookies. “If mine are here,” she thought, “the others were his. It’s too late to apologize.”Why did the woman ignore it when she found the man eating the cookies?
| A.She didn’t want to get into an argument. |
| B.She was full of pity for the man. |
| C.The man was dangerous and brave. |
| D.She was too careless to notice it. |
When offered her half of the last cookie, the woman______.
| A.felt a bit disappointed. |
| B.felt deeply thankful. |
| C.considered the man unthankful. |
| D.saw the man as his brave brother. |
We can infer that the man________.
| A.might have returned the bag of cookies secretly. |
| B.tried to share his cookies with the woman. |
| C.was thankful for the woman’s kindness. |
| D.was really a thief. |
Hello! My name is Lisa, and I am a lioness. I live on the open grasslands of Africa with my family. Lions living in a group are called a pride.
My father is strong and powerful. He and his cousin are the leaders of our pride. The other members are my mother, her sisters, and their children.
The area where a pride lives is big! We roar (咆哮) to tell each other where we are and to warn strangers to stay away.
Meet my new baby brother. His name is Leon. See the spots on his fur? We lions are born spotted or striped (有条纹的). As we grow older, the spots gradually disappear.
Lionesses usually spend their entire lives with their birth pride, but Leon will leave when he is about three years old. He’ll run around with a male (雄性的) friend or relative for a few years until they take over a pride of their own.
But for now, we have lots of fun together. We often play and fight for hours, which can help us practice skills that we will need for hunting. )
We lions keep ourselves very clean. Just like a house cat, I clean my fur (毛with my tongue. We clean for each other, too, to show we’re friends.
Lions like to sleep for most of the day. We hunt in the cool evening. Female (雌性的) lions hunt more often than male lions. We work together as a team. At the right moment, we attack and kill our prey. Then we share it. Male lions usually eat first. Females eat next. Baby lions are the last to eat. The smallest one gets the least food.
Since we are full, it’s time to go to find a nice place for a sleep. Bye!Lisa in this passage is the name of _____.
| A.a girl | B.a male lion | C.a female lion | D.a pride |
According to the passage, Leon _____.
| A.hunts more often than his sisters |
| B.will have spots on his fur for the whole of his life |
| C.will leave his birth pride when he is about three |
| D.will take over his birth pride when his father dies |
The underlined word “prey” in the passage probably means _____.
| A.the animal that is hunted | B.the animal that is dangerous |
| C.the animal that is powerful | D.the animal that is ill |
The passage is written for _____.
| A.doctors | B.tourists | C.children | D.hunters |
One day a student was taking a walk with his teacher. As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying in the path. They were a poor farmer’s, who was working in the nearby field.
The student turned to the teacher, saying: “we will hide his shoes, and hide ourselves behind those trees, and wait to see what he will do.”
“My young friend,” answered the teacher, “we should never make fun of the poor. Why not put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch?” The student did so and they both hid themselves behind the trees. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.
After putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes, and felt something hard. Then he bent (弯腰) down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Surprised, he looked at the coin, turned it around and looked at it again. He then looked around, but no person was seen. He put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe. His surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.
He couldn’t control his feelings and fell to his knees, looked up to the sky and expressed his thanks. Then he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread. He said the help would save them from dying.
The student stood there deeply moved, and his eyes filled with tears. “Now,” said the teacher, “are you not much happier than if you had hidden the shoes?”When the student saw the shoes, he wanted to _____.
| A.steal them | B.find their owner |
| C.play a joke on the owner | D.give the owner some money |
According to the passage, the teacher is _____.
| A.quiet and honest | B.kind and friendly |
| C.patient and clever | D.strict and careful |
At the end of the story, the student _____.
| A.was very proud of himself |
| B.was very pleased with his life |
| C.felt very sorry about his first idea |
| D.felt sad for not taking his teacher’s advice |
On a Sunday morning, I was driving down a road and saw something I couldn’t believe. A little girl, less than two, was pushing her stroller (婴儿车) across the road. It was Sunday morning and traffic was not heavy.
I stopped my car at once and ran toward her. This little girl knew enough to run from a stranger. I tried to catch her in order that I could get her out of the road.
Suddenly her father came running down a hill across the road from where I had parked my car. He ran right to her and caught her up, saying “bad girl” to her. I picked up the stroller and gave it to him. The father grabbed the stroller and walked toward where he came from without a word.
I went back and sat in my car for a few minutes with my son. My hands were shaking and tears were about to run out of my eyes. “Do you feel cold, Mom?” asked my son. I just shook my head.
After this happened, I thought about how thankful I am. Even though the father didn’t say thank you, I feel that I did something good. Doing something for someone else is pleasing, even when it’s only a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
I didn’t really “save” her, but I feel like it was important that I happened to be there. It is sad that I was the only one who stopped. It really made me a little disappointed that no one else stopped to help.When the author saw the little girl, _____.
| A.the girl had lost her way |
| B.she was driving to work in a hurry |
| C.the girl feared to go across the road |
| D.there weren’t many cars on the road |
The little girl ran away from the author because _____.
| A.she wanted to stay on the road |
| B.she didn’t know the author at all |
| C.she wanted to look for her father |
| D.she needed to catch her stroller |
Why were the author’s hands shaking?
| A.Because she was not feeling well. |
| B.Because she was too excited to keep calm. |
| C.Because the weather was very cold at that time. |
| D.Because she failed to be understood by the girl’s father. |
The author thought that her help was _____.
| A.really necessary | B.worth praising | C.not welcome | D.not useful |