The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic (机械师) had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is: Great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100, 000 a year. A business consultant（顾问）who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes, “Job means just over broke (破产)”. And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence, most workers “live within their means”. They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonalds ?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonalds makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonalds is excellent at business systems. The reason so many talented people are poor is that they focus on building a better hamburger and know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that________.
| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
“Live within their means” in the third paragraph can be best replaced by_______ .
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．do in their own way |
| C．live in their own circle |
| D．live within what they earn |
Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
| A．They don't work hard enough. |
| B．They lack financial intelligence. |
| C．They don't make full use of their talents. |
| D．They have no specialized skills. |
The main purpose of the author is to tell us_________ .
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．what schools should teach students |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonalds makes much money |
When we hear the words “college students”, we usually think of a young person between 18 and 22 years old. But in the U.S.A today, a college student often is much older. In fact, educators say in the next few years colleges and universities may have more older part-time students than traditional (传统的) full-time younger students.
Educators report a big increase in the number of Americans who attend college and university classes in the evening or at night or weekends. Most of them are older than 25 years old and more have full-time or part-time jobs. Many are in their thirties or forties.
Why are so many people deciding to spend their time and money in order to continue their education? Most are doing it because they believe more education will help them to get a better job. Some are industrial workers whose factories have closed. They are learning new skills to prepare for other kinds of work. Some of the part-time students are not pleased with the jobs they have. They are studying for new ones. Some have retired (退休) and are looking for new kinds of work. Two of every three of the students older than 35 are women. Many of them are returning to school after years of staying at home to care for children.
Are older students good students? Most teachers say yes. They say older students really want to learn. They ask difficult questions and are not pleased with simple answers. They often get high grades. It’s said that in the next few years _________________.
| A．students in colleges and universities will be much older |
| B． full-time students in colleges and universities will be even younger |
| C． American colleges and universities will take in part-time students equally |
| D． The number of older students will be greater than that of the younger ones |
Judge which of the following is not true according to the above passage.
| A．It’s reported that a large number of Americans attend college or universities classes in their spare time. |
| B． Most of them are over 25. |
| C． Most of them are without jobs. |
| D． The number of students in colleges and universities is reported to have gone up greatly. |
Why are so many people deciding to go on with their education? Because___________.
| A．Most of the Americans enjoy learning something new |
| B． Most of them believe: more education, better jobs |
| C． They have lost their jobs |
| D． They are tired of their jobs they have |
They often get high grades” means ____________.
| A．they rise to high grades easily |
| B． they often get very good marks (分数) |
| C． they are more likely to receive a master’s or a doctor’s degree upon graduation |
| D．they often win high prize |
What does the whole passage mainly tell us?
| A．Why does so many older students go to college in America. |
| B．What older students in college can learn. |
| C．Older students are mostly good students |
| D．Higher education can help you get a good job. |
American’s genius with high technology may have put men on the moon, but there is growing doubt about its ability to solve human problems closer to home.
In fact, a slight but significant change from purely technological solutions is already under way as scientists insist that answers to the world’s problems will not come from an attractive exhibition of electronics and machines. Instead, as they see it, solutions must develop from a better understanding of the humans that drive the system and from a fuller appreciation of the limits and potential(潜能) of the earth’s resources.
What this means is an increased emphasis on the life and earth sciences, on sociology, psychology, economics and even philosophy.
More and more of the best minds in science, particularly young researchers, are being drawn into these developing fields.
All this is not to say that technological creativity will not play a critical role in solving energy and food shortages, or that answers to environmental difficulties will not come from further advances in the same technologies that may have helped cause the problems.
Where the real challenge lies, in the view of the new generation of scientists, is in finding ways to produce goods and meet the world’s needs, using less of the raw materials that are becoming short. Which of the following would the author probably agree with?
| A．The environment crisis will not be solved unless we stop using virgin（原始）materials. |
| B．In scientific research, a higher priority（优先）should be given to understanding all living systems. |
| C．Exploration of outer space will finally lead to an improvement on human living conditions. |
| D．U. S. high-technology companies are welcoming this new change in scientific research. |
Which of the following best expresses the main idea?
| A．a growing number of Americans are doubtful about what high technology can do in solving the world’s problems. |
| B．Many scientists are beginning to believe that the better understanding of human beings will play a more decisive role in solving the world’s problems. |
| C．More and more young scientists are trying their best to find new ways to solve the world’s problems. |
| D．Technological creativity will still play a very important part in solving the world’s problems. |
Young scientists demand that in order to satisfy human needs ________.
| A．existing products be improved. |
| B．more complex machines and electronic equipment be designed. |
| C．ways be found to produce better goods using fewer raw materials. |
| D．any new invention and innovation be encouraged in technology |
In the passage “Human problems” or “world problems” refers mainly to ______.
| A．global food shortage | B．resources depletion（耗尽） |
| C．environmental pollution | D．all of the above |
The author states all the following CXCEPT that _______.
| A．the development of present techniques cannot provide any answers to today’s problems. |
| B．an increasing number of young scientists are taking a great interest in biological and social sciences. |
| C．many scientists have come to understand the limits of natural resources. |
| D．many scientists argue that high technology is something but not everything. |
My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the confusion of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn’t want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn’t go on like this.” “It’s up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."The house the writer’s family lived in was ________.
| A．the best they could afford | B．right for their social position |
| C．for showing off | D．rather small |
His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.
| A．it made him feel uneasy | B．it was too old to work well |
| C．it was too expensive to possess | D．it was too cheap |
The writer’s father enjoyed being different as long as ________.
| A．it drew attention to him | B．it didn’t bring him in arguments |
| C．it was understood as a joke | D．there was no danger of his showing off |
What was the writer’s reaction to the idea of going to Eton?
| A．He was very unhappy. | B．He didn’t believe it. |
| C．He was delighted. | D．He had mixed feelings. |
What was the writer’s reaction to the idea of going to boarding-school?
| A．He was very unhappy, | B．He had mixed feelings. |
| C．He was delighted, | D．He didn't believe it. |
People Born in Autumn Live Longer
People born in the autumn live longer than those born in the spring and are less likely to fall chronically ill when they are older, according to an Austrian scientist.
Using census（人口普查）data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, scientists at the Max Planck Institute in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was related to life expectancy（预期寿命）over the age of 50. Seasonal differences in what mothers ate during pregnancy, and infections occurring at different times of the year could both have an impact on the health of a new-born baby and could influence its life expectancy in older age. “A mother giving birth in spring spends the last phase of her pregnancy in winter, when she will eat less vitamins than in summer,” said Gabriele Doblhammer, one of a team of scientists who carried out the research. “When she stops breast-feeding and starts giving her baby normal food, it’s in the hot weeks of summer when babies are prone (易于)to infections of the digestive system.” In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months longer than those born in spring (April-June), and in Denmark adults with birthdays in autumn outlived those born in spring by about four months. In the southern hemisphere, the picture was similar. Adults born in the Australian autumn—the European spring—lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. The study focused on people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data. Although nutrition at all times of the year has improved since then, the seasonal pattern persists, Doblhammer said.
But on the other hand, according to a study of more 40,000 people, those born in spring and summer report themselves luckier than those born in autumn or winter. Professor Richard Wise-man who led the research explained that the temperature at the time of birth might influence the development of the brain and seasonal factors make a difference as well.The underlined word “outlived” in the text probably means ________.
| A．lived out of | B．depended on |
| C．had a shorter life than | D．lived longer than |
The census data of the following countries is used for research EXCEPT _______.
| A．Germany. | B．Denmark. |
| C．Australia. | D．Austria. |
What’s the main idea of this text?
| A．Nutrition at all times of the year has improved since the beginning of the 20th century. |
| B．In Austria, adults born in autumn (October—December) lived about seven months longer than those born in spring (April—June). |
| C．People born in autumn live longer than those born in spring and are less likely to fall ill when they are older. |
| D．Babies are prone to infections of the digestive system. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Infections occurring at different times of the year influence the health of a new-born baby. |
| B．The study focused on people born in the late 20th century. |
| C．A mother giving birth in spring eats less vitamins during the last phase of her pregnancy in winter. |
| D．What mothers ate during pregnancy could have an impact on the babies’ life expectancy in older age. |
The right sentence of the following is ________.
| A．The month of birth was not related to life expectancy over the age of 50. |
| B．A mother giving birth in spring spends the last phase of her pregnancy in winter, eating more vitamins than in summer. |
| C．Stopping breast-feeding and starting giving babies normal food must make babies prone to get infected with the digestive system in the hot weeks of summer. |
| D．Adults born in the Australian autumn―the European spring―lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. |
In American schools, computers have done many of the jobs that teachers used to do. Computers ask students questions. If the students give the right answer, the computer will say “Wonderful!” Some computers even read stories aloud to students. Students can do experiments on their computers and can do homework on floppy disks（软盘）.
Both students and teachers are crazy about computers. “With computers, students get help quickly,” said one teacher. “But if the students don’t have computers, they must wait for me to walk around and get to them.”
“I can type faster than I can write,” said a student. “Using a computer is easier than using an eraser.”
Computers are also very patient. A teacher may become angry at a student sometimes. But computers are always calm. When a student gives the wrong answer, the computer just says, “Please try again.”
Companies that make software for school have a difficult job. They must make the software as interesting as the programs that students watch on TV. But they have made much success, because students like computers as much as teachers do.If a student gives a wrong answer, a computer might say, “_________”.
| A．Wonderful | B．Please try again | C．Bad luck. | D．Use an eraser |
Students like computers because computers ________.
| A．are fast and interesting | B．are not patient |
| C．can do some experiments | D．can do homework for them |
Companies that make software for schools have a hard job because ________.
| A．they have to make the software very interesting | B．they have made little success |
| C．the students are interested in TV programmes | D．students don’t like computers |
According to the passage, computers can do the following things except _______.
| A．asking question | B．reading stories aloud |
| C．telling the students whether the answers are right. | |
| D．making TV programmes |
The main idea of the article is ________.
| A．students like computers better than TV |
| B．students like computers better than school |
| C．computers can do many jobs that teachers do for schools |
| D．computers are not good for school |