Is the “Go to College” Message Overdone?
Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn’t the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.
“We’ve been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there’s a lot of truth to that,” Ms. Sawhill said. “On average it does pay off… But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don’t graduate, that is a very bad situation.”
One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April’s national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate for high-school graduates over 25 years old who hadn’t attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16—24. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists warns that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.
Ms. Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one’s major: Students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than ones who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition (学费) and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.
She suggested two ways to improve the situation: increasing vocational (职业的)-technical training programs and taking a page from Europe’s focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning. “The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades,” she said. “Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you’re more likely to be highly subsidized (资助).”
She also is a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because “employers are desperate” for workers with these skills.
People usually think that .
| A．the cost of technical schooling is a problem |
| B．technical skills are most important for finding a job |
| C．one will not succeed without a college degree |
| D．there is an increased competition in getting into a college |
What does the underlined part “taking a page from” (in Para.5) possibly mean?
| A．Learning from. | B．Changing from. |
| C．Differing from. | D．Hearing from. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Public institutions charge more for education. |
| B．European universities are stricter with students. |
| C．Canadian students prefer to major in engineering. |
| D．Students with certain skills are in great demand. |
Ms. Sawhill may probably agree that .
| A．technical training is more important than college education |
| B．too much stress has been put on the value of college degrees |
| C．a college degree will ensure promising employment |
| D．it’s easier for art students to find favorite jobs |
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
The unknown world’s mystry
The sea is the biggest unknown part of our world. It covers seventy-one percent of the earth. There is still much to be discovered about this vast blanket of water. If the waters of the ocean could be removed, the sea floor with its wide valleys, irregular mountains and rivers in the sea would be an unbelievable sight.
Tourism under the deep blue sea
Tourists can now explore the world beneath the waves without ever getting wet. From tourist submarines (潜艇) to underwater dining, undersea tourism is making a big splash.
Tourist submarines
The popularity of submarine tours has grown rapidly in the last decade. Now, tourist submarines operate in more than 20 locations worldwide, including the waters around Okinawa and Taiwan’s Green Island. The submarines carry nearly 2 million tourists each year. Large windows offer passengers spectacular views as the submarines explore colorful coral reefs and sunken ships. Most one-hour tours cost about US $80.
Under water dinning
For a more upscale experience, tourists can enjoy fine dining under the sea. Last summer the Hilton Maldives Resort opened the world’s first underwater restaurant, Ithaa. Diners walk down a staircase into the restaurant, which rests 35 feet beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean. Transparent walls surround the dining area, and you can treat guests to a panoramic (全景) ocean view.
But this excellent view doesn’t come cheap. The tasting menu costs US $200 per person. Be sure to make reservations early, too. The restaurant seats only 14 people.
56. What does the author want to tell us in Paragraph 1?
A. The sea is the biggest unknown part of our world. B. The sea covers 71% of the earth.
C. Some information about the sea floor. D. The reasons for researching undersea tourism.
57. What does the author really mean by saying “undersea tourism is making a big splash” in Para2 ?
A. Undersea tourism is a new fashion in travelling. B. Your clothes will be made wet by the water splash. C. Undersea tourism is dangerous. D. There is still a long way for undersea tourism to go.
58. Which of the following statements about tourist submarines is RIGHT?
A. Tourist submarines only have a history of about 10 years.
B. There are tourist submarines in every part of the world now.
C. Tourist submarines have carried about 2 million tourists so far.
D. People can enjoy tourist submarines in the waters around Okinawa.
59. The walls of the restaurant Ithaa are most probably made of___________.
A. stone B. brick C. glass D. steel
The Heritage (遗产) at Risk programme aims to understand the overall state of England’s heritage by assessing each of its different elements. In particular we need to identify those that are facing the greatest pressures and threats. We will use this information to work out how to reduce those pressures and in turn to calculate the resources needed to make our unique heritage of historic places safe.
You can search for sites on the register by entering a site name, location, street or educational block in the box below.
Conservation areas
A nationwide survey of conservation areas indicates that approximately 1 in 7 is at risk from neglect (疏忽), decay (腐烂) or unpitying change.
Show your support for our campaign to save conservation areas from unavoidable decline and receive a free campaign pack by registering. There are some 9,300 conservation areas across England, meaning that we all live in or near to one or visit one regularly for work, shopping or rest. They are the element of England’s heritage that is all around us and which touches all of our lives. But until now no one had a clear idea what condition they were in.
Buildings
The task of assessing condition and risk started with buildings. Following a survey of all grades of listed buildings in London, English Heritage published in 1991 the first annual register of those at risk there.
The success of this London work led to the national buildings at risk strategy in 1998, and publication of a register of buildings at risk conversing all grade I and II listed buildings and structural scheduled monuments in the country, at risk and vulnerable (易受伤害的).
Parks & Gardens
There are 1,600 entries on the current English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. Sites at risk have typically been diversely (不利地) affected by development and neglect; often they have been changed by development and are faced with major change. Sometimes development beyond the boundary of a registered landscape can be just as harmful as construction within its boundaries; this is especially true that development would influence designed views that extend beyond the chosen site itself.
72．The purpose of using the information to work out how to reduce pressures is to_______.
A．assess each of English heritage’s different elements
B．identify those that are facing the greatest pressures and threats
C．calculate the resources needed to make heritage of historic sites safe
D．help you to search for sites at risk on the register
73．It can be inferred from “Conservation areas” that conservation areas across England_______.
A．are almost all at risk from neglect, decay or unpitying change
B．can be entered with a campaign pack free of charge
C．are in very close connection with our lives
D．are in whatever condition people are sure about
74．The text mainly talks about_______.
A．English heritage at risk
B．historic places of interest
C．English heritage register
D．location of English heritage
75．According to the last paragraph, the bad effect development has on the sites at risk is that_______.
A．it has changed the sites at risk with no intention
B．it can sometimes cause harm beyond the registered boundaries
C．it would affect the designed views instead of the chosen sites
D．it has neglected the local people of special historic interest
The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming months, as an improving global economy raises demand, and drought (旱灾) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice, the Precision Castingstaple food for much of the world's population, could be returning to levels that sparked inflation(通货膨胀) fears in much of Asia last year.
Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty (系)of economics at Thailand’s Kasetsart University. He says prices – especially for Thai rice – are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. They expect that the world demand will increase andCast steel we expect that the price of rice will increase next year," Charuk said. "There are many new markets for the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customer - China, some Arab countries - they will increase the demand."
Prices on the global market could again near the record above $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton or less to more than $650.
Vichai Sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice – entering the world market for the first time in 21 years – because of a drought.
Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels(生物燃料) from grain could reduce food crops, forcing the price of food grains higher. "This is very serious. That's why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see," Vichai said. "It will have to be elevated at a higher level, but I don't know where."
The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports because of high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. Officials from Vietnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand, predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines' National Food Authority offered almost $665 a ton for 600,000 tons of Vietnamese rice.
Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region's poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.
68．Which of the following is NOT true according to paragraph 1?
A．Drought reduces production of rice in India.
B．Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008.
C．Rice is a major food for the world’s population.
D．The improving global economy increases the need for rice.
69．How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price’s going up?
A．1. B．2. C．3. D．4.
70．Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?
A．Because of high prices. B．Because of typhoons.
C．Because of civil war. D．Because of drought.
71．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．Higher food prices will increase problems
B．There are many new markets for the Thai rice
C．The global economy is improving
D．Prices for rice are expected to rise
Jean – Gilles was a millionaire. But Tuesday night, he was sleeping in his car.
Jean – Gilles was the owner of the Peace of Mind Hotel in Jacmel, Haiti, a three – story, 30 – room building in a quiet tropical valley on Haiti’s southern coast, 25 miles from the noises of the capital, Port – au – Prince. Jean – Gilles and his wife, Marie, lived in an apartment on the property, close enough to watch carefully over the guest rooms, conference rooms and restaurant, close enough that they know the first name of every guest.
After the 7.0 – earthquake hit at 4:57 pm on Jan. 12,2010, they slept in their aging Isuzu, parked in the hotel driveway.
Jean – Gilles figured a second was the difference between life and death when the earthquake struck. He was working in a ground – floor conference room and first heard, then felt the quake. He asked his electrician, Roberne St. Louis, who was working nearby, what was happening.
“Get out. Now . Get out. Now,” St. Louis said.
Jean – Gilles cleared the falling structure by a mere second, he estimated. His wife, who was working in the couple’s apartment on the second floor, wasn’t able to get clear. People nearby heard her screams after the shaking stopped and removed the building blocks around her by hand. She was shaken and scratched, but walked away from the ruins.
“I am alive. God is good,” she repeated over and over on Saturday.
The Peace of Mind Hotel was a dream which had come true for Jean – Gilles, 57, and Marie, 59. Born in Port – au – Prince, they moved to the United States shortly after meeting 34 years ago. Together, they owned a beauty supply store in jersey City, New Jersey, and invested in real estate. In 2003, they cashed out their US investments, returned to Haiti and began building the Peace of Mind Hotel, looking to make a future for themselves and the people of their homeland.
64．Which of the following statements about Jean – Gilles is TURE?
A．He lived far from the Peace of Mind Hotel.
B．He helped St. Louis to manage a hotel.
C．He was born in Haiti in 1976.
D．He once owned a store in the US.
65．According to the passage, the Peace of Mind Hotel_______.
A．offered guests different services
B．was located in the capital city of Haiti
C．was a building with 30 guest rooms
D．was owned by Marie and St. Louis
66．When the earthquake hit, Marie was_______.
A．sleeping in the car B．working in the conference room
C．working on the second floor D．cooking in the restaurant
67．It can be inferred from the passage that_______.
A．Haiti is the 51 st state of the US
B．the earthquake happened quickly and unexpectedly
C．nobody in the hotel died in the earthquake
D．Marie was not sad about losing her property in the earthquake
A boy was born to couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy saw around two years old, the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and put it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.
The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to it and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages(剂量). When the child fell down, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was unconscious. She was terrified how to face her husband.
When the distraught (心烦意乱的)father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
What do you think those four words were? The husband just said, "I love You Darling".
The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive(积极主动的) behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he have taken time to put the bottle away, this would not have happened. No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.
Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who's to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know and miss out on the warmth in human relationships we could receive by giving each other support. After all, shouldn't forgiving someone we love be the easiest thing in the world to do? Treasure what you have. Don't multiply pain, anguish and suffering by holding onto forgiveness.
If everyone could look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be fewer problems in the world.
Take off all your envies, jealousies, unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.
60．The meaning of the underlined phrase is_______.
A．an adult B．a healthy boy C．the love of the parents D．a naughty boy
61．Why was the mother terrified to face the husband?
A．Because she was afraid of her husband.
B．Because she thought that was her fault.
C．Because she poisoned her son herself.
D．Because she wanted to kill herself.
62．What does this passage mainly talk about?
A．Be careful to do everything.
B．Forgive what you shouldn’t forgive.
C．Treasure what you have now.
D．Envy can mislead the way you go.
63．Which column of a paper can we find this article?
A．Financial aid to students. B．Grand view of science.
C．Enjoying the countryside view. D．Life and society.