It’s high time someone spoke up for today’s college students. They’re probably the most hardworking, ambitious people in America and their problems are not properly appreciated.
People like the Secretary of Education simply don’t know what they’re talking about when they knock students. Nor do those who complain about falling academic standards.
The vast majority of the nation’s 12 million students are struggling to pay for their educations. They are part of the invisible workforce. Many hold down full-time jobs. They’re frying hamburgers, photographing weddings, working in construction, and waiting on tables. The fact that they even show up for classes is a wonderful event.
The financial situation of most students explains a lot about what is happening in schools. Why are the traditional courses so unpopular? Why are students flocking to accounting and computer science and any professional programs that seem to lead to careers?
Answer: Today’s working student has been forced into a kind of premature matter-of-fact way of viewing things. Romance is gone. The notion of transforming one’s self through study alone has disappeared. Today’s students seek freedom from manual labor, and the status conferred by a good job.
There are other consequences. Today’s students don’t have much time or energy to be devoted, and carry out independent research or even do serious homework. That’s the secret behind falling academic standards. Students have become consumers. They want grades and certifications. Their professors can’t be expected to give a grade of failure to students who are clearly tired from the effort to pay their bills.
There’s a lot wrong with this situation. It’s twisting the definition of education out of shape. Worse, it’s creating a generation that is totally unpleasant. The brightest students turn out to be yuppies (雅皮士). The vast majority are, at least, good-natured semi-literates.
The time has run out for philosophical debates about fixed courses of study. What this country needs is someone to stand up and say that being a full-time student during one’s formative years is an honorable calling worthy of support. If families can’t or won’t give it to their children, then the government should.
小题1:The author’s purpose in writing this article is to __________.| A．awaken the whole society to the problems today’s college students face | | B．warn Americans that academic standards are falling | | C．advise college students to study hard | | D．provide a suggestion that only full-time students be enrolled |
小题2:The most suitable word to describe the author’s feelings about today’s college students is _________.| A．criticize | B．sympathize | C．complain | D．urge |
小题3:Which of the following cannot be learned from the passage?| A．Many students are often absent from classes. | | B．Traditional courses are not popular. | | C．Students commit crimes with computers. | | D．Students don’t devote much time and energy to their homework. |
小题4:By saying “Romance is gone” in paragraph 5, the author means ____________.| A．today’s students do not believe in love stories any more | | B．today’s students become more practical in dealing with things | | C．students think there is no affection any more and break up with their lovers | | D．today’s students hold matter-of-fact opinions on love |
小题5:Which of the following suggestions will the author not agree with?| A．We should encourage students to give up full-time jobs. | | B．Families should offer their children more help financially. | | C．We should stand up and say something for today’s college students. | | D．We should make more strict regulations to force students to study hard. |
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小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:B
小题5:D |
文章谈论了现在的大学生所遇见的种种难题，呼吁全社会一起来关注这些问题。
小题1:A 推理题。作者写这篇文章是想让别人知道大学生所遇见的种种困难，尤其是经济方面的困难，很多学生要做兼职来付自己的学费。主要是唤醒社会对这些问题的认识。故A正确。
小题2:B 根据文章第三段2,3,4行内容Many hold down full-time jobs. They’re frying hamburgers, photographing weddings, working in construction, and waiting on tables说明现在很多的大学生都要做兼职工作来付学费，他们要做很多的事情，作者对他们充满了同情。故B正确。
小题3:C 细节题。根据第三段最后一句推理出很多学生都逃课。根据Why are the traditional courses so unpopular说明B也提及了。以及第七段1,2行Today’s students don’t have much time or energy to be devoted, and carry out independent research or even do serious homework说明D也提及了，只有C没有提及。
小题4:B 推理题。浪漫已经不见了。说明现在的学生学会了现实，不在相信那些浪漫的爱情故事，对实际的物质更感兴趣了，故B正确。
小题5:D 推理题。文章中提及现在的学生的生活压力很大，已经没有太多的时间放在真正的学习和研究上了，D选项中的说法等于是给学生更大的负担和压力，故作者应该是不同意该说法。 |
核心考点
试题【It’s high time someone spoke up for today’s college students. They’re probably 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
I once had a friend that was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the news that he might only live up to six months was a great shock to him, his family, and his friends．However, in spite of the serious illness, he was initially（开始） determined to look into all available treatments that might cure or extend his life．I think that when you find yourself in such situations, you tend to look up every possible way for hope of saving your life．
As months went on and his health grew worse, I noticed an unexpected change in attitude that came over him．He had also been a happy person with a cheerful personality, but rather than give in to discouragement and self-pity, he took comfort in God and humanity（人性）．His talks focused on others rather than himself, and he spoke of the afterlife as something he was prepared for, believing that his concerned ancestors, including his mother and father, were there waiting for him．
During the last few months, weeks, and days of his life, he was kindly cared for by family, friends, his loving wife, who looked after both his physical and emotional needs, and workers from a local hospice （安养院） came to the home to regulate（调节） his medication （药）and provide any other needed support．He didn"t complain about his fate, and he willingly allowed others to serve him．
Indeed, one might think why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others．You often can"t learn these important attributes（属性）in the lap of luxury（处在优裕舒适的环境中）, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the illness can give those left behind．
小题1:Which word can best describe the man"s initial reaction as soon as he was diagnosed with cancer?| A．Satisfied． | B．Sad | C．Surprised | D．Concerned． |
小题2:What did the man do after he first learned of his illness?| A．He was operated on immediately． | | B．He researched cancer treatments． | | C．He retired from his job | | D．He felt sad, doing nothing． |
小题3:What was the man"s main source of comfort after several months with the disease? | A．His family and friends． | B．The care from others | | C．His doctors’ encouragement． | D．His belief in humanity． |
小题4:What did the author learn from his friend’s story? | A．Getting comfort from God． | | B．Extending life as possible． | | C．Caring for yourself and enjoying luxury． | | D．Giving more respect to friends |
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A funny thing happened on the way to the communications revolutions: we stopped talking to one another.
I was walking in the park with a friend recently，and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and…I became invisible, absent from the conversation.
The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communications technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction. With email and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another, With voice mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.
As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated, the alienation index goes up. You can"t even call a person to get the phone number of another person my more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.
I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card a voice mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn"t wise…they"re a great help to use. It"s some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.
More and more .I find myself hiding behind e-mail to do a job meant for conversation. Or being relieved that voice mail picked up because I didn"t really have time to talk, The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier…or at least facilitating my antisocial instincts．
So I"ve put myself on technology restriction: no instant messaging. with people who live near me，no cell phoning in the presence of friends, no letting the voice mail pick up when I"m at home.
小题1:Which of the following would be the best title of the passage? | A．The Advance of Communications Technology | | B．The Consequences of Modern Technology | | C．The Story of Communications Revolution | | D．The Automation of Modern Communications |
小题2:The sentence “Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent，”means that .| A．the people sitting beside you have to go away to receive a phone call | | B．you can hardly get in touch with the people sitting beside you | | C．modem technology makes it hard for people to have a face-to-face talk | | D．people can now go to work without going to the office |
小题3:The writer feels that the use of modern communications is ．| A．encouraging | B．disappointing | C．satisfying | D．embarrassing |
小题4:The passage implies that .| A．modern technology is bridging the people. | | B．modern technology is separating the people | | C．modern technology is developing too fast | | D．modern technology is interrupting our communications |
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By 2012，the world may need to cope with as many as 50 million people who have fled their homeland，not for political or economic reasons but because the environment has been so badly changed that it cannot support life. The statement has been released by the United Nations to mark UN Disaster Reduction Day.
More people are made homeless by environmental disasters than by war，according to the research by the Red Cross. That reality is proved by the earthquake in Pakistan.
The widely publicized disaster has brought aid from the global community，according to Janos Bogardi，director of the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security. “If we can move swiftly in and give them a new start where they are，then they may stay in the area. Otherwise，they become environmental refugees. Environmentalrelated migrations are most acute in SubSaharan Africa，but they also affect millions of people in Asia and India. Meanwhile，the United States is witnessing increased pressure from victims of mismanaged and worsening soil and water conditions in Mexico and Latin America.” he says. Janos Bogardi says these refugees suffer from the impact of gradual environmental change—global warming，sea level rise，air and water pollution and more intense storms，floods and droughts that degrade the land. This is a slow process，but unfortunately a process that is very difficult to go backwards once final damage is done.
Janos Bogardi says they are calling on the global community to recognize the serious situation of environmental refugees and to work together to lessen the impact of environmental disaster.
小题1:What may be the best title of the passage?| A．50 Million environmental refugees by 2010 | | B．Environmental refugees—an international problem | | C．The cause of environmental disasters | | D．Global aid pouring in |
小题2:Janos Bogardi’s attitude towards solving the problem is that of being ________.| A．constructive | B．compromising | | C．controversial | D．conservative |
小题3:According to the passage，the following are the main reasons for migrations except ________.| A．earthquake | B．water conditions | | C．global community | D．worsening soil |
小题4:What is implied in the passage?| A．People all over the world have realized the impact of environmental disasters on refugees. | | B．It is time for us to take some measures to solve the problem of environmental refugees. | | C．The damaged soil can recover soon if people take care of it. | | D．It is good for people to go elsewhere to make a living. |
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Most recently, it"s very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews. Naturally, it"s easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them. As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me. So, I"ll let them fail．
I"ll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow. And failure along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.—will be part of growth for them. Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is, my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today. From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate everything now. It"s a small price to help them learn a skill they"ll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don"t accompany them on job interviews.
小题1:Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?| A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties． | | B．Because they think they can help them on the questions． | | C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews． | | D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so． |
小题2:According to the author, what is beneficial to kids" development?| A．Sheltering them． | B．Keeping them safe． | | C．Leaving them alone． | D．Blaming them． |
小题3:Why does the author stress failure in kids" life?| A．To make them stronger than other kids． | | B．To help them grow in this tough world． | | C．To help them develop all social skills． | | D．To make them learn to compromise． |
小题4:Which of the following might be the best title for the text?| A．Never Shelter Your Kids | | B．Let Your Kids Fail | | C．Be Eager to Grow Up | | D．Live Without Parents |
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The famous British inventor George Stephenson was born in 1781 and died in 1848. One of his__16__important inventions was the train. He _17__his first train when he was forty-four years old. When he was experimenting with the __18__engine on the train, he met with __19__from the government, the newspapers and the gentlemen in the country. They said that the noise and the smoke would __20__ cows, horses and sheep, that the _21__ would burst or that the hot coals from it would __22_ their houses. At that time, __23__people believed what they said.
George Stephenson __24__the people that the train could go on small _25_, could pull carriages __26_goods and passengers and there was __27__to them. It was a very __28__ matter for him to __29__ them believe. However, after _30_, he was able to do it; and the first train that __31__by Stephenson himself __32_ what he had said.
The first day _33_the people along the way _34_the noises of the train __35__ and saw it running quickly to them, they ran back home as quickly as they could and closed their doors tightly, for they thought it a genius(妖怪).They did not dare to come out until it had passed.
| 小题1: | | A．very | B．a lot | C．most | D．much |
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| 小题2: | | A．made | B．bought | C．introduced | D．did |
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| 小题3: | | A．electrical | B．soil | C．steam | D．oil |
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| 小题4: | | A．success | B．troubles | C．people | D．pleasure |
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| 小题5: | | A．kill | B．buy | C．interest | D．take away |
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| 小题6: | | A．smoke | B．noise | C．driver | D．engine |
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| 小题7: | | A．pull down | B．blow away | C．set fire to | D．pass |
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| 小题8: | | A．most | B．few | C．only a few | D．the rich |
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| 小题9: | | A．said | B．spoke | C．told | D．warned |
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| 小题10: | | A．roads | B．rivers | C．steam | D．rails |
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| 小题11: | | A．short of | B．full of | C．empty of | D．without |
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| 小题12: | | A．no great danger | B．dangerous | C．a lot of danger | D．few danger |
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| 小题13: | | A．easy | B．difficult | C．pleasant | D．light |
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| 小题14: | | A．get | B．cause | C．make | D．force |
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| 小题15: | | A．sometime | B．some time | C．a few times | D．sometimes |
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| 小题16: | | A．was sold | B．was driven | C．was pulled | D．helped |
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| 小题17: | | A．believed | B．seemed | C．sensed | D．proved |
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| 小题18: | | A．of | B．when | C．while | D．for |
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| 小题19: | | A．caught sight of | B．listened to | C．heard | D．thought |
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| 小题20: | | A．nearby | B．in the distance | C．on the far | D．from the distance |
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