workers and that this oversupply is increasing. Already there have been more than enough
teachers, engineers, physicists, aerospace experts, and other specialists. Yet colleges and
graduate schools continue every year to turn out highly trained people to compete for jobs
that aren"t there. The result is that graduates cannot enter the professions for which they were
trained and must take temporary jobs which do not require a college degree.
On the other hand, there is a great need for skilled workers of all sorts: carpenters,
electricians, mechanics, plumbers, TV repairmen. These people have more work than they
can deal with, and their annual incomes are often higher than those of college graduates. The
old gap that white-collar workers make a better living than blue collar workers no longer holds
true. The law of supply and demand now favors the skilled workmen.
The reason for this situation is the traditional myth that college degree is a passport to a
prosperous future. A large part of American society matches success in life equally with a
college degree. Parents begin indoctrinating (灌输) their children with this myth before they
are out of grade school. High school teachers play their part by acting as if high school
education were a preparation for college rather than for life. Under this pressure the kids fall
in line. Whether they want to go to college or not doesn"t matter. Everybody should go to
college, so of course they must go. And every year college enrollments go up and up, and
more and more graduates are overeducated for the kinds of jobs available to them.
One result of this emphasis on a college education is that many people go to college who
do not belong there. Of the sixty percent of high school graduates who enter college, half of
them do not graduate with their class. Many of them drop out within the first year. Some
struggle on for two or three years and then give up.
B. fewer students will prefer to go to college in the future
C. the law of supply and demand has a strong effect on American higher education
D. white-collar workers in the US used to make more money than blue-collar workers
B. Every young man and woman wants to go to college.
C. High school teachers urge their students to go to college.
D. Many people believe that the only way to success is a college education.
B. many people who go to college have their hopes destroyed
C. many people who go to college drop out within the first year
D. many people who are not fit for college education go to college
B. every young man and woman should go to college
C. people with a college education should receive higher pay
D. fewer people should go to college while more should be trained for skilled jobs
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格的空格处里填入最恰当的单词。
Are we too quick to blame and slow to praise? It seems we are. Praise is like sunlight to the
human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, while most of us are only too
ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow unwilling to give others
the warm sunshine of praise.
It"s strange how mean we are about praising. Perhaps it"s because few of us know how to
accept praise gracefully. Instead, we are embarrassed and shrug off the words we are really
so glad to hear. Because of this defensive reaction, direct compliments are surprisingly difficult
to give. That is why some of the most valued pats on the back are those which come to us
indirectly, in a letter or passed on by a friend.
Do you ever go into a house and say, "What a tidy room!" Hardly anybody does. That"s why
housework is considered such a boring job. Shakespeare said, "Our praises are our wages."
Since so often praise is the only wage a housewife receives, surely she is well worth praising.
Mothers know naturally that for children an ounce of praise is worth a pound of scolding. Still,
we"re not always aware of children"s small achievements and we seldom apply the rule. One day
I was criticizing my children for quarreling. "Can you never play peacefully?" I shouted. Susanna
looked at me, confused. "Of course we can," she said. "But you don"t notice us when we do."
Teachers agree about the value of praise. "I believe that a student knows when he has handed
in something above his usual standard," writes a teacher, "and that he waits and is hungry for a
brief comment in the margin to show him that the teacher is aware of it, too."
Behavioral scientists have done countless experiments to prove that any human being have
a tendency to repeat an act which has been immediately followed by a pleasant result. In one
such experiment, a number of schoolchildren were divided into three groups and given arithmetic
tests daily for five days. One group was consistently praised for its previous performance; another
group was criticized; the third was ignored. Not surprisingly, those who were praised improved
dramatically. Those who were criticized improved also, bus not so much. And the scores of the
children who were ignored hardly improved at all. Interestingly the brightest children were helped
just as much by criticism as by praise, but the less able children reacted badly to criticism,
needed praise the most. Yet the latter are the very youngsters who, in most schools, fail to get
the pat on the back.
To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment"s thought and a moment"s effort-perhaps
a quick phone call to pass on your praise, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative letter. It
is such a small investment-and yet consider the results it may produce. "I can live for two months
on a good compliment," said Mark Twain. So, let"s be alert to the small excellences around us-and
comment on them. We will not only bring joy into other people"s lives, but also, very often, added
happiness into our own.
Title: Profits of Praise
Theme | Compared with (1) , praise should be valued and appreciated more. | ||
Reasons for unwillingness to give praise | We feel embarrassed and ignore the words pleasant to our ears (2) than accept them gracefully. We have (3) giving direct praise because of our so-called defensive reaction. | ||
Importance of praise in some cases | A house wife is (4) to be praised for her sacrifices and devotion. A mother is supposed to be aware of their children"s small achievements and (5) the rule of giving praise. A student waits (6) for a good comment form his teacher when he hands in his homework above his usual standard. | ||
Findings of experiments on profits of praise | Everybody (7) to repeat an act if praised more often. Those who receive constant praise have made dramatic improvement. Unlike brilliant children, less able children (8) badly to criticism desperately need praise. | ||
(9) | It pays to make a moment"s (10) to pass on praise, for it brings added joy and happiness to our lives as well as others". | ||
阅读理解。 | |||
We often hear people talking about a generation gap (代沟). The name is new, but the idea is old. Young people and their parents don"t understand each other. The world has always kept changing. During the second century after Christ a wise man said, "Bury me on my face because in a little while everything will be turned upside down." There has always been a gap between generations, but more people talk about it now. Old Mr. Ellis thinks he understands what has happened. "When I was a boy, I thought the world was a beautiful place. My life was very pleasant. But when I was older, I learned about people who were treated badly, people who didn"t have enough to eat. I wanted to help them, and I married a girl who wanted to help them, too. We went to meetings and talked a lot, but it didn"t seem to make much difference. " "Our children grew up in a world at war. They didn"t know when the fighting would stop. They wanted their children to have nice clothes and toys. They didn"t want to think about the future. They thought nothing could be done about it." "Now I have grandchildren, and they have their own ideas. They are trying to make the world better. They are trying to help other people. They"re making people listen to them. I am proud of their generation." | |||
1. The wise man mentioned in the text told people to bury him on his face so that when everything is turned upside down he will _____. | |||
A. lie on his stomach B. lie on his back C. stand quietly D. sit in peace | |||
2. Which generation did NOT want to do anything to make the world a better one? | |||
A. Mr. Ellis" generation B. His children"s generation C. His grandchildren"s generation D. None of the above. | |||
3. Which generation is/was more efficient in making the world better one? | |||
A. Mr. Ellis" generation. B. His children"s generation. C. His grandchildren"s generation. D. None of the above. | |||
4. What is the writer"s attitude towards the generation gap? | |||
A. Unacceptable. B. Awful. C. Funny. D. Common. | |||
阅读理解。 | |||
Technology is the application(应用) of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span via (通过) medical technology. Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer is definitely yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and development, and the latest statistics(统计) show that the United States is continuing to pump billions of dollars annually(每年) into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce resources(少的资源) we may well find technological substitutes (代用品)for many of them through our research programs. Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production(land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills, on techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living. | |||
1. What is the best title for the passage? | |||
A. The definition of technology B. Modern technology C. The application of technology D. The development of technology | |||
2. Which is the main idea of the passage? | |||
A. Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living. B. The three major factors of production (land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology. C. Technology is the response to our needs. D. The United States is making great efforts to advance its technology. | |||
3. According to the passage, people can live a long life with the help of _______. | |||
A. higher quality of life B. medical technology C. modern farming machinery D. technological substitute | |||
完形填空。 | |||
The trip to that city was eye opening for everyone,and near its end,all the young people | |||
( )1.A.put up with ( )2.A.now that ( )3.A.puzzled ( )4.A.marching ( )5.A.entire ( )6.A.beyond ( )7.A.stronger ( )8.A.gave up ( )9.A.environment ( )10.A.inspected ( )11.A.feelings ( )12.A.along ( )13.A.neither ( )14.A.experiences ( )15.A.once ( )16.A.supposed ( )17.A.Surely ( )18.A.burden ( )19.A.how ( )20.A.replaced | B.got back to B.so that B.annoyed B.running B.normal B.with B.deeper B.broke down B.hotel B.attempted B.decisions B.around B.either B.schedules B.while B.advised B.Rather B.suffering B.where B.changed | C.looked back on C.as if C.embarrassed C.passing C.average C.till C.worse C.set off C.house C.witnessed C.thoughts C.by C.none C.data C.since C.confirmed C.Now C.anxiety C.what C.covered | D.made up for D.even if D.shocked D.moving D.general D.for D.less D.held on D.background D.challenged D.impressions D.in D.each D.position D.unless D.agreed D.Indeed D.difficulty D.when D.improved |
完形填空。 | |||
The requirements for high school graduation have just changed in my community.As a result, all students must 1 sixty hours of service learning, 2 they will not receive a diploma.Service learning is academiclearning that also helps the community. 3 of service learning include cleaning up a polluted river,working in a soup kitchen,or tutoring a student. 4 a service experience, students must keep a journal(日志)and then write a 5 about what they have learned. Supporters claim that there are many 6 of service learning.Perhaps most importantly,students are forced to think 7 their own interests and become 8 of the needs of others.Students a re also able to learn real life skills that 9 responsibility,problems olving,and working as part of a team. 10 ,students can explore possible careers 11 service learning. For example,if a student wonders what teaching is like,he or she can choose to work in an elementary school classroom a few afternoons each month. 12 there are many benefits, opponents(反对者) 13 problems with the new requirement.First,they 14 that the main reason students go to school is to learn core subjects and skills.Because service learning is time consuming,students spend 15 time studying the core subjects.Second,they believethat forcing students to work without 16 goes against the law.By requiring service,the school takes away an individual’s freedom to choose. In my view,service learning is a great way to 17 to the community,learn new skills,and explore different careers. 18 ,I don’t believe you should force people to help others-the 19 to help must come from the heart.I think the best 20 is one that gives students choices: a student should be able to choose sixty hours of independent study or sixty hours of service. Choice encourages both freedom and responsibility,and as young adults,we must learn to handle both wisely. | |||
( )1.A.spend ( )2.A.and ( )3.A.Subjects ( )4.A.With ( )5.A.diary ( )6.A.courses . ( )7A.beyond ( )8.A.careful ( )9.A.possess ( )10.A.Gradually ( )11.A.through ( )12.A.So ( )13.A.deal with ( )14.A.argue ( )15.A.much ( )16.A.cost ( )17.A.contribute ( )18.A.Therefore ( )19.A.courage ( )20.A.decision | B.gain | C.complete C.but C.Procedures C.During C.note C.challenges C.over C.tired C.include C.Luckily C.of C.Since C.point out C.overlook C.less C.care C.attend C.Besides C.emotion C.solution | D.save D.for D.Examples D.After D.notice D.features D.in D.aware D.develop D.Hopefully D.on D.While D.take down D.admit D.more D.praise D.belong D.However D.spirit D.result |