Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?
In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university.
They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.
The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around ￡12,000 (122,952 yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach April after graduating. If you start to earn over ￡15,000 (153,630 yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.
You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.
All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year.”
Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?What can we infer from the second paragraph?
| A．Universities’ charging students fees is quite common all over the world. |
| B．It’s unfair to charge college students fees in England and Wales. |
| C．Before 2006 the UK universities didn’t charge students tuition fees in England and Wales. |
| D．The UK universities are unwilling to carry out the government’s policy. |
What might be the reason that the number of British students at UK universities falls?
| A．It’s harder and harder for them to get a degree. |
| B．The credit crisis has great influnce on their families’ income. |
| C．College education costs them too much. |
| D．The competition to become a “white collar” is too fiece. |
What does the underlined words “a piece of paper” refer to?
| A．A written document from the bank. | B．A letter of recommendation. |
| C．A filled application form. | D．A diploma. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．More Profits for the Banks | B．College Life in the UK |
| C．Welcome! International Students | D．UK Universities Students Become Poorer |
The law says women should have the chance of doing the same jobs as men and earn the same as them. The reality is very different. Women lose because, 25 years after the Equal Pay Act, many of them still get paid less than men. They lose because they do lower－paid jobs which men just won’t consider. And they lose because they are the ones who interrupt a career to have children. All t
his is reported in an independent study ordered by the Government’s women’s unit. The biggest problem isn’t equal pay in workplaces such as factories. It is the sort of work women do.
Make a list of low－paid－jobs, then consider who does them. Try nurses, secretaries, cleaners, clerks, teachers in primary schools, dinner ladies and child－care helpers. Not a lot of men among that group, are there? Yet some of those jobs are really important. Surely no one would deny that about nurses and teachers, for a start. So why do we reward the people who do them so poorly? There can be only one answer—because they are women. This is not going to be put right overnight. But the government, which emp
loys a lot of them, and other bosses have to make a start.
It is disgraceful（可耻的） that we have gone into the 21st century still treating women like second－class citizens.
Women should have the chance of doing the same jobs and getting the same pay as men_________.
| A．after 25 years |
| B．according to the law |
| C．as a result of those important jobs |
| D．because women are as strong as men |
．We can learn from the text that what really matters in this problem is_________.
| A．that women interrupt a career to have children |
| B．what sort of work women do |
| C．because they are women |
| D．what unfair pay women get in workplaces |
．Which of the following best describe the writer’s idea?
| A．Women and men should get equal pay for equal work. |
| B．Women should strengthen themselves. |
| C．The government ought to protect women against getting paid less than men. |
| D．Some of the jobs that women do are of great importance. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Work to give women a fair pay deal | B．The equal pay act |
| C．The sort of work women do | D．The biggest problem about women |
To face the music
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man
is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3 | D．4 |
What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
| A．To face something far less pleasant. | B．To face the stage. |
| C．To face the back of one’s horse. | D．To face one’s leader. |
Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
| A．When we are playing basketball. | B．When we are making a speech. |
| C．When we are having a party. | D．When we are talking with somebody. |
The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
| A．unfriendly | B．dislike | C．unkind | D．unnecessary |
The gray-haired lady can’t wait to leave the building to search for her dad. Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago.
Not all cases of Alzheimer’s di
sease look like this ,but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75.
It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer’s. In the early stages, people may exhibit short term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry .As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs.
While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain’s nerve fibers, their effect is certain. Alzheimer’s destroys not only the patients, but also spouses (配偶), friends and families.
What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Thoug
h many reasons other than Alzheimer’s disease may cause memory loss ,its early diagnosis (诊断) and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects.
What feeling will you likely experience should a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on. If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn’t remember you are married.
Life for the Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God. No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them.
What can be inferred from the passage about the gray-haired lady?
| A．She has been living with her father. |
| B．She was sad about the death of her father. |
| C．She can’t search for her father without being watched. |
| D．She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. |
When people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, __________.
| A．their families and friends will suffer from the same disease |
| B．their families and friends will experience mental sufferings |
| C．they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years |
| D．they will forget everybody but their spouses |
Memory loss occurs __________.
| A．from Alzheimer’s disease and nothing else |
| B．from sadness ,shock ,anger ,and so on |
| C．for a number of reasons |
| D．with changes in personality |
From the passage we know that __________.
A．early treatm ent may stop Alzheimer’s disease occurring |
| B．it is still unknown what causes the changes in the brain’s nerve fibers |
| C．nerve fibers in the brain will cause Alzheimer’s disease |
| D．when one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease ,he will be buried |
I made a pledge (誓言) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical（圣经的）passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A perso
n can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been
a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”
“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress (悲痛), “do you know something I don’t?”
“What do you
mean?”
“Well…that checkup（体检）I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.
| A．with his family | B．with Evelyn | C．alone | D．with his children |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because __________.
| A．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| B．he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm |
| C．he was determined to be a good husband |
| D．she was seriously ill |
The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the
one thing that went wrong?
| A．He praised her sweater, which puzzled her. |
B．She insi sted on visiting a museum, which he hated. |
| C．He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her. |
| D．He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying. |
By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.
| A．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life |
| B．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband |
| C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| D．he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before |
In the past industries had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed. They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the 
people who worked for them. Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers.
Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which showed need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes produced information which governments could not ignore. At such times, there were inquiries into the causes of the disaster or the problems. New safety rules were often intr
oduced as a result of these inquiries; however，the new rules 
came too late to protect the people who had died or become seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments which protect customers and workers. In the U.S., for example, there is a department which tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work, and then reports any companies that are breaking laws which protect the health and safety of workers.
According to Paragraph 1, compared with today, industries in the past __________.
| A．were controlled less strictly |
| B．were worse off |
| C．affected more peoples health |
| D．put out more unhealthy products. |
It is implied in Paragraph 2 that years ago governments __________.
| A．paid much attention to the results of scientific discoveries |
| B．seldom introduced safety laws before disasters occurred |
| C．hardly ever looked into the causes of tragedies |
| D．imposed safety rules as soon as disasters occurred |
The main topic of the passage is __________.
| A．industries in the past and at present |
| B．changes in the development of industries |
| C．the protection of industrial workers and customers |
| D．the freedom of industries |
The purpose o
f this passage is to __________.
| A．inform | B．criticize | C．entertain | D．persuade |
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