In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic achievement and confident that their degree would help them find a good job.
However, in the past four years the job market has changed dramatically. This year’s college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets in years. For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose University, got a degree in religious studies, but no job prospects. He points out that many people already working are getting laid off and don’t have jobs, so it’s even harder for new college graduates to find jobs.
Four years ago, the future looked bright for the class of 2003. There were many high-tech job opportunities. Graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries and benefits such as insurance and paid vacations. However, “Times have changed and it’s a new market,” according to Cheryl Allmen- Vinnidge of the San Jose State Career Center.
Allmen-Vinniage says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago. They worked during summer vacations, they have had several internships（实习）, and they’ve majored in one of the few fields that are still hot, like chemical engineering, accounting, or nursing, where average starting salaries have actually increased over last year. Other popular fields (like information system management, computer science, and political science) have seen big declines in starting salaries.
Ryan Stewart (he had hoped to become a teacher) may just end up going back to school. “I’d like to teach college some day and that requires more schooling, which would be great in bad economy.” he said.
In conclusion, these days, to some students a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth. For now, they can only hope its value will increase over time.
46. The word in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.
A. skill                        B. interests                  C. opportunities                   D. applications
47. Which of the following majors can get a job easily?
A. teaching                  B. accounting               C. political science               D. computer science
48. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ________.
A. the best way to get rich is not to get a college degree                                       
B. most students with degrees will not be able to find jobs
C. having a college degree does not qualify one for travel discounts         
D. a college degree does not mean that one will find a well-paid job
49. Ryan Stewart will have to ________.
A. change his major                                     B. get a job teaching  
C. go back to school                                    D. become a religious leader
50. The main idea of this passage is that ________.
A. a lot of graduates are losing their jobs    
B. Ryan Stewart has not been able to find a job
C. salaries in some fields have increased in the past year                                
D. the job market has changed dramatically over the past 4 years