For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find all internship(实习). In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the Unites States, however, such programs are still few and far between.
Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.
In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.
But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills.
Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example, encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.
However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.
“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the Summer job experience, they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,”said Michael, a researcher in the US.According to Robert Schwartz，_________.
| A．there is no need for kids to go for higher education in the US |
| B．students should get contact with the working world at high school |
| C．education reform should focus on students’performance in exams |
| D．teenagers in the US can’t miss out on the summer job experience |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Arguments about recent US education reform. |
| B．Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers. |
| C．The lack of career-based courses in US high schools. |
| D．Advice for American high school leavers. |
The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 5 most probably means___________.
| A．discouraging | B．interesting | C．creative | D．unbearable |
C
Two Earthquakes in Two Months:
Comparing the Quakes in Haiti (海地) and Chile (智利)
Overview (概要) How do the earthquakes in Chile and Haiti compare? Here, students perform a gallery walk to learn more about the earthquakes from a specific point, and then do a specific research and presentation project or response activity. Finally, they seek answers to their unanswered questions.
Materials Print copies of photographs, charts, documents and other visuals to display, as described below; computer (s) with Internet access (optional), research materials, handouts.
Warm-up Choose and prepare a “gallery” of photographs, graphics, news reports and other materials to display around the room to enable students to consider the 2010 earthquake in Chile.
Depending on course program, choose materials for the gallery that provide a window on the two quakes, through one of the following specific points, or the focus of your choice:
Earthquakes through History Putting the 2010 Chilean and Haitian quakes into historical view related to other earthquakes, including the 1960 Chilean quake and the 2004 Asian earthquake and tsunami.
Rescue and Aid Considering domestic and international response to the disasters by militaries, governments and aid organizations, including rescue and recovery as well as efforts to provide food, water, health care and shelter to those affected.
Related The article Underwater Plate Cuts 400 Mile Gash compares several earthquakes:
Mr. Lin figured that the quake on Saturday was 250 to 350 times more powerful than the Haitian quake.
But Paul Caruso noted that at least on land, the effects of the Chilean tremor (震动) might not be as bad. For one thing, he said, the quality of building construction is generally better in Chile than in Haiti. And the fact that the quake occurred offshore should also help limit the destruction. In Haiti, the rupture (断裂) occurred only a few miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The rupture on Saturday was centered about 60 miles from the nearest town, Chillan, and 70 miles from the country’s second-largest city, Concepción.
Read the article using the following questions.
Questions For discussion with others and reading comprehension:
How does the 2010 Chilean earthquake compare to the 1960 Chilean earthquake?
Why do scientists believe that the 2010 Chilean earthquake will not cause the same level of damage as January’s Haitian earthquake did?
How does the 2010 Chilean earthquake compare to the 2004 Indonesian earthquake?
What reasons do scientists give to explain why the Indonesian quake caused so much more damage than the recent Chilean earthquake?
64. Which of the following shows one of the reasons for slighter losses in Chile than in Haiti?
A. Position:
B. Power:
65. We can infer that the article Underwater Plate Cuts 400 Mile Gash includes ________.
A. the causes of the 2010 Chilean earthquake and the 1960 Chilean earthquake
B. the comparison between the 2010 Haitian and the 2004 Indonesian earthquakes
C. the reason for the 2010 Chilean quake being more powerful than January’s Haitian earthquake
D. the reason for less damage in the 2010 Chilean quake than in the 2004 Indonesian earthquake
66. What is the passage most likely to be?
A. A program for research. B. A guide to earthquake study.
C. An advertisement for students. D. An introduction to quakes.
B
If you enjoyed the spring-like sunshine over the weekend and thought the weather has finally turned a corner, you’re sadly mistaken.
Chilly (寒冷的) days and grey clouds are forecast for the week—making it far too early to pack away the winter woollies.
Temperatures will struggle to rise above zero at night and fail to make double figures during the day.
People enjoy the spring sunshine in Sefton Park, Aigburth, Liverpool. Forecasters have predicted a return to chilly weather this week.
Met Office forecaster Charlie said, “It was a nice, dry, bright weekend in many parts and Monday is going to be a similar affair for many.”
“Temperatures will be between 5℃and 8℃, which is below average for the start of spring.”
The sun will disappear from the south of the country after today, with dry but cloudy conditions forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday.
Wednesday will be warmest of the three, with temperatures peaking at 9℃. But this is still two degrees below the March average for the district.
Overnight, temperatures will drop sharply, with lows of minus 3℃for the next three nights.
“It will generally stay on the cold side of average,” said Mr. Powell.
The March misery comes at the end of the coldest winter for more than 30 years.
Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK’s average 1.5℃, making it the deepest freeze since 1978—79.
It claimed there was just a one-in-seven chance of a cold December to February.
The agency also sadly predicted a “barbecue summer”, saying it was “quite optimistic” that it would be warmer and drier than average.
Following the two mistakes, the Met Office has dropped its long-range seasonal forecasts and will instead publish a monthly prediction for Britain, updated once a week.
In its defense, it says that while short-term forecasts are extremely accurate, Britain’s size and geographical position makes long-term predictions much more challenging.
It also points out that it gave warning of any heavy falls of snow this winter.
60. According to the passage, the weather on Tuesday in the south might be _______.
A. dry but cloudy B. sunny but chilly C. sunny and warm D. cloudy and chilly
61. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. British people can put away their winter clothes now.
B. The Met Office has shortened its forecast range.
C. The weather forecast becomes more and more accurate.
D. The agency was quite confident of long-term predictions.
62. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. The big chill isn’t over yet B. A warm spring finally arrives
C. A heavy snow is on the way D. The Met Office drops forecasts
63. From the passage, we can conclude ________.
A. the weather report is more and more important
B. British people become worried about bad weather
C. Britain has just experienced a very freezing winter
D. The Met Office can always predict any heavy snow falls accurately
第三部分阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Saving the Planet with Earth-Friendly Bamboo Products
Jackie Heinricher’s love affair with bamboo started in her backyard. “As a child, I remember playing among the golden bamboo my dad had planted, and when there was a slight wind, the bamboos sounded really musical.”
A fisheries biologist, Heinricher, 47, planned to work in the salmon industry in Seattle, where she lived with her husband, Guy Thornburgh, but she found it too competitive. Then her garden gave her the idea for a business: She’d planted 20 bamboo forests on their seven-acre farm.
Heinricher started Boo-Shoot Gardens in 1998. She realized early on what is just now beginning to be known to the rest of the world. It can be used to make fishing poles, skateboards, buildings, furniture, floors, and even clothing. An added bonus: Bamboo absorbs four times as much carbon dioxide as a group of hardwood trees and releases 35 percent more oxygen.
First she had to find a way to mass-produce the plants—a tough task, since bamboo flowers create seed only once every 50 to 100 years. And dividing a bamboo plant frequently kills it.
Heinricher appealed to Randy Burr, a tissue culture expert, to help her. “People kept telling us we’d never figure it out,” says Heinricher. “Others had worked on it for 27 years! I believed in what we were doing, though, so I just kept going.”
She was right to feel a sense of urgency. Bamboo forests are being rapidly used up, and a United Nations report showed that even though bamboo is highly renewable, as many as half of the world’s species are threatened with dying out. Heinricher knew that bamboo could make a significant impact on carbon emissions (排放) and world economies, but only if huge numbers could be produced. And that’s just what she and Burr figured out after nine years of experiments—a way to grow millions of plants. By placing cuttings in test tubes with salts, vitamins, plant hormones, and seaweed gel, they got the plants to grow and then raised them in soil in greenhouses.
Not long after it, Burr’s lab hit financial difficulties. Heinricher had no experience running a tissue culture operation, but she wasn’t prepared to quit. So she bought the lab.
Today Heinricher heads up a profitable multimillion-dollar company, working on species from all over the world and selling them to wholesalers. “If you want to farm bamboo, it’s hard to do without the young plants, and that’s what we have,” she says proudly.
56. What was the main problem with planting bamboo widely?
A. They didn’t have enough young bamboo.
B. They were short of money and experience.
C. They didn’t have a big enough farm to do it.
D. They were not understood by other people.
57. What does Heinricher think of bamboo?
A. Renewable and acceptable B. Productive and flexible.
C. Useful and earth-friendly. D. Strong and profitable.
58. The underlined word “renewable” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”.
A. able to be replaced naturally B. able to be raised difficultly
C. able to be shaped easily D. able to be recycled conveniently
59. What do you learn from the passage?
A. Heinricher’s love for bamboo led to her experiments in the lab.
B. Heinricher’s determination helped her to succeed in her work.
C. Heinricher struggled to prevent bamboo from disappearing.
D. Heinricher finally succeeded in realizing her childhood dream.
D
Some years ago factories had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must be today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products (产品) 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 accidents which attracted the attention of governments and showed the need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes provided information which governments should pay attention to. At such times, there were inquiries(调查) into the causes of the accidents or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however, the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or became seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments which protect customers (顾客) 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 plane producers (生产商) 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 the laws which protect the health and safety of workers. Of course, new government departments and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness, but they are having some good results. Our work places are safer and cleaner than before. The planes and cars which we use for travel are better. Producers are thinking more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products.
67. Some years ago safety rules __________.
A. were put forward due to workers’ suggestions
B. came into being as a result of the workers’ needs
C. were introduced because many people were killed or seriously injured
D. were good enough to protect workers and customers
68. It can be inferred from the passage that in the past __________.
A. workers often got ill because of the poor working conditions
B. companies had less freedom to develop new products
C. many people were killed by dangerous products
D. factories were as careful as they are today
69. According to the passage, __________.
A. new laws have no good results at all
B. governments did not listen to scientists
C. governments paid no attention to the safety of products at all
D. in the past factories did not have to pay much attention to the health of workers
70. The main topic of the passage is __________.
A. conditions in the work place B. the importance of government departments
C. the freedom of factories D. the safety and health of workers and customers
C
It is a lot of trouble to learn a new language. When we go to all that trouble, we certainly want to be understood. But understanding is based on more than speech. Sometimes misunderstanding comes not from the wrong words, but from the wrong style. In our own country, we learn the style for politeness. But this polite style may be misunderstood in another country. This can cause unexpected difficulties. Since you have spent so much effort learning this new language, it is sensible and practical to learn the politeness rules also. Even if you think some of the customs are foolish, learning them can help you to be clearly understood.
In your country, is it considered polite to listen quietly to other people without any change of expression on the face? If this is the style you have learned, perhaps you should watch two Americans talking. Notice how the person who is listening will have frequent changes of expression. The listener may also make little remarks while the other person is talking. These little remarks may be one word, like “Really?” or they may just be a little sound, like “Uhhuh” or “Mmm.” This is the way American listeners show that they are listening in a friendly way. This is why Americans get uneasy when the listener is silent and shows no change of expression. In the American style of speaking, an unmoving face often means that the listener is unfriendly, or perhaps even angry.
Sometimes people from two countries are uncomfortable with each other for very small reasons. Here is an example: Americans think that perspiration odor is not polite. In fact, they worry so much about this subject that they spend a great deal of money on deodorants (除臭剂) and dry cleaning and washing their clothes. If a foreign student does not follow the same rule, Americans may be disturbed and think the foreigner is not nice. The problem can be especially troublesome because Americans are so embarrassed about this subject that they do not even like to talk about it, so they are not likely to tell that person why they are uneasy.
63. If you want to be clearly understood in another country, besides the language, you should also learn _________.
A. its common knowledge B. its style C. its wrong words D. how to make a speech
64. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. American listeners have frequent changes of expression.
B. A foreign student may not get along well with Americans if he smells.
C. An unmoving face and silence of listeners will make Americans feel unhappy.
D. Making little remarks like “Really”, “Uhhuh” or “Mum” is impolite while listening to an American.
65. The underlined phrase in the last paragraph probably means _________.
A. an unpleasant smell B. a good style of talking
C. an unfriendly way D. a polite expression
66. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Learning a new language B. Different people, Different languages
C. Body Language D. Different Countries, Different Cultures
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