For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important
题型：不详难度：来源：
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.
小题1: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 |
小题2: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. |
小题3:The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 5 most probably means___________.| A．discouraging | B．interesting | C．creative | D．unbearable |
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答案
小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:A |
解析
试题分析：文章主要介绍了通过与德国的中学的情况的比较，来说明在美国中学里，还是很缺乏有关职业生涯的基本课程。
小题1:考查细节理解题。根据第六段的even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work，the job market is daunting 看出答案是B
小题2:考查主旨大意题。文章第一段的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 点出了主题，选C。
小题3:考查词义猜测题。从下文的In the US，unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row．可猜出词义是discouraging。选A。
点评：文章兼顾细节题、主旨题、词义猜测题的考查，在解答这类问题时要求学生抓住题干文字信息，采用针对性方法进行阅读，细节的答案在文章中可以直接找到，推理就要结合句子进行推理。 |
举一反三
You are careful with your money: you collect all kinds of coupons; look for group-buy deals if you eat out; you don"t buy clothes unless in a sale. Does all this make you a wise consumer?
Let"s do the math first: you walk into a coffee shop and see two deals for a cup of coffee. The first deal offers 33 percent extra coffee. The second takes 33 percent off the regular price. What"s the better deal? Well, they are about the same, you"d think. And you"d be wrong. The deals appear to be equal, but in fact, they are different. Here"s the math: Let"s say the standard coffee is 10 yuan and let"s divide the amount of coffee into three portions(部分). That makes about 3.3 yuan per portion, The first deal gets you 4 portions for 10 yuan (2.5 yuan per portion) and the second gets you 3 portions of coffee for 6.6 yuan (2.2 yuan per portion) and is therefore a better deal.
In a new study published by the Journal of Marketing, participants were asked the same question, and most of them chose the first deal, the Atlantic website reported. Why? Because getting something extra for free feels better than getting the same for less. The applications of this view into consumer psychology(心理) are huge. Instead of offering direct discounts, shops offer larger sizes or free samples.
According to the study, the reason why these marketing tricks work is that consumers don"t really know how much anything should cost, so we rely on parts of our brains that aren"t strictly quantitative.
There are some traps we should be aware of when shopping. First of all, we are heavily influenced by the first number. Suppose you are shopping in Hong Kong. You walk into Hermes, and you see a 100,000 yuan bag. "That"s crazy." You shake your head and leave. The next shop is Gucci, a handbag here costs 25,000 yuan. The price is still high, but compared to the 100,000 yuan price tag you just committed to your memory, this is a steal. Stores often use the price difference to set consumers" expectation.
Another trap we often fall to Is that we are not really sure what things are worth. And so we use clues(暗示) to tell us what we ought to pay for them. US economist Dan Ariely has done an experiment to prove this. According to the Atlantic, Ariely pretended he was giving a lecture on poetry. He told one group of students that the tickets cost money and another group that they would be paid to attend. Then he informed both groups that thelecture was free. The first group was anxious to attend, believing they were getting something of value for free. The second group mostly declined, believing they were being forced to volunteer for the same event without reward.
What"s a lecture on poetry by an economist worth? The students had no idea. That"s the point. Do we really know what a shirt is worth ? What about a cup of coffee? What"s the worth of a life insurance.policy? Who knows? Most of us don"t. As a result, our shopping brain uses only what is knowable: visual(祝觉的) clues, invited emotions, comparisons, and a sense of bargain. We are not stupid. We are just easily influenced.
小题1:The first paragraph of the passage is intended to | A．ask a question | B．introduce a topic | | C．give some examples | D．describe a phenomenon |
小题2:The writer takes the math for example in Paragraph 2 to show . _.| A．consumers usually fall into marketing traps | | B．consumers" expectation is difficult to predict | | C．consumers" purchasing power is always changing | | D．consumers rely on their own judgment when shopping |
小题3:What consumer psychology is mentioned in the passage?| A．The first number has little influence on which item should be bought. | | B．Consumers never use visual clues to decide how much should be paid. | | C．Getting something extra for free is better than getting the same for less. | | D．Consumers never rely on parts of the brains that aren"t strictly quantitative. |
小题4:According to the passage, shops use the following tricks to make more profits EXCEPT . | A．showing price differences | B．offering larger sizes | | C．providing free samples | D．giving direct discounts |
小题5:What can we know from US economist Dan Ariely"s experiment?| A．Ariely"s free lecture enjoyed popularity among students. | | B．The students actually didn"t know what the lecture was worth. | | C．The second group was willing to be volunteers without reward. | | D．The first group was eager to find out the value of Ariely"s lecture. |
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Left-Handers’ Day
International Left-Handers’ Day is August the thirteenth. The International Left-Handers Day, Web site says the Left-Handers Club started the holiday in 1992. It wanted left-handers around the world to celebrate. And it wanted to bring attention to the everyday problems of people who use their left hands.
One of these problems is difficulty using equipment and tools, like scissors. In general, most tools and equipment are made for people who are right-handed. The Left-Handers Club tries to educate designers and producers to consider the safety of left-handed people when producing their products.
Another problem is that many people have considered it bad to be left-handed. Some teachers and parents have tried to force children who used their left hands to use their right ones instead.
Scientists do not really know why some people are left-handed. They have believed the reason is genetic.They say the gene（基因） increases the chance of being left-handed. It appears to play an important part in deciding which part of the brain controls different activities. In right-handed people, the left side of the brain usually controls speech and language. The right side controls feelings. However, the opposite is often true in left-handed people.
Scientists believe the gene is responsible for this. The gene showed a link with left-handedness in nine to twelve percent of the population.
About ten percent of people around the world are left-handed.
小题1:International Left-handers’ Day aims to（目的是） bring attention to_________.| A．the right-handers | | B．the everyday problems | | C．the people who have some difficulty using equipment and tools | | D．the everyday problems of people who use their left hands |
小题2:How many problems of people who use their left hands are mentioned?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
小题3:As to why some people are left-handed, scientists believe the reason is________.| A．habits | B．genetics | C．parents | D．birthplaces |
小题4:______of people around the world are left-handers.| A．About 9% | B．About 12% | C．About 9.12% | D．About 10% |
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It was a cold evening and my daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora did. She wasn’t even four, but she 36 at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, 37 we take him home?”
I don’t remember my reply. But I do remember a sudden 38 feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her 39 , whether it was 40 in flight or children playing. But now she was noticing 41 and beggary.
A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and 42 it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I 43 us up. Nora was 44 about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how 45 our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to 46 myself to leave the house. On the way to the school, I fought an urge to turn 47 . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting at home. Why do this? 48 , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She 49 us right over.
The building was in a sad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed. 50 inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged, I walked home in tears.
Professionals call such a(n) 51 “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities, I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have opportunity to do something 52 that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve to needy people and 53 clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve 54 her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has 55 more?
| 小题1: | | A．pulled | B．glanced | C．waved | D．aimed |
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| 小题2: | | A．would | B．can | C．need | D．must |
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| 小题3: | | A．general | B．true | C．heavy | D．curious |
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| 小题4: | | A．area | B．part | C．eyesight | D．world |
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| 小题5: | | A．insects | B．dogs | C．animals | D．birds |
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| 小题6: | | A．coldness | B．illness | C．suffering | D．ignorance |
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| 小题7: | | A．delivered | B．returned | C．devoted | D．posted |
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| 小题8: | | A．held | B．hurried | C．signed | D．lined |
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| 小题9: | | A．casual | B．sorry | C．astonished | D．excited |
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| 小题10: | | A．creative | B．valuable | C．shocking | D．simple |
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| 小题11: | | A．warn | B．stop | C．allow | D．push |
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| 小题13: | | A．Therefore | B．Obviously | C．Still | D．Also |
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| 小题14: | | A．called | B．promised | C．invited | D．helped |
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| 小题15: | | A．As | B．Once | C．Because | D．Though |
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| 小题16: | | A．stay | B．visit | C．adventure | D．challenge |
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| 小题17: | | A．fair | B．famous | C．difficult | D．enjoyable |
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| 小题18: | | A．collect | B．make | C．order | D．wear |
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| 小题19: | | A．let | B．made | C．watched | D．noticed |
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| 小题20: | | A．improved | B．benefited | C．tried | D．seized |
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Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2,000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic differences. There could be differences in how people"s bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine."
小题1:Which of the following orders is from higher to lower risk of having lung cancer?| A．Whites—Native Hawaiians | | B．Africans—Americans—Latinos | | C．Asians—Native Hawaiians | | D．Africans—Americans—Native Hawaiians |
小题2:Researchers agree that it is _____ that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.| A．the larger amount of smoking than white people | | B．the living style or habit of the blacks | | C．the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs | | D．the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke |
小题3:People in the new study are made up of _____.| A．heavy smokers in America | B．the black and white people | | C．the Asians and Hawaiians | D．smokers and non-smokers |
小题4:The production of BiDil referred to in the last paragraph is to _____.| A．explain different races react to some diseases differently | | B．tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers | | C．show a big step people have taken in the medicine area | | D．support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers |
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Elephants have four distinct personalities that help their herd survive in the African bush, scientists have found.
With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow heavy pace, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly melancholy(忧郁的) creatures. But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size.
In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are common in a herd – the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues(小淘气) and the reliable plodders (辛勤工作的人).
Each of the types has developed to help the giant mammals survive in their harsh environment and is almost unique in the animal kingdom, according to the scientists.
Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague Cynthia Moss studied a herd of elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya known as the EB family — famous for their matriarch Echo before she died in 2009.
Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behavior and found four personality features tended to emerge.
The strongest personality to emerge was that of the leader. Unlike other animals, where leadership tends to be won by the most dominant and aggressive individual, the elephants instead respected intelligence and problem solving in their leader. Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders.
The playful elephants tended to be younger but were more curious and active. Eudora, a 40-year-old female in the herd, seemed to be the most playful, consistently showing this feature throughout her life while playfulness in some of the other elephants declined with age.
Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, touched and rubbed against others more than the others.
Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats. Echo and her youngest daughter Ebony seemed to be the most reliable.
Professor Lee said that elephants with these features tended to be the most socially integrated in the group while those who tended to be less reliable and pushy were more likely to split from the herd.
小题1:From the passage we get to know that ________.| A．the researchers reached their conclusion by analyzing the data | | B．the research centered on the 26 types of behavior of the matriarch | | C．the scientists conducted the research by comparing elephants with other animals | | D．professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague spent nearly 38 years tracking the herd |
小题2:According to the new findings of the scientists, ________.| A．playfulness of an elephant will always decline with age | | B．those elephants which are caring and wise are most reliable | | C．each elephant can be matched with only one of the four personalities | | D．once becoming a member of a herd, an elephant will never split from it |
小题3:In the EB family Echo and Eudora are ________.| A．mother and daughter | B．two oldest females | | C．the gentlest ones | D．leader and member |
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