When people advise your children to“get an education”, they tell you only half the truth.What they really mean is to get just enough education to give manpower for your society.
Get a high school diploma, at least.Without that, you are occupationally dead, unless your name happens to be George Washington or Thomas Edison and you can successfully stop study in primary schools.
Get a college degree, if possible.With a BA, you should start to find a job.You have to put on the brakes now.If you do go for a master's degree, make sure it is an MBA and only from a first-class university.Otherwise, the famous law of diminishing(报酬递减率)begins to work.
Do you know, for example, that long-distance truck drivers make more money a year than full professors?Yes, each driver was paid 28,000 in 1997 while a full professor managed to get 27,930.
A PhD is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial aim, you are facing a not very bright future.There are more PhDs unemployed in this country than in any other part of the world by far.
If you became a PhD in English or history or political science or languages or-worst of all-in philosophy, you take the risk of becoming over-educated for our national demands.
Thousands of PhDs are selling shoes, driving taxis, waiting on tables and filling out applications month after month, and then may be taking a job in some high school or college with the pay much less than a door-keeper makes.
(1)
According to the writer, society expects education to turn out people who will ________.
[ ]
A.
raise their payment
B.
get employed
C.
become specialized in some field
D.
meet the demands as a source of manpower
(2)
Long-distance truck drivers make more money a year than full professors because ________.
[ ]
A.
the famous law of diminishing functions
B.
long-distance truck drivers only get a high school diploma
C.
full professors are PhDs in English or history
D.
long-distance truck drivers work harder than full professors
(3)
If you don't want to be occupationally dead, you ________.
[ ]
A.
should look for a job in a primary school
B.
must at least get a high school diploma
C.
have to get as high an education as possible
D.
should try to avoid being overeducated in philosophy
(4)
The underlined phrase“put on the brakes”in the 3rd paragraph means“________”.
[ ]
A.
stop learning for a high degree
B.
take up a master's degree at once
C.
go on studying in a first-class university
D.
find any interesting job
(5)
What can we know from the passage?
[ ]
A.
The higher education you get, the more money you will earn.
B.
There are more PhDs than the society demands.
C.
Neither George Washington nor Edison received formal education.
D.
If you are specialized in physics, you can't get a good job easily.
More than seven hundred years ago, the Prince of Wales had a very big and brave dog called Gelert.One day the Prince wanted to go hunt-ing with his men.He told his dog to stay at home and look after his baby son.The baby was in a wooden cradle, which was like a small bed.When the Prince came back from hunt-ing, Gelert ran out to meet his master.He wagged his tail and jumped up to put his paws on the Prince's chest.Then the Prince saw the blood on Gelert's jaws and head.
"What have you done?" the Prince said.He rushed into his house and looked for his baby son.The cradle was lying on its side on the floor.The clothes were torn and there was blood on them.
"So you have killed my son?" the Prince said angrily."You unfaithful dog!" He took out his sword and killed the dog.Just as Gelert was dying, he managed to bark.Then the Prince heard a baby call to the dog.
The Prince ran out of the house and saw his son lying on the ground unhurt.Near him was a dead wolf.Then the Prince knew that Gelert had defended the baby and killed the wolf.
The Prince ran back into the house but he was too late.Gelert was dead.The Prince was very sad indeed.Tears ran down his face when he realized 'he had killed his faith-ful friend.The Prince carried the body of his brave dog to the top of a mountain and buried him there.After this, the Prince never smiled again.Every morning at dawn, he walked up the mountain and stood by the dog's grave for a few minutes.
If you go to Mount Snowdon in Wales, people will show you where Gelert is buried.There is a sign by his grave.It reminds peo-ple of a brave and faithful dog.
(1)
Gelert was the dog of the Prince of _________.
[ ]
A.
Scotland
B.
England
C.
Ireland
D.
Wales
(2)
The Prince told the dog to _________ when he was leaving.
[ ]
A.
watch the door
B.
take care of his baby at home
C.
welcome his friends
D.
stop the strangers
(3)
The dog was very _________ when his master came back from hunting.