The U.S. Department of Labor statistics(统计) show that there is an oversupply of college trained workers and that this oversupply is increasing. Already there have been more than enough teachers, engineers, physicists, aerospace experts, and other specialists. Yet colleges and graduate schools continue every year to turn out highly trained people to compete for jobs that aren’t there. The result is that graduates cannot enter the professions for which they were trained and must take temporary jobs which do not require a college degree.

On the other hand, there is a great need for skilled workers of all sorts: carpenters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, TV repairmen. These people have more work than they can deal with, and their annual incomes are often higher than those of college graduates. The old gap that white —collar workers make a better living than blue collar workers no longer holds true. The law of supply and demand now favors the skilled workmen.

The reason for this situation is the traditional myth that college degree is a passport to a prosperous future. A large part of American society matches success in life equally with a college degree. Parents begin indoctrinating(灌输) their children with this myth before they are out of grade school. High school teachers play their part by acting as if high school education were a preparation for college rather than for life. Under this pressure the kids fall in line. Whether they want to go to college or not doesn’t matter. Everybody should go to college, so of course they must go. And every year college enrollments(入学) go up and up, and more and more graduates are overeducated for the kinds of jobs available to them.

One result of this emphasis on a college education is that many people go to college who do not belong there. Of the sixty percent of high school graduates who enter college, half of them do not graduate with their class. Many of them drop out within the first year. Some struggle on for two or three years and then give up.

1. It’s implied but not stated in the passage that _______.

    A. many other countries are facing the same problem

    B. white-collar workers in the US used to make more money than blue-collar workers

    C. fewer students will prefer to go to college in the future

    D. the law of supply and demand has a strong effect on American higher education

2. Which of the following is NOT a reason why college enrollments go up every year?   

    A. Many people believe that the only way to success is a college education.

    B. Many parents want their children to go to college.

    C. High school teachers urge their students to go to college.

    D. Every young man and woman wants to go to college.

3. By saying that “many people go to college who do not belong there”, the author means that _______.

    A. many people who are not fit for college education go to college

    B. many people who do not have enough money go to college

    C. many people who go to college drop out within the first year

    D. many people who go to college have their hopes destroyed

4. We can infer from the passage that the author believes that _______.

    A. every young man and woman should go to college

    B. college education is a bad thing

    C. people with a college education should receive higher pay

    D. fewer people should go to college while more should be trained for skilled jobs

Dear all,
Please read Professor Hume’s email about his next lecture on Rosa I’arks.
Susan Miller
Secretary
Dear Susan,
Please forward this message to students of my history class.
Besides the life story of Bosa Parks in the textbook,the students are also required to read the passage below and some related stories that can be borrowed from the school library.
Ted Hume
The early experiences of Rosa Parks (1913-2005),long known as the “mother of the civil rights movement,”were not different from those of many African-Americans at that time.The black woman,however,turned the course of American history in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man.“By sitting down,”remarked John Lewis,“she was standing up for all Americans.”
Among the numerous awards Parks received in her life were the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1996) and the Congressional Gold Medal(1999).
Parks died on Oct. 24,2005,At St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Montgomery,a large crowd including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice celebrated her life.Rice said she and others,who grew up when the political activities of Parks held public attention,might not have realized her impact(影响) on their lives,“but I can honestly say that without Mrs. Parks,I probably would not be standing here as Secretary of State.”
After her casket(灵柩) was placed at the Capitol,U.S. President Bush,members of Congress and ordinary Americans paid their respects.In American history Parks is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol,a very high regard usually reserved for Presidents of the United States.
【小题1】What is the main purpose of Susan’s email?

A.To make arrangements for Professor Hume’s class.
B.To introduce to the students Rosa Parks.
C.To help the students organize a lecture.
D.To answer Professor Hume’s last email.
【小题2】What does the underlined word “forward” mean?
A.Explain.B.Send.
C.Take.D.Read.
【小题3】The political impact on Rosa Parks lies in the fact that she______.
A.helped Condoleezza Rice achieve political success
B.joined the civil rights movement at a young age
C.made racial equality a common value in American society
D.set a good example in her early life for other black Americans
【小题4】How was Rosa Parks treated after her death?
A.She was named “mother of the civil rights movement”.
B.She was received by President Bush at the Capitol.
C.She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
D.She was honored to lie in state at the Capitol.


The well-known Rushmore National Monument in the United States is built on the Rush Moore Peak,1829 meters above sea level,of the Black Hills in the south-west of South Dakota. It is a group of huge stone statues of four American presidents,George Washington,Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. President Washington is the founding father of the country;the 3rd President Jefferson drafted the U. S. Declaration of Independence;the 16th President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the26th President Roosevelt protected the average people’s right to compete fairly with trusts. All 1829 meters above sea level, made outstanding achievements for their country. They were pioneers of U. S. history.
The stone statues of presidents were built at the suggestion of an historian in the State of Dakota,with a view to carrying forward the U. S. pioneering spirit everlastingly.
The statues are 18meters high. They are the highest and greatest realistic stone statues in the world,taller than a 6-storied building and larger than the Great Sphinx of Egypt. The size of each head is 20sq mt,with a 20-meter- long face,a 7-meter -long nose,a 2.6-meter- wide mouth and two 1.5-meter -wide eyes. Though not facing the same direction,they are all lifelike and look ahead gravely in harmony with fixed gazes. On clear days,one can have a sight of the four presidents with their firm and steady expression at a distance of dozens of kilometers.
Since the stone sculpture is unique in style,the Monument is now the U. S. National Art Centre of Popular Education. Groups of people keep streaming everyday to the site for a visit and tourists across the world are also interested in taking a view of this great Monument.
52.Which statement is false according to the first paragraph?
A.The famous Rushmore National Monument is 1829 meters above sea level
B.All the four presidents made great contributions to London.
C.the group of statues are made of huge stones
D.The statues are built to honor the presidents in the U.S
53.Why were those four presidents chosen ?because the four presidents_____.
A.made great contributions to their country   B.were pioneers of US history
C.played an important role in the different periods of the American history
D.all of the above
54.What are the statues like?
A .They look like a 6-storied building   
B.They are like the great Sphinx of Egypt
C.They are like true men standing there
D.They are lifelike , looking ahead with fixed gazes
55.For what groups of people across the world come to visit the Monument? They come___.
A.to learn the U.S pioneering spirit   B.to look back upon the history of the U.S
C.to learn the art of sculpture        D.to enjoy the view of the Monument
56.The proper title of the paragraph may be ____.
A.The stone sculpture  B.the Spirit of the USA
C.A Place of Interest D.Four Presidents of America

Many American presidents in the 19th century were born in poor families. They spent their childhood in little wooden rooms. They got little education . Washington and Lincoln, for example, never went to school and they taught themselves. Lincoln once did jobs of a worker, shopkeeper and post officer in his early years.

A large number of U. S. presidents had experiences in the army. The two best known were Ulysses Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Grant was a general (将军) in the American Civil War and Eisenhower was a hero in the Second World War. It happened that they graduated from the same school—West Point Military Academy . One may be surprised to learn that both of them did not do well in the school. Eisenhower, for example, was once fined (罚款) because he broke the rules of the school.

The jobs of U. S. presidents are tiring. He must keep an eye on anything important which happens both at home and abroad. Every day, a lot of work waits for him to do, and he has to make many important decisions. When Franklin Roosevelt was a child, he was once brought to visit President Taft. The old president said to him, “When you grow up, you should not be president. It’s a tiring job.”

1.In the nineteenth century, many U.S. presidents       .

A.did not have much knowledge in their work

B.had been workers, shop-keepers and post officers in their early years

C.couldn’t receive good education before they grew up

D.didn’t want to go to school during their childhood

2.President Eisenhower became well-known      .

A.while studying in West Point Military Academy.

B.during the American Civil War

C.after he was elected President of the U. S.

D.during World War II

3.In this passage, “keep an eye on” means “        ”.

A.pay close attention to                    B.not pay attention to

C.look at something with one eye             D.never keep in mind

4.Which of the following do you think is right according to the last paragraph?

A.In the U. S. no one wanted to be president because it was tiring.

B.None of the presidents except Taft could do the tiring job.

C.It is an important and tiring job to be a president in the U. S.

D.President Taft didn’t want Roosevelt to be a president because he was too young.

5.Which do you think is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A.Many of the U. S. presidents had served in the army before they took office.

B.Only those who didn’t work hard at school but were good at fighting could be presidents.

C.Grant and Eisenhower became well-known because they both graduated from West Point Military Academy.

D.Eisenhower was President at the beginning of the Second World War.

 

More Americans are Googling themselves ------ and many are checking out their friends, co-workers and romantic interests, too.

In a report Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have looked for information about themselves through Google or another search engine.

That is more than twice the 22 percent of users who did in 2002, but Pew senior research specialist Mary Madden was surprised the growth wasn't higher.

"Yes it's doubled, but many Internet users have never done this simple act of plugging their name with search engines," she said.

Americans under 50 and those with more education and income were more likely to self-Google because their jobs demand a certain online persona.

Meanwhile, Pew found that 53 percent of adult Internet users admit looking up information about someone else, not including celebrities.

Often, it's to find someone they have lost touch with. But looking up information about friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbors also was common.

Although men and women equally searched for online information about themselves, women were slightly more likely to look up information about someone they are dating.

In many cases, the search is done to find someone's contact information. But a third of those who have conducted searches on others have looked for public records, such as bankruptcies(破产) and divorce (离婚)proceedings. A similar number have searched for someone else's photo.

Few Internet users say they Google themselves regularly —— about three-quarters of self-searchers say they have done so only once or twice. And most who have done so consider what they find accurate.

Pew also found that teens were more likely than adults to restrict who can see their information at an online hangout(常去之处) like Facebook or News Corp's MySpace.

1.The number of American adult Internet users______ Mary Madden.

A.frightened

B.pleased

C.disappointed

D.annoyed

2.What does “ they” refer to in the seventh paragraph?

A.common people

B.scientists

C.adults

D.53 percent adult Internet users

3.How many people have checked others’ photos?

A.One- fifth

B.One-fourth

C.One- third

D.A half

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A.Learn to Google Yourself

B.Googling Oneself Is Popular

C.New Performance Online

D.Don’t Google Yourself Online

 

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