We’re so well educated – but we’re useless students who have lost the ability to do anything practical. The only thing we’ve mastered is consumption(消费).
Large numbers of students have entered higher education in the past 10 years, but despite being the most educated generation in history, it seems that we’ve grown increasingly ignorant when it comes to basic life skills.
Looking back on my first couple of weeks of living in student halls, I consider myself lucky to still be alive. Unfamiliar to fresher’s, there are many hidden dangers in the dirty corners of students accommodation.
I have survived a couple of serious boiling egg incidents and lots of cases of food – poisoning, probably from dirty kitchen counters. Although some of my clothes have fallen victim to ironing experimentation, I think I have now finally acquired all the domestic (居家的) skills I missed out in my modem education.
In 2006 and 2010, the charming educationist Sir Ken Robinson gave two very amusing talks in which he discussed the importance of creativity in education. Robinson’s main viewpoint is that our current education system dislocates people from their natural talents. I would like to go a step further and propose that besides our talents, the system takes away what used to be passed from generation to generation – a working knowledge of basic life skills.
Today’s graduates may have earned themselves honor in history, law or economies, but when it comes to simple things like putting up a shelf to hold all their academic books, or fixing a hole in their on – trend clothes, they have to call for help from a professional handyman or tailor.
Since the invention of the internet, it has never been easier for people to access information, but our highly specialized education has made us more one – sided than ever.
I suggest that we start with the immediate reintroduction of some of the most vital aspects of “domestic science” education, before the current lack leads to serious accidents in student halls.
【小题1】People call us useless students for the reason that         .

A.what we’ve learned is beyond consumption
B.we are educated generation
C.we’ve entered higher education
D.our living skills are so poor
【小题2】Which is NOT the incidents the writer had during the first few weeks in student halls?
A.He was seriously burnt by boiled eggs.
B.He was accidentally poisoned by food.
C.He damaged his clothes while ironing.
D.He was severely beaten by fresher.
【小题3】According to Robinson’s opinion, our current education        .
A.focuses on the importance if creativity
B.dislocates people from their natural talents
C.has equipped students with basic life skills
D.has followed the convention properly

I used to think of myself as a fairly open person, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and the Australian and South African book, my literature collection consisted of British and American titles. Worse still, I hardly ever read anything in translation. My reading was limited to stories by English-speaking authors.

So, at the start of 2012, I set myself the challenge of trying to read a book from every country in a year to find out what I was missing. As I was unlikely to find publications from nearly 200 nations on the shelves of my local bookshop, I decided to ask the planet’s readers for help. I created a blog called A Year of Reading the World and put out an appeal for suggestions of titles that I could read in English.

The response was amazing. Before I knew it, people all over the planet were getting in touch with ideas and offers of help. Some posted me books from their home countries. Others did hours of research on my behalf. In addition, several writers sent me unpublished translations of their novels, giving me a rare opportunity to read works otherwise unavailable to the 62% of the British who only speak English. Even so, selecting books was no easy task. With translations making up only around 4.5 percent of literary works published in the UK and Ireland, getting English versions (版本)of stories was difficult.

But the effort was worth it. I found I was visiting the mental space of the storytellers. These stories not only opened my mind to the real life in other places, but opened my heart to the way people there might feel.

And that in turn changed my thinking. Through reading the stories shared with me by bookish strangers around the globe, I realised I was not alone, but part of a network that spread all over the planet.?

1.Which of the following might be found on the blog A Year of Reading the World?

A. Lists of English version books.????????????? ????????????? ?? ?????????????

B. Research on English literature.

C. Unfinished novels by British writers.????????????? ?????????????

D. Comments on English literature.

2.Why was it hard for the author to select the right books to read?

A. The author had a busy schedule.?????????????

B. The author was only interested in a few topics.

C. The author could only read books written in English.

D. Most books recommended are not available in local bookshops.

3.The author is probably from_________.

A. America????????????? ????????????? B. the UK????????????? ????????????? C. Australia????????????? ????????????? D. Canada

4.Which of the following words can best describe the author’s experience?

A. fast and effortless????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ??? B. challenging but rewarding

C. hopeless but beneficial????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. meaningful but fruitless

 

Women work harder than men at university and get better degrees as a result, according to a study at Brunel University.

?? The research, which followed 200 students for four years, found that women consistently outperformed men in their studies even though they had started their courses with almost identical A-level grades.

?? An analysis of the results showed that while 65 percent of female graduates were awarded, only 35 percent of male graduates did as well. Girls are known to outperform boys at school, but this research showed that trend continued at university.

?? Fiona Smith, who led the research, said, “The research shows that the difference has something to do with schools in general.”

?? “It also shows something about the inequality for working women in terms of pay and promotion. Women work harder at school, harder at university, and do better at both, but they still receive less pay.”

?? The research found that female students were more faithful, less likely to miss lectures, and more likely to believe that their marks reflected their abilities than male students. Female students were also more likely to ask for and receive support from their professors.

?? Women were also more likely to choose their universities because they liked the courses offered.

?? In contrast, men were more likely than women to miss lectures due to “other affairs” and “laziness”, and to believe that playing sports was an important part of university life.

?? Generally, people think that women’s success comes from more emphasis on coursework, but the research showed that female geographers at Brunel did better in their exams than in their coursework.

?? Dr Smith said, “Most women feel that getting good grades is the most important part of university life. They believe that they need to work harder in order to compete in the male-dominated (男性主导的) environment they will encounter at work. Good grades are viewed as an ‘insurance policy’ for success. Men, on the other hand, prefer going out and playing sports to academic work.”

?? “This research shows how important it is to get all young people working hard and teach them the value of higher education,” he said.

1.The research at Brunel University showed that women ________.

A. did worse than men both at school and at university

B. got better grades than men

C. paid little attention to their courses

D. often missed classes

2.Which of the following about men is TRUE according to the passage?

A. They work as hard as women.

B. They spend as much time on courses as women.

C. They play a lot more than women.

D. They consider good grades to be an “insurance policy” for success.

3.We can infer from the results of the research that ________.

A. women do better both at school and at university

B. female students are more likely to ask for and receive support from their professors

C. compared with men, women are in an unfavorable condition in the male-dominated world

D. it’s easier for women to get rises in pay and promotion

4.The main purpose of the research is to _________.

A. give the government some advice on higher education

B. show us some information about higher education

C. show the sex difference in higher education

D. make all students work hard and realize the importance of higher education

 

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually did. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

   The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货),saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

    I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.

People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性)as a whole. And it has influenced(影响)us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.

1.Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A. The man’s job was bike racing.

B. It was their only possession.

C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.

D. They used it for work and daily life.

2.We can infer from the text that _________.

A. the couple worked 60 hours a week

B. people were busy before Christmas

C. the stranger brought over the bike

D. life was hard for the young family

3.How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

A. From radio broadcasts.                 B. From a newspaper.

C. From TV news.                       D. From a stranger.

4.What do the couple learn from their experience?

A. Strangers are usually of little help.

B. One should take care of their bike.

C. News reports make people famous.

D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

5.Which one do you think is NOT TRUE according to the text?

A. The couple will never steal bikes in revenge.

B. The couple will try their best to help others in trouble.

C. Trevor bought a new Kona immediately after someone stole his old one.

D. The couple got some help from several people in their area.

 

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并从答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

I sat in the all-too-quiet waiting room of the cancer center, counting the minutes until my treatment. I thought I'd  36  it two years ago, but it was back. After my   37    diagnosis, Nom and Dad had driven more than l,200 miles from their home to be with me for three  38  while I was getting over from   39   and chemotherapy(化疗). When the cancer returned last, they, once again,   40    it here , too. They waited for hours while I received my treatments------Dad with his   41   and Mom with a magazine.

But now, they were   42   in Westlake.

My children are  43   and my four brothers live far from my home outside Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.  I knew    44  of them would come if  asked, but I didn't want to  45   them,even with the intense    46  I felt.

I   47   picked one of the magazines on the end table beside me and couldn't help  wishing my  48   were there inside. One publication caught my   49  , a magazine I liked best and had   50    to ages ago. I couldn't tell you the last time when I'd read an issue. I   51   it up and I started right in with the letters to the   52  .

"I love  53   my copy every month," the first letter began. The author mentioned a daughter who  54    in Clinton, Pennsylvania. Huh, that's funny. I thought. That's my town! I read the letter to the end, where my    55   fell upon the author's signature:

"Thank you, Margie and Tom Parrish, Westlake, Louisiana"

Alone? Hardly. Margie and Tom-or as I call them, Mom and Dad-were right beside me,even now.

1.A. treated           B. beaten         C. infected              D. operated

2.A. first             B. terrible        C. invisible               D. last

3.A. days             B. months        C. years                 D. hours

4.A. illness            B. hospital       C. work                 D. surgery

5. A. made             B. put           C. hoped               D. arrived

6.A. pen               B. glasses        C.Bible                D. smile

7. A. in hospital        B. back home     C. at work              D. in town

8.A. youn             B. caring         C. struggling            D. full-grown

9.A. any              B. some          C. none                 D. both

10.A. scare             B. disappoint      C. surprise              D. trouble

11.A. loneliness         B. pride          C. happiness             D. anger

12.A. half-heartedly      B. carefully       C. seriously             D. anxiously

13.A. brothers           B. children       C. friends               D. parents

14.A. thought           B. mind          C. eye                  D. hand

15.A. referred           B. subscribed      C. turned               D. contributed

16.A.put                B.picked         C.set                   D.broke

17.A. editor             B. writer         C. producer              D. reader

18.A. editing            B. sending        C. receiving             D. organizing

19. A. studied            B. worked        C. died                 D. lived

20.A.gaze               B.touch          C.thought               D.sense

 

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