It was in October. I was aimlessly wandering down the street, heading into a most gloriously beautiful sunset. I had an urge to speak to someone on the street to share that beauty, but it seemed everyone was in a hurry.

I took the next-best action. Quickly I ducked into a department store and asked the lady behind the counter if she could come outside for just a minute. She looked at me as though I were from some other planet. She hesitated, and then seemingly against her better judgment, she moved toward the door.

When she got outside I said to her, “Just look at that sunset! Nobody out here was looking at it and I just had to share it with someone.”

For a few seconds we just looked. Then I said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world.” I thanked her for coming out to see it; she went back inside and I left. It felt good to share the beauty.

Four years later my situation changed greatly. I came to the end of a twenty-year marriage. I was alone and on my own for the first time in my life. I lived in a trailer park which, at the time, I considered a real come-down, and I had to do my wash in the community laundry room.

One day, while my clothes were going around, I picked up a magazine and read an article about a woman who had been in similar circumstances. She had come to the end of a marriage, moved to a strange community, and the only job she could find was one she disliked: clothing sales in a department store.

Then something that happened to her changed everything. She said a woman came into her department store and asked her to step outside to look at a sunset. The stranger had said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world,” and she had realized the truth in that statement. From that moment on, she turned her life around.

1.The author asked the woman to go outside to ______.

A. admire the sunset B. cheer her up

C. offer some help D. have a chat

2.Four years later, the author ______.

A. found her dream job

B. put an end to her marriage

C. worked in a laundry room

D. lived in the same community

3.After reading the article in the magazine, the author was probably ______.

A. disappointed B. puzzled

C. inspired D. overjoyed

4.Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?

a. I shared a few words and beautiful sunset with the woman.

b. The woman I met years ago got into frustration after divorce.

c. I got divorced and felt lost in my life.

d. I came across a beautiful sunset but had no one to share with.

e. The woman felt astonished by the invitation from a stranger.

f. I recognized the woman I met before in the magazine.

A. b, d, e, f, a, c B. d, e, a, c, f, b

C. d, e, a, f, b, c D. b, d, e, a, c, f

5.What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Sharing Beauty B. Never give up

C. Beauty of Life D. An Unforgettable experience

As a society we might want to rethink the time and money spent on education,so that these resources can benefit a greater percentage of the population.Ideally,both high schools and colleges can prepare individuals for the ever-changing roles.

High school degrees offer far less in the way of preparation for work than they might,or than many other nations currently offer,creating a growing skills gap in our economy.We encourage students to go on to college whether they are prepared or not,or have a clear sense of purpose or interest,and now have the highest college dropout rate in the world.

We might look to other countries for models of how high schools can offer better training,as well as the development of a work ethic(美德)and the intellectual skills needed for continued learning and development.

Meanwhile,the liberal arts(人文学科)become more important than ever.In a knowledge economy where professional roles change rapidly and many college students are preparing for positions that may not even exist yet,the skill needed is one that prepares them for change and continued learning.

Learning to express ideas well in both writing and speech,knowing how to find information,and knowing how to do research are all solid background skills for a wide variety of roles,and such training is more important than any particular major in a liberal arts college.We need to continue to value broad preparation in thinking skills that will serve for a lifetime.

Students also need to learn to work independently and to make responsible decisions.The lengthening path to adulthood appears exacerbated(恶化)by parental involvement in the college years.Given the rising investment in college education,parental concern is not surprising,but learning where and when to intervene will help students take more ownership of the outcomes of these increasingly costly educations.

1.What kind of education does the author think is ideal?

A.It benefits the great majority of the general population.

B.It prepares students to meet the future needs of society.

C.It encourages students to learn throughout their lives.

D.It ensures that students’ expectations are successfully fulfilled.

2.What is the feature of a knowledge economy?

A.People have to receive higher education to qualify for a professional position.

B.Students majoring in liberal arts usually have difficulty seeking a job.

C.New positions are constantly created that require people to keep learning.

D.Colleges find it hard to teach students how to cope with the changing economy.

3.According to the author,a liberal arts college should focus on________?

A.solid background knowledge in a particular field

B.practical skills urgently needed in current society

C.basic skills needed for change and lifelong learning

D.useful thinking skills for advanced academic research

4.What suggestion does the author offer to parents?

A.Rethinking the value of higher education.

B.Investing wisely in their children’s education.

C.Helping their children to bring their talent into full play.

D.Avoiding too much intervention in their children’s education.

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