题目内容
We believe that there is more to education than preparation for a job. Children must be prepared for all aspects of their adult life work, leisure, personal relationships, creative activities, coping with money matters, independence, and parenthood.
Nevertheless, it would be unrealistic to provide an education which took no account of the needs of employers.
What type of training does the business world regard as important?
Many young people applying for jobs were, in the employers' opinions, very weak in the basic skills of handwriting, grammar and spelling. Though additional education at university level improved the students' general ability, a report states, "In basic skills the standards remained stubbornly low."
It is debatable whether standards have declined in recent years. What is certain is that employers do not believe the standard is now high enough. Do technological changes make greater demands upon the students' abilities?
We should also remember that the job expectations of young people have increased. The girls who would have once become shop assistants or hairdressers now want to be secretaries. Boys who sought an apprenticeship (学徒) 20 years ago now desire to have an engineering degree. But it is still the same girls and boys with the same degree of ability. No wonder there are problems in reaching the "necessary standards" of the business world.
Many employers believed that it was important for teachers to have experience outside the world of college and school. They should work for a while at some other kinds of job "to see how the world of business and commerce differs form their own". The teaching profession and society in general needed a greater understanding of manpower needs and therefore of "the desired" direction of the education system.
1.The article mainly talks about ________.
A.no education among young people
B.meeting the educational requirements of employment
C.the problem of unemployment
D.the weaker standards of education
2.In the writer's opinion, education should ________.
A.pay more attention to students' academic ability
B.only meet the needs of employment
C.be suitable to all aspects of being an adult, including employment
D.focus on grammar
3."The same girls and boys" in Para. 6 refer to ________.
A.those who are likely to be unemployed
B.those who have just left middle school
C.those who are looking for jobs far beyond their abilities
D.those who might have become shop assistants, hairdressers and apprentices in the past
4.It's suggested that teachers should _________.
A.never change their jobs B.spend more time on their school work
C.improve their teaching methods D.get some work experience outside school
BCDD
One man tells of driving on a long and lonely road, the last 65 miles of it unpaved, in order to watch Indian dances in the state of Arizona. After the dances, he returned to his car only to find that it had a flat tire. He put on the spare and drove to the only service station in that town.
“Do you fix flats?” he inquired of the attendant.
“Yes,” came the answer.
“How much do you charge?” he asked.
With a twinkle in his eye, the man replied, “What difference does it make?”
This is what has been called a “Hobson’s choice”. A Hobson’s choice is a situation that forces a person to accept whatever is offered or go without.
According to Barbara Berliner, the phrase was inspired by sixteenth-century entrepreneur (企业家) Thomas Hobson. There was no choice by the customer — it was strictly Hobson’s choice.
But often we really have a choice, and the choice does make a difference. We may not always believe it. We may feel as if we have no choice, but almost always there is a choice in the matter. And when we realize that we do most things by choice, then we are taking control of our own lives.
Someone challenged me to try an experiment that completely changed my perspective. “For the next seven days,” he said, “eliminate the words ‘I have to’ from your vocabulary and say ‘I choose to’. Don’t say, ‘I have to work late tonight’. Instead, say, ‘I choose to work late’. When you choose to do it, you take control of your life. Instead of saying, ‘I have to stay home’, try ‘I choose to stay home’. The way you spend your time is your choice. You are responsible. You have control.”
In just seven days I was no longer saying “I have to” and I felt better about my decisions. I learned that there is very little in my life I actually have to do. You and I decide to do certain things because we believe that it will be for the best. When we eliminate “I have to” from our vocabularies, we take control.
Try it for a week and you see what happens. I think you’ll see it’s a change for the better.
1. What did the attendant mean by saying “What difference does it make”?
A.The man didn’t need to pay for the work. |
B.It was unnecessary for the man to ask about the price. |
C.There was no need for the man to have the tire fixed. |
D.The man should keep silent. |
2.The author learnt from the experiment that he .
A.could become more challenging |
B.could spend more time relaxing himself |
C.should take pleasure in helping others |
D.actually changed his attitudes towards life |
3.What does the underlined word “eliminate” mean?
A.Remember. |
B.Repeat. |
C.Remove. |
D.Recite. |
4.What is the situation where we have a “Hobson’s choice”?
A.We have no choice but to follow. |
B.We should often change our choice. |
C.We should make preparations before a journey. |
D.We should think twice before taking action. |
5. The purpose of writing this text is to .
A.advise us to become active in life |
B.explain what Hobson’s choice is |
C.tell an interesting story about the author |
D.accept others’ advice modestly |