For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find an internship (实习). In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far behind.

Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.

In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.

But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills.

Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teach them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example ,encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job

experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.

However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to-19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.

“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they will become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,” said Michael, a researcher in the US.

1.In the author’s opinion, German high school leavers ______.

A. enjoy more career-related courses than that of US

B. need more career advice from their schools

C. perform better in exams than American students

D. are less brought into contact with the working world

2.According to Robert Schwartz, high school students should _________.

A. directly carry on higher education

B. get contact with the working world

C. focus on their performance in exams

D. not miss out on the summer job experience

3.The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 6 most probably mean “______”.

A. incredible B. motivating

C. impressive D. discouraging

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A. Remarks on recent US high school education reform

B. Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers in US.

C. The lack of career-based education in US high schools.

D. The severe situation of unemployment in US.

A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.

A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.

Men often discover their affinity (密切关系) to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, “Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this: “Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.

A good book is often the best urn(瓮) of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world ofa man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, if remembered and cherished, become our constant companions andcomforters.

Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort.

Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effects of time have been to filter out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good.

1.A good book may be among the best of friends because_____.

A. it changes over the past of time

B. it contains all kinds of knowledge

C. it doesn’t betray us when we are in trouble

D. it comforts us in youth and instructs us in age

2.“Love me, love my book” in paragraph 3 probably means _______?

A. If you love me, you must reading books.

B. The book can be a bond between friends.

C. I love books as much I love friends.

D. If you love the author, you will love his books.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Time can tell whether a literature is good or bad.

B. All books are our constant companions and comforters.

C. Temples, statues and books cannot stand the test of time.

D. The world of a man’s thoughts is what his life is all about.

4.The best title for this passage can be.

A. Reading Books

B. A Good Book

C. Our Best Friend

D. Companionship of Books

People are always looking for someone to look up to and imitate. You can set the example by becoming the person that people want to be like. You can help change the world by changing yourself.

注意：①无须写标题；

②除诗歌外，文体不限；

③内容必须结合你生活中的一个事例；

④文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称；

⑤词数不少于120，如引用提示语则不计入总词数。

Over the years, people have learned from ants that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key ______ to success.

A. certificates B. ingredients

C. approaches D. instructions

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, which suggests that work and play do not ______ but promote each other.

A. condemn B. convert

C. contradict D. confirm

No matter how much knowledge you have, if your subject is at all ______, be careful when discussing it during your speech, or you may well offend your audience.

A. diverse B. sensitive

C. abstract D. original

From the course of human development, the ultimate aim of the human race is to pursue the spiritual joy based on ______ materials.

A. artificial B. primitive

C. relevant D. ample

“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”

As we live through life, we tend to get caught up in our individual world, our problems — our life. When we our world to include others in a meaningful way, by making a difference in their life, we increase our experience at the same time.

Think back on a time when someone made a difference in your life.

Here is one of mine: I was going to college, working part-time, and just getting by financially. Standing in line at a local supermarket, I a woman in the same line, thinking that she was not very attractive. As I was , I discovered that I did not have enough money to pay; without , that same woman I had been judging offered to the difference. It wasn’t , but what that person did made a lasting impression on me. She was a beautiful, caring soul who was willing to help a stranger in a(an) situation. That happened over forty years ago and I remember it as as if it was yesterday.

Other examples are the numerous times I have had people smile at me, which my day. I've often wondered if it was because I was smiling, which I to do all the time, or because they were smiling to be , which encouraged me to smile as well. It has probably been some of both. In case, that simple gesture (a smile) makes a difference in my day.

There are ways to make a significant difference in another's life. The question is: Are we doing it? It does not anything, but it does require some effort on our part. I have found that as I do this consistently, the go far beyond the energy required to do the deed. Looking for ways to brighten another person's day raises our vibration(共鸣),and when we act on it, we the other person to raise their vibration as well — it is to each other.

Make a difference in someone's life today, and doing so every day. Today is a perfect time to start! If you are already doing so. bravo!

1.A. rebuildB. establishC. expandD. develop

2.A. directB. minorC. remarkableD. positive

3.A. thoroughlyB. smoothlyC. barelyD. actually

4.A. observedB. witnessedC. inspectedD. accompanied

5.A. hanging outB. checking outC. setting outD. working out

6.A. expectationB. hesitationC. assumptionD. intention

7.A. deal withB. take inC. make upD. cut down

8.A. muchB. enoughC. littleD. awful

9.A. urgentB. absurdC. hopelessD. embarrassing

10.A. roughlyB. clearlyC. correctlyD. dimly

11.A. brightensB. ruinsC. beginsD. influences

12.A. undertookB. triedC. promisedD. failed

13.A. dynamicB. appealingC. friendlyD. merciful

14.A. neitherB. eitherC. noD. another

15.A. limitedB. vitalC. necessaryD. countless

16.A. deserveB. chargeC. determineD. cost

17.A. effortsB. achievementsC. returnsD. consequences

18.A. assistB. remindC. permitD. persuade

19.A. similarB. beneficialC. fundamentalD. appropriate

20.A. admitB. preferC. recommendD. consider

A

While growing up in Jersey in the 1960s, I always seemed to be building things. One summer I build a model car with my father. It was a simple affair, and as a capable 12-year-old, I could have easily done it alone. But my father spent the time together with me, and before I knew it, we were both out in the garage, working away.

I wish I had thought about this when I was raising my first son. We never built anything together. Oh, we had a lot of fun, for sure. But we never undertook a common work of our hands.

A few years ago, when Anton, my second son, asked if we could build a treehouse in the big silver maple behind our house, his suggestion immediately reminded me of the memory. Yes, I thought. Of course. My second chance. And so, one day while Anton was in school and I had some free time, I bought some wood. But one thing led to another and we got only as far as the ladder and a simple platform. His vision for the treehouse was not fulfilled that summer, and the three following summers saw me involved with other things. In the middle of our quiet supper last night, I looked at Anton, a high school student now and asked, “Anton, are you still interested in finishing the treehouse?” “Sure, Dad,” he said, and within that “sure” was contained, perhaps, his own self-awareness of a childhood to which he was still attached.

We continued where we had left off. I was surprised at how good a worker Anton had become. Where four years ago all he could really do with confidence was hammer nails, now he was measuring and cutting. In one moment that took my breath away, he attempted to center a support beam(支撑梁)while looking to me for direction. “Is it centered, Dad?” I waved him a little to the right. Then a little more. Then I said. “Perfect.”

And it was perfect. As was this second chance, I finally realized that my father hadn't had to help me build that model car in 1966. He wanted to. And that made all the difference.

1.Not having built anything together with his first son, the author felt _____.

A. disappointed B. satisfied

C. regretful D. relieved

2.Why didn't they finish building the treehouse at first?

A. It was too hot those summers.

B. Anton wasn't confident enough.

C. They gradually lost interest in it.

D. They were both occupied with other things.

3.From the fourth paragraph, we can see that the father _____.

A. was proud of his son

B. missed the last chance

C. felt content with the treehouse

D. hoped to finish the work perfectly

4.It can be inferred that the author realized _____.

A. the quiet passing of childhood

B. the difficulty in raising children

C. the children's dependence on their father

D. the significance of undertaking a common work with children

C

In 1932 the warning of the British politician, Stanley Baldwin, that “the bomber will always get through” made a deep impression in Britain, the only state to make serious plans to evacuate civilians from large towns before the war started.

The British Government developed plans for evacuating 1 million children to the United States and Canada and other Commonwealth nations. It established the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) in May 1940. After the fall of France, many people thought the war was lost and some saw this as one way of ensuring that Britain could survive even if invaded.

The Germans eventually began bombing British cities in September. Some children were evacuated by ship to British Dominions, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The CORB selections were not done on a first-come, first-served basis. CORB classified and prioritized the children. Charges soon appeared in the press that the well-to-do were being given priority. CORB arranged for the transportation. The Government paid the passages. Quite a number of children had already been evacuated. This tended to be children from rich families with money and overseas contacts. The British public eventually demanded the government pay so that less privileged children were also eligible.

World War II occurred before the beginning of trans-Atlantic air travel. Liners were used to transport the children and this proved to be dangerous because the U-boats quickly emerged as the greatest threat. And this put the evacuee children trying to cross the Atlantic to safety in danger. Two ships carrying child evacuees were torpedoed (破坏)in 1940. One was the Dutch liner Volendam with 320 children on August 30. The crew managed to get the life boats off and saved the children. They were returned to Glasgow. The other was the City of Benares, an ocean liner with 200 British and foreign civilian passengers and 93 British children with a guard of nurses, teachers, and a clergyman. It was torpedoed on September 13. The crew attempted to launch the life boats as Benares began to sink. The rough weather made this difficult, so many of the passengers in the life boats died in the extreme conditions. Only 15 children survived. Churchill, when he learned of the disaster, decided to end the overseas evacuation scheme.

1.The whole passage is mainly about _____.

A. bombing Britain

B. children evacuation

C. German U-boats

D. loss of children

2.What can we learn about the British people according to the passage?

A. They were concerned about their children.

B. They were threatened by Stanley Baldwin.

C. They were frightened by German invasion.

D. They longed to go to commonwealth nations.

3.The underlined word “eligible” in the last sentence of Paragraph 3 probably means _____.

A. qualified B. accessible

C. hopeful D. popular

4.Churchill decided to end the evacuation scheme mainly because _____.

A. so many people needed evacuating

B. the weather in the Atlantic was rough

C. the crew were inexperienced in saving people

D. liners easily became the targets of the German U-boats