Is the “Go to College” Message Overdone?

Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn’t the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.

“We’ve been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there’s a lot of truth to that,” Ms. Sawhill said. “On average it does pay off… But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don’t graduate, that is a very bad situation.”

One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April’s national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate for high-school graduates over 25 years old who hadn’t attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16—24. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists warns that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.

Ms. Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one’s major: Students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than ones who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition (学费) and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.

She suggested two ways to improve the situation: increasing vocational (职业的)-technical training programs and taking a page from Europe’s focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning. “The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades,” she said. “Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you’re more likely to be highly subsidized (资助).”

She also is a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because “employers are desperate” for workers with these skills.

1.People usually think that .

A. the cost of technical schooling is a problem

B. technical skills are most important for finding a job

C. one will not succeed without a college degree

D. there is an increased competition in getting into a college

2.What does the underlined part “taking a page from” (in Para.5) possibly mean?

A. Learning from. B. Changing from.

C. Differing from. D. Hearing from.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Public institutions charge more for education.

B. European universities are stricter with students.

C. Canadian students prefer to major in engineering.

D. Students with certain skills are in great demand.

4.Ms. Sawhill may probably agree that .

A. technical training is more important than college education

B. too much stress has been put on the value of college degrees

C. a college degree will ensure promising employment

D. it’s easier for art students to find favorite jobs

根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

There is distinction between reading for information and reading for understanding. 1.The first sense is the one in which we read newspapers, magazines, or anything else. 2.Such materials may increase our store of information, but they cannot improve our understanding. And clearly we don’t have any difficulty in gaining the new information, for our understanding was equal to them before we started. Otherwise, we would have felt the shock of puzzlement.

The second sense is the one in which we read something that at first we do not completely understand. Here the thing to be read is at the first sight better or higher than the reader. The writer is communicating something that can increase the reader’s understanding.3. Otherwise one person could never learn from another. Here “learning” means understanding more, not remembering more information.

What are the conditions in this kind of reading? First, there is inequality in understanding. 4. Besides, his book must convey something he possesses and his potential readers lack. Second, the reader must be able to overcome this inequality in some degree. And he should always try to reach the same level of understanding with the writer. If the equality is approached, success of communication is achieved.

5. It is the least demanding and requires the least amount of effort. Everyone who knows how to read can read for entertainment if he wants to. In fact, any book that can be read for understanding or information can probably be read for entertainment as well.

A. The writer should have a better communicating skill.

B. Such communication between unequals must be possible.

C. We can get access to the content of those materials easily.

D. The writer must be “superior” to the reader in understanding.

E. Thus, we can employ the word “reading” in two distinct senses.

F. Reading for entertainment is capable of increasing our understanding for information.

G. Besides gaining information and understanding, there’s another goal of reading—entertainment.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I went to India for a 2-week vacation to visit my relatives. We stopped on a red light, and as always, there were a lot of activities outside the cars near the . People walked in, between the cars newspaper, water and a number of kids looked for a bit of charity from the car owners. It’s a familiar in most poor developing countries.

While we were for the red light to turn green, I noticed a man outside a couple of in front of ours trying to sell bottles of water. It’s unusual at first. He was a man in his 40s with relatively clothes. But he walked around in a strange way. He kind of his way around the spaces. He was blind.

Carrying a couple of water bottles on one hand, he got to the outside of our car. Out of , my mum decided to buy one water bottle. As she gave the man the money, the light turned green. The car behind sounded loudly and , trying to get ahead of traffic. Seeing this, my mum kindly told the man to the change. However, with his sense of touch, he quickly went through his shirt pocket and threw the money at my mum’s . It was the exact change. The cars behind us were really getting out of control, we decided to go on our way.

I broke down and even when I got home. Here’s a blind man, born in , trying to sell water bottles on the streets to make ends meet. He our sympathy. Life hasn’t been to him, yet he’s giving it his best shot. I think that is what is all about facing life bravely.

1.A. signs B. crossroads C. stations D. theatres

2.A. giving B. buying C. selling D. throwing

3.A. scene B. play C. activity D. street

4.A. watching B. asking C. waiting D. changing

5.A. blocks B. crossings C. turns D. cars

6.A. everything B. something C. anything D. nothing

7.A. expensive B. fashionable C. ragged D. fastened

8.A. pushed B. drove C. cleared D. felt

9.A. eventually B. quickly C. frequently D. happily

10.A. curiosity B. sympathy C. thirsty D. politeness

11.A. impatiently B. casually C. naturally D. carefully

12.A. keep B. return C. borrow D. count

13.A. poor B. superior C. limited D. enlarged

14.A. hand B. arm C. face D. lap

15.A. still B. yet C. so D. but

16.A. smiled B. shouted C. complained D. cried

17.A. pain B. poverty C. sadness D. loneliness

18.A. refused B. enjoyed C. doubted D. cheated

19.A. rich B. unfair C. kind D. bad

20.A. kindness B. courage C. experience D. challenge

书面表达（满分25分）

假定你是李华，中国青年志愿者网（China Youth Volunteers/CYV）计划在6月30日前向全国各大院校及社会各界招募1000名志愿者，进行急救知识普及活动。你想申请成为其中一员。请用英语写一封自我推荐信。要点如下：

1. 个人情况：年龄：18； 性别：男； 出身医学世家。

2. 个人优势：掌握基本急救知识，有救援经验，身体素质好。

3. 目的：帮助有需要的人；回报社会。

注意：可以适当增加细节使文章连贯。词数：100左右。

Dear Sir/Madam,

_________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________

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Yours truly,

Li Hua

In Singapore, people who litter or dirty the streets are most likely .

A.to fine B.fined

C.to be fined D.being fined

—Why? Tom,your skirt is so dirty!

—Mum, I my storeroom downstairs.

A.cleaned B.have cleaned

C.was cleaning D.have been cleaning

The students entered the classroom，smiling and________，and ______ down to have their lessons.

A.talked；sat B.talking；sitting

C.talking；sat D.talked；sitting

—What on earth makes you apply for the position as a guide?

—This is the job that I .

A.looked for B.had looked for

C.will look for D.have been looking for

I’d prefer to my judgement until I know all the facts.

A.reserve B.observe C.preserve D.deserve

—You know I dropped medicine and physics.

—You made a right decision.

A.took up B.took in

C.took apart D.took off