20．In the next five years，STEM （science，technology，engineering and mathematics） jobs are projected to grow twice as quickly as jobs in all other fields according to the U．S．Bureau of Statistics．While all jobs are expected to grow by 10.4percent，STEM jobs are expected to increase by 21.4percent．
By this measure，future STEM jobs represent a huge opportunity to today's students．But，in fact，of the 3.8million ninth graders in the U．S．，only 233，000end up choosing a STEM degree in college，according to the National Center for Education Statistics．This means only 6percent of ninth graders will become STEM graduates．And of these graduates，women will be even more underrepresented in most STEM fields．
These are alarming statistics．How do we get more young boys and girls to be interested in STEM-related fields？It isn't an easy task．Schools do not always adequately prepare students for these severe subjects，and college programs are designed to get rid of those who are less persistent．Nationally，only 41 percent of initial STEM majors who begin a degree in STEM-related fields complete their degree in less than six years．
In addition，social pressures continue to cast a shadow over girls who might otherwise consider the STEM fields．A couple of years ago，I met amazing parents，both of whom had a background in engineering and hoped their 10-year-old daughter would follow in their footsteps．They encouraged her to take an after-school science/robotics program．When she got there，she found she was outnumbered 6：1by boys in the class．As the only girl，she came home crying much of the time because she was teased and told that geeky girls are not welcome in the boys'club．Ironically，by the time young boys are entering college programs in STEM fields，many complain about the lack of girls．
Starting at an early age，even as young as kindergarten，we need to encourage and help the next generation leaders to consider taking up science，computing，math and technology．We also need to realize that for young girls to be inspired to take and stick with this educational path and later career field，they will benefit from the support of the people that surround them：parents，teachers，friends and family members．

56．The STEM statistics are used in the passage mainly to show thatD．
A．STEM jobs will be easily available in the future
B．boys have more advantages over girls in STEM
C．the number of STEM students is rapidly declining
D．America will face serious shortage of STEM talents
57．A large number of STEM students stop their studies whenB．
A．they get bored with the subjects           B．they can't stick to their hard studies
C．they feel they have learnt adequately      D．they can easily find jobs in other fields
58．From the passage we can learn that few girls enter the STEM fields partly becauseB．
A．few STEM boys like to study with girls    
B．there is widespread prejudice against girls
C．most girls are bad at the required subjects  
D．most girls take little interest in STEM jobs
59．In the writer's opinion，what should we do now？C
A．Show the students the advantages of STEM jobs．
B．Provide college graduates with more STEM jobs．
C．Encourage more young children to take up STEM．
D．Make people aware of the importance of STEM．
19．Even as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wrapped up a tired appearance before Congress，the head of the world's largest automaker wasn't leaving his problems behind．
Toyota faces a criminal investigation by federal lawyers in New York．The company is now being investigated．Its US dealerships in difficulty now are facing repairs to potentially millions of customer cars that have been recalled．The company is offering customers money back for rental cars and other expenses．
Its lawyers are busy preparing to cope with lawsuits．A new hearing will be conducted．And the cost to Toyota's reputation is only now starting．
Despite back-to-back hearings this  week，left to be said were a better explanation for slow actions to deal with the faults and believable promises that the problems that led to sudden，unintended accelerations will be fixed．
Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock，but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle's electronic systems．
Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference（油门踏板故障）or sticky gas pedals（刹车）．Outside experts have suggested electronic problems．
House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda，the grandson of the company's founder．
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration（NHTSA）is seeking records on Toyota's recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults．NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model．
Toyota has recalled 8.5million cars，more than 6million of them in the United States．
It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars．
Toyota's January sales already fell 16percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year's bad results．Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales，due out next week，to be down 30percent to 40．Toyota's sales problem could continue beyond that．
It will take some time to feel the full effect of this，he said．

66．The best title for this passage isA．
A．Toyota is in trouble    B．Toyota is under hearing
C．Toyota is finished      D．Toyota is still running
67．What is the purpose of the hearing？D
A．America hopes that Toyota apologizes to the US customers．
B．America wants to get Toyota out of the US market．
C．America wants to help Toyota out of difficulty．
D．America hopes that Toyota admits their cars have electronic system problem．
68．What can we infer from the passage？B
A．Toyota provides very good post sale service．
B．Toyota's biggest market is in the United States．
C．Toyota will be closed soon．
D．Toyota's dealership in the US will all be closed．
69．Why does Toyota recall cars and offer customers money back for rental cars and other expenses？A
A．It tries to avoid the maximum damages to the company．
B．It is big company and has means to fix every problem．
C．It's part of post servie．
D．It's a way to compete in auto market．
70．The last sentence of this passage indicatesB．
A．Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota
B．Toyota could meet a worse situation
C．Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later
D．Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers．
18．Theodore，the manager of the Paradise Hotel，told a middle-aged couple that that would have to leave the hotel after just one night．The couple，visiting from Texas，had booked a room for eight nights．
"They wanted a sterile （消毒了的） environment，"Theodore said，"They should have rented a room in a hospital，maybe an operating room．This hotel is clean，but it isn't that clean．"
Theodore said that，on the very first day，the couple brought all the sheets，pilloweases，and bedspreads down to the main hall and just dropped them next to the front desk．They stood there next to this pile of bedding while other guests looked，pointed，and murmured．The hotel got three cancellations within the hour from people who witnessed this strange event．
When Theodore asked the couple what the problem was，they said that their bedding was filthy and they wanted it replaced．The couple could not identify any specific"filth"on the bedding．The wife just said，"We're paying good money to stay here．How dare you doubt us？We know the filth is there．That's all the proof you need，"Theodore called room service，and the bedding was replaced immediately．
Early the next evening，however，the couple marched to the front desk again and demanded seven cans of sterilizer，"We need a can for each night．We have to spray the phone，the TV，all the door handles，the toilet handle，the shower stall，the faucet，the sink，and any hotel staff entering our room．"
Worried，Theodore politely suggested that a hotel more suitable for them was just around the corner．He then called ahead to reserve a"very clean"room，and gave them free transportation in the hotel Rolls-Royce．Also，he told the couple that they wouldn't be charged for the second day．
The couple were surprised but they really liked the idea of free room for a night and that expensive car service．

56．The underlined word"filthy"meansBin this article．
A．clean  B．dirty  C．smelly  D．old
57．Why was Theodore worried？A
A．The couple might have more demands the following days．
B．The hotel was not clean enough．
C．The hotel would run out of cleaning stuff．
D．More guests would make the same requests．
58．What word could best describe the couple？C
A．Narrow-minded．  B．Expensive  C．Particular  D．Easy-going．
17．Why Rent Textbooks？
Renting textbooks is a relatively new idea for everyone．Back in the old days，the idea of renting one never existed since the books are affordable or readily available in libraries．But the time has changed and with the changes in educational system and various economic challenges happening across the globe，the price of textbooks increased．
Given such fact，textbook renting is now a new fashion among college students．Research was made to find out if renting helps one save money and time rather than buying new textbooks and realized that it really is．Let's examine carefully further and see why renting books is a cost-effective way to still get to have your textbooks without （shelling） too much money from your pocket．
Gives value for your money
You don't have to buy all of your textbooks．Those non-major subjects，are better acquired through renting．It saves one money and helps you give out the money you save on some other personal possessions you need in college．
Renting textbooks allows you to save at least 50% off the standard retail （零售） price for each item．You can tell，with a little research，that renting is a lot cheaper compared to buying used books aside from looking way better than the former．
Saves time
You can save a great deal of time when renting a textbook．Instead of browsing your way for hours trying to look for better deals online，you can simply go to a popular book renting marketplace online and just order away．There is literally no need to skimming for hours and see where you can find a great deal．Often，the rental company gives you prepaid postage slip just to get you going and do the same when you decide to return the book．
This process not only saves you time，it also saves other resources like gas if you decide to go to the nearest bookstore to buy books or spend hours using electricity just to find a good deal．
User Friendly
Aside from being able to save money and time，renting textbooks brings convenience to all users．Imagine trying to scan the virtual bookshelf and checking on comments of previous users and figuring out which ones got bad comments and which had great ones．It could be fun at first but if you are short of time，the process can become annoying．
If you rent books，you will only be needing the book's ISBN number and find it right away．No more time-wasting site search．Type in the ISBN number，order the book，and wait for it to get shipped to your home．

63．The reason why people haven't the habit of renting textbooks in the old days is thatB．
A．the educational system has not changed by now
B．people can afford books or get books easily in libraries
C．different economic challenges happen across the world
D．the price of textbooks is much higher than that of nowadays
64．The underlined word"shelling"in paragraph 2means"B"．
A．saving            B．spending         C．removing         D．wasting
65．The following statements are the reasons why textbook renting is now a new fashion among college students EXCEPTC．
A．One can save a great deal of time in browsing for better deals online
B．It brings convenience to all the users apart from saving money and time
C．The process saves other resources if you don't go to the nearest bookstore
D．It saves one money and helps him spend money on what he need most in college
66．The passage mainly tells us thatD．
A．renting textbooks allows you to save a lot of money
B．renting a textbook can also save you a great deal of time
C．textbook renting was a relatively new fashion among college students
D．textbook renting is a money-saving，fun，and，convenient way for college students．
16．Suppose you don't need your car today．And suppose，as it happens，that a stranger in your area does need a car．Would you be willing to rent yours out？
Several car-sharing start-ups，including Getaround，RelayRides and JustShareIt，are eager to connect car owners with renters this way．The companies have different rules，but participating
owners receive，generally speaking，about two-thirds of the rental earnings．RelayRides says an owner of a midsize，late-model sedan who rents out a car for 10 hours a week could expect to clear about＄3，000 a year．
Peer-to-peer car sharing remains in the trial stage； it can be found in San Francisco and a few other places．It has a long way to go before it becomes the auto equivalent of Airbnb，the surprise success story for peer-to-peer sharing of space in apartments and houses．
Shelby Clark，founder of RelayRides，says potential investors in his company have been concerned that owners will be afraid to hand their car over to strangers．To address that，he points to Airbnb，saying，"Letting people sleep in your living room is much more of a disturbance into your personal space than letting someone use your car．"
 All of these companies offer their own insurance coverage for their renters，which are supposed to put owners'minds at ease．But only two states-California and Oregon-have passed laws to clarify that an owner will not suffer any consequences should a car-sharing renter have an accident．
"In all the other states，legal ambiguity remains，"Shelby Clark says．"If a renter should be involved in a serious accident in those states，the victim can be expected to go after every party possible，including the car's owner．"
Also to remove the worries of car owners，the driving records of renters are checked for recent serious violations．
 
36．What does the underlined word"sedan"in Paragraph 2 probably refer to？A
A．A kind of car
B．An owner of a car．
C．A renting company．
D．A car-sharing renter．
37．Which of the following is true of Airbnb？B
A．It cares little about personal privacy
B．It deals with house-sharing successfully．
C．It is a very popular car-sharing company
D．Its ideas are being tried out in some states．
38．If a car-sharing renter should have an accident in California，the car's ownerB．
A．has to take legal responsibility    
B．will not suffer the consequence
C．is not covered by health insurance  
D．must pay the insurance for the renter
39．According to the text，more car-owners will participate in the service，ifA
A．legal ambiguity is clarified in all the states
B．renters are warned not to violate traffic rules
C．more money is given to participating owners
D．people are aware of the importance of sharing
40．It can be learned from the text that car-sharingD
A．makes no profit                     
B．remains in popularity
C．is against the state law            
D．is a new business model．
15．In offering Michael Jackson ticket holders the choice to take a refund or receive their unusable tickets as souvenirs，AEG have introduced music fans to one of the most unmanageable problems in the mathematical sciences．If nearly everybody takes the refund then the tickets，designed by the King of Pop himself，will become collectors'items and worth a fortune．However，if ail 750，000fans take their tickets then they will all hold worthless bits of fancy paper．
The choice facing fans is similar to the El Farol bar problem，which has been the subject of hundreds of academic papers and inspired a whole field：minority game theory．That is，if you reason that every Michael Jackson fan will take a refund then you should take the ticket，but they will reason in the same way and there will be a flood of souvenirs，so you should ask for your money back，but then…
So，with the benefit of the hundreds of academic papers from scientists around the world，what should a Times reader who holds a ticket do？The research tells us that，if you assume everybody else will use the same strategy as you，then the best you can do is to throw a dice（骰子）：deciding whether or not to keep the ticket according to a probability determined by demand for tickets and price．However，working out the probability is tough and most fans，without the benefit of minority game theory，won't be tossing a dice．
There is one huge factor in the Michael Jackson problem which isn't in the standard El Farol bar problem．Hype （炒作）•If the owners of the El Farol bar distributed fliers （传单） announcing it was going to be quiet next week，then it would be a safe bet to stay at home with a glass of wine．So my advice would be to read the newspapers and decide what to do on the basis of the experts'advice．If all the articles you read say the tickets will be collectors'items then ask for a refund，and if they all accuse AEG of cheating crazy fans then take the ticket．It was，after ail，designed by Michael Jackson．

67．In the Para 1，the underlined part"the King of Pop"refers toB．
A．El Farol           B．Michael Jackson
C．A ticket holder    D．A souvenir keeper
68．The burning problem Michael Jackson ticket holders have to deal with isC．
A．what advice to take            B．how to get their money back
C．how to deal with the tickets   D．how to make a fortune
69．It isn't said but implied that"minority game theory"is a theory aboutA
A．people's reasoning 
B．Jackson's strategy
C．experts'advice 
D．minority's bet
70．What the writer advises the ticket holders to do isC．
A．to throw a dice 
B．to follow the experts
C．to read the newspaper 
D．to take the ticket．
14．I hear many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling．I wish it were so．At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents．You should be learning to stand on your own two feet．But take a good look at the present rebellion．It seems that teenagers are all taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents．Instead of striking out boldly （大胆地） on their own，most of them are attempting to seize one another's hands for reassurance．
They claim they want to dress as they please．But they all wear the same clothes．They set off in new directions in music．But somehow they all end up crowded round listening to the same record．Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it．They have come out of their cocoon （蚕茧）-into a larger cocoon．
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way．Industry has firmly carved out （创造出） a teenage market．These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be．And many of today's parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children．All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path．
But the barrier is worth climbing over．The path is worth following．You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records．You may have some thoughts that you don't care to share at once with your classmates．Well，go to it．Find yourself．Be yourself．Popularity will come-with the people who respect you for who you are．That's the only kind of popularity that really counts．

72．This passage is meant toC．
  A．tell readers how to be popular among people around them
  B．suggest people how to understand and respect each other
  C．encourage teenagers to learn to make their choices and decisions
  D．suggest parents how to guide and teach their teenage children
73．According to the author，many children are said to be rebelling，but actually most of themB．
  A．are very much afraid of being kept alone
  B．are not courageous and confident enough
  C．are not very popular among their classmates
  D．are good at striking out boldly on their own
74．The expression"to award high marks for the popularity of their children"can be understood as"D"．
  A．to generously reward their children when they do better than others
  B．to expect their children to become top students at the teenage market
  C．to give prizes to their children when they do well in their tests
  D．to pay much attention to whether their children are popular
75．It can be inferred from the passage thatB．
  A．advertisements are trying to help teenagers to find themselves
  B．most teenagers are actually not rebelling at all in a real sense
  C．advertisements are always misleading in carving out a teenage market
  D．most teenagers manage to become popular by dressing as they please．
13．She tells us she understands teens．She's with them at home and she's with them at school．
She plays the piano and the flute （笛子）．"Growing up I was always involved with music．My parents had divorced and I was under a lot of stress，and being around music，I felt peace and happiness．Later I came to realize that，as a music teacher，I could give that gift to kids．"
And she's an author．She wrote The Unexpected Adventure at East Haddam two years ago when Evens had a brother and a sister in her Chorus class who struggled with her relationship．Each one-mostly the sister-complained about the other to her．"And I hope the book will show them the importance of their education．It's so hard for teens to understand the value of what they study in school．"
She's keenly aware of the challenges today's youth face．"As a society，we've lowered our standards in many cases．As a kid I watched Happy Day and The Bill Cosby Show，and my parents never had to worry about what would come out of the characters'mouths．Today there is no show on after 8p．m．that's suitable for younger people．It's hard for kids today because they're not allowed the innocence we had．"
She's busy at work on her next book．Evens says writing these books has filled a place inside her that she never thought about，but that needed to be filled．"I enjoy the process so much．I feel challenged．And I am able to purge（净化） some thoughts that I would like to share，especially with kids．"
"The most important thing for kids today to remember is that every person is valuable and important，and they have to respect their bodies and themselves，and behave i
n a way that shows that．"

65．Evens was fond of music as a child becauseA．
A．she could find comfort with music at home
B．her gift for music was passed down from her parents
C．her parents gave her a lot of pressure to learn music
D．music could bring peace between fighting parents
66．We can infer from Paragraph 4thatC．
A．today the family seldom watches shows together
B．the standard to choose characters in shows is raised
C．the show after 8p．m．have a bad influence on teens
D．today's youth are as innocent as those in the past
67．What statement may Evens agree to？D
A．School subjects are too hard for teens to understand．
B．It is a challenge to teach children music and writing．
C．Teens respect others by behaving themselves well．
D．Education is of great value to teens today．
68．What might be the most suitable title for the passage？A
A．A multi-talented teacher understands teens．
B．A teacher writes books on teens．
C．Teens love multi-talented teachers at school．
D．Kids today are no more innocent than ever．
12．It was Sunday．I had one last （36）Cto see．I approached her room in a hurry and stood at the door．The old woman was sitting at the edge of the bed，and struggling to put （37）Aon her swollen feet．I went in，spoke quickly to the（38）D，and then studied her chart，noting she was in（39）Acondition．
I（40）Bover and looked down at her．She asked if I could help put on her socks．（41）A，I said something else like this："How are you feeling？Your blood pressure was（42）Bbut it's better today．The nurse（43）Dyou're anxious to see your son who's visiting you today．It's nice to have family（44）C from far away．I bet you really look（45）Bto seeing him．"
    She stopped me and said coldly．"Sit down，doctor．This is my story，not yours．"
I was surprised and（46）B．I sat down，and helped her with the socks．She began to tell me that her only son lived（47）Bthe corner from her，but she had not seen him for five years．She believed that the stress of this（48）Agreatly to her health problems．After（49）D her story and putting on her socks，I asked if there was anything else I could do for her．She（50）Dher head no and smiled．All she wanted me to do was to listen．
Not long after，in an unexpected（51）B，I became a patient．Now，20 years later，I sit all the time-in a wheelchair．For as long as I could，I continued to see patients from my，（52）Abut I had to （53）Dwhen my hands were affected．I still teach medical students and other health care professionals，but now from the point of view of a （54）Dand patient．I tell them I believe in the power of （55）C，and that immeasurable healing （治愈） takes place within me when someone stops，sits down and listens to my story．
36．A．visitorB．friendC．patientD．customer
37．A．socksB．trousersC．shoesD．gloves
38．A．womanB．sonC．studentD．nurse
39．A．stableB．seriousC．comfortableD．dangerous
40．A．putB．leanedC．leftD．took
41．A．InsteadB．ThereforeC．ParticularlyD．Otherwise
42．A．normalB．highC．commonD．smooth
43．A．predictedB．supposedC．expectedD．mentioned
44．A．hopeB．stayC．visitD．live
45．A．outB．forwardC．awayD．toward
46．A．interestedB．excitedC．satisfiedD．embarrassed
47．A．aroundB．inC．atD．with
48．A．attractedB．blessedC．contributedD．applied
49．A．tellingB．stoppingC．finishingD．hearing
50．A．movedB．shookC．noddedD．turned
51．A．spotB．accidentC．treatD．tension
52．A．chairB．hospitalC．bedD．work
53．A．separateB．resignC．loseD．pause
54．A．motherB．strangerC．teacherD．doctor
55．A．teachingB．helpingC．listeningD．visiting
11．The cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is about 160，140!That doesn't even touch college tuition．For those with kids，this figure might lead them thinking how much they could have banked．For others，that number might confirm the decision to remain childless．But  160，140 isn't so bad if you break it down．It translates into  8＞896.66 a year，741.38 a month，or  171.08 a week．That's a mere   24.44 a day!Just over a dollar an hour．
Still，you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you ever want to be"rich"．It is not．
What do you get for your  160，140？
•Naming rights．
•Giggles under the covers every night．
•More love than your heart can hold．
•Kisses and hugs．
•Endless wonder over rocks，ants，clouds，and warm cookies．
•A hand to hold usually covered with jam．
•A partner for blowing bubbles，flying kites，and building sandeastles．
For 160，140，you never have to grow up!You get to finger-paint，carve pumpkins，play hide-and-seek，and never stop believing in Santa Claus．You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh，watching cartoons，going to Disney movies，and wishing on starsFor $ 160，140，you get to be a hero just for taking the training wheels off the bike，and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless．
You get a front row seat to history； to witness the first step，first word，first date，and first time behind the wheel．
You get to be immortal（不朽的）
You get another branch added to your family tree．
You get an education in nursing，criminal justice and communications that no college can match．
In the eyes of a child，you rank right up there with God．
You have all the power to correct a mistake，scare away the monsters under the bed，patch a broken heart，police a party，and love them without limits，so one day they will，like you，love without counting the cost．
…
56．Which of the following is NOT true after you have a child？B
A．You enjoy the right to name your children．
B．You never seem to get old．
C．You still need to learn．
D．You get admiration as a parent．
57．By In the eyes of a child，you rank right up there with God，the author intends to sayB．
A．you are powerful next to God
B．you are the one your children love and trust most
C．you need to behave like a God
D．you keep yourself too far for your children to reach you
58．Which of the following could be the best title of the passage？D
A．A dollar，an hour and a child                     
B．Children and bank
C．Money and parents               
D．Fun and children
59．Which of the following could be used as the last sentence to end the passage？B
A．Remain childless
B．Enjoy raising your children．
C．Make a bank for your children
D．Find a way to be happy．
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