E

A.Increase in purchase of electronic products 

B.A research done to investigate back-to-school shopping 

C.Still something to shop before new school year

D.Free sales tax for back-to-school shopping

E.Increase in ordinary purchases

F.Free public education in US

80. ______

Most children in the United States are returning to school after the summer holiday. Public education for children in the United States is free. But parents still have to buy equipment, new clothes and other supplies for their children before every new school year.

81. ______

The National Retail Federation studies such sales each year. It is an organization of many kinds of stores, as well as companies that sell goods by mail order and the Internet. The group recently released a report on back-to-school sales this year. The report says American parents will spend almost 15,000 million dollars this year to prepare their children for school. A research business carried out the study for the National Retail Federation. It asked more than 8,000 Americans about their back-to-school needs and shopping and spending plans.

82. ______

The study found that 93 percent of families with school-age children plan to purchase clothes, shoes and school supplies. Families will spend an average of almost $500 on those things. This is an increase of more than 7 percent from last year.

83. ______

Almost half of those questioned also said they planned to spend about $100 on electronics and computer-related products. The National Retail Federation says that would be a 15 percent increase from last year. The group says most families have enough money to buy electronic and computer equipment for their children. It says this helps parents continue their children’s education at home.

84. ______

To help shoppers save money, several cities permit people to by some goods without paying sales tax. Washington D.C., is one such city. It observed a ten-day sales tax holiday in August. During this period, people could buy clothing, shoes or school supplies that cost less than one-hundred dollars without having to pay sales tax.

E

A.Increase in purchase of electronic products 

B.A research done to investigate back-to-school shopping 

C.Still something to shop before new school year

D.Free sales tax for back-to-school shopping

E.Increase in ordinary purchases

F.Free public education in US

80. ______

       Most children in the United States are returning to school after the summer holiday. Public education for children in the United States is free. But parents still have to buy equipment, new clothes and other supplies for their children before every new school year.

81. ______

       The National Retail Federation studies such sales each year. It is an organization of many kinds of stores, as well as companies that sell goods by mail order and the Internet. The group recently released a report on back-to-school sales this year. The report says American parents will spend almost 15,000 million dollars this year to prepare their children for school. A research business carried out the study for the National Retail Federation. It asked more than 8,000 Americans about their back-to-school needs and shopping and spending plans.

82. ______

       The study found that 93 percent of families with school-age children plan to purchase clothes, shoes and school supplies. Families will spend an average of almost $500 on those things. This is an increase of more than 7 percent from last year.

83. ______

       Almost half of those questioned also said they planned to spend about $100 on electronics and computer-related products. The National Retail Federation says that would be a 15 percent increase from last year. The group says most families have enough money to buy electronic and computer equipment for their children. It says this helps parents continue their children’s education at home.

84. ______

       To help shoppers save money, several cities permit people to by some goods without paying sales tax. Washington D.C., is one such city. It observed a ten-day sales tax holiday in August. During this period, people could buy clothing, shoes or school supplies that cost less than one-hundred dollars without having to pay sales tax.

Next Hot Language to Study: Chinese
The fourth-graders at Chicago’s McCormick Primary School are unaware of the difficulty in learning Chinese. For most, who speak Spanish at home, it’s becoming their third language. They’ve been learning and using Chinese words since kindergarten, and it’s now second nature to give a hearty “ni hao” when strangers enter the classroom.
The classroom scene at McCormick is unusual, but it may soon be a common fixture(固定物) in American schools, where Chinese is rapidly becoming the hot new language. Government officials have long wanted more focus on security—useful languages like Chinese, and pressure from them—as well as from business leaders, politicians, and parents—has driven a quick growth in the number of programs.
Chicago itself is home to the largest effort to include Chinese in US public schools. The program here has grown to include 3,000 students in 20 schools, with more schools on a waiting list. Programs have also spread to places like Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and North Carolina. It’s true that the number of students learning Chinese is tiny compared with how many study Spanish or French.
Advocates (提倡者，拥护者) see knowledge of the Chinese language and culture as a help in a global economy where China is growing in importance. “This is an interesting way to begin to engage with the world’s next superpower,” says Michael Levine, director of education at the Asia Society, which has started five new public high schools that offer Chinese. “Globalization（全球化) has already changed the arrangements in terms of how children today are going to need to think about their careers… The question is, when not whether, the schools are going to adjust.”
In Chicago, the trend extends beyond schools with high numbers of Asian students. “The fact that my students are 98% low income and 99% Latino(拉丁美洲人) and they are succeeding in this, tells me everyone should have a try at learning languages,” says Virginia Rivera, principal at McCormick.“We want to give our young people opportunities to advance… and Chinese is a great opportunity to survive in today’s economy,” says Richard M. Daley, Mayor of Chicago.
【小题1】The first paragraph is mainly written to _______.

Identifying which jobs put the most stress on American workers is, in itself, a risky business. Everyone knows, for example, that air-traffic controllers have more than their share of white-knuckle day. But stressful jobs are not equally stressful to all people. Some air-traffic controllers thrive on the flying circus. Their secret, says Suzane Ouellette, a psychologist at the City University of New York, is "hardiness", a balance of feeling committed, challenged and in control in the workplace.

       Then again, some professions are inarguably tough to take. Doctors, lawyers and police officers routinely top suicide lists. And some jobs are plain dangerous: miners have the highest job-fatality rate in the country. Less extreme but much more widespread are the psychological hazards that result from 10 years of corporate downsizing and having to keep up with the speed and volume of computers. Dr. Rupert. Burtan, a specialist in occupational medicine, says," Many workers have too much dumped on their desks and nor enough time in which to get it all done." That complaint is often made by secretaries, who also make most stressed-out lists.

       Jobs that attract idealistic types can sour（使人不愉快的） when the work seems to make little meaningful difference. Besides police officers and lawyers, inner-city teachers and journalists often fall into this category. Doctors, interns and nurses can, too, when the waves of the sick seem endless.

       Why the recent wave exhausts basketball coaches? Sports give them tremendous responsibilities but, ultimately, little control. Coaches can only coach; they can't actually run the plays. But if the team loses, they still get fired. Similarly, waiters and waitresses get stiffed on tips if the cook screws up.

       But experts say the toughest occupation may still be that of working mom. Many women who are bringing home the bacon are still expected to fry and serve it, too. '' There really are relatively few couples where child care and domestic work are truly shared," says Harriet Lerner, a psychologist at the Menninger Clinic. Even unemployed husbands do no more than 36percent of the housework. Now that's a study in high stress and high shame.

1．The example of air-traffic controllers is given in Para. 1 to show that             .

       A．it’s not easy to decide which jobs are stressful

       B．nobody wants to be an air-traffic controller

       C．they can easily succeed in their career

       D．their job is the most dangerous one

2．The underlined word “it” in Para. 2 refers to                 .

       A．the working time                                 B．the speed of computers

       C．the amount of work                             D．the size of computers

3．What makes working mothers have the toughest occupation?

       A．The housework only.                           B．The unhappy family life.

       C．The full-time job.                                 D．Their double roles.

4．It can be inferred from the passage that            .

       A．people often lose interest in their jobs

       B．people tend to choose wrong professions

       C．it is easy to find an ideal job in modern times

       D．the ideal jobs can turn stressful as well

在第61至65题中， 有五人正在选择合适大学就读。阅读下面六所大学的介绍选项（A、B、C、D、E和F），选出符合各人需求的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。

61. Adam is inquiring about service academies and plans to trade in his college partying for discipline and a rewarding career after college.

62. Ray is looking for a strong academic school in a small-town setting with a competitive athletics program to continue his academic career.

63. Robert is searching for a midsize college in an urban setting with plenty of activities. It offers excellent academics and a competitive sports program.

64. When Kathy was starting the college search process, she made a list of attributes that she wanted in a school. They are affordable, academically competitive and personal.

65. Mike wants to major in business accounting and is looking for a school which is relatively easy to get in.

A. Located in the village of Misenheimer, North Carolina, Pfeiffer University is a small private school with about 1,000 undergraduates. The small-town atmosphere fits with those who come from smaller high schools or feel more secure in a close-knit environment as opposed to a large state school with 20,000 undergrads.

Changes have made the school even better than ever; new science and lab buildings, a cafeteria, and upperclassmen dorms provide great opportunities for incoming students. For athletes, Pfeiffer has Division II NCAA sports teams for baseball, lacrosse, men’s and women’s basketball, and soccer, as well as many others, including intramurals.

B. Set in a city, Rutgers has an enrollment of 3,700 undergraduates. With over 40 majors, the college is known for engineering and business accounting.

Rutgers is a commuter campus with half of first-year students living in college housing and fewer than 20 percent of undergraduates living on campus. The college is located a mile from Philadelphia. 

Rutgers has many sports as well as lots of activities available. There are many courses in business accounting major. And there are even seven types of engineering majors. More than half the applicants are accepted, and more than 75 percent of the students return for sophomore year.

C. The United States Naval Academy is one of the best in the world and has trained cadets since 1845. The academy is a four-year college; the campus offers appointments for citizens until the age of 23. USNA has career options such as political science and helps students become commissioned officers in the Navy or Marine Corps.

The United States Naval Academy offers 21 majors, and the dropout rate is less than five percent. This school is difficult, but anyone can pass if they’re willing to work hard. It takes four years to earn a bachelor’s and more for a master’s degree, depending on what you want to study. In addition, cadets are trained to have discipline. During the summer, they can join overseas units for training.

D. The University of Delaware has over 16,000 undergraduates and almost 3,000 graduate students in a midsize college town atmosphere. Even with so many students, U of D still provides the highest quality undergraduate education available.  The University of Delaware has over 100 majors for undergraduates, ranging from accounting to wildlife conservation. It also has world-class programs in business, chemical engineering, and biotechnology. It is one of only four schools in North America with a major in art conservation.

If academics aren’t all you want in a college, the University of Delaware has many athletic programs too. Its 23 varsity sports compete in the NCAA Division I. 

E. Bennett College is a small, private, historically black liberal arts school for women founded in 1873. The college offers an education conducive to excellence in scholarly pursuits; preparation for leadership roles in the workplace, society, and the world; and life-long learning in a technologically advanced, complex global society.

  With small classes for individual help, students are able to excel and build purposeful relationships with teachers. The college offers a variety of majors and dual majors with surrounding schools. Bennett takes great pride in its academic and social reputation and is highly looked upon by other schools and organizations.

F. In an age when attending your first-choice college could mean spending $30,000 or even $40,000 a year, the small-town atmosphere yet big-name reputation of Truman State University is appealing. The Princeton Review ranks Truman as the fourth best public college value in the nation.

Truman provides countless opportunities for student involvement, on-campus activities, and athletics. The town of Kirksville has a feeling of home away from home. You can attend Truman for $11,540 (including room and board) if you live in-state. In addition, 94 percent of freshmen are awarded scholarships, and 97 percent receive some financial aid.

The learning environment will prepare students for life after college. Last year Truman placed 99.5 percent of graduates in a graduate/professional program or on to the first step in their career path. Even more impressive, 54 percent of graduates attended top graduate, medical, dental, and law schools.