阅读理解

　　Ask most American children what they want to be when they grow up, and they probably will say“doctor”or“lawyer”．

　　Though our culture, our economy(经济)，indeed our very security(安全)are heavily dependent on science and engineering, only 12 percent of American high school students graduate with the prerequisites(先决条件)for a career in science or engineering．

　　Don't be too surprised．If you ask further why the majority of the high school students would choose a career in medicine or law, the answers will be straight out of some popular TV shows．

　　“Doctors help people．They save lives．”“Lawyers beat the bad guys．”Most students would say．

　　Now, how about science or engineering as a career choice?The answers will be just as predictable(可预见的)，“Get real!Who wants to be a geek?They all are nerds．Besides I hate maths．”

　　In our media, scientists and engineers typically are described as introverted(内向的)and humorless．They always wear white lab coats with a collection of pencils in their pocket protectors．They wear glasses with black plastic frames．

　　If more students are to choose technical careers, they must have a better view presented to them．

　　They need to be told, for example, that the invention of lifesaving equipment saves lives just as surely as the application(应用)of it in the hospital．

　　It also might help if someone points out to students that the lawyer who saved the defendant(被告)by introducing the DNA evidence(证据)would have seen him hanged had it not been for the scientists who discovered DNA．

　　Whatever we do, until students stop thinking of the term“engineer”as a synonym (同义词)“geek”, it is impossible to expect our children to change their views towards scientists and engineers．

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　　Tt was the finst snow of winer－an esciting day for every child but not for most teachers．Up uatil now, I had been old enough to dress myself, but today would need some heop．Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, had been through brst snow days many times, but I think she may still remember this one．

　　I managed to get into my wool snow trousers．But I struggled won my jacket because it didn’t fit well．It was a hand-mc-down from my brother, and if made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes, At least my hat and scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty．Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots(靴子)．

　　In her calm, motherly voice she said,“By the end of winter, you will all be able to put on your own boots．”I didn’t realize at the at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence(信心)．

　　I handed her my boots and sturk out my foot．Like most children, I expcted grown-ups to do all the work．After much pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too．

　　I announced,“They ’re on the wrong feet．”

　　She struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again．

　　“They’re my brother ’s boots, you know,”I said．“I hate them”．

　　Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying(烦人的)little girl, She strugglc with me, she asked,“Now, where are your mittens(连指手套)?”

　　I looked into her eyes and said,“I didn’t want to lose them, so I hid them in the tocs of my boots．

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