We had to apply _____ the government _____financial help.

A. to, to         B. for, for              C. for, to        D. to, for

Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan．After all, there are no

children begging on the streets in major cities here．You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline．But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth highest rate of child poverty among developed countries．

She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a

week．Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class．

“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals,but it’s

there．It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said．

Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics（人口统计）,

struggling economy and high social security premiums（保险费）．She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work．The number of single mothers has increased．The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn．Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the edge of poverty．

Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

（OECD ） point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008．But the Japanese government and the public refused to acknowledge it until then partly because of the shame associated with poverty．

“It was very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said

Abe．“Even though OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, Japanese media didn’t make it into the articles．”

Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate

（缓解） the problem．Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families．

But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more．She wants it to simplify

the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges．The country now only offers loans．

Abe also says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get

worse in the next few years．

1.The passage is intended to _______．

     A．report the result of the studies conducted by OECD

     B．tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty

     C．prove that Japan is no longer a developed country

     D．introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher

2.It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______．

     A．no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan

     B．its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline

     C．it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world

     D．its government and public refused to acknowledge it

3.According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except_______．

     A．high social security premiums           

     B．the increase of the number of single mothers

     C．the decrease of the salary for young fathers  

       D．the expansion of three-generation households

4.Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?

       A．The Japanese public didn’t think it true．         

       B．It was forbidden by the Japanese government．

       C．The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor．

       D．OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese．

5.Which of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?

     A．Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families．

     B．Expanding government’s financial help even more．

     C．Providing educational grants for poor students．

     D．Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance．

One of the biggest challenges facing students and their families is what career they should enter and what is the best path for them to take.
I was talking to someone the other day who told me he first studied accounting because that was what everyone was studying several years ago. It was and some say still is a reliable career. However, then he told me that he was now studying financial investment because again--- that’s what everyone was studying now and it was needed if he wanted to get ahead in the company.
And I asked him what he was actually interested in and then— well the conversation kind of died. So I asked why he had bothered studying accounting in the first place and he explained that it was his parents’ idea. Finally I asked what his passion was and he wasn’t too sure because he never thought about it.
And so it is— lifelong learning— or the continual need to make ourselves marketable in a world that appears to be more competitive as time goes by. Is there a secret to help us so we can live a life of quality?
Regardless or not at this stage in world history with increasing connection between people,
ideas and markets — the ability to match the needs and desires of the day with your own skills and products is a tremendous and vigorous challenge.
Many have gone into English or foreign language study because it was encouraged at the time when China was entering the WTO. Or maybe they were interested in international affairs or working abroad. Upon graduation they then faced the reality that there was a limit to how many jobs they could apply for.
Perhaps some then studied further doing courses for work such as a tour guide or translator/ interpreter. Many may have decided that going into teaching was more rewarding or stable. Others would have gone into media or advertising or conference management and acquired new skills along the way.
This constant quest to remain ahead of the game makes many upset and exhausted. Some futurists who examine technology have even predicted that people should expect to change careers six or seven times during their lifetime!
So if you are concerned by the nature of change, why not start spending more time looking at the most modern leading economies, institutions and their publications. A whole lot of changes are starting to happen yet there is no reason why this cannot be enjoyable, exciting and also rewarding. Our attitude, approach and willingness to continually learn and update our skills must remain strong.
My tip is to track the work that our government is setting about to achieve. In particular, look at the people who have been chosen as the key support team and try to read behind the light surface news and look at their career development and examine the recent reports that they are now recommending the government move towards. Key industry development, new ways of dealing with information and new demands are creating opportunities for the students and workers of tomorrow — if we stay prepared.
【小题1】Who is this article intended for?

One of the biggest challenges facing students and their families is what career they should enter and what is the best path for them to take.

I was talking to someone the other day who told me he first studied accounting because that was what everyone was studying several years ago. It was and some say still is a reliable career. However, then he told me that he was now studying financial investment because again--- that’s what everyone was studying now and it was needed if he wanted to get ahead in the company.

And I asked him what he was actually interested in and then— well the conversation kind of died. So I asked why he had bothered studying accounting in the first place and he explained that it was his parents’ idea. Finally I asked what his passion was and he wasn’t too sure because he never thought about it.

And so it is— lifelong learning— or the continual need to make ourselves marketable in a world that appears to be more competitive as time goes by. Is there a secret to help us so we can live a life of quality?

Regardless or not at this stage in world history with increasing connection between people,

ideas and markets — the ability to match the needs and desires of the day with your own skills and products is a tremendous and vigorous challenge.

Many have gone into English or foreign language study because it was encouraged at the time when China was entering the WTO. Or maybe they were interested in international affairs or working abroad. Upon graduation they then faced the reality that there was a limit to how many jobs they could apply for.

Perhaps some then studied further doing courses for work such as a tour guide or translator/ interpreter. Many may have decided that going into teaching was more rewarding or stable. Others would have gone into media or advertising or conference management and acquired new skills along the way.

This constant quest to remain ahead of the game makes many upset and exhausted. Some futurists who examine technology have even predicted that people should expect to change careers six or seven times during their lifetime!

So if you are concerned by the nature of change, why not start spending more time looking at the most modern leading economies, institutions and their publications. A whole lot of changes are starting to happen yet there is no reason why this cannot be enjoyable, exciting and also rewarding. Our attitude, approach and willingness to continually learn and update our skills must remain strong.

My tip is to track the work that our government is setting about to achieve. In particular, look at the people who have been chosen as the key support team and try to read behind the light surface news and look at their career development and examine the recent reports that they are now recommending the government move towards. Key industry development, new ways of dealing with information and new demands are creating opportunities for the students and workers of tomorrow — if we stay prepared.

1.Who is this article intended for?

A．Government administrators.

B．Students planning their careers.

C．Foreign language learners.

D．Professors designing courses.

2.The case of the student who first studied accounting and then financial investment shows ______.

A．many people decide their majors without knowing their own interest

B．parents’ decisions are always blind and will result in a life of low quality

C．accounting and financial investment are necessary to ensure a reliable career.

D．people never have a chance to think about their own interest in choosing career.

3.In the writer’s opinion, to make yourself competitive in the changing world today is _____.

A．exhausting        B．disappointing       C．unbelievable       D．necessary

4.According to the writer, lifetime learning can be exciting if ______.

A．we are prepared for the changes

B．we know who President has on his support team

C．we read the publications of advanced institutions

D．we learn English or some other foreign languages

5.Whoever has been chosen as the key support team of the government _______.

A．shows the government’s interest in new information

B．enables you to find out how hard-working these people are

C．indicates the direction the economy is developing

D．reveals the government encourages creative young people

Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan. After all, there are no children begging on the streets in major cities here. You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline. But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth highest rate of child poverty among developed countries.

She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a week. Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class.

“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals, but it’s there. It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said.

Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics(人口统计), struggling economy and high social security premiums(保险费). She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work. The number of single mothers has increased. The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn. Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the edge of poverty.

Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ) point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008. But the Japanese government and the public refused to acknowledge it until then partly because of the shame associated with poverty.

“It was very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said Abe. “Even though OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, Japanese media didn’t make it into the articles.”

Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate (缓解) the problem. Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families.

But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more. She wants it to simplify the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges. The country now only offers loans.

Abe also says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get worse in the next few years.

1. The passage is intended to _________.

   A. report the result of the studies conducted by OECD

   B. tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty

   C. prove that Japan is no longer a developed country

   D. introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher

2. It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______.

   A. no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan

   B. its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline

   C. it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world

   D. its government and public refused to acknowledge it

3. According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except________.

   A. high social security premiums            

B. the increase of the number of single mothers

   C. the decrease of the salary for young fathers  

D. the expansion of three-generation households

4. Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?

A. The Japanese public didn’t think it true.           

B. It was forbidden by the Japanese government.

C. The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor. 

D. OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese.

5. Which of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?

   A. Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families.

   B. Expanding government’s financial help even more.

   C. Providing educational grants for poor students.

   D. Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance.