C
If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis．From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit．
But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public education．
At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world．Yet in terms of its core mission---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing．
The United States does a good job enrolling （招生） teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree．
So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that．Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos．The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching．It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into．They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive．About half of the low-income students with a grade-point average of at least 3．5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have．“I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr．Bowen．
In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates．Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs．“It’s really a waste,” Mr．Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country．” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students．Instead, it appears to have fallen．
What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer．
46. Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?
A．The government．           B．Public education
C．The Detroit automakers．   D．The Wall Street firms．
47．What is a big problem with American higher education?
A．It is hard to enroll enough students into college．
B．Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation．
C．Many college students stay away from classes．
D．It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government．
48．The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______．
A．running to the end of the line        B．going to college
C．finishing college education     D．working hard in college
49．Why do some students under--match ?
A．Because they have financial difficulty．       B．Because they face ambition crisis．
C．Because they lack confidence．         D．Because they can’t get guidance．
50．The passage is mainly about _______．
A．problems with secondary American education and possible solutions
B．America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence
C．low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence
D．relationship between American education and its economy

A new report says only about half of all students in the main school systems of America’s largest cities finish high school.The report notes higher rates of graduation—more than seventy percent—in areas surrounding the cities.

The Editorial Projects in Education Research Center prepared the report.

Researchers studied high school graduation rates from the two thousand three，two thousand four school year.They also identified the nation’s fifty largest cities.The largest，New York City，had a population of more than eight million.The smallest city was Wichita，Kansas.It had about three hundred sixty thousand people.

Researchers used a system of measurement called the growing promotion index to find graduation rates.School officials in many of the cities studied say the resulting numbers were too low.That is because different areas use different methods to find graduation rates.Critics say many methods do not give a true picture of the number of students who leave high school before finishing.

Other studies have put the national graduation rate at about seventy percent.But experts agree that too many students are not completing high school.They estimate the number at more than one million each year.

The report was prepared for America’s Promise Alliance.The private group aims to help children receive services they need to succeed.

General Colin Powell was chairman of America’s Promise Alliance when it was formed in nineteen ninety­seven.He attended the press conference Tuesday where the report was released.He said studies have shown that the United States must do more to educate the leaders and work force of the future.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings also spoke.She said the government will propose that states use the same methods when reporting graduation rates.Alliance officials also announced the start of a nationwide campaign to improve graduation rates.It is to include a series of meetings to be held in every state over the next two years.The meetings will bring together elected leaders，business owners，students，parents and education officials.They will develop plans to increase the number of Americans who finish high school.

68．From the first paragraph，we can know________.

A．Most of the students in America don’t like to finish high school

B．Most of the students in areas surrounding the cities are willing to finish high school

C．American people don’t care about the education of their children

D．High schools in American aren’t good places to study in

69．Experts agree that the national graduation rate is lower than______.

A．70%                                                  B．80% 

C．50%                                                  D．40%

70．Which of following statements is TRUE?

A．America’s Promise Alliance prepared the new report for the Editorial Projects.

B．The resulting numbers of the new report are different from other studies.

C．General Colin Powell is chairman of America’s Promise Alliance.

D．Margaret Spellings didn’t attend the press conference Tuesday.

C

BCAC

If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis．From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit．

    But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public education．

At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world．Yet in terms of its core mission---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing．

   The United States does a good job enrolling （招生） teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree．

   So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that．Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos．The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching．It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into．They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive．About half of the low-income students with a grade-point average of at least 3．5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have．“I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr．Bowen．

   In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates．Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs．“It’s really a waste,” Mr．Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country．” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students．Instead, it appears to have fallen．

   What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer．

63.  Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?

       A．The government．            B．Public education

       C．The Detroit automakers．   D．The Wall Street firms．

64．What is a big problem with American higher education?

    A．It is hard to enroll enough students into college．

    B．Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation．

    C．Many college students stay away from classes．

       D．It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government．

65．The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______．

       A．running to the end of the line        B．going to college

       C．finishing college education     D．working hard in college

66．Why do some students under--match ?

    A．Because they have financial difficulty．       B．Because they face ambition crisis．

    C．Because they lack confidence．          D．Because they can’t get guidance．

67．The passage is mainly about _______．

    A．problems with secondary American education and possible solutions

    B．America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence

    C．low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence

    D．relationship between American education and its economy

C

       If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis．From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit．

    But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public education．

At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world．Yet in terms of its core mission---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing．

   The United States does a good job enrolling （招生） teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree．

   So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that．Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos．The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching．It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into．They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive．About half of the low-income students with a grade-point average of at least 3．5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have．“I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr．Bowen．

   In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates．Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs．“It’s really a waste,” Mr．Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country．” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students．Instead, it appears to have fallen．

   What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer．

46. Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?

       A．The government．            B．Public education

       C．The Detroit automakers．   D．The Wall Street firms．

47．What is a big problem with American higher education?

    A．It is hard to enroll enough students into college．

    B．Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation．

    C．Many college students stay away from classes．

       D．It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government．

48．The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______．

       A．running to the end of the line        B．going to college

       C．finishing college education     D．working hard in college

49．Why do some students under--match ?

    A．Because they have financial difficulty．       B．Because they face ambition crisis．

    C．Because they lack confidence．          D．Because they can’t get guidance．

50．The passage is mainly about _______．

    A．problems with secondary American education and possible solutions

    B．America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence

    C．low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence

    D．relationship between American education and its economy

Looking for a new weight loss plan? Try living on top of a mountain. Mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes, so breathing it causes the heart to beat faster and the body to burn more energy. A handful of studies have found that athletes training at high altitudes tend to lose weight. Doctor Florian Lippl of the University Hospital Of Ludwig-Maximilians-university Munich wondered how the mountain air would affect overweight individuals if they weren’t doing any more physical activity than usual.
Lippl and his colleagues invited 20 overweight men to an environmental research station about 300 meters below the summit of Zugspitze, a mountain around 2,970 meters near the Austrian border. They were allowed to eat as much as they liked. The men also gave blood so that researchers could test for hormones linked to appetite and fatness. At the end of the week, the men, whose mean weight starting out was 105kg, had lost on average about l.5kg. The men’s blood pressure also dropped, which the researchers believed was due to weight lost.
Exactly what caused the weight loss is uncertain. Loss of appetite is common at higher altitudes, and indeed the men ate significantly less than usual—about 700 calories fewer per day. Lippl also notes that because their consumption was being recorded, they may have been more self-conscious about what they ate. Regardless, eating less accounts for just l kg of the l.5 kg lost, says Lippl. He thinks the increased metabolic (新陈代谢的) rate, which was measured, also contributed to weight loss but cannot separate the different effects with the given data.
Appetite loss at high altitudes could certainly be key, notes Damian Bailey, a physiologist at the University of Glamorgan, UK, who recently lost 11 kg during a 3-month expedition to the Andes in Chile.   
Unfortunately, for the average person there is no treatment that can resemble living at high altitude, says Lippl. The only alternative is hypobaric chamber, which exposes subjects to low oxygen and isn’t practical as a treatment. He says, half- jokingly, “If fat people plan their holidays, they might not go to the sea, but maybe to the mountain.”
【小题1】What contributes the most to one’s heart rates according to the first paragraph?