When you were at school, the last thing you probably wanted to do was to spend your weekends going to work. There was homework to do, sport to play and fun to have. But our parents probably persuaded us to find a job to earn some money and get some life experience. When I was a teenager I had a paper round: delivering newspapers to people’s homes.
Today in the UK you are allowed to work from the age of 13, and many children do take up part-time jobs. It’s one of those things that are seen almost as a rite of passage (成人仪式). It’s a taste of independence and sometimes a useful thing to put on your CV（简历). Teenagers agree that it teaches valuable lessons about working with adults and also about managing their own money.
Some research has shown that not taking up a Saturday or holiday job could be deleterious to a person later on. A 2015 study by the UK Commission on Employment and Skills found that not participating in part-time work at school age had been blamed by employers’ organizations for young adults being ill-prepared for full-time employment, but despite this, recent statistics have shown that the number of schoolchildren in the UK with a part-time job has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.
So does this mean that British teenagers are now afraid of hard work? Probably not. Some experts feel that young people feel going out to work will affect their performance at school and they are under some pressure now to study hard and get good exam result and a good job in the long term. However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told BBC News that “Properly regulated part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives.” In reality, it’s all about getting the right balance between doing part-time work and having enough time to study and rest.
Many young people actually want to work because it gives them a sense of freedom. One 13-year-old girl called Rachel, who has a Saturday job in a shop, told the BBC that “I enjoy my job because I’m earning money and it helps me socialize with people I work with.” That seems like something worth getting up for a Saturday morning. Did you do a part-time job when you were at school?
1.What conclusion can we draw from Para2?
A.Children over 13 in the UK must take up part-time jobs.
B.Taking up part-time jobs is good for students in many ways.
C.Students taking up part-time jobs are more independent.
D.Taking up part-time jobs can help students save money.
2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “deleterious”?
A.Threatening. B.Important.
C.Beneficial. D.Harmful.
3.Why don’t some British schoolchildren take up part-time jobs according to some experts?
A.Because they are not ready to go out to work.
B.Because they cannot endure hardships.
C.Because they want to study hard and get good academic performance.
D.Because they lack confidence and skills needed to work.
4.Which of the following will Geoff Barton agree with?
A.Students should put all their energies into their studies.
B.It is good for students to do part-time jobs as long as they are proper.
C.Students with good grades and no study pressure can do part-time jobs.
D.The more part-time jobs they do, the more beneficial it is for students.
5.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Should schoolchildren have part-time jobs?
B.What kind of part-time job should schoolchildren do?
C.What benefits can part-time jobs bring to schoolchildren?
D.Why do British schoolchildren show less interest in part-time jobs?
Scientists say a huge percentage of bird species are in danger because their habitats, or homelands, are disappearing.
Traditional migration paths take birds through countries that are not protecting locations to stop, rest and feed. The scientists studied the migration, or flight, paths, of almost 1,500 species and decided that 91 percent of them passed through dangerous areas. The major danger for migratory birds is development in human society. Building and paving has covered over nature where birds stop and feed as they move from one part of the world to another. For example, a bird called the bar-tailed godwit migrates from its breeding grounds in the Arctic flying all the way to the southern earth in Australia and New Zealand stopping at Yellow Sea mudflats in China along the way.
One of the scientists who worked on the study says “many of these critical sites have been taken up owing to urban, industrial and agricultural expansion.” The problem, according to researchers, is that many of these small birds die along their migration because they don’t have a safe place to eat and rest to restore their energy for the next part of their journey. Countries in North Africa, Central Asia and those along the coasts of East Asia are having the most difficult time conserving land. The scientists say these countries do not have enough areas that are safe for birds. In addition, many of the sanctuaries(避难所) are not wide enough to cover the paths of migratory birds.
One species that doesn’t exist any longer is the Eskimo curlew. “Our world gets poorer every time we lose a species,” one of the scientists says. The researchers say if one country might have preserved safe zones for migratory birds while a neighboring country might not, a bird might die.
One scientist who is not involved in the report says that while some habitats are changing, more work can be done to make urban areas safe for birds. He says small changes--- like planting more native plants or keeping cats out of areas birds would be likely to use--- could make a big difference.
1.Why is development in human society considered as the major danger for migratory birds?
A.Construction activities occupy birds’ paths.
B.Serious industrial pollution damages birds’ habitats.
C.Hunting activities happen more frequently.
D.Airplane flights directly harm birds’ safety.
2.What’s the current situation of protecting migratory birds?
A.Countries in East Asia don’t want to make any changes.
B.The progress still remains at the primary stage.
C.Some of the efforts of humans aren’t working well.
D.Not many countries are involved in the activities.
3.According to the researchers, __________.
A.governments need to work together and provide safe areas
B.safe zones in neighboring countries need to be combined together
C.more bird species will die out if they continue migrating through countries
D.human activities should give way to the birds when the migrating season comes
4.What can we know about the migratory birds according to the passage?
A.They always travel from the north to the south.
B.They need to stop during the migration to correct directions.
C.All of them are endangered because of lacking protection.
D.Some of them take rests or feed in cities.
5.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.The migration of birds influences society development.
B.Migratory birds are dying from losing their homes.
C.Countries need to work together to protect migratory birds.
D.Protecting migratory birds is very necessary.
In one of the old buildings near our school，one could see an old man sitting by a large window on the first floor．His name was James．During the three years at schoo1, I had hardly ever found him missing from his usual position．
He was a high-ranking government official and lived happily with his wife．Once there was a bus accident，in which a number of passengers were seriously injured and were taken to the hospital for treatment．James was responsible for the rescue operation．It was a big hospital，but James was shocked to notice how ill-equipped it was．There were no enough life-saving drugs and life—supporting equipment． The injured and their companions had to struggle there．James attempted to help．However，though he emptied his pockets，many of them died that day．
That was a turning point in his life．He made a decision to devote his life to helping others，particularly the poor and needy patients and their companions．He began spending much of his income on these people．Since this required a lot of time and energy，he found it difficult to fulfill his official duties and therefore chose to retire，which，in turn，reduced his income considerably．
His wife was deeply worried. Most of the time，James was out and paid least attention to home affairs．Meanwhile，as he was spending a lot helping others，she had to struggle even to meet the household expenses．Though she was not opposed to his helping the poor，she urged him not to overlook his own life and home，but it had no effect on him．One day they had a heated argument and in the end she left him，never to return．Though he continued with his work，this was a great blow and did serious harm to his health and enthusiasm and was soon forced to stay indoors．That was when he took his position by the window，spending his time looking outside．
A few weeks after my graduation，I returned to school，only to find the buildings gone．I heard that they were torn down．All the people left except James．He refused to go and the next morning，he was found at his usual place by the window，dead．
1.What changed James’ view towards life?
A.The difficulties in his career．
B.The deaths in the bus accident．
C.The bad conditions in the hospital．
D.The responsibilities in the operation．
2.James chose to retire in order to____________________.
A.take care of the injured passengers
B.find a better job to increase his income
C.spare more time and energy to help others
D.stay away from the difficult official duties
3.James’ wife left because_________________________．
A.she was strongly against his deeds
B.James paid too little attention to his work
C.her work to support their daily life was too tiring
D.James failed to keep a balance between charity and home
4.The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refers to ____________.
A.His decision to retire B.The departure of his wife
C.The argument with his wife D.His devotion to helping others
5.What is possibly the reason why James sat by the window every day?
A.He expected his wife to return.
B.He looked forward to going out.
C.He desired to watch the students.
D.He attempted to know the outside life.
Most of the time, travelers in foreign countries rely on public transportation to get around. But having your own car provides freedom and is especially helpful. There are a few best car rental companies in the U. S. for travelers to choose from.
Enterprise
One of the car rental industry’s most expensive providers, Enterprise’s daily price averages close to $50. What they do well, however, might help you save money. The company reduces or gets rid of a lot of the sneaky(暗中的)additional costs that most other companies make their money from. It’s super-convenient and there are almost 6,000 locations across the U. S. You can return the car to any location.
Courtesy of National
National Car Rental, a sister company of Enterprise, excels when it comes to customer service, taking the No.2 spot in J. D. Powers’ annual report and taking a five-star score for both whole satisfaction and its book process among customers. National’s offerings and programs are aimed especially at business travelers, with companies taking advantage of the company’s business rental program, which lets employees at any sized company get cars at a fair price.
Courtesy of Hertz
Although it’s one of the largest car rental companies there--- it has more than 1,600 airport locations in the U. S. alone--- it’s definitely not the cheapest, with an average daily price of $48.50, putting it on a par with Enterprise. We love the range of cars that the company offers: There’s definitely your business-trip standards, as well as high-capacity cars for families and compact economy cars(紧凑的经济型轿车)for those on a budget.
Courtesy of Budget
Budget, true to its name, has some of the cheapest car rentals in the industry, with an average rental cost of about $35/day and an extra discount--- up to 35 percent--- if you pay when you book. They also do the Mustang weekend program where you can get a free third day--- although it offers four-door full-size cars only, it’s still an offer that’s attractive to families hitting the road for a quick weekend trip.
1.If Mike rents a car from Enterprise, he _____.
A.will avoid some additional costs
B.can rent a car for a month at most
C.must return the car to the rental place
D.will be punished to pay more money for an extra day
2.National Car Rental _______.
A.only serves businessmen and officials
B.provides the best service for customers
C.has a huge variety of transport to rent
D.requires customers to book in advance
3.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Courtesy of Hertz serves its natives as Enterprise.
B.Courtesy of Hertz provides driving services as Enterprise.
C.Courtesy of Hertz’s daily average price is as high as Enterprise’s.
D.Courtesy of Hertz and Enterprise offer different kinds of cars.
4.Which of the following statements about Courtesy of Budget is true?
A.It can help customers save a lot of money.
B.Its returning process has some disadvantages.
C.It usually introduces special offers to its employees.
D.Customers can book through its online check-in system.
5.What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To attract more travelers to visit the U.S.A.
B.To provide readers with useful suggestions about traveling.
C.To persuade people to start more car rental companies.
D.To introduce some best car rental companies to travelers.
完形填空
It wasn’t yet 8:30 am. However, instead of entering my office, I was leaving it. Carrying a plastic shopping bag of my personal things, I moved in a(n)____way to my car, and drove home crying. I had just been____
For following weeks, I was troubled by the____of that sudden lay-off: What about the people who would be____by my abandoned projects? Would I have a chance to get another job?____with anxiety, shame and sudden outbursts of tears, I felt completely____“What should I do next?” I asked myself.
One day, over dinner with my good friend Sophia in a restaurant, I told her about my____, “Being fired came as a____I am not a bad person. I don’t know____it happened to me. In fact, I was so hard-working and____to my company”. After listening to my words, she____me, “Never be so depressed. Being fired isn’t the same thing as being bad. There are lots of____that we cannot escape in life, and we have to face them____and find solutions. I think you should make some changes to help you____this issue. Unemployment just means a new start.” Her words gave me a lot of confidence and strength, which____me to take action to change the bad situation. I had a firm belief that everything would hopefully____fine.
Then a long journey of applying for new jobs began. In addition, I made a decision — starting to____the people who helped me either with the emotional support of my unemployment or in my search for a new job. I would send each of them a thank-you card. Sophia had helped me a lot, and she got my first card.
Expressing gratitude is the best thing that I have done to____my negative thoughts and move forward. Fortunately, I have got a(n)____job that fits my skills and interests. No matter what happens in the future, I will____this wonderful decision and show more people my thanks.
1.A.relaxing B.confident C.unsteady D.humorous
2.A.adopted B.fired C.cheated D.fined
3.A.shadow B.guidance C.standard D.background
4.A.promoted B.trusted C.refused D.affected
5.A.Agreeing B.Connecting C.Struggling D.Dealing
6.A.positive B.confused C.confident D.serious
7.A.promises B.goals C.feelings D.needs
8.A.occasion B.threat C.present D.shock
9.A.why B.when C.whether D.where
10.A.attractive B.occupied C.aware D.faithful
11.A.blamed B.greeted C.encouraged D.announced
12.A.challenges B.opportunities C.arguments D.responsibilities
13.A.practically B.bravely C.secretly D.excitedly
14.A.rely on B.look into C.give up D.deal with
15.A.drove B.ordered C.forbade D.expected
16.A.set about B.turn out C.result from D.hold back
17.A.thank B.entertain C.understand D.help
18.A.explain B.remove C.suspect D.accept
19.A.difficult B.ridiculous C.satisfying D.embarrassing
20.A.research B.replace C.select D.continue
He ______ writing the paper now. He hadn’t written a single word when I left him ten minutes ago.
A.shouldn’t be B.can’t have finished
C.can’t be D.mustn’t have finished
