Every day Yang Hongwei takes the bus home from work, staring silently at the European-style villas(别墅), luxury cars and twinkling lights from the shopping center that he sees through the window.
Yang works for a software company in Zhongguancun. He dreams of such a life, away from poverty, and that hope has kept him in Beijing for three years since he graduated from university.
Soon Yang squeezes his way off the bus to the reality of his life: his home-a 10-square-metre room that costs 550 yuan or about one-fifth of his salary in rent every month. It’s very cold inside the house as it has no central heating system. He has to stand the long and cold winter. Determined to achieve his dream, Yang says he has changed jobs “numerous” times in the past three years and is considering quitting his present job.
Yang’s frustration over his life as a migrant(移民) is shared by many other graduates that have moved into big cities. Together they have come to be called the “ant tribe”, a term created by Chinese sociologists to describe the struggles of young migrants, who, armed with their diplomas, flood to big cities in hopes of a better life only to put up with low-paying jobs and poor living conditions. They share every similarity with ants. They live in colonies in crowded areas. They’re intelligent and hardworking, yet unknown and underpaid. The term, sociologists have said, also reflects their helplessness in a world governed by the law of the concrete jungle-only the strongest survive.
A survey in Ant TribeⅡ found nearly 30 percent of the “ants” are graduates of famous key universities-almost three times the percentage of 2009. Most have degrees in popular majors, such as medicine, engineering, economics and management. In addition, 7.2 percent of the “ants” have at least a master’s degree compared to 1.6 percent in 2009. Most said the economic recovery did not really improve their financial situations, and 66 percent said their incomes fell short of their expectations, the survey also found.
For two years, Lian Si, a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Chinese and Global Affairs of Peking University, who has studied the phenomenon, led a team of more than 100 graduate students to follow the groups in university towns like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Xi’an. Lian evaluates the total population of the “ant community” in major cities at one million across China, with about 100,000 found in Beijing alone. Lian predicts that an increasingly challenging job market will see the ant tribe growing further in number. Another 6.3 million graduates are expected to join migrant workers and other job hunters in what promises to be a fierce labor competition.
The ant tribe’s embarrassing living situations have become a serious social issue, and the government should develop “second-and-third-tier cities” to attract more graduates from big cities. However, “ants” expect more study and training opportunities in big cities, which keeps them in positive mindsets despite their situations. As in the case of Yang, he is optimistic about getting a new job soon, having received eight interview offers in a week after sending out his resume. The prospect of landing a higher-paying job keeps him hopeful of moving out of the slum district(贫民区) soon. The sooner, the better.
1.Yang has worked in Beijing since graduation from university ______.
A.to live in a beautiful villa of European style
B.to have more opportunities to be promoted
C.to enjoy a busy life in a software company
D.to struggle for a better-off life in a big city
2.Which of the following best describes “ant tribe”?
A.It refers to the group of low-income graduates living in embarrassing conditions.
B.It refers to the people who work hard like ants but are paid little.
C.It refers to the sociologists and scholars researching into some social phenomena.
D.It refers to some well-educated people who can’t survive in society.
3.What does the writer think of the phenomenon of “ant tribe”?
A.“Ant tribe” has become too serious a social problem to solve.
B.It is the government’s duty to solve the problem of “ant tribe”.
C.Both the government and the graduates have the responsibility.
D.The existence of “ant tribe” has little influence on job markets.
4.The passage is mainly about ______.
A.the “ant tribe’s” dream and reality
B.a recent survey about the “ant tribe”
C.the “ant tribe’s” living conditions
D.a new urban lifestyle-”ant tribe”
“He was a nightmare (噩梦),” his mother, Mary said as I talked with her and her son Jamie. “I was sure he was going to end up in prison, or worse”. Seeing Jamie so full of life with his new friends, there was no room for imagination that he was ever a rebellious (叛逆的) kid.
Jamie was raised by his mother after his father left ten years ago. They lived in a small flat with little money. Most of their neighbors were alcoholics, so crime was very common. At middle school, he quickly got in with the wrong crowd and began to steal everything from shoes to phones.
Mary didn’t realize the consequence of the trouble Jamie made until he told her he had been stopped from going to school for three weeks. Mary was very angry, but now she has realized that it was the best thing that had happened to both of them.
During the three weeks, Mary made him volunteer at the local community centre where he saw the street dancers for the first time. “They were so cool and able to express themselves in a way I had never seen before. I asked to join them and they agreed. Because of them I am who I am now.” Jamie told me, tears in his eyes.
Back at school, his whole attitude and behavior improved. “I realized the boys I was hanging out with weren’t cool, stealing wasn’t cool and getting out of school wasn’t cool either. It made me find something I love and have a goal in life.” he said.
Yes, street dance makes him happy. This kind of dance speaks to people, and gives them a purpose.
1.Who is most probably the writer?
A.A reporter. B.A manager.
C.A photographer. D.A dancer.
2.What is Mary’s attitude toward Jamie’s future in the first paragraph?
A.Angry. B.Negative.
C.Careless. D.Cold
3.The underlined part “the wrong crowd” probably refers to _______.
A.Thieves hanging about in shops B.Strangers
C.Schoolmates with bad influence D.Neighbors
4.The text is written to _______.
A.outline the advantages of learning street dance
B.warn about the dangers of a difficult childhood
C.give advice on how to handle rebellious teenagers
D.tell how a kid changed after learning street dance
Babysitter(保姆) Wanted
I am seeking a babysitter for my 6-month-old son. A few hours on Saturdays and Sundays to help me and then other times as needed. He or she should be over 18, responsible, loving, warm, and have some experience in caring for babies. This position also suits a college student with experience looking for a part-time job. The pay is $10 an hour.
If this sounds like a good job to you, please reply to rebecharv@aol.com or call 800-4964.
Office Manager Wanted
Our company is looking for a full-time experienced manager to run the business. Strong skills in organization and business management are required for this position. The office manager will be responsible for keeping financial (财务的) records, so he or she should be familiar with computers.
Please reply to jim@californiaaquatics.com or call 800-6978 to apply.
Waiter/ Waitress Wanted
A restaurant is looking for an experienced waiter / waitress. Knowledge of wines and experience in dining are necessary. Must work well under pressure and understand the basics (基本要素) of fine dining and customer service.
If you’re interested, please contact us at job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org to apply.
This is a part-time job.
Office Cleaner Wanted
Looking for a Part-time job? A position in the Mississauga area needs an office cleaner! Part-time 4 hours a day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Duties include:
●Cleaning the washrooms
●Cleaning the furniture
●Sweeping the floors
●Other general cleaning experience is necessary. Pay: $15 per hour
Reply to:job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org or call 800-8197.
1.Which of the following position is a full-time job?
A.Babysitter. B.Office manager.
C.Waiter / waitress. D.Office cleaner.
2.If a college girl with some experience caring for children wants to apply for a job, where should she send an email?
A.job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org
B.job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org
C.jim@californiaaquatics.com
D.rebecharv@aol.com
3.Which of the following is necessary for a waiter / waitress?
A.Being familiar with computers.
B.Having knowledge of wines.
C.Knowing more about menus.
D.Working well with others.
假定你是李华。你所在班级的交换生Peter正在进行一项关于垃圾分类的研究。他给你来信询问你们社区垃圾分类的实施情况，请给Peter回一份邮件，告诉他相关信息，邮件内容包括：
1. 写邮件的目的；
2. 垃圾分类的实施情况；
3. 你对垃圾分类的看法。
注意：1. 电子邮件的格式已为你写好，不计入总词数;
2. 词数：100左右。
垃圾分类：garbage classification
Dear Peter,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(Λ)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last week, all of us were told prepare for an exhibition of our understanding of traditional Chinese culture. After knowing that, we had a heat discussion at the class meeting. Very soon, ideas like Peking Opera, Han Clothing, and Chinese Kung fu come to our minds. With the ideas gathering, we started to take the action. Some searched on the Internet for more details, when others set about draw pictures on the blackboard. Thanks to my hard work, our design finally won the head teacher’s approval. We were not only proud about our teamwork but also deep impressed by the great traditional Chinese culture.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's 1.(long) cross-sea bridge, enters the history of human engineering and connection as a point of pride upon 2.（it) opening to traffic at 9 am on Oct.24, 2018.
One day after the opening was announced at a ceremony 3.(hold) in Zhuhai , the bridge's ports in three different administrative regions started serving travelers around-the-clock , opening 24 hours a day, seven days a week.4.(ensure) faster boundary crossings for passengers, the Macao and Zhuhai ports jointly use a one-off immigration clearance model,5.allows travelers to queue up only once to finish both exit and entry procedures of the two cities in about 306.(second).
Apart7. private cars, taxis and goods vehicles, two types of public transportation -shuttle bus（班车）and cross-boundary coach --can also run on the HZMB. 8.frequency of shuttle buses is about 5-10minutes during peak hours. Booking tickets for the shuttle bus online in advance 9.（be）available since 9 am on Tuesday. With the bridge now in service, the traveling time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong International Airport will10.( shorten) from four hours to 45 minutes, and the time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong’s Container Terminals will be cut from 3. 5 hours to 75 minutes.
