Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?
In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students
tuition fees (学费). As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university.
They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.
The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around ￡12,000 (122,952 yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach the April after graduating. If you start to earn over ￡15,000 (153,630 yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.
You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.
All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year [2008].”
“Student poverty” is now considered a real problem. Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?
1.What makes British students question the worth of a university degree?
A. Higher university expenses. B. Lower education quality.
C. A higher interest rate on student loans. D. Greater difficulty obtaining student loans.
2.According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. University tuition fees in all parts of Britain have been on the rise since 2006.
B. Interest on a student loan starts as soon as the student receives it.
C. Britons have always questioned the worth of a university degree.
D. University graduates need to pay off their loans right upon graduation.
3.Which of the following is NOT a factor that concerns a British university graduate?
A. Fierce competition in the job market. B. The burden of a large debt.
C. Lack of experience. D. Fewer job openings.
AFTER spending three days in a wheelchair, I was ready to quit. Not only did I have to battle cracked and uneven (不平的) pavements, I had to deal with the bad attitude of pedestrians (行人) and a cold rain. But I didn’t give up because of people like Tiffany Payne.
Payne, who has been using a wheelchair for 18 years, laughed at me:
“Imagine trying to get around town in the winter,” she said.
I could see her point: You’re battling to get to a doctor’s appointment, but no one has shoveled (铲) after a big snowfall. Your choices: Move out and risk getting stuck, or reschedule the appointment.
Those of us fortunate enough to get around on our own two legs don’t give a second thought to the person in a wheelchair next to us at a crosswalk. That would require us to look down.
So I decided to try using a wheelchair to get a sample of what their lives are like. It wasn’t long before I saw that people who use wheelchairs are forced to deal with a lot of trouble.
During my experiment, I was ignored by store staff while shopping and bumped into by inattentive walkers without so much as an apology. Some people even gave me angry looks as if I were the one at fault.
Once in a store, a woman bumped into me trying to get to the new iPad. She didn’t say, “excuse me.”
When salespeople did offer assistance, they talked to people who were with me, instead of me. I wanted to yell: “Hey, I’m down here!”
Some salespeople talked to me as though I were a child or acted like they didn’t want to be bothered with me.
People who use wheelchairs want to be treated like everyone else. They also comprehend, so you don’t have to speak to them in a childlike, sing-song voice. It’s not very appealing, especially when the person is an adult. And most importantly, remember they have feelings that can be hurt just like yours.
Spending three days in a wheelchair made me look differently at those who have to use one. I hope you do the same.
1.The author writes the story to ____________.
A. help those in wheelchairs gain self-confidence
B. share his experience of acting as a wheelchair user
C. ask people to show sympathy for those in wheelchairs
D. call on people to respect and help those in wheelchairs
2.During his three days in a wheelchair, the author met all of the following difficulties EXCEPT ____________.
A. bad road conditions B. poor attitudes of ordinary people
C. terrible medical service D. bad weather
3.What can we conclude from the article?
A. A wheelchair user may feel offended（冒犯）when you do not address him or her directly.
B. Assistants in big stores are usually kind to people in wheelchairs.
C. People in wheelchairs should fight for fair treatment.
D. People in wheelchairs are usually hard to get along with.
4.Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
A. Look down on a person in a wheelchair.
B. Speak to a person in a wheelchair in a sing-song voice.
C. Treat a person in a wheelchair as you would treat any other person.
D. Offer assistance to a person in a wheelchair without asking for permission.
Some years ago industries had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed. They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them. Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers.
Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which showed the need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes produced information which governments could not ignore. At such times, they inquiried（调查）into the causes of the disasters or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however, the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or who became seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments which protect customers and workers. In the U.S., for example, there is a department which tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work, and then reports any companies that are breaking the laws which protect the health and safety of workers. Of course, new government departments and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness, but they are having some good results. Our work places are safer and cleaner than before. The planes and cars which we use for travel are better. Producers are thinking more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products.
1.The main topic of the passage is ____________.
A. conditions in the work place
B. the freedom of industries in the past
C. changes in industrial production
D. the safety and health of workers and customers
2.It can be inferred from the passage that in the past ____________.
A. workers often got ill because of the poor working conditions
B. companies were free to put out any products they wanted to
C. many people were killed by dangerous products
D. industries were as careful in management as they are today
3.Some years ago safety rules ____________.
A. were put forward due to scientists’ recommendations
B. came into being as a result of the workers’ demands
C. were introduced because quite a number of people were killed or seriously injured
D. were effective enough to protect workers and customers
4.The special departments protect customers and workers in many ways EXCEPT by ________.
A. testing new products B. controlling the sale of products
C. designing new products D. inspecting work places
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1.This advertisement is designed especially for those who____________.
A. like eating in restaurants B. have little time
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2.What information CAN'T we get from the advertisement about Ouickeats?
A．Different kinds． B．High quality． C．Exact prices． D．Good taste
3.Which of the following can be cooled in a refrigerator before eating according to the ads?
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4.The underlined word “hectic” in the passage means ____________.
A．full of freedom B．comfortable C．full of activity D．flexible
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
One summer in college, I was invited to be an instructor at a high school leadership camp.
I first 1a boy under the tree on the first day of camp. His obvious 2and shyness made him appear weak and lonely. Nearby, 200 3campers were playing and joking, but the boy seemed to want to be anywhere 4where he was.
I was instructed to care more about campers who might feel 5. So I 6him and said, “Hi, I’m Kevin. It’s nice to meet you. How are you?”
7a shaky voice he 8answered, “Okay, I guess.”
I calmly asked him to join in the activities and 9some new people. He quietly replied, “No, this is not really my thing.”
I could 10that this whole experience was 11to him. But I somehow knew it wouldn’t be right to 12him, either. It was going to take more time and 13.
The next day, I was leading camp songs for the campers. They eagerly participated. But the boy was just sitting alone, 14out the window.
That evening at our nightly staff meeting, I made my 15about him known. I asked them to pay special attention and spend time with him 16they could.
The days flew by fast. When the “last dance” came, surprisingly, the boy from under the tree was now a shirtless dancing 17. He owned the dance floor 18meaningful time with others. I couldn’t’ believe it was him.
In that instant, I realized how easy it is to give a bit of 19every day. You may never know how much each gesture may mean to someone else. I tell this story as 20as I can, and I advise others to look out for their own “boy under the tree.”
1.A．learned B．recognized C．noticed D．heard
2.A．anger B．discomfort C．excitement D．satisfaction
3.A．ambitious B．curious C．anxious D．eager
4.A．other than B．just as C．or rather D．as well as
5.A．left out B．put out C．made out D．let out
6.A．passed B．left C．visited D．approached
7.A．At B．In C．On D．By
8.A．unfortunately B．unwillingly C．unconsciously D．uninterestingly
9.A．help B．interview C．find D．meet
10.A．sense B．suggest C．consider D．prove
11.A．familiar B．similar C．strange D．typical
12.A．push B．pull C．pardon D．punish
13.A．effects B．exercises C．efforts D．expenses
14.A．observing B．examining C．admiring D．staring
15.A．trouble B．concern C．devotion D．understanding
16.A．unless B．before C．when D．since
17.A．wonder B．danger C．scene D．instructor
18.A．sparing B．saving C．spreading D．sharing
19.A．himself B．yourself C．themselves D．itself
20.A．soon B．far C．often D．Long
________ I cannot understand is ________ she wants to resign her present job.
A. What; why B. Which; how C. That; why D.What; because
