Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
“I have two kids in college, and I want to say ‘come home,’ but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education,” says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid from the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators(管理者) expect to hear more families like the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition（学费）continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade,
“If we go on this way for another 25years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.
1.How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?
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A．They asked their kids to come home. |
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B．They borrowed $20,000 from the school. |
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C．They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs. |
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D．They got help from the school and the federal government. |
2. Financial aid administrators believe that ______________.
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A．more families will face the same problem as the Jacobs |
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B．the government will receive more letters of complaint |
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C．college tuition fees will double soon |
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D．America’s unemployment will fall |
3.What can we learn about the middle class families from the text?
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A．They blamed the government for the tuition increase. |
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B．Their income remained steady in the last decade. |
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C．They will try their best to send kids to college. |
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D．Their debts will be paid off within 25 years. |
4.According to the last paragraph, the government will ____.
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A．provide most students will scholarships |
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B．dismiss some financial aid administrators |
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C．stop the companies from making student loans |
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D．go on providing financial support for college students |
BUS SERVICE
New York City — Brennan, New Jersey
(Trip time: 30 minutes each way )
Timetable
●Buses leave the Railway Station, New York 7:00 a.m. and every half-hour thereafter(此后) until 11:30 p.m.
(7 days a week).
●Buses leave Brennan Station 20 minutes before and after every hour from 6:20 a.m. to 10:40 p.m.
(7 days a week ).
●Evening rush hours(5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) buses leave the Railway Station, New York every 15 minutes (Monday — Friday).
●Holidays: buses leave every hour on the hour time, each direction.
All tickets must be bought at Window 12, the Railway Station, New York, or at the Brennan Station Window before boarding buses.
1.What time does a bus leave New York for Brennan every Thursday?
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A．10:20 a.m. |
B．6:30 a.m. |
C．6:45 p.m. |
D．4:40 p.m. |
2.Which is the latest bus you should take from Brennan if you have to arrive at the Railway Station, New York before 4:00 p. m. on Monday?
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A．The 3:20 p. m. bus |
B．The 3:00 p. m. bus |
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C．The 3:30 p. m bus |
D．The 3:40 p. m .bus |
3.What time does a bus leave Brennan for New York on Christmas Day?
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A．1:00 p. m |
B．9:40 a. m |
C．3:15 p. m |
D．8:30 a. m |
For a small town, Manhattan, Kansas has some big surprises. And one of them is the Holiday Inn Hotel, with rooms built around a swimming pool and a friendly family atmosphere.
The Holiday Inn is where Manhattan people often go for a special party, or a night out. A lot of them choose to eat in the brightly lighted restaurant near the pool. And many of them will be served by Ellen Logan, who has worked as a waitress here for more than two years.
Ellen, like most of the waitresses, is also a student. She comes from Nebraska, but she’s planning one day to be a veterinary surgeon, and to care for small animals. But in order to support herself at college, she works twenty hours a week at the Holiday Inn.
Ellen soon learned what every waitress finds out. Your best friend has a good pair of shoes. She paid forty -five dollars for hers, much more than she would usually spend. She’s discovered something else too. You don’t have to know much about food to be a good waitress, but you do have to know a lot about people.
“A lot of business people always stay here when they come to Manhattan,” she explains. “They like you to recognize them and remember their favorite dishes. But some couples come for a night out together. They just want to be left alone. Then there are people who can’t make up their minds. They look down the menu and say‘What do you suggest?’So I ask them how hungry they are. If they say, ‘Not very’, I suggest the salad bar, with soup, salad, bread, and a fruit plate. But if they say they’re very hungry, I suggest a Kansas Strip Steak, with potatoes or rice. You get salad and bread as well. It’s very nice. Real good value.”
Ellen may get tired feet sometimes, but at least she’s learning too much about people. She’ll probably make a good animal doctor, but if she find she doesn’t like it after all, she can always become a psychiatrist（心理医生）instead.
1.A good title for this passage is______________.
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A．Ellen Logan at the Holiday Inn |
B．American Holiday Inn |
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C．A Special Holiday Inn Hotel in Manhattan |
D．How to Deal with People |
2.The word “a veterinary surgeon” probably means____________.
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A．an animal doctor. |
B．an animal trainer |
C．a hotel manager |
D．a food expert |
3.From the passage we can infer that_______________.
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A．waitresses in the Holiday Inn are all students |
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B．waitresses are required to buy a good pair of shoes before they go to work |
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C．waitresses should be familiar with the food there |
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D．it is more important for the waitresses to know much about people than food |
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
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A．The Holiday Inn hotel is one of the big surprises in Manhattan. |
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B．Businessmen like to be recognized by the people and suggested what to eat. |
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C．Some couples prefer to be left alone without being bothered too much. |
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D．One of the reasons why people like to eat in the hotel is that it is full of a friendly atmosphere. |
In 1971, a young man who grew up very poor was travelling across the country, trying to make a new __36__ for himself. Along the way, he had __37__ run out of money and was forced to spend the night in his car. This 38 until one morning, after a week of sleeping in his car, he walked 39 into a restaurant and ordered a big breakfast.
After eating his first good meal in 40 , he found himself 41 to the waiter, telling him he had lost his 42 . The waiter, who was also the owner, walked 43 the chair where the young man had been sitting. He bent down, 44 a $20 bill that looked 45 it had fallen on the floor and said, “Son, you must have 46 this,” the owner said. The young man couldn’t believe his 47 ! He quickly paid for the breakfast, left a 48 , bought gas with the change, and headed West.
On the way out of town, he began to understand 49 the fellow did. Maybe nobody dropped the money 50 . “Maybe that fellow just knew I was 51 and he helped me in a way that didn’t __52__ me.” Right then he made a promise to help others if he could.
Later, he worked very hard and became a rich man. Now, he lives near Kansas City. Each year he 53 thousands of dollars. He is known as the “Secret Santa” because at 54 time each year, he personally hands money out to those on the streets and at hospitals. “I’ve lived the story, so I know it certainly more blessed（带来快乐的） to give than to ___55__, because it comes back to you many many times over,” he says. “It restores some faith in humanity.”
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—Would you like to have a drink with us?
—Drinking? _____. I prefer to stay at home.
A, That isn’t my cup of tea B. I’m with you on that
C. I couldn’t agree more D. Thank goodness
The officer insisted that the young girl_____ a thief and that she____ free at once.
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A．was not; be set |
B．should not be; be set |
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C．was not; was to be set |
D．was not ; set |
