Most companies will pay employees more if they have a degree.1.If you are a babysitter with a college degree, you can expect higher babysitter pay. If you have completed courses leading to an early childhood or education degree, you can also receive more than someone without those qualifications. 2.If you have more than two years of experience and a college degree, you’re very likely to get higher pay than others. If you have special knowledge or skills that are needed, you may command higher pay. 3.Another example: if you possess a degree in fine arts, and your employer-family wants their children to learn creative expressions, your creative skills (painting, sculpture, etc.) may earn you a higher income. 4.For example, if you obtained your CNA (certified nursing assistant) through your local community college, and your employer-family has a child with medical conditions, you may receive a higher pay rate.5.Just name a few here: how many children are to be attended to, what the ages of those children are, what additional responsibilities will be given to the babysitter (cooking, driving, etc.), in what country/state the babysitting is happening, and the babysitter’s ability to promote her qualifications and discuss her pay rate.
A. The same is true for babysitters.
B. Not everyone is equal in the job market.
C. Of course, other factors affect babysitter pay rates as well.
D. For instance, anyone who can play the piano can get higher pay as a babysitter.
E. Job-relevant certificates acquired through colleges may also lead to increased incomes on the job.
F. Parents will be happy to have an experienced and educated person caring for their children.
G. For example, if you know Russian and your employer-family has a child adopted from Russia, they may pay more
Give yourself a test. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness is as sharp as it could be, you’ll have no trouble answering these questions.
Most of us observed much more as children than we do as adults. A child’s day is filled with fascination, newness and wonder. Curiosity gave us all a natural awareness. But distinctions that were sharp to us as children become unclear; we are numb(麻木的）to new stimulation(刺激), new ideas. Relearning the art of seeing the world around us is quite simple, although it takes practice and requires breaking some bad habits.
The first step in awakening senses is to stop predicting what we are going to see and feel before it occurs. This blocks awareness. One chilly night when I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. The students began complaining about how cold it would be. We reached the stream, and they unwillingly walked ahead. They were almost knee-deep when they realized it was a hot spring. Later they all admitted they’d felt cold water at first.
Another block to awareness is the obsession(痴迷) many of us have with naming things. I saw bird watchers who spotted a bird, immediately looked it up in field guides, and said, a "ruby-crowned kinglet" and checked it off. They no longer paid attention to the bird and never learned what it was doing.
The pressures of "time" and "destination" are further blocks to awareness. I encountered many hikers who were headed to a distant camp-ground with just enough time to get there before dark. It seldom occurred to them to wander a bit, to take a moment to see what’s around them. I asked them what they’d seen. "Oh, a few birds," they said. They seemed bent on their destinations.
Nature seems to unfold to people who watch and wait. Next time you take a walk, no matter where it is, take in all the sights, sounds and sensations. Wander in this frame of mind and you will open a new dimension to your life.
1.According to Paragraph 2, compared with adults, children are more ____________.
A. anxious to do wonders
B. sensitive to others’ feelings
C. likely to develop unpleasant habits
D. eager to explore the world around them
2.What idea does the author convey in Paragraph 3?
A. To avoid jumping to conclusions.
B. To stop complaining all the time.
C. To follow the teacher’s advice.
D. To admit mistakes honestly.
3.The bird watchers’ behavior shows that they __________.
A. are very patient in their observation
B. are really fascinated by nature
C. care only about the names of birds
D. question the accuracy of the field guides
4.Why do the hikers take no notice of the surroundings during the journey?
A. The natural beauty isn’t attractive to them.
B. They focus on arriving at the camp in time.
C. The forest in the dark is dangerous for them.
D. They are keen to see rare birds at the destination.
A scientist working at her lab bench and a six-old baby playing with his food might seem to have little in common. After all, the scientist is engaged in serious research to uncover （揭露）the very nature of the physical world, and the baby is, well, just playing … right? Perhaps, but some developmental psychologists (心理学家) have argued that this “play” is more like a scientific investigation（调查研究）than one might think.
Take a closer look at the baby playing at the table. Each time the bowl of rice is pushed over the table edge, it falls in the ground — and, in the process, it brings out important evidence about how physical objects interact (相互作用); bowls of rice do not float in mid-air, but require support to remain stable. It is likely that babies are not born knowing the basic fact of the universe; nor are they ever clearly taught it. Instead, babies may form an understanding of object support through repeated experiments and then build on this knowledge to learn even more about how objects interact. Though their ranges and tools differ, the baby’s investigation and the scientist’s experiment appear to share the same aim (to learn about the natural world), overall approach (gathering direct evidence from the world), and logic (are my observations what I expected?).
Some psychologists suggest that young children learn about more than just the physical world in this way — that they investigate human psychology and the rules of language using similar means. For example, it may only be through repeated experiments, evidence gathering, and finally overturning （使翻转）a theory, that a baby will come to accept the idea that other people can have different views and desires from what he or she has, for example, unlike the child, Mommy actually doesn’t like Dove chocolate.
Viewing childhood development as a scientific investigation throws light on how children learn, but it also offers an inspiring look at science and scientists. Why do young children and scientists seem to be so much alike? Psychologists have suggested that science as an effort — the desire to explore, explain, and understand our world — is simply something that comes from our babyhood（婴儿期）.Perhaps evolution (进化) provided human babies with curiosity and a natural drive to explain their worlds, and adult scientists simply make use of the same drive that served them as children. The same cognitive (认知的) systems that make young children feel good about figuring something out may have been adopted by adult scientists. As some psychologists put it, “It is not that children are little scientists but that scientists are big children.”
1.According to some developmental psychologists, _____.
A. a baby’s play is nothing more than a game
B. scientific research into babies’ games is possible
C. the nature of babies’ play has been thoroughly investigated
D. a baby’s play is somehow similar to a scientist’s experiment
2.We learn from Paragraph 2 that____.
A. scientists and babies seem to observe the world differently
B. scientists and babies often interact with each other
C. babies are born with the knowledge of object support
D. babies seem to collect evidence just as scientists do
3.Children may learn the rules of language by ____.
A. exploring the physical world
B. investigating human psychology
C. repeating their own experiments
D. observing their parents’ behaviors
4.What is the author’s tone when he discusses the connection between scientists’ research and babies’ play?
A. Convincing. B. Confused.
C. Confidence. D. Cautious.
Fire Prevention Information
The University of Adelaide employs a full-time staff of fire prevention professionals. They inspect all campus buildings and test and maintain all sprinkler(喷水灭火装置) systems, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers (灭火器). They also provide educational programs on fire safety in the residence halls. Whenever you move to a new area, you should locate the fire alarm pull stations and the two exits nearest your room.
Fire Alarms
The floors of all campus buildings are equipped with manual(手动的) fire alarm systems which include fire alarm pull stations and pipes. Most are also equipped with automatic fire alarm systems consisting of heat detectors, smoke detectors and sprinklers. For your safety, never tamper with(胡乱摆弄) these systems. False fire alarms are illegal and may lead to imprisonment.
Fire Drills
A fire drill will be conducted in your residence hall every semester. During a fire drill, please do the following:
·Take your room key and ID, close and lock the door to your room.
·Exit immediately from the nearest emergency exit; do not use a lift.
·Meet outside of your residence hall and wait for further instructions.
Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are located on each floor and in each apartment. Use a fire extinguisher only if you have been trained to do so. Irresponsible use of a fire extinguisher can create a dangerous situation for other residents and could result in damage to personal property. Misuse of a fire extinguisher will result in fines.
Smoke Detectors
A smoke detector is on the ceiling in your room. Some buildings also have heat detectors on the ceilings. Do the following to ensure the safe operation of your smoke detector:
●If your smoke detector is working properly, the red light should be on. If the red light is not blinking(闪动), contact residence hall staff immediately.
●Do not cover or block your smoke detector in any way.
●If a smoke detector sets off an alarm and there is no fire or smoke, inform your hall staff.
1.What is the main duty of the fire prevention professionals?
A. To provide part-time jobs for students.
B. To lead the students to the nearest exits.
C. To check and maintain fire prevention equipment.
D. To train teachers to be fire prevention professionals.
2.What do the automatic fire alarm systems include?
A. Pipes and smoke detectors.
B. Smoke detectors and sprinklers.
C. Fire alarm pull stations and pipes.
D. Sprinklers and fire alarm pull stations.
3.In a fire drill, the students should ___________.
A. rush quickly to a lift
B. gather at the nearest exit
C. shut the door and leave at once
D. wait for instructions in the hall
4.What do we know about the use of fire extinguishers?
A. Using them wrongly results in punishment.
B. Irresponsible use of them can damage them.
C. Improper use of them can destroy the apartment.
D. Using them without a trainer present is forbidden.
Last March my dad told us that there was a chance he would be deployed （部署，派遣）overseas. My brother and I didn't think anything of it and forgot his words . Two weeks later, Dad didn't come home on time. We didn't think it was serious since it wasn't the first time. We waited, and finally at midnight Dad came in. We asked where he'd been. He just replied , “I am leaving tomorrow for Afghanistan（阿富汗）.”
Hearing that, we were in shock , thinking that this could not be happening to us. But when he started packing his desert uniforms we knew it was for real.
He sat us all down and my brothers and I had a discussion about what we were going to do while he was away. And then we stayed up and helped him get ready. We ironed his uniforms and talked more about what we needed to do. We didn't get to sleep until 4 a.m. Therefore, my dad called school to say we were not going to be there that day.
We took off for Madison where he would check in and get ready to leave. When we got there the official told us that he wouldn’t leave until 5 p.m. We had our last meal together and then headed to the airport. We were told it was time to leave.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, and I love you,” he said. Then he was gone . We left the airport not saying anything to each other.
My dad is still gone, and he won't be home for a while. He talks to us occasionally on the phone. I hope that my story makes you think about your own family now and what counts to you.
1.How did the author feel when hearing their father would go for Afghanistan?
A. Amazed B. Frightened
C. Angry D. Satisfied
2.Why did the author’s father call the school?
A. To tell he would go to Afghanistan.
B. to ask the school to look after his children.
C. to explain his children would be absent from school that day.
D. to let his children have more sleep
3.It can be inferred from the text that____.
A. the author would be scolded by his teacher
B. nothing would happen to the author’s father
C. this is the first time for the author’s father to go abroad
D. the author wants to tell readers to value their family
假设你是李华，你的美国朋友Jonah得知你即将到美国旅游。他来信询问你是否方便带点中国特产给他，请你根据以下要点给他写一封回信。
1. 表示愿意；
2. 介绍特产（茶叶、丝绸等）；
3. 询问要求（种类、数量、预算等）。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好， 但不计入总词数。
参考词汇：特产local special products
Dear Jonah,
I’m glad to know you are interested in Chinese local special products, _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to meeting you in the USA.
Yours,
Li Hua
