Question

The reason is that college students today can’t do math, and one line of reasoning goes. Or they don’t know science. These are all good theories, but the problem with these young adults’ unemployment goes way beyond a lack of STEM (科学) skills.

A survey by the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College finds that more than 60% of employers say applicants lack the ability to communicate and get along with others — a jump of about 10 percentage points in just two years. A large number of managers also say today’s applicants can’t think creatively, solve problems or write well. Jobs are going unfilled as a result, which hurts companies and employees. The annual global Talent Shortage Survey from Manpower Group finds that nearly 1 in 5 employers worldwide can’t fill positions because they can’t find people with soft skills.

One thing that does appear to make a difference is internships(实习). More than 80% of employers want new graduates they hire to have completed a formal internship, but only 8% of students say interning in a field related to their major is something they spend a lot of time doing. Instead, the top extracurricular(课外的)activities are hanging out with friends, working in an unrelated job and eating out.

And all internships are not created equal. Overall, only about half of college graduates say they’re prepared for the work — and the number of bosses who think they’re prepared is lower than 40%.

Among students who don’t intern, only 44% consider themselves ready for the job market. That improves for students with unpaid internships; 58% say they’re prepared for the workplace. But among students who complete paid internships, that number jumps to 70%. None of the students think they’re entirely prepared for the workforce, but they’re a lot more confident than the managers surveyed. Part of the problem is that you don’t know what you don’t know, as the saying goes.

Harris Interactive found a huge gap between students’ view of their abilities and managers’ view of those same skills such as financial skills. It’s just hard to teach these skills, experts say. “It is hard to correct a lifetime of bad habits in a short period of time,” Roderick Nunn, vice chancellor for economic development and workforce solutions at St. Louis Community College, tells St. Louis Beacon.

1.What does the underlined phrase “soft skills” refer to?

A. Math and science skills.

B. Flexibility and interpersonal skills.

C. The skills of finding jobs.

D. Creativity and skills of communicating with employers.

2.What do most new graduates think of their internships?

A. They should do as their employers expect.

B. They should have their free life out of the work time.

C. They shouldn’t spend too much time on the field related to their major.

D. They feel prepared for the jobs during internships.

3.What does the saying “you don’t know what you don’t know” indicate?

A. Students with different internships judge their abilities differently.

B. Students learn much from internships and think more differently from before.

C. Students are unaware of what the employers think they are lacking.

D. Students don’t know much about the job they are working on.

4.The passage mainly talks about   .

A. different views about new graduates’ skills

B. new graduates’ performance in their internships

C. how new graduates can meet their employers’ needs

D. the real reason why new graduates are unemployed

5.The purpose of the passage is     .

A. to describe    B. to explain    C. to inform    D. to argue

Answer

1. B

2. B

3. C

4. D

5. B

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文。文章主要讨论了应届毕业生失业的真正原因。

1.词义指代题。根据第二段最后一句The annual global Talent Shortage Survey from Manpower Group finds that nearly 1 in 5 employers worldwide can’t fill positions because they can’t find people with soft skills. 万宝盛华集团(Manpower Group)一年一度的全球人才短缺调查发现，全球近五分之一的雇主找不到合适的职位，因为他们找不到具备软技能的人。由此推知划线词的意思是“灵活性和人际交往能力”。故选B。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句Instead, the top extracurricular(课外的)activities are hanging out with friends, working in an unrelated job and eating out.可知，大多数应届毕业生对他们的实习的看法是他们应该有他们的自由生活的工作时间。故选B。

3.推理判断题。根据第五段最后两句None of the students think they’re entirely prepared for the workforce, but they’re a lot more confident than the managers surveyed. Part of the problem is that you don’t know what you don’t know, as the saying goes.可知，“you don’t know what you don’t know”表明“学生不知道雇主认为他们缺少什么。”故选C。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段中These are all good theories, but the problem with these young adults’ unemployment goes way beyond a lack of STEM (科学) skills.可知，这篇文章主要讨论了应届毕业生失业的真正原因。故选D。

5.目的意图题。根据第一段The reason is that college students today can’t do math, and one line of reasoning goes. Or they don’t know science. These are all good theories, but the problem with these young adults’ unemployment goes way beyond a lack of STEM (科学) skills.可知，这篇文章的目的是“解释”。故选B。