It used to be an American tradition: as soon as school let out for the summer, many teens ______ their fast food uniform or grocery store apron and went to ______ at a summer job. But the ______ that seemed routine for people of the ______ is becoming a rarity.
When Pew ______ the average employment rates of ______ during summer months between 1948 and 2018, it found that the number of teens who do summer jobs has ______ in recent decades. In 1974 and 1984, over 55 percent of teens between the ages of 16 and 19 held jobs during July. ______ that number fell to just below 45 percent in 2004 — and by 2018, things were even ______, with only 31.6 percent of teens ______ during the summer.
Pew notes that the ______ a teen is, the less likely he is to ______ a job. Last summer, 20 percent of 16-and 17-year-olds had jobs and 43.6 percent of 18-and 19-year-olds were employed.
Why aren’t kids ______ more work? It’s tricky. Pew cites falling youth employment over time, but notes that other ______ like early school schedules and the rise of ______ summer internships (实习) might be to blame. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not ______ unpaid internships as employment, so all the teens doing internships aren’t being counted in these estimates (估算).
But ______ summer employment doesn’t just mean more time to______ with friends. It can have ______ effects on teens who don’t get a ______ to build their job skills, says Andrew Sum, a youth employment expert. He told the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Christine Vestal that for every year teens work, they can expect a 14 to 16 percent rise in their income during their twenties.
1.A. put on B. take off C. put away D. throw away
2.A. play B. work C. volunteer D. compete
3.A. progress B. movement C. experience D. application
4.A. time B. past C. bottom D. country
5.A. kept B. raised C. reduced D. examined
6.A. men B. women C. teenagers D. graduates
7.A. fallen B. remained C. doubled D. averaged
8.A. So B. Or C. For D. But
9.A. safer B. worse C. stranger D. prettier
10.A. mentioned B. employed C. encouraged D. challenged
11.A. cleverer B. stronger C. happier D. younger
12.A. find B. finish C. abandon D. create
13.A. offering B. getting C. producing D. avoiding
14.A. titles B. events C. issues D. accidents
15.A. unpaid B. shared C. remote D. traditional
16.A. report B. discuss C. count D. organize
17.A. coming up with B. looking forward to C. skipping out on D. making fun of
18.A. cooperate B. celebrate C. grow up D. hang out
19.A. real B. rapid C. instant D. temporary
20.A. course B. change C. choice D. chance
Taking a vacation with friends could turn out to be the getaway of a lifetime or one that’s a total disaster. How do you make sure the trip is a success? 1.. Here are some tips on planning a vacation with friends that’s memorable in the right kind of way.
Establish expectations first
You may think that you and a friend have the same idea of a holiday because you both want to go to the beach, but you might be interested in relaxing while your friend is looking forward to going to nightclubs. 2. or you are setting yourself up for conflict.
Have an itinerary (旅行路线)
When traveling with others, set an agenda ahead of time to avoid any last-minute, tense negotiation. Either work with a travel adviser to create the itinerary or delegate (委派) one person in the group for the job — it should show when activities start, and how long and what exactly they are. 3..
Build in some space
You don’t have to spend all your time with your friend. 4.. Order room service for breakfast one day or plan other meals and a few tours for just you and your family. But it’s best to schedule these ahead of time — not when you feel that you cannot spend another minute together.
5.
Deciding who is paying for what and how it will be tracked should be discussed before your trip. You can end up with one person who doesn’t drink feeling angry that they are splitting the bills with people who order expensive bottles of wine, and this is the kind of anger that can destroy a friendship.
A. Choose the ways to treat friends
B. Figure out money matters first
C. Make sure you understand each other’s ideas of vacation
D. In fact, taking breaks makes your time together more enjoyable
E. Different ways to parent may not matter at home but can be obvious on vacations
F. It’s all about choosing the right travel partners and going in with some ground rules
G. And everything should be optional, so whoever isn’t interested doesn’t have to join
Analogical ability — the ability to see common relations between objects, events or ideas — is a key skill that underlies human intelligence and differentiates humans from other apes.
While there is considerable evidence that preschoolers can learn abstract relations, it remains an open question whether infants (婴儿) can as well. In a new Northwestern University study, researchers found that infants are capable of learning the abstract relations of sameness and difference after only a few examples.
“This suggests that a skill key to human intelligence is present very early in human development and that language skills are not necessary for learning abstract relations,” said lead author Alissa Ferry, who conducted the research at Northwestern.
To trace the origins of relational thinking in infants, the researchers tested whether seven- month-old infants could understand the simplest and most basic abstract relation — that of sameness and difference between two things. Infants were shown pairs of items that were either the same — two Elmo dolls — or different — an Elmo doll and a toy camel — until their looking time declined.
In the test process, the infants looked longer at pairs showing the novel (新奇的) relation, even when the test pairs were composed of new objects. In other words, infants who had learned the same relation looked longer at test pairs showing the different relation during the test. This suggests that the infants had noticed the abstract relation and found when the relation changed.
“We found that infants are capable of learning these relations,” said Ferry, now doing post-doctoral research at the International School for Advanced Studies in Italy. “Additionally, infants exhibit the same patterns of learning as older children and adults — relational learning benefits from seeing multiple examples of the relation and is blocked when attention is drawn to the individual objects composing the relation.”
Susan Hespos, a co-author of the study and associate professor of psychology at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, said, “We show that infants can form abstract relations before they learn the words that describe relations, meaning that relational learning in humans does not require language and is a fundamental human skill of its own.”
1.How do the infants show they recognize the sameness or difference between two things?
A. By looking at the difference longer.
B. By describing the difference happily.
C. By smiling at the difference.
D. By crying at the difference loudly.
2.What does the underlined word “fundamental” (in the last paragraph) mean?
A. Basic. B. Evident. C. Useful. D. Complicated.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Apes have analogical ability.
B. Infants have difficulty gaining analogical ability.
C. Scientists have done little research on analogical ability.
D. Infants learn words later than analogical ability.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Evidence on preschoolers’ abstract learning.
B. Infants born with analogical ability.
C. Human skills related to analogical ability.
D. A skill key to human intelligence.
“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said each time I faced disappointment or even depression. “If you carry on, one day, something good will happen. And you’ll realize that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”
Mother was right, but I didn’t realize that until I graduated from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio and then work my way up to be a sports announcer. I hitchhiked (搭顺风车) to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station — and got turned down every time. In one studio, a kind lady told me that in most cases, big stations couldn’t risk hiring an inexperienced person. “Go out in the remote areas and find a small station that’ll give you a chance,” she said. I went back home to Dixon, Illinois.
While there were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me.
But I wasn’t hired. My disappointment must have shown. “Everything happens for the best.” Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to hunt for jobs. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.
As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked aloud, “How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?” I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, “What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game. The preceding autumn, my team had won a game in the last 20 seconds with a 65-yard run. I did a 15-minute boost to that play, and Peter told me I would be broadcasting Saturday’s game!
On my way home, as I have had many times since, I thought of my mother’s words, “If you carry on, one day, something good will happen. It wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”
1.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The author graduated from college in the 1930s.
B. The author’s dream job was a sports announcer.
C. The author was refused by every radio station across the country.
D. The author was considered unqualified because of his lack of experience.
2.What does the underlined phrase “boil over” (in paragraph 5) most probably mean?
A. To pass on some evil emotions. B. To become overwhelming.
C. To be turned into calmness. D. To break down.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The author was given a car by his father after he failed his first-ever job interview.
B. The author’s mom always advised him to learn from his failures.
C. Peter MacArthur, the program director of WOC Radio, turned down the author for his lack of flexibility.
D. Peter MacArthur was able to recognize the talent of the author as a sports announcer.
4.What lesson can be drawn from the author’s experience in the passage?
A. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
B. Practice makes perfect.
C. No pain, no gain.
D. The early bird catches the worm.
William Cary said he has learned to appreciate small victories with his 17-year-old son Ben, who has autism and doesn’t speak, so he choked up while describing how proud he was when Ben buttoned his pants for the very first time after going to the bathroom. But one victory that Ben achieved long ago was surfing. Since the age of six, he has been participating in Surfers Healing surf camps for children with autism.
The annual event returned recently to Tourmaline Surf Park in California. More than 150 children took turns riding the waves with 15 professional surfers as well as a small group of volunteers. Ben could hardly wait to get in the water with surfer Graham. Within minutes of hitting the sand, Ben mounted a long board (冲浪板) and Graham gently pushed him out into the thigh-high surf. Graham, who has an 11-year-old son with autism, said he’s seen firsthand how children immediately transform when they’re rolling in the ocean waves.
Surfers Healing was started 20 years ago by surfer Izzy Paskowitz and his wife, Danielle. One day while in Hawaii, their son Isaiah had a meltdown (情绪失控) on the beach and Izzy tried to distract the boy by tossing him into the waves. Suddenly, the boy’s anger was replaced by smiles and wonder, and Surfers Healing was born. Each year, the foundation hosts 25 camps around the world serving more than 5,000 autistic children, ranging in age from 3 to 25. About half of the group participating recently was new to the sport.
Paskowitz said the ocean has a healing power on people with autism. The rhythm of the waves calms them, and the sounds, sights, textures and temperatures create such a sensory overload (负荷) that it forces the mind to focus. Many of the children arriving at the beach initially covered their ears from the crash of the waves, but gradually these sensitivities disappeared. One teen camper who traveled with her mom from Arizona wouldn’t get out of the car for more than an hour. Finally, she was coaxed (哄骗) to take a brief ten-minute ride in the knee-high waves on a body board. As she returned to shore, a volunteer awarded her a small trophy for participation.
1.What was most probably the reason why Cary choked up?
A. He was proud that his son was a good surfer.
B. He achieved a small victory.
C. He took pride in his autistic son learning to take care of himself.
D. He was too surprised to see his autistic son button his own pants.
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Ben has suffered from autism since he was six.
B. Around 150 people took part in the recent surfing event in Tourmaline Surf Park.
C. Autistic people usually range in age from 3 to 25.
D. Surfing is so stimulating to our senses that it forces autistic children to focus.
3.How did Surfers Healing come into being?
A. It was initiated 20 years ago by a foundation.
B. A boy went crazy on the beach of Hawaii two decades ago.
C. Surfer Izzy Paskowitz and his wife realized the healing effects of surfing 20 years ago.
D. Surfer Izzy Paskowitz’s son was cured of autism by surfing two decades ago.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. From Chaos to Peace B. Surfing Washes Away Autism Symptoms
C. The Surfers’ Club D. Transforming Powers of Surfing
1.Where would you probably see these three commercials?
A. On a website. B. In a department store.
C. In a magazine. D. In a convenience store.
2.What do these three products have in common?
A. They are all available only at Best Buy.
B. They are all black in color.
C. They can all be used to deal with pet hair.
D. They can all be operated via a smartphone app.
3.If you decide to buy a Bagless Cordless Hand Vac next week, how much money will it cost you?
A. $99. B. $48. C. $65. D. $41.6.
