Today, widespread social pressure to immediately go to college together with increasingly high expectations in a fast-moving world often causes students to completely overlook the possibility of taking a gap year. After all, if everyone you know is going to college in the fall, it seems silly to stay back a year, doesn’t it? And after going to school for 12 years, it doesn’t feel natural to spend a year doing something that isn’t academic.
But while this may be true, it’s not a good enough reason to condemn gap years. There’s always a constant fear of falling behind everyone else on the socially perpetuated (长期存在的) “race to the finish line”, whether that be toward graduate school, medical school or successful career. But despite common misconceptions, a gap year does not hinder the success of academic pursuits. In fact, it probably improves it.
Studies from the United States and Australia show that students who take a gap year are generally better prepared for and perform better in college than those who do not. Rather than pulling students back, a gap year pushes them ahead by preparing them for independence, new responsibilities and environmental changes — all things that first-year students often struggle with the 「most. Gap year experiences can lessen the blow when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brand new environmental, making it easier to focus on academics and activities.
If you’re not convinced of the value in taking a year off to explore interests, then consider its financial impact on future academic choices. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 80 percent of college students end up changing their majors at least once. This isn’t surprising, considering the basic compulsory high school curriculum leaves students with a poor understanding of themselves listing one major on their college applications, but switching to another after taking college classes. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but depending on the school, it can be costly to make up credits after switching too late in the game. At Bost on College, for example, you would have to complete an extra year were you to switch to the nursing school from another department. Taking a gap year to figure things out initially can help prevent stress and save money later on.
1.High-school graduates don’t take a gap year probably because ________.
A.they think it academically misleading
B.they have a lot of fun to expect in college
C.it seems silly to take courses off the campus
D.it feels strange to be different from others
2.The underlined word “hinder” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.
A.achieve B.prevent
C.develop D.compensate
3.What can we learn from the text?
A.Switching to another major won’t cost freshmen a lot.
B.All freshmen find it difficult to adapt to the new environment.
C.Taking a gap year helps freshmen concentrate more on studies.
D.High school students know nothing about how to choose a major.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.The Benefits of the Gap Year B.The ABCs of the Gap Year
C.The Gap Year Comes Back D.The Gap Year: A Dilemma
For the last month, a married couple has been interacting with a robot — called an Avatar — （hat’s con trolled by their daughter hundreds of miles away. Made by ANA Holdings Inc, it looks like a vacuum cleaner with an iPad attached. But the screen displays the daughter’s face as they chat, and its wheels let her walk slowly about the house as though she’s really there.
“Virtual travel” is nothing new, of course. Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been stimulating the senses of armchair tourists for centuries. It’s only in recent decades that frequent, safe travel has become available to the non-wealthy.
Yet even as the world’s middle classes climb out of the armchair and into economy-class seats, there are signs of a post-travel society appearing. Concerns about the environment make people lose interest in carbon-intensive (碳排放量很高的) airlines. And the aging of societies is both slowing down the growth of physical travel and creating demand for alternative ways to experience the world. For the travel industry, virtual reality offers a tantalizing (诱人的) response to these trends.
Of course, far-out (前卫的) technologies encourage profits. ANA doesn’t plan to start selling Avatars until next year. By one estimate, the global market for this kind of technology will be worth only about S300 million by 2023. By contrast, ANA’s traditional travel business brought in more than $19 billion last year.
But although the business case for virtual vacations is still weak, the market for technologies that bridge physical distances between families and coworkers seems likely to only expand. ANA’s robots may not replace its airplanes any time soon, but they’ll almost certainly be a part of travel’s high-tech future.
1.What purpose does the first paragraph serve in the passage?
A.To show a picture of our future life.
B.To describe the daily life of a couple.
C.To attract readers’ attention to the topic.
D.To add background in formation of the topic.
2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.Humans tend to live much longer than before.
B.People are becoming more worried about the environment.
C.Virtual travel might cater for people’s desire to see the world.
D.The profits of carbon-intensive airlines are possibly declining.
3.ANA is not planning to start selling Avatars soon probably because ________.
A.it is still skeptical about their potential
B.they still need to be further tested out
C.traditional travel business is taking off
D.their commercial profits may not be satisfying
4.The author believes the global market for virtual travel is ________.
A.promising B.ambiguous
C.depressing D.challenging
My daughter was being thrown out of the sixth grade. The teacher said to me, “She may not be up to what we’re trying to accomplish.” He was really saying she didn’t have the intelligence. I got mad because I knew she was smart, just as my father had known I was smart when I was failing in school. We had her tested and found that the troubles my daughter was having were the same as those I had had. I decided to get tested as well. She was dyslexic, and so was I. By then I was a successful television writer and producer. I’d won an Emmy for “The Rockford Files.”
Had I known earlier, though, that there was a reason beyond my control to explain why I was a low achiever, I may not have worked so hard in my late 20s and early 30s. I was writing and writing. I was working for no other reason than to hear people praise me.
I needed that praise because I was carrying around the failure in studies. I did badly in all my courses.
I once asked a friend who had always gotten an A, “How long did you study for this?” He said, “I didn’t. I just glanced at it.” So what do I take from that? He must be smarter than I am. I began to ask, “What will happen to me when I’m not good at anything?” Despite my doubts, I did become successful, and people now say to me, “So you’ve overcome dyslexia.”
No. You don’t overcome it, you learn to compensate for it. Some easy things are very hard for me. Most people who go through college read at least twice as fast as I do. I avoid dialing a phone if I can, because I sometimes have to try three times to get the number right. I get that recording “The number you have reached is not in service” more than any man on earth.
Despite my weaknesses I view dyslexia as a gift, not a curse (诅咒). Many dyslexics are good at right- brain, abstract thought, and that’s what my kind of creative writing is. And I can write quickly— I go like wind — and can get up to 15 pages a day. Writing is not the problem. That’s my strength.
The real fear I have for dyslexic is not that they have to struggle with regular school studies, but that they will quit on themselves before they get out of school. Parents have to create victories whenever they can, whether it’s music, sports or art. You can make your dyslexic child able to say, “Yeah, reading’s hard. But I have these other things I can do.”
1.The writer decided to get himself tested probably because ________.
A.he wanted to know if they had the same problem
B.he accepted that his daughter was not smart
C.he didn’t （realize the problem with his daughter
D.his father had the same troubles as they did
2.What can you infer from the second paragraph?
A.The writer struggled hard and finally ended with good grades.
B.The writer was thankful not knowing of his dyslexia before.
C.Dyslexia made the writer a low achiever all through his life.
D.People praised the writer because they knew he had dyslexia.
3.The word “dyslexia” can be interpreted as ________.
A.hearing disability B.low in intelligence
C.mental illness D.disorder of reading
4.Which of the following proverbs can best summarize the main idea?
A.Never judge a person by his appearance.
B.God never shuts one door but he opens another.
C.If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
D.No one can make a good coat with bad cloth.
Geek Squad Protection
Keep your cell phone working like new with the help of over 20,000 Geek Squad Agents who will get you up and running again if the unexpected happens. You’ll be protected in case of drops, spills, cracks, normal wear and tear, or mechanical failure.
Geek Squad Protection: S8 per month
Geek Squad Protection Plan must be purchased with the product online or in store, or within 15 days by visiting a store. A one-time payment option for two years is also available, which offers a 20% discount.
Drops, spills and cracks | We’ll replace your device if you accidentally damage it by dropping or spilling on it in the course of normal use. |
Battery replacement | We’ll replace the battery if it fails to hold a charge. （There is a one-time limit.） |
Normal wear and tear | We fix failures from dust, internal heat and humidity. |
Mechanical failure | We’ll offer continual coverage on faults after the manufacturer’s warranty (质保期) ends. |
Accessories (配件) | Well cover any of the accessories that came with your original phone purchase. |
Transferable | Anyone you give the covered product to will be able to obtain service under the Protection Plan. No additional charges or restrictions apply. |
Geek Squad Complete Protection: $11 per month
The Geek Squad Complete Protection Plan includes all the above benefits from the standard Geek Squad Protection Plan, plus Loss and Theft coverage. Geek Squad Complete Protection Plan must be purchased with the product in store （not available online）, or within 15 days by visiting a store. A one-time payment option for two years is also available, which offers a 20% discount.
Notice: There is a limit of three claims within 24 months for drops, spills, cracks, mechanical failure, wear, tear or one-time battery replacement. If the claim is for loss or theft, there is a limit of two claims within a rolling 12 months.
1.A 2-year Geek Squad Complete Protection service costs at least ________.
A.$153.6 B.$192
C.$211.2 D.$264
2.What can we learn from the text?
A.Both the protection plans can be purchased on line.
B.At most 3 claims for loss can be made within 24 months.
C.A phone under the plan will be replaced if its battery fails.
D.The plan continues when a covered phone gets a new owner.
3.Which of the following website might this text be taken from?
A.http://www.bestbuy.com B.http://www.newsweek.com
C.http://www.science.com D.http://travelusa.com
语法填空
It’s discovered that poor health habits can equal poor grades, as those 1. are at the top of the class tend to have 2. (few ) unhealthy behaviors, including drug use.
The survey 3. (conduct) by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and showed a strong link 4. the health habits of teens and their academic achievements.
“As our nation’s children begin another school year, it’s important 5. (remember) that health and academic performance are actually related,” said the CDC’s director, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald.
Researchers analyzed the data from 6. 2015 government survey and found that students whose grades were 7. (most) Ds and Fs were more likely to have engaged in behaviors such as 8. (inject) illegal drugs, skipping school, or having other personal 9. (problem). The students who maintained A averages were twice as likely to eat breakfast every day and also maintained physical activities of at least 60 minutes a day five or more days a week.
There is no direct cause and effect relationship, but Fitzgerald says that there is a 10. (connect) between health habits and academic achievements.
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your choice of sport might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(高尔夫球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortages in some local areas.
In fact, there are many environment friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don't need any special equipment except a pair of good shoes; and you don't have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk can regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and control your weight better.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be "green gyms". They are better replacements(代替物) for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it's free.
1.What do we know about golf from the passage?
A.It is popular in Portugal and Spain.
B.It needs water and energy to keep its courses green
C.It pollutes the earth with chemicals and waste.
D.It causes water shortages around the world.
2.The author uses power walking as example mainly because .
A.it uses fewer resources
B.it improves our health
C.it is an outdoor sport
D.it is recommended by experts
3.Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?
A.Playing basketball in a gym.
B.Motor racing in the desert.
C.Cycling around a lake.
D.Swimming in a sports center.
4.What’s the purpose of the author writing the passage?
A.To show us the function of major sports.
B.To encourage us to go in for green sports.
C.To discuss the major influence of popular sports.
D.To introduce different types of environment friendly spors.
