Most economists were against the idea of Britain leaving the European Union, but perhaps few felt so strongly about it. However, in a poll conducted prior to the vote by Times Higher Education, a trade paper, nine in ten university staff said they would vote to Remain. At University College London (UCL), where one in ten students comes from the EU, the mood after the result was one of “deep shock, grief and then concern,” says Michael Arthur, the university’s president.
British universities are home to students from all corners: Europeans make up 6% of the total; another 14% come from the rest of the world. As a result of EU rules, the former are treated like home students, meaning that in England their fees are capped at £9,000 a year and they have access to state-provided loans. By contrast, there are no limits on fees for students from the rest of the world. A geography degree at Oxford costs non-EU students £22,430 a year.
But life will soon get trickier for universities. The big issue is whether EU students will continue to have access to loans, says Mr. Mian. Withdrawing the loans from EU students, however, would risk a big drop in their number, which could cause a 50-75% fall in the number of EU students at UCL.
Others point out that under such a situation universities probably would be free to charge higher fees to EU students, as they currently do for non-Europeans. That may help, says Richard Shaw, head of education at Grant Thornton, an accounting firm, but it seems unlikely that any increase in fees would be sufficient to make up for the fall in student numbers. Those numbers could drop further if foreign students are put off by the referendum (公民投票) result, which some have interpreted as a sign of hostility towards migrants in general.
Brexit (脱欧) comes at an awkward time for universities. Many have borrowed money to fund expansion, following the government’s decision in 2013 to lift the cap on the number of students that English universities were able to accept. Some might now find their new lecture halls less full than they had hoped.
Most countries do all they can to lure students from around the world, including seeking to attract the best lecturers. That is sensible: some students stick around, boosting the economy; others return home with fond memories of the country where they spent their early adulthood. All of them pay for the privilege. Immigration restrictions on non-EU students have already done considerable harm to higher education. It is likely that British universities will suffer once again.
1.What does the underlined word “capped” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Restricted. B.Imposed.
C.Covered. D.Overlooked.
2.Which of the following is NOT the influence Brexit will have on British universities?
A.The fall in the number of EU students.
B.The negative emotions from foreign students.
C.The waste of the expansion of the universities.
D.The inevitably rising fees the universities will charge.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Owing to the EU rules, non-EU students are charged more than EU students.
B.Studying abroad makes no difference to the students who return home at last.
C.Compared with the loss of students, British universities will suffer more from the decline in fees.
D.Britain’s foreign policy didn’t take the long-term development of its universities into consideration.
4.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.Universities’ tricks in drawing foreign students.
B.Brexit, the worst decision made by the government.
C.Academics’ fear of a drying up of students and money.
D.The urgent measures to balance education and politics.
In interviews, famous people often say that the key to becoming both happy and successful is to “do what you love.” But mastering a skill, even one that you deeply love, requires a huge amount of hard work.
Anyone who wants to master a skill must run through the ______ of practice, critical feedback, alteration, and improvement over and over. Some people seem able to concentrate on practicing an activity like this for years and ______ their gradual improvement. Yet others find it _____ to do this kind of focused, time-consuming work. Why?
The ______ may turn on the ability to enter into a state of “flow”, the feeling of being completely involved in what you are doing. Flow states can happen in the course of any activity, and they are most common when a task has well-defined goals and is at a(n) ______ skill level, and where the individual is able to ______ their performance to clear and immediate feedback.
Flow states turn the boring practice into an autotelic activity—that is, one that can be enjoyed for its own sake, rather than as a means to an end or for obtaining some ______ reward. Then how can we get into a flow state for an activity that we want to master, so that we enjoy both the ______ and the rewards?
Those who most ______ entered into flow states had an “autotelic personality”—a quality to seek out challenges and get into a state of flow. While those without such a personality see ______, autotelic individuals see opportunities to build skills. Autotelic individuals are receptive, open to new challenges and also persistent. Such people, with an ability to focus on tasks rather than ______, have a great advantage over others in developing their inborn abilities.
____, for those of us who aren’t necessarily blessed with an autotelic personality, there is evidence that flow states can be promoted by environmental factors. In particular, the learning framework ______ by Montessori schools seems to encourage flow states. In Montessori schools, learning comes through ______ rather than direct instruction and students are encouraged to develop individual interests. Competition is ______ and grading is de-emphasized, taking the focus off of external rewards.
While there isn’t (yet) a pill that can turn dull practice into an exciting activity for anyone, it is heartening that we seem, at least to some degree, to be able to push ourselves toward flow states.
1.A.cycle B.list C.circle D.series
2.A.lose interest in B.make up for C.take pleasure in D.make use of
3.A.meaningful B.frustrating C.amazing D.shameful
4.A.behaviour B.difference C.reaction D.procedure
5.A.appropriate B.elementary C.advanced D.difficult
6.A.compare B.assess C.apply D.adjust
7.A.considerable B.well-deserved C.material D.external
8.A.process B.pleasure C.compliment D.performance
9.A.reluctantly B.blindly C.readily D.casually
10.A.advantages B.difficulties C.details D.faults
11.A.rewards B.expectations C.complaints D.contributions
12.A.Unexpectedly B.Occasionally C.Traditionally D.Fortunately
13.A.declined B.criticized C.advocated D.considered
14.A.adaptation B.discovery C.harmony D.exposure
15.A.appreciated B.guaranteed C.reserved D.discouraged
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
A professor of public health at UCLA says that pet ownership might provide a new form of health care. As far back as the 1790s, the elderly at a senior citizens’ home in England 1.(encourage) to spend time with farm animals. This helped patients’ mental state more than the cruel therapies 2. (use) on the mentally ill at the time. In recent years, scientist have finally begun to find proof 3. contact with animals can increase a sick person’s chance of survival and has been shown 4. (lower) heart rate, calm upset children, and get people to start a conversation.
Scientists think that animal companionship is beneficial 5. animals are accepting and attentive, and they don’t criticize or give orders. Animals have the unique ability to be more social. For example, visitors to nursing homes get more social responses from patients when they come with animal companions.
Not only do people seem 6.(anxious) when animals are nearby, but they may also live longer. Studies show that a year after heart surgery, survival rates for heart patients were higher for those with pets in their homes than those without pets. Elderly people with pets make fewer trips 7. doctors than those without animal companions, possibly because animals relieve loneliness. Staying with animals is believed to create a peaceful state of mind, 8.(result) in a favourable environment for everyone.
Research confirms that the findings concerning senior citizens can be applied to restless children. They are more easy-going when there are animals around with, with 9. company they tend to calm down more easily. They involve 10. in playing with animals and the presence of animals comforts them greatly.
Translation:
1.我很荣幸被邀请到这里来演讲。(honor)
2.无论谁犯错，都不能免于受批评。(spare,主语从句)
3.那位严格的老师尝试了许多新的教学方法来满足不同学生的需要。(meet)
The Value of Tears
Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose. They can leave you embarrassed and without energy. However, crying is a fact of life ... and tears are very useful. Even when you’re not crying, your eyes produce tears. These create a film (薄膜) over the eye’s surface. 1.
Tears relieve stress, but we lend to fight them for all sorts of reasons. “People worry about showing their emotions. They’re afraid that once they lose control, they’ll never get it back,” explains psychologist Dorothy Rowe. “As children we were sometimes punished for shedding tears or expressing anger. As adults we still fear the consequences of showing emotions.”
Almost any emotion — good or bad, happy or sad — can cause tears. Crying is a way that we release built-up emotions. 2. It may explain why people who are afraid to cry often suffer more heart attacks than people cry more freely.
When some people become very stressed, however, they can’t cry. They may be feeling shock, anger, fear, or grief, but they repress the emotion. “Everyone has the need to cry,” says psychotherapist Vera Diamond. Sometime in therapy sessions, patients participate in crying exercise. 3. Diamond says it’s best to cry in safe, private places, like under the bed covers or in the car. That’s because many people get uncomfortable when others cry in front of them. In fact, they may be repressing their own need to cry.
In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate. 4. “But once you are safely behind closed doors, don’t just cry,” Diamond says, she suggests that you act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as you like. It will help you feel better. “And,” she adds, “Once your tears have released the stress, you can begin to think of logical way to deal with the problem.”
Tears are a sign of our ability to feel. You should never be afraid to cry.
A.Tears help you when you feel you are ready to explode because of very strong feelings.
B.It is useful to reduce the nerve of our eyes and make them comfortable.
C.They practice crying so that they can get used to expressing emotion.
D.This film contains a substance that protects your eyes against infection.
E.They have brought a lot of benefits for treating patients.
F.It’s good to hold back tears during a tense business discussion.
How difficult change is depends a lot on your attitude towards it and your resistance to it. Your attitude to change can make the whole transformation process much easier.
Imagine change as a pair of shoes and this will help you understand change and how it works. I am sure that you have ever had a comfortable pair of shoes in your life. A pair of shoes is so comfortable that you really don’t want to get rid of them.
You know you need a new pair, and may even have them, but you don’t want to wear them because you are comfortable with your current pair. Besides, the new pair may hurt your feet, give you blisters（水疱）or be awkward to wear to start with. So, you resist the new shoes. However, you know that this new pair would be much better for your feet, and after the initial discomfort they would probably be even more comfortable, yet you still resist.
Do you know I’m doing this now? I’m wearing my comfortable shoes and they feel good. They have a hole in each heel, and the sole is starting to fall off, but I’m persisting in wearing them.
This describes change exactly; change of our habits, change of our thought patterns. We stick with the old patterns because they are comfortable. Yet once we get over the initial pain of the transformation, the new pattern will be comfortable and feel good until the time comes when we need another new pair of shoes.
1.Why do people prefer old shoes to new ones?
A.They have much emotion in the old ones.
B.They are more comfortable.
C.New shoes always harm the feet.
D.They look better than the new ones.
2.According to the passage, we know that people _______.
A.don’t realize the benefit of the new shoes very well
B.are positive and open - minded to accept new things
C.actually know the change will finally be good for them
D.don’t accept new patterns because they are not good
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Once we form a habit, it’s difficult to change it.
B.Most people pay more attention to the future life.
C.One’s attitude to towards something is usually traditional.
D.The more often we change, the better our life will be.
