Question

    For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find all internship(实习). In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far between.

Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.

But in America, education reform (改革) programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的) kids with no jobs and no skills.

Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example, encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.

However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row. “The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,” said Michael, a researcher in the US.

1.What’s the main idea of the text?

A.Arguments about recent US education reform.

B.Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers.

C.The lack of career-based courses in US high schools.

D.Advice for American high school leavers.

2.According to Robert Schwartz, _________.

A.there is no need for kids to go for higher education in the US

B.teenagers in the US can’t miss out on the summer job experience

C.education reform should focus on students’ performance in exams

D.students should get contact with the working world at high school

3.The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 5 most probably means __________.

A.discouraging B.interesting

C.creative D.unbearable

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A.High school leavers with no practical skills can’t find a job at all.

B.Unemployment rates for US teenagers remain high at the moment.

C.Students with career-based courses never have problems finding a job.

D.US companies work with schools to prepare young people for future employment.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。本文主要通过介绍和比较美国、德国的高中对毕业生就业选择上的引导和建议，说明了高中教育在就业方面对于学生未来职业发展的重要性。

1.

主旨大意题。由第一段第二句In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far between.就可看出美国高中缺乏就业课程，全文主要围绕这一现象及其影响进行阐述，故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据第四段第一句Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school. 可知，Schwart认为，最好的职业规划鼓励孩子接受高等教育，同时在高中教授他们宝贵的实用技能。由此可知，Schwartz认为学生在高中阶段应该接触到一些社会工作，故选D。

3.

词义猜测题。A. discouraging令人沮丧的；B. interesting 有趣；C. creative 具有创造力的； D. unbearable 无法忍受的。从下文的“In the US，unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row．”可知在美国，16至19岁的失业率连续第三个夏季超过20％，20%的失业率是很高的，说明就业市场的情况不乐观；由此可知，“daunting”的意思是令人沮丧的。故选A。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“In the US，unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row．”可知在美国，16至19岁的失业率连续第三个夏季超过20％，由此可以推断目前青少年的失业率很高，故选B。