Question

A decade ago, secondary and higher education was listed above all else. Apprenticeships(学徒工作) were considered as a choice for dropouts(辍学者) rather than a brave career choice. Some young men and women didn’t fit into the school system, but preferred to find new starts, so they were allowed to leave school to focus their attention on making a living in the business world.

Now there’re no birds of this year in last year’s nests. Young people are being encouraged to think carefully about whether what they are learning in school is right for them—this trend has been caused by rising university fees and a global shortage of many skills that were ignored in schools in recent years, ranging from web development to sales.

Young people are required to stay in education or training until they are 18, but now learning takes place in different forms. The Government also has its own way to help interested youths find an apprenticeship that suits their skills and ambitions.

Tom Hartley now owns a large business in Derbyshire, who founded his first company at just 12 years old. “I had no school education,” he says. “Running business was how I learned everything. I call it the Hartley University of Life.

His business, 43 years on, turns over £ 200 million, and sells cars to customers all over the world. Many years ago, Hartley was asked to explain why he had chosen to be self-educated and why he had supported his son’s decision to leave school and join the family business.

“I got heavy suspect at the time,” he explains. “you can’t teach gut feelings(直觉) on a blackboard. School is fine if you want to be a doctor or fly a rocket to the moon, but it is not true about experience in business.”

1.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. Education is no more important nowadays.

B. The situation above has changed.

C. Things change for the worse for dropouts.

D. University fees are becoming higher and higher.

2.What does the author say about Tom Hartley?

A. He attaches more value to experience than to education.

B. He was supported in founding his first company.

C. He is well-educated and far-sighted.

D. He is brave and open-minded.

3.How does the author prove his view?

A. By giving an example.    B. By making a comparison.

C. By analyzing causes.    D. By listing figures.

4.Which statement may the author agree with?

A. Education is the only way to success.

B. Education systems vary from country to country.

C. School dropouts could be future business stars.

D. School dropouts were common among youngsters.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】本文主要是通过列举 Tom Hartley的成功事例来说明没有受过教育的人也有可能在商业上取得成功，在学校学习学校是好的，但在商业上的经验是不正确的。

1.细节理解题。由第一段内容和第二段的“Young people are being encouraged to think carefully about whether what they are learning in school is right for them—this trend has been caused by rising university fees and a global shortage of many skills that were ignored in schools in recent years, ranging from web development to sales.”年轻人正在被鼓励仔细思考他们在学校所学的知识是否适合他们，这种趋势是由大学学费上涨和全球技能短缺引起的，这些技能近年来被学校忽视，从网络发展到销售。可知上述的情况已经发生了变化。故选B。

2.细节理解题。由“Tom Hartley now owns a large business in Derbyshire, who founded his first company at just 12 years old. “I had no school education,” he says. “Running business was how I learned everything. I call it the Hartley University of Life.”Tom Hartley现在拥有在德比郡的一家大企业，创立了自己的第一家公司，年仅12岁。“我没有学校教育，”他说。“跑步是我学到的一切。我叫它哈特利大学生活。”Many years ago, Hartley was asked to explain why he had chosen to be self-educated and why he had supported his son’s decision to leave school and join the family business.“许多年前，Hartley被要求解释为什么他选择的是自学和为什么他支持儿子的决定，离开学校加入家族生意。我当时有很重的嫌疑，”他解释道。可知他很勇敢，思想很开放。故选D。

3.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，作者主要是通过列举 Tom Hartley的成功事例来说明他的观点的，故选A。

4.推理判断题。文章二三段告诉我们如今不擅长学术的年轻人被鼓励放弃接受教育而开始创业。第四五段指出“Tom Hartley now owns a large business in Derbyshire, who founded his first company at just 12 years old. “I had no school education,”Tom Hartley现在拥有在德比郡的一家大企业，创立了自己的第一家公司，年仅12岁。“我没有学校教育。由此可知，昔日的辍学者未来可能会在商界取得成功。故选C。