More women are graduating from colleges than men.The situation is causing some people to worry about the future.The trend could cause social problems,according to a report on July 8 by the Washington Post.
Women received about 57 percent of the bachelor’s degrees awarded this year from colleges and universities in the United States.The figure of 57 percent has been the highest since World War Ⅱ ended in 1945.During the war,many men were in the military.
The gap between men and women is greater among African Americans and Hispanics.Two AfricanAmerican women receive a degree for every AfricanAmerican man.Only 40 percent of Hispanics who get a degree are males.
The USA Department of Education estimates 698,000 females received bachelor’s degree this year.The number of male graduates was 529,000.The trend toward more female graduates began in the mid1980s.Nobody seems to know why.However,many theories exist.
Researchers say the trend could lead to social problems.They also say this may indicate two things.It may reflect the increasing success of women.But it also may show the educational problems affecting men.
High school graduation rates are slightly lower for men than for women.Males also make up the vast majority of students in special education classes.
The Business Roundtable is studying the trend.The group is an organization of chief executives of some of the nation’s largest corporations.Susan Traiman is the director of the group’s education policy.Traiman said the nation couldn’t afford to let half its population fail to develop skills needed for the future.
1.Some people worry about the future because ________.
A.there are many social problems in America
B.more and more men don’t like the life in college
C.more AfricanAmerican women receive a degree
D.fewer and fewer men receive a degree than women in America
2.Which one of the following statements is right according to this passage?
A.There must be something wrong with the education system.
B.40% of the Hispanics get a degree in America.
C.Nobody knows the reason why more women get a degree than men.
D.More than half of the men received bachelor’s degrees this year.
3.The underlined word “estimates” in the fourth paragraph means ________.
A.guesses B.explains C.introduces D.discovers
4.What Susan Traiman said means that ________.
A.the nation should prevent the women from receiving further education
B.the nation would be too poor to develop its education
C.the nation didn’t have enough money for women’s further education
D.the nation should encourage men to develop skills for the future
5.What is the main subject discussed in the text?
A.Women are more successful in America than men.
B.More women than men are graduating from college.
C.Men are more successful in America than women.
D.There are two kinds of social problems in America.
Fifteen years ago, I took a summer vacation in Lecce in southern Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic(全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.
Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.
Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, my camera scanning the sun and reviewing the shot I would eventually take, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn’t want to mess with that.
Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway. And now when I look at it, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow coms to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.
This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who “ruined” it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured(捕捉) and frozen on some stranger’s bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don’t even know has been immortalized(使……永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.
Perhaps we all live in each others’ space. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us.
That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.
1.What happened when the author was about to take a photo?
A. Her camera stopped working.
B. A woman blocked her view.
C. Someone asked her to leave
D. A friend approached from behind.
2.According to the author, the woman was probably_______.
A. enjoying herself
B. losing her patience
C. waiting for the sunset
D. thinking about her past
3.In the author’s opinion, what makes the photo so alive?
A. The rich color of the landscape.
B. The perfect positioning of the camera.
C. The woman’s existence in the photo.
D. The soft sunlight that summer day.
4.The photo on the bedroom wall enables the author to better understand ________.
A. the need to be close to nature
B. the importance of private space
C. the joy of the vacation in Italy
D. the shared passion for beauty
5.The passage can be seen as the author’s reflections upon _______.
A. a particular life experience
B. the pleasure of traveling
C. the art of photography
D. a lost friendship
听下面一段独白,回答以下小题。
1.What is Harry?
A. A bird. B. A dog. C. A boy.
2.Why did Harry catch an apple a day?
A. Because he loved it very much. B. Because it often fell on the ground.
C. Because he liked to play with it.
3.What did Harry do on the snowy day?
A. He brought the apples to the ground. B. He dug holes to put the apples in them.
C. He ate up all the apples.
4.Why did the birds fly to the garden?
A. To look for Harry. B. To eat the apples. C. To make new homes.
听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1.How long did the bus leave before the scheduled time?
A. Ten minutes. B. Thirty minutes. C. An hour.
2.When did the woman probably get on the next bus?
A. At 4:35. B. At 4:45. C. At 5:05.
3.What is the man worried about?
A. The daily expense. B. The woman’s safety.
C. The public transportation.
4.What does the woman decide to do in the end?
A. Buy a car. B. Work for the newspaper.
C. Write to the local officials.
听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1.How long has the man been in London?
A. Two weeks. B. Two months. C. Half a year.
2.What is the man’s problem?
A. He is not used to the weather. B. He has been feeling lonely.
C. His English hasn’t been improved.
3.What is the woman’s advice?
A. To go to parks and have a chat. B. To read English novels.
C. To watch English weather.
听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1.Which program does the man dislike most?
A. Educational programs. B. Police shows. C. News shows.
2.How does the woman feel about the TV programs?
A. Few of them are interesting. B. Most of them are excellent.
C. Most of them are educational.