Across the board, American colleges and universities are not doing a very good job of preparing their students for the workplace or their post-graduation lives. This was made clear by the work of two sociologists, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa. In 2011 they released a landmark study titled "Academically Adrift," which documented the lack of intellectual growth experienced by many people enrolled in college. In particular, Arum and Roksa found, college students were not developing the critical thinking, analytic reasoning and other higher-level skills that are necessary to thrive in today's knowledge-based economy and to lead our nation in a time of complex challenges and dynamic change.Arum and Roksa placed the blame for students' lack of learning on a watered-down college curriculum and lowered undergraduate work standards. Although going to college is supposed to be a Full-time job, students spent, on average, only 12 to 14 hours a week studying and many were skating through their semesters without doing a significant amount of reading and writing. Students who take more challenging classes and spend more time studying do learn more. But the priorities of many undergraduates are with extracurricular activities, playing sports, and partying and socializing.Laura Hamilton, the author of a study on parents who pay for college, will argue in a forthcoming book that college administrations are overly concerned with the social and athletic activities of their students. In Paying for the Party, Hamilton describes what she calls the “arty pathway," which eases many students through college, helped-along by various clubs that send students into the party scene and a host of easier majors. By sanctioning this watered-down version of college, universities are “catering to the social and educational needs of wealthy students at the expense of others" who won't enjoy the financial backing or social connections of richer students once they graduate.These students need to build skills and knowledge during college if they are to use their degrees as a stepping-stone to middle-class mobility. But more privileged students must not waste this opportunity either. As recent graduates can testify, the job market isn't kind to candidates who can't demonstrate genuine competence, along with a well-cultivated willingness to work hard. Nor is the global economy forgiving of an American workforce with increasingly weak literacy, math and science abilities. College graduates will still fare better than those with only a high school education, of course. But a university degree unaccompanied by a gain in knowledge or skills is an empty achievement indeed. For students who have been coasting through college, and for American universities that have been demanding less work, offering more attractions and charging higher tuition, the party may soon be over.What is Arum and Roksa's finding about higher education in America?A. It aims at stimulating the intellectual curiosity of college students.B. It fails to prepare students to face the challenges of modern times.C. It has experienced dramatic changes in recent years.D. 工原It has tried hard to satisfy students' various needs.工原

The key to giving compliments (夸奖) is sounding sincere so that the recipient (接受者) of the compliment is truly pleased and appreciative of the compliment. An insincere compliment does not convey the same message. When complimenting someone, it's important to keep your compliment simple and specific. A compliment that is too over the top sounds forced and does not seem sincere. Instead of talking nonstop about the recipient of the compliment, offer a simple compliment on a specific achievement. The simplicity of the compliment will sound more genuine than if you had gone into great detail in your compliment. Besides, offering a compliment on a specific achievement instead of making a generalization shows that your compliment is sincere because you realize the importance of the achievement. Offering a sincere compliment doesn't have to be difficult, just keep your words simple and focus on the reason why you are giving the compliment. Sincere compliments are spoken from the heart and are not premeditated . A true compliment is spoken freely and without much thought while rehearsing (排演) and planning a compliment appears obligatory and insincere. While thinking before you speak is generally a good idea, putting too much thought into a compliment can have the effect of not seeming genuine. When offering a compliment, let your emotions speak instead of calculating your words and your compliment will seem sincere. The most important thing to remember in giving compliments is that a sincere compliment stems from a genuine feeling of admiration, while the art of offering compliments also involves some other skills. Offering a compliment without thoughts of personal gain is a critical one. If you are giving the compliment for your own personal gain, your lack of sincerity will result in the person receiving the compliment not really feeling touched by your words. In addition, offering your compliment in a timely manner and preferably in front of others helps a lot to create the appearance of a sincere compliment.1. This passage is mainly about ________.A) the advantages of making sincere complimentsB) the difficulties in making sound complimentsC) how to give sincere compliments D) how to appreciate sound compliments2. In what way is a compliment sincere?A) If the receiver has a good impression.B) If the receiver truly appreciates it. C) If the receiver takes it sincerely.D) If the receiver feels proud of himself/herself.3. We can make our compliment simple and specific unless we ________.A) give details in our compliment B) are brief rather than talkativeC) narrow down to only one achievementD) focus on the reason of our compliment4. The word "premeditated" (Para. 3) is closest in meaning to "________".A) calculated carefullyB) written down in privateC) considered thoroughlyD) prepared in advance 5. What is most important when people give a sincere compliment?A) Being simple and specific.B) Speaking without much thought.C) Demonstrating genuine admiration. D) Offering the compliment in front of others.

1. There may not be a clear date on which the civilization is born, but the ___ often marks the beginning. So does Chinese. _

A. In 2008, at a German zoo, a gorilla (大猩猩) named Gana gave birth to a male infant, who died after three months. Photographs of Gana, looking stricken and inconsolable (伤心欲绝的), attracted crowds to the zoo. Sad as the scene was, the humans, not Gana, were the only ones crying. The notion that animals can weep has no scientific basis. Years of observations by biologists Dian Fossey, who observed gorillas, and Jane Goodall, who worked with chimpanzees (黑猩猩), could not prove that animals cry tears from emotion. B. It’s true that many animals shed tears, especially in response to pain. Tears protect the eye by keeping it moist. But crying as an expression of feeling is unique to humans and has played an essential role in human evolution and the development of human cultures. C. Within two days an infant can imitate sad and happy faces. If an infant does not cry out, it is unlikely to get the attention it needs to survive. Around 3-4 months, the relationship between the human infant and its environment takes on a more organized communicative role, and tearful crying begins to serve interpersonal purposes: the search for comfort and pacification (抚慰). As we get older, crying becomes a tool of our social interaction: grief and joy, shame and pride, fear and manipulation. D. Tears are as universal as laughter, and grief is more complex than joy. But although we all cry, we do so in different ways. Women cry more frequently and intensely than men, especially when exposed to emotional events. Like crying, depression is, around the world, more commonly seen in women than in men. One explanation might be that women, who despite decades of social advances still suffer from economic inequality, discrimination (歧视) and even violence, might have more to cry about. Men not only cry for shorter periods than women, but they also are less inclined to explain their tears, usually shed them more quietly, and tend more frequently to apologize when they cry openly. Men, like women, report crying at the death of a loved one and in response to a moving religious experience. They are more likely than women to cry when their core identities―as providers and protectors, as fathers and fighters―are questioned. E. People who score on personality tests as more sympathetic cry more than those who are more rigid or have more self-control. Frequency of crying varies widely: some shed tear at any novel or movie, others only a handful of times in their lives. Crying in response to stress and conflict in the home, or after emotional trauma (创伤), lasts much longer than tears induced by everyday sadness―which in turn last longer than tears of delight and joy. F. Sadness is our primary association with crying, but the fact is that people report feeling happier after crying. Surveys estimate that 85% of women and 73% of men report feeling better after shedding tears. Surprisingly, crying is more commonly associated with minor forms of depression than with major depression involving suicidal thoughts. G. People widely report that crying relieves tension, restores emotional balance and provides "catharsis," a washing out of bad feelings. The term "catharsis" has religious implications of removing evil and sin; it’s no surprise that religious ceremonies are, around the world, one of the main settings for the release of tears. H. Crying is a nearly universal sign of grief, though some mourners report that, despite genuine sorrow, they cannot shed tears―sometimes even for years after their loved one has gone. Unlike today, when the privacy of grief is more respected, the public or ceremonial shedding of tears, at the graveside of a spouse or the funeral of a king or queen, was once considered socially or even politically essential. I. Crying has also served other social purposes. Rousseau wrote in his Confessions that while he considered tears the most powerful expression of love, he also just liked to cry over nothing. J. The association of tears with art has ancient roots. The classic Greek tragedies of the fifth century B.C. were primarily celebrations of gods. Tragedies, like poetry and music, were staged religious events. Even then it was recognized that crying in response to drama brought pleasure. K. I have argued that there are neurobiological (神经生物方面的) associations linking the arts and mood disorders. When I lecture on crying, I ask my audience to let me know, by a show of hands, which art forms most move them to tears. About 80% say music, followed closely by novels (74%), but then the figures fall sharply, to 43%, for poetry, and 10-22% for paintings, sculpture and architecture. L. The physical act of crying is mainly one of breathing in air, which is why we choke up when we weep. This suggests to language scientists that emotional crying evolved before language, perhaps explaining why tears communicate states of mind and feelings that are often so difficult to express in words. Of course, from an evolutionary perspective, recognition of emotion (usually through facial gesture) was essential for survival. M. The earliest humans arrived several million years ago, but only 150,000 to 200,000 years ago, did cultures, language, religion and the arts arise. Along the way, tears became more than a biological necessity to lubricate (润滑) the eye and developed into a sign of intense emotion and a signal of social bonding. The development of self-consciousness and the notion of individual identity, or ego; storytelling about the origins of the world, the creation of humanity and life after death; and the ability to feel others’ sadness―all were critical parts of the neurobiological changes that made us human. N. More recently, we’ve learned from neuroscience that certain brain circuits (回路) are activated (激活), rapidly and unconsciously, when we see another in emotional distress. In short, our brain evolved circuits to allow us to experience sympathy, which in turn made civilization, and an ethics based on sympathy, possible. So the next time you reach a tissue box, or sob on a friend’s shoulder, or shed tears at the movies, stop and reflect on why we cry and what it means to cry. Because ultimately, while we love to cry, we also cry to love.Sometimes people cannot cry despite genuine grief.

Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.The method for making beer has changed over time. Hops (啤酒花), for example, which give many a modem beer its bitter flavor, are a 1 recent addition to the beverage. This was first mentioned in reference to brewing in the ninth century. Now, researchers have found a 2 ingredient in residue (残留物)from 5000-year-old beer brewing equipment. While digging two pits at a site in the central plains of China, scientists discovered fragments from pots and vessels. The different shapes of the containers 3 they were used to brew, filter, and store beer. They may be ancient "beer-making tools" ，and the earliest 4 evidence of beer brewing in China, the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. To 5 that theory, the team examined the yellowish, dried 6 inside the vessels. The majority of the grains, about 80%, were from cereal crops like barley (大麦)and about 10% were bits of roots 7 lily, which would have made the beer sweeter, the scientists say. Barley was an unexpected find: the crop was domesticated in Western Eurasia and didn't become a 8 food in central China until about 2,000 years ago, according to the researchers. Based on that timing, they indicate barley may have 9 in the region not as food, but as 10 material for beer brewing.A.arrivedB.consumingC.directD.exclusivelyE.includingF.informG.rawH.reachedI.relativelyJ.remainsK.resourcesL.stapleM.surprisingN.suggestO.test

The method for making beer has changed over time.Hops（啤酒花），for example,which give many a modern beer its bitter flavor,are a（1） ____ recent addition to the beverage.This was first mentioned in reference to brewing in the ninth century.Now,researchers have found a （2） ____ ingredient in residue（残留物）from 5000-year-old beer brewing equipment.While digging two pits at a site in the central plains of China,scientists discovered fragments from pots and vessels.The different shapes of the containers （3） ____ they were used to brew,filter,and store beer.They may be ancient "beer-making tools," and the earliest （4） ____ evidence of beer brewing in China the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.To（5） ____ that theory,the team examined the yellowish,dried（6） ____ inside the vessels.The majority of the grains,about 80%，were from cereal crops like barley（大麦），and about 10% were bits of roots,（7） ____ lily,which would have made the beer sweeter,the scientists say.Barley was an unexpected find；the crop was domesticated in Western Eurasia and didn't become a （8） ____ food in central China until about 2，000 years ago,according to the researchers.Based on that timing,they indicate barley may have （9） ____ in the region not as food,but as （10） ____ material for beer brewing. A）arrived B）consuming C）direct D）exclusively E）including F）inform G）raw H）reached I）relatively J）remains K）resources L）staple M）suggest N）surprising O）test

Tristesse Jones will probably never drive a tractor or guide a combine at harvest time. There isn't a farm within miles of where she grew up on Chicago's west side, but she's set to graduate with a bachelor's degree in crop sciences from the University of Illinois' agriculture school next spring. "People ask me what is my major, and they say 'What is that? So you want to grow plants?'" Jones said. She is one of a growing number of students being drawn to agriculture schools around the country, not by ties to a farm but by science, the job prospects for those who are good at it and, for some, an interest in the environment. Enrollment (入学人数) in bachelor's degree programs in agriculture across the country grew by 21.8 percent from 2005 to 2008, from about 58,300 students to nearly 71,000. Yet the number of farms nationwide has dropped for decades. Many students are choosing to major in agriculture, educators from across the country say, after finding out that much of what they'll learn is science—biology, chemistry and a long list of more specialized areas that can land them jobs at companies that produce the seeds and chemicals for farmers.Demand for science graduates, agriculture industry officials say, outstrips supply . Monsanto, the St. Louis agricultural business giant that makes seeds, pesticides (杀虫剂) and a series of other farm products, can't hire enough. UC-Davis' College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is one of the country's biggest agriculture schools and still has plenty of students studying in traditional areas, said Diane Ullman, the college's associate dean. But more than 3,200 of its agriculture students are studying so-called human sciences, such as nutrition, or environmental sciences, such as environmental policy. "I think that young people are recognizing all of the issues that surround our society that have to do with food, and I think there's a real interest in new ways of doing things and solving some of these problems," Ullman said.1. How do people feel when they have known Tristesse Jones's major?A) Excited.B) Annoyed.C) Surprised. D) Disappointed.2. Tristesse Jones chose to study agriculture because ________.A) she had great interest in agricultural studiesB) she intended to manage her family's farmC) it could help her to get a satisfactory job D) it could realize her childhood dreams3. According to the passage, students majoring in agriculture will ________.A) compete with students in other majors in the job marketB) have a wide range of potential job opportunities C) study quite a few courses about environmentD) mostly work in large farms after graduation4. What does the author imply by saying "Demand for science graduates, agriculture industry officials say, outstrips supply" (Para. 6)?A) It is easy for agriculture students to find jobs after graduation. B) It is advisable for agriculture students to learn more about science.C) People's prejudice against agricultural studies has been eliminated.D) Agricultural studies have attracted increasing attention from students.5. According to Ullman, why are there so many students studying the so-called human sciences?A) Because they think human sciences are more important than agriculture.B) Because they are inclined to get a satisfactory job easily after graduation.C) Because they think human sciences can better help those who are in need.D) Because they are fond of solving social problems with what they've learned.

Continuous learning benefits us in many ways. First of all, it allows the increase in knowledge and ability in our career. For example, watching someone work can make us a better worker. 16 For example, we can learn about the general workforce and how the application process works to better prepare us for job searching. This can help if for some reason you lose your job and need to find other work. What's more, continuous learning can open our mind. Having an open mind and willingness to take on new ideas can do wonders. First of all it builds your attitude towards change. 17 Second, when you take continuous learning into account, you can begin to understand how others feel about a particular issue. 18 They are always looking for new experiences and do different things. Moreover, they not only have knowledge on various topics that aren't always related to present roles but also know about the latest trends and technologies in the industry. To develop continuous learning, you have to begin with setting a clear and specific goal. 19 Once your goal is set, build a system to help support your strategy. You want to be looking for different sources of information, but also to be picky about it, In other words, try to learn within your specific field but ensure the information is coming from a trustworthy source- At the same time, do use tools to help improve your learning system. 20 Seminars (研讨会) workshops, and live classes are the tools that modern learners need as they make learning effective. 1. 16 A: Learning can improve other areas in our lives. B: Besides, learning can prepare us for the unexpected. C: If always learning, you are always improving. D: Excellent continuous learners behave in a specific manner. E: Being excited about change can affect others around you positively. F: There're various tools to help you present information and learning. G: Knowing what you want to achieve can encourage you to keep learnings. 2. 17 A: Learning can improve other areas in our lives. B: Besides, learning can prepare us for the unexpected. C: If always learning, you are always improving. D: Excellent continuous learners behave in a specific manner. E: Being excited about change can affect others around you positively. F: There’re various tools to help you present information and learning. G: Knowing what you want to achieve can encourage you to keep learnings. 3. 18 A: Learning can improve other areas in our lives. B: Besides, learning can prepare us for the unexpected. C: If always learning, you are always improving. D: Excellent continuous learners behave in a specific manner. E: Being excited about change can affect others around you positively. F: There’re various tools to help you present information and learning. G: Knowing what you want to achieve can encourage you to keep learnings. 4. 19 A: Learning can improve other areas in our lives. B: Besides, learning can prepare us for the unexpected. C: If always learning, you are always improving. D: Excellent continuous learners behave in a specific manner. E: Being excited about change can affect others around you positively. F: There’re various tools to help you present information and learning. G: Knowing what you want to achieve can encourage you to keep learnings. 5. 20 A: Learning can improve other areas in our lives. B: Besides, learning can prepare us for the unexpected. C: If always learning, you are always improving. D: Excellent continuous learners behave in a specific manner. E: Being excited about change can affect others around you positively. F: There’re various tools to help you present information and learning. G: Knowing what you want to achieve can encourage you to keep learnings.

Directions: In this section，you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. I identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2. From Accountant to Yogi:Making a Radical Career ChangeA) At some point, almost all of us will experience a period of radical professional change. Some of us will seek it out; for others it will feel like an unwelcome intrusion into otherwise stable careers. Either way, we have choices about how we respond to it when it comes.B) We recently caught up with yoga entrepreneur Leah Zaccaria，who put herself through the fire of change to completely reinvent herself.In her search to live a life of purpose,Leah left her high-paying accounting job, her husband, and her home. In the process, she built a radically new life and career. Since then, she has founded two yoga studios,met a new life partner， and formed a new community of people. Even if your personal reinvention is less drastic, we think there are lessons from her experience that apply.C) Where do the seeds of change come from?The Native America Indians have a saying:“ Pay attention to the whispers so you won't have to hear the screams.”Often the best ideas for big changes come from unexpected places—it's just a matter of tuning in. Great leaders recognize the weak signals or slight signs that point to big changes to come. Leah reflects on a time she listened to the whispers: “About the time my daughter was five years old, I started having a sense that ' this isn't right." ' She then realized that her life no longer matched her vision for it.D) Up until that point, Leah had followed traditional measures of success. After graduating with a degree in business and accounting , she joined a public accounting firm,married, bought a house, put lots of stuff in it, and had a baby.“I did what everybody else thought and looked successful ," she says. Leah easily could have fallen into a trap of feeling content; instead,her energy sparked a period of experimentation and renewal.E)Feeling the need to change,Leah started playing with future possibilities by exploring her interests and developing new capabilities. First trying physical exercise and dieting, she lost some weight and discovered an inner strength.“I felt powerful because I broke through my own limitations,"she recalls.F) However ,it was another interest that led Leah to radically reinvent herself."I remember sitting on a bench with my aunt at a yoga studio," she said,"and having a moment of clarity right then and there: Yoga is saving my life. Yoga is waking me up. I'm not happy and I want to change and I'm done with this."In that moment of clarity Leah made an important leap, conquering her inner resistance to change and making a firm commitment to take bigger steps.G) Creating the future you want is a lot easier if you are ready to exploit the opportunities that come your way. When Leah made the commitment to change,she primed herself to new opportunities she may otherwise have overlooked. She recalls:H)One day a man I worked with,Ryan, who had his office next to mine,said, " Leah, let's go look at this space on Queen Anne."He knew my love for yoga and had seen a space close to where he lived that he thought might be good to serve as a yoga studio. As soon as I saw the location,I knew this was it. Of course I was scared,yet I had this strong sense of "I have to do this.” Only a few months later Leah opened her first yoga studio，but success was not instant.I) Creating the future takes time. That's why leaders continue to manage the present while building toward the big changes of the future.When it's time to make the leap, they take action and immediately drop what's no longer serving their purpose. Initially Leah stayed with her accounting job while starting up the yoga studio to make it all work.J) Soon after , she knew she had to make a bold move to fully commit to her new future. Within two years,Leah shed the safety of her accounting job and made the switch complete. Such drastic change is not easy.K) Steering through change and facing obstacles brings us face to face with our fears. Leah reflects on one incident that triggered her fears,when her investors threatened to shut her down:“I was probably up against the most fear I've ever had,"she says.“I had spent two years cultivating this community, and it had become successful very fast, but within six months I was facing the prospect of losing it all.”L)She connected with her sense of purpose and dug deep, cultivating a tremendous sense of strength.“I was feeling so intentional and strong that I wasn't going to let fear just take over. I was thinking,'OK, guys, if you want to try to shut me down, shut me down. 'And I knew it was a negotiation scheme,so I was able to say to myself,‘This is not real. '" By naming her fears and facing them head-on,Leah gained confidence. For most of us,letting go of the safety and security of the past gives us great fear. Calling out our fears explicitly, as Leah did,can help us act decisively.M) The cycle of renewal never ends.Leah's growth spurred her to open her second studio—and it wasn't for the money.N) l have no desire to make millions of dollars.It's not about that; it's about growth for me. Honestly, I didn’t need to open a second studio. I was making as much money as I was as an accountant. But I know if you don't grow, you stand still,and that doesn't work for me.O) Consider the current moment in your own life, your team or your organization. Where are you in the cycle of renewal: Are you actively preserving the present,or selectively forgetting the past, or boldly creating the future?What advice would Leah give you to move you ahead on your journey?Once we're on the path of growth, we can continually move through the seasons of transformation and renewal.1. Readiness to take advantage of new opportunities will make it easier to create one's desired future.2.By conventional standards, Leah was a typical successful woman before she changed her career.3.Leah gained confidence by laying out her fears and confronting them directly.4. In search of a meaningful life,Leah gave up what she had and set up her own yoga studios.5.Leah's interest in yoga prompted her to make a firm decision to reshape her life.6. Small signs may indicate great changes to come and therefore merit attention.7.Leah's first yoga studio was by no means an immediate success.8.Some people regard professional change as an unpleasant experience that disturbs their stable careers.9.The worst fear Leah ever had was the prospect of losing her yoga business.10. As she explored new interests and developed new potentials, Leah felt powerful internally.

请阅读短文，完成第题。Polyester （聚酯 ） is now being used for bottles. ICI， the chemicals and plastics company， believes that it is now beginning to break the grip of glass on the bottle business and thus take advantage of this huge market.All the plastics manufacturers have been experiencing hard times as their traditional products have been doing badly world-wide for the last few years. Between 1982 and 1984 the Plastics Division of ICI had lost a hundred and twenty million dollars， and they felt that the most hopeful new market was in packaging， bottles and cans.Since 1982 it has opened three new factories producing "Melinar"， the raw material from which high quality polyester bottles are made.The polyester bottle was born in the 1970s， when soft drinks companies like Coca Cola started selling their drinks in giant two-liter containers. Because of the build-up of the pressure of gas in these large containers， glass was unsuitable. Nor was PVC， the plastic which had been used for bottles since the 1960s， suitable for drinks with gas in them. A new plastic had to be made.Glass is still cheaper for the smaller bottles and will continue to be so， unless oil and plastic become much cheaper， but plastic does well for the larger sizes.Polyester bottles are virtually unbreakable. The manufacturers claim they are also lighter， less noisy when being handled， and can be reused. Shopkeepers and other business people are unlikely to object to a change from glass to polyester， since these bottles mean few breakages， which are costly and time-consuming. The public， though， have been more difficult to persuade. ICI"s commercial department is developing different bottles with interesting shapes， to try and make them visually more attractive to the public.The next step could be to develop a plastic which could replace tins for food. The problem here is the high temperatures necessary for cooking the food in the container.Why is ICI‘s Plastics Division interested in polyester for bottles? 查看材料A. The other things they make are not selling well. B. Glass manufacturers cannot make enough new bottles. C. They have factories which could be adapted to make it. D. The price of oil keeps changing.