1 . As the latest crop of students pen their undergraduate application form and weigh up their options, it may be worth considering just now the point, purpose and value of a degree has changed and what Generation Z need to consider as they start the third stage of their educational journey.
Millennials were told that if you did well in school, got a decent degree, you would be set up for life. But that promise has been found wanting. As degrees became universal, they became devalued. Education was no longer a secure route of social mobility. Today, 28 percent of graduates in the UK are in non- graduate roles, a percentage which is double the average among OECD countries.
This is not to say that there is no point in getting a degree, but rather stress that a degree is not for everyone, that the switch from classroom to lecture hall is not an inevitable one and that other options are available.
Thankfully, there are signs that this is already happening, with Generation Z seeking to learn from their millennial predecessors (前辈), even if parents and teachers tend to be still set in the degree mindset. Employers have long seen the advantages of hiring school leavers who often prove themselves to be more committed and loyal employees than graduates. Many too are seeing the advantages of cancelling a degree requirement for certain roles.
Regardless, it is unlikely that Generation Z will be done with education at 18 or 21; they will need to be constantly up-skilling throughout their career to stay employable. It has been estimated that this generation, due to the pressures of technology, the wish for personal fulfillment and desire for diversity, will work for 17 different employers over the course of their working life and have five different careers. Education, and not just knowledge gained on campus, will be a core part of Generation Z’s career trajectory (轨道).
Older generations often talk about their degree in the present and personal tense: “I am a geographer” or “I am a classist”. Their sons or daughters would never say such a thing; it’s as if they already know that their degree won’t define them in the same way.
1. The percentage of UK graduates in non-graduate roles reflect __________.| A．the deceasing value of a degree | B．Millennial’s opinions about work |
| C．the desired route of social mobility | D．public dissatisfaction with education |
| A．The employers’ preference for high school leavers. |
| B．A change in parents’ attitudes towards college education. |
| C．A wider variety of choices besides pursuing a degree. |
| D．More emphasis put on lecture hall rather than classroom. |
| A．They will have a limited choice of jobs. |
| B．Education will no longer be a core part in their life. |
| C．They will focus more on personal accomplishment. |
| D．Lifelong learning will determine what they are. |
While engagement has never been more challenging for schools to achieve, it’s also
Good Taste of Knowledge
The aim of education or culture is merely the development of good taste in knowledge and good form in conduct. The cultured man or the ideal educated man is not necessarily one who is well-read or learned, but one who likes and dislikes the right things. To know what to love and what to hate is to have taste in knowledge.
Nothing is more annoying than to meet a person at a party whose mind is crammed (填塞) full with historical dates and figures and who is extremely well-posted on current international affairs, but whose attitudes or points of view are all wrong. I have met such people. They do have great academic knowledge, but no good judgment or taste. Being knowledgeable is a mere matter of the cramming of facts or information while having good taste is a matter of artistic judgment. In speaking of a scholar, the Chinese generally distinguish between their scholarship (学术成就), conduct and taste..
An educated man, therefore, is one who has the right loves and hatreds. This we call taste, and with taste comes charm. Now, to have taste requires a capacity for thinking things through to the bottom, the independence of judgment, and the unwillingness to be affected by any form of power.
When a man is wrong, he is wrong, and there is no need for one to be impressed by a great name or by the number of books that he has read and we haven't.
Taste, then. is closely associated with courage. as the Chinese always associated dan (“胆”) with shi (“识”) And courage or independence of judgment, as we know, is such a rare virtue among humankind. We see this intellectual courage or independence during the childhood of all thinkers and writers who in later life amount to anything. Such a person refuses to be impressed by a philosophic vogue or a fashionable theory, even though it is backed by the greatest name. this is taste in knowledge.
No doubt such intellectual courage or independence of judgment requires a certain childish. nave confidence in oneself, but this self is the only thing that one can cling to. and the moment a student gives up-his right of personal judgment, he is m for accepting all the dishonest and insincere of life.
1. According to the author, what is the goal of education?2. Why is a well-read man not necessarily an educated one?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement: Intellectual courage or independence of judgment builds confidence in oneself; then underline it and explain why Intellectual courage or independence of judgment builds confidence in oneself.
4. Please name one person with the qualities of dan and shi in Chinese history and explain what about this person makes you think so. (In about 40 words)
4 . An economist, Adam Smith, famously wrote that “it is not from the benevolence (慈善)of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest.” Like Smith, many economists today believe that one’s self-interest is what drives competition and growth in market economies. Yet, in an increasingly interconnected society, it is even more crucial to have collaborative skills. Thus we should encourage cooperation to better prepare children for the future.
Firstly, in the present age marked by the transformative potential of technology to facilitate interactions, cooperation is an especially prized soft skill to have. As a research study proves, soft skills such as good communication and empathy consist of qualitative indicators of outstanding employees as compared to technical skills or knowledge. In contrast, excessively (过分地)competitive and individualistic behaviour may fracture social relations in the community of co-workers and since no man is an island, even the most competent employee will not be able to pursue his goals effectively without the help of others who are able to share a common vision and understanding.
Moreover, encouraging cooperation increase a healthy sense of self-esteem in children that better prepares them for the competitive working world. Many modern societies today are consumed by an obsessive drive for success and the pressure to perform has infiltrated both classrooms and offices alike. The consequences of the fierce competitive culture include higher rates of anxiety and depression among university students and office workers, which are all counterproductive. Teamwork can help a maturing individual realise that each has his or her own unique set of abilities to bring to the table and that another person’s strengths do not in any way diminish (降低)the value of his or her talents. Thus, cooperation can affirm the self-worth of children by correcting the violent insight that winning or paper achievement is an exclusive (唯一)measure of success in life.
However, critics may claim that in a cutthroat world, adapting to competition should be of supreme priority in education and parenting. To achieve one’s deepest ambitions, such as to become a medical student, or to create a tech start-up, one has to adopt competition by actively fighting for opportunities and distinguishing oneself from others. Nevertheless, since passion can already stimulate children to work hard to fulfill their ambitions, the need to encourage competition may be at the end of the day. As much as external competition can drive people to pursue excellence, internal motivation is at least equally or arguably even more essential, and collaboration plays an instrumental role in helping one uncover one’s tendency and motivations.
1. What can be inferred from Adam Smith’s words?| A．Our society is increasingly interconnected. |
| B．Our dinner is made out of the regards to markets. |
| C．Self-interest pushes the development of economies. |
| D．The butcher, the brewer or the baker is not sympathy. |
| A．Deepen. | B．Establish. | C．Maintain. | D．Damage. |
| A．Paper achievement is an exclusive measure of success. |
| B．Confidence and ambitions can be achieved through cooperation. |
| C．Actively fighting for distinguishing oneself is a healthy competition. |
| D．Competition is not essential for people to pursue excellence. |
| A．To introduce parents the advantages of cooperation. |
| B．To inform parents to balance cooperation and competition. |
| C．To persuade parents to care about their children’s education. |
| D．To tell parents to encourage their children to learn to cooperate. |
5 . Does Chinese philosophy influence your parenting? It is the question I am most often asked. Chinese philosophy contains many lessons that are useful, accessible and timely when applied to the challenges of parenting. Confucianism and Daoism suggest ways to guide your children toward meaning and fulfilment rather than wealth and fame.
Parenting is tough, especially because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Different kids need different things. How do we stay focused on what matters most? How do we navigate difficult times with our kids and support them when they struggle? All of us want our children to be successful, partly because we love them and want them to be happy. But it is easy to mistake “success” with certain kinds of academic or athletic achievements.
Of course, one can define success in this way. But ancient Chinese philosophers believed that real success is not measured by fame, money or power. A successful life is one in which a person flourishes: they are happy, fulfilled, and they find meaning in what they do and who they are. This type of fulfilment comes from loving and being loved by others within the context of meaningful, lasting relationships; giving generously of what you have to others; caring for and having a genuine love of nature; and shouldering your responsibility.
Most of us know that having an Ivy League degree and a high-paying job is not going to make our children happy and fulfilled in life. Yet we worry about how they will find things they love to do and that they are good at. Philosophers from the two most influential ancient Chinese traditions — Confucianism and Daoism — talk more about human flourishing, virtue, happiness and fulfilment than about “success”.
Chinese philosophers argued that we genuinely flourish — are happiest and most fulfilled — when we develop these virtues. This can never be measured in terms such as earning power, entering famous schools or getting jobs. Instead, it is measured in how we treat people — how one loves and is loved by one’s family and friends — and in what one does to make the world a kinder, gentler, more humane and beautiful place. They encourage us to help our children learn more about the world around them.
The Confucians and Daoists were a little like yin and yang: Confucians have a lot of active, hands-on ways to help children grow, such as participating in traditions, while the Daoists recommend simpler activities, such as exploring the beauty of nature. Their diverse views on living a good life are precisely what makes Chinese philosophy such a great resource for parents.
Parenting is messy. It is not simple or straightforward but complex and difficult. There are no magic solutions that make things easy or smooth. Most of us will need to piece together different approaches in order to find something that works well and feels right in different situations, for different children, and at different times in a child’s life.
1. According to the author, parenting is challenging because________.| A．Parents don’t know what success refers to |
| B．Children don’t believe in Chinese philosophy |
| C．There are many theories of parenting to choose |
| D．One can’t find a standard approach to suit every child |
| A．People who flourish can feel successful because they live a meaningful life. |
| B．Only when people make contribution to society can they feel successful. |
| C．A successful life can be measured by reputation and wealth. |
| D．Success just means one should be friendly to nature. |
| A．Confucians think graduating from famous university can make children intelligent and fulfilled. |
| B．Daoists are more influential than Confucians because of their simpler activities. |
| C．Confucians and Daoists together can provide parents abundant resources. |
| D．It is enough for parents to just learn Chinese Philosophy well. |
| A．Critical . | B．Objective. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Suspicious. |
Since there seems to be an app for everything, it may come as no surprise that there is an app for cheating. But it isn't just one app. It's hundreds of companies and apps that can be used to complete students' homework, and even exams
But what surprised me most as an educator playing this cat-and-mouse game for decades is that cheating is now spreading internationally and powered by billion-dollar companies.
Some companies offer monthly subscription formats, in which students pay $15 a month for round-the-clock access to resources including exam questions and homework "help". They also get on-demand access to many experts with advanced degrees in math, science and other subjects. These experts, available online 24/7, are the source of step-by-step answers.
As an unintended consequence of technology allowing remote learning and exams, students are finding more and more online venues allowing them to earn grades and diplomas(文凭) by cheating.
How do we limit this global supply chain of cheating?
The answer depends on the motivation behind the decision to cheat. Some students don't think of it as cheating, as they are paying a legit(合法的) company for the service; many feel pressured to get the grades and so justify the means. Many students who are cheating avoid academic consequences, as there are few technology solutions to capture original answers provided by experts, and plagiarism-catching software can't detect original work bought by these students.
However, in 2020, lawmakers in some countries made it illegal to arrange or advertise for sale certain cheating services such as paid essay writing. Did it have an effect? According to a study, many of the biggest and best-known essay mills are ending operations. But even then, fear of getting caught is probably not enough motivation to stop all cheating students. Thus, tackling this cheating requires a collective effort by educational institutions.
1. Why did the author feel shocked?2. How do you understand the underlined part in Para. 6?
3. Decide which part of the following statement is wrong. Underline it and explain why.
•Students' academic pressure makes online cheating widespread and some measures have been taken to fight it.
4. As a student, what do you think of online cheating?(In about 40 words)
The objectives of education can be various. One is
8 . The world climbs in population every year, meaning new parents enter the workforce daily. A wide variety of ideas change and adapt over time as people try to figure out what the “best” take on parenting is. Sadly, some parenting techniques have disastrous effects.
A common technique that leads to a difficult adult life by lowering confidence in children is negative parenting. Negative parenting tactics, such as lecturing, complaining, and yes, insulting can have a serious effect on your child’s behavior and activities later on in life. Clearly, being insulted and lectured multiple times a day by an authority figure can greatly affect a child’s confidence going into adulthood. It’s not surprising he’s hardly apt to actively seek out the companionship of others. Instead, his negative feelings toward himself cultivate a feeling of unworthiness around other children.
While negative parenting can affect a child’s mental state, helicopter parenting results in ill-prepared children in an ever growing competitive world. A helicopter parent is overly involved in the life of his or her child. Children who cannot regulate their emotions and behavior effectively are more likely to have a harder time making friends and to struggle in school. Another problem children with helicopter parents may have in the future is managing their health. Taking all of this information into account, helicopter parenting doesn’t allow the child to be independent, so once the child has grown up he or she will not be able to make a decision by himself or herself.
On the other side of the spectrum, permissive parenting leaves a child undisciplined for life. This style of parenting has a very loose structure and few rules; the parents usually show a lot of affection and love for their children. Therefore, permissive parenting is a type of parenting style characterized by low demands with high responsiveness. Because parents have low expectations of their children, and want to be friends rather than parents, kids suffer because of a lack of achievement and motivation to do well in what they do. Therefore, children have worse self-control and cannot follow rules. These are fundamental concepts that should be taught at a young age to prepare for adulthood. If done a certain way, the effects left from parenting can hurt an adolescent into adult years.
Overall, parenting really does affect how children grow and adapt to their world. Some parenting techniques lead to major problems that show in adulthood. The new parents of the world ought to be careful with how they raise their children.
1. What might be the influence on a child by negative parenting?| A．Affecting child’s mental state. |
| B．Improving a child’s confidence. |
| C．Cultivating a child’s worthiness. |
| D．Looking for the companionship of others actively. |
| A．Expect too much of their child. | B．Teach their child to manage health. |
| C．Make too many decisions for their child. | D．Allow their child to do whatever he wants. |
| A．Punishing. | B．Suffering. | C．Permissive. | D．Essential. |
| A．To make comparison of parenting styles on children. |
| B．To highlight the importance of parenting styles on children. |
| C．To share the latest definitions of parenting styles on children. |
| D．To inform the readers of the new parenting styles on children. |
9 . Pre-school teacher Rosa Ramirez has a special way of asking her students to line up for playtime outside. “Pueden pararse si llevan puesto algo de color amarillo, como una abeja,” she tells them. In English, Ramirez would say, “You can stand up if you are wearing yellow—like a bee.” But this is the half of the school day in which she teaches completely in Spanish.
Students are not confused by her language choice. Most of the four-year-olds wearing yellow stand up as instructed. The pre-school bilingual program at Gates Street Early Education Center in Lincoln Heights is part of a growing number of bilingual education models in California and across the country. Many of them are designed to serve students from Spanish-speaking families, as well as students from other cultures, under growing evidence that learning two languages can help people from all backgrounds become stronger students.
About 3.8 million students in U.S. schools are native Spanish speakers who are not good at English. They make up a large part of about five million students nationwide identified as English language learners. English language learners are the fastest-growing population in schools and the lowest-performing, as judged by achievement tests and graduation rates. Sixty-seven percent of students with limited English skills graduated from high school after four years in 2016, compared with 84% of all students.
Language experts recommend how to improve the situation: more high-quality, long-term bilingual programs can close the achievement gap between English learners and native English Speakers after five to six years, according to research.
The programs can be hard to put into practice. Problems include a debate over the best way to teach English learners, shortages of bilingual teachers, and even the fact that bilingual programs often grow fastest in areas where upper-income parents ask for them. That’s good for children who participate, but it worries people who want to see language-minority students have equal access.
“If we can make children feel more ready and more accepted, then we’ve gone a long way to making them ready to learn, ” says Tara Fortune, an expert in children education.
1. How do the pre-school children react after hearing Rosa Ramirez's words?| A．They all stand up and try to catch bees. |
| B．Most children in yellow stand up as she asks. |
| C．They are all happy to wear new yellow clothes. |
| D．A large number of the children are confused. |
| A．To help students from other cultures study. |
| B．To help students learn as many languages as they can. |
| C．To make English popular among students abroad. |
| D．To make students from other backgrounds physically stronger. |
| A．They make up a small share of English language learners. |
| B．Sixteen percent of them fail to graduate every year on average. |
| C．They perform relatively poorly in studies. |
| D．84% of them can graduate with good scores. |
| A．It is not accepted by rich families from other cultures. |
| B．It is not a good thing if it lasts for the whole life of students. |
| C．It is common in schools with students from different backgrounds. |
| D．It is hard to introduce especially with language-minority students. |
10 . Once I told someone I wanted to get a master’s degree of fine arts in creative writing and they told me it was the second-to-worst post-graduation plan they’d ever heard from a student. Arts degrees — especially fine arts degrees, which usually come in the form of music, studio art, creative writing and theater — have been, over the years, labeled useless.
It’s true that for the most part, STEM degrees lead to higher paying jobs than liberal and fine arts degrees, and it’s understandable why young people care about a higher starting salary and financial security. Student loan debt is playing a role in the physical and mental stress of young people.
And while STEM majors usually have starting salaries that are $20,000 higher than those of liberal arts majors, by the time people reach the age of 40, the salaries between those who majored in the liberal arts and those who majored in STEM are virtually the same. For example, women who major in STEM earned nearly 50% more than social science and history majors at ages 23-25, but only 10% more by ages 38-40, a New York Times analysis reported. So even in terms of salary, which doesn’t solely determine whether or not a degree is useful, liberal arts degrees aren’t all that far behind STEM.
It seems too that since people nowadays are going to have to work longer, it’s more important than ever that we actually like and care about what we’re doing. Pursuing something enjoyable, or else a passion, is continuously found to be a key factor in maintaining healthy relationships, mental health, physical health and energy. In other words, not useless.
Art is also a method of communication. It allows people from different backgrounds, from different walks of life to communicate with each other. In a world where borders and division seem to be all over the place, we need art more than ever. We need liberal arts majors. And more than anything, we need to be able to pursue what we love with confidence, and we need to not get caught up in the “usefulness” of what we love.
And just because someone’s primary job isn’t in their field of study — a writer who teaches high school for example— doesn’t make the degree useless. It just means that their way of finding a stable income is different. The same goes for artists who have to work multiple jobs to support themselves. They might have to find other means of supporting themselves and their artistry. It might be copy editing or it might be tutoring.
So I am going to graduate school, and I am going to graduate school for writing. I might be paying rent by way of overnight restaurant shifts — there’s so much I’m not sure of. But one thing I am sure of is this — I would rather be a writer working two jobs to pay my bills than be no writer at all.
1. A New York Times analysis report is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to ______.| A．analyse the potential value of different majors |
| B．put forward the opinion on majors by example |
| C．prove the argument against arts degrees wrong |
| D．demonstrate the link between majors and incomes |
| A．Following one’s dream of arts keeps one in good condition. |
| B．Doing what one loves builds up one’s self-confidence in arts. |
| C．Mastering arts improves one’s understanding of different jobs. |
| D．Developing a love for arts helps one maintain passion for work. |
| A．unavoidable | B．common |
| C．traditional | D．acceptable |
| A．Students learning arts are more concerned about the value of life. |
| B．People tend to place income in the first place when choosing majors. |
| C．The man who doesn’t love his work won’t stick with the job for long. |
| D．Graduates can find a broader space of development in the field of arts. |
