1 . Recent years have seen a small increase in unemployment rates due to slowing of the economy. The fact that many college graduates are finding it difficult to land a job has sparked online discussions on the cost of education and the returns on it, with many agreeing with the notion that “education is useless”.
Stories like a person with a doctorate’s degree from Zhejiang University is delivering food, and overseas-returned graduates are selling hot-pot ingredients have caused many to question the value of education. Moreover, the fact that about 36,000 fewer candidates have applied to take the postgraduate exam in 2024, the first decline in numbers in years, has also fueled the “education is useless theory.
Is education truly worthless? This question has resurfaced due to several factors.
The wide spread of higher education has significantly increased the number of college graduates, reducing the value of college degrees. As the job market becomes over-crowded with graduates, the scarcity of high-level talents has become apparent, particularly in fields such as the humanities. For example, more than 900 institutions in China offer English major, making it the most common degree program, yet there’s a shortage of top talents who are proficient in English and have a good knowledge about the differences in Chinese and foreign approach to fields such as international relations and journalism.
The declining returns on the investment in education have given rise to the “education is useless” theory. Given the challenging job market, many believe college education does not guarantee any sort of employment, let alone a suitable job. And with various economic opportunities available, the notion that one can become financially successful even without formal education is becoming increasingly acceptable.
In light of these developments, combined efforts need to be made to change the situation. For instance, universities must take measures to integrate education, research and industry, while enhancing cooperation with enterprises through tailored talent training programs. Additionally, the authorities need to pay greater attention to vocational education, an important part of China’s educational system. Students, parents and society, on their part, should abandon their bias against vocational training, because it integrates education with career prospects throughout the learning process, offering targeted, technical and practical training which allows students to master their skills which can get them well-paying jobs in the future.
Developing a correct view of employment and career choice is key to abandoning the notion of “education being useless”. People, especially students, must understand the current employment landscape, their positioning, and strengths and weaknesses. While realizing that a college degree is no longer a ticket to employment, college students should leverage education resources to enrich their professional knowledge and competitiveness. And youths should approach vocational education with an open mind in order to make the most of what the job market has to offer.
Education is not synonymous with earning money, nor does a college degree guarantee financial success. The value of education is knowledge, which we need to make informed decisions not only in our professional life but also in our social and other fields of life.
1. What are the main reasons for the recent rise in the belief that ”education is useless”?A.Economic slowdown and job scarcity. |
B.Sad stories about educated individuals. |
C.Decline in postgraduate exam applicants. |
D.Emphasis on practical skills over qualifications. |
A.By focusing solely on academic research. |
B.By integrating education, research, and industry. |
C.By ignoring cooperation with enterprises. |
D.By eliminating vocational education courses. |
A.limit | B.abandon | C.balance | D.maximize |
A.Negative and pessimistic | B.Positive and supportive |
C.Balanced and objective | D.Unclear and ambiguous |
A.It’s less important. |
B.It needs improvement. |
C.It’s becoming more popular. |
3 . 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. |
How do learning habits influence learning results? It’s useful and necessary to discuss learning habits. There is a famous
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” also
What’s
I believe that through my efforts, I can gain good learning results by having good habits.
5 . A new study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family claims that all that time you spend parenting just doesn’t matter. But it’s a claim that, despite the enthusiastic and widespread coverage by the media, does not hold water.
The research suggests that child outcomes (including behavior problems, emotional problems, and academic performance) are barely connected with the time that parents spend with their children. The researchers examined the time diaries of 1,600 children, looking at parenting time and outcomes when the kids were aged 3 to 11 in 1997, and again in 2002, when they were between 8 and 16. (A time diary is a detailed report of all activities you carry out in a day. )
This research largely reflects the failure of the authors to correctly measure parental input. It just looked at time diaries from two particular days-one a weekday and the other a weekend day.
Trying to get a sense of the time you spend parenting from a single day’s diary is a bit like trying to measure your income from a single day. If yesterday was payday, you looked rich, but if it’s not, you would be reported as poor. You get a clearer picture only by looking at your income — or your parenting time—over a more meaningful period.
What you did yesterday should not be taken as representative of what you did last year, This is why most high-quality studies of parenting time focus instead on how often parents read to their children, play with them or help their with homework over a period of a month or longer — long enough to represent their different approaches to parenting.
As an exhausted parent who doesn’t get enough time to work out, and who hasn’t seen a movie for months, I understand why so many of us might seize on studies suggesting that we should take more time for ourselves. Perhaps we should. But I agree with Ariel Kalil, a developmental psychologist, on the suggestion “that when parents spend high-quality time with their children, their children are more likely to succeed.”
1. By saying in Paragraph 1 “ ... it’s a claim that ... does not bold water”, the author means the claim is not ________.A.reasonable | B.surprising | C.confusing | D.usual |
A.children’s habits and parents’ influence | B.parenting time and child outcomes |
C.time diaries and child development | D.daily activities and children’s problems |
A.By giving descriptions. | B.By analyzing the cause. |
C.By making a comparison. | D.By offering research findings. |
A.be completed in one month. | B.adopt some different approaches. |
C.concentrate mainly on learning time. | D.be based on data of a longer time period. |
A.He goes to bed early every night. | B.He has little interest in movies. |
C.He has little time for himself. | D.He leads a very easy life. |
A.Pocket money. | B.The value of money. | C.Money saving. |
7 . The weather in Texas may have cooled since the recent extreme heat, but the temperature will be high at the State Board of Education meeting in Austin this month as officials debate how climate change is taught in Texas schools.
Pat Hardy, who agrees with the views of the energy department, is resisting proposed changes to science standards for pre-teen pupils. These would emphasize the significance of human activity in recent climate change and encourage discussion of reduction measures.
Most scientists and experts sharply argue against Hardy’s views. “They casually view the career work of scholars and scientists as just another misguided opinion,” says Dan Quinn, senior communications strategist at the Texas Freedom Network, a non-profit group that monitors public education. Such debates reflect fierce discussions across the US and around the world, as researchers, policymakers, teachers and students step up demands for a greater focus on teaching about the facts of climate change in schools.
A study, looking at how state public schools across the country address climate change in science classes, gave barely half of US states a grade B+ or higher. Among the 10 worst performers were some of the most populous states, including Texas, which was given the lowest grade (F) and has a huge influence because its textbooks are widely sold elsewhere.
Glenn Branch, the center’s deputy director, cautions that setting state-level science standards is only one limited norm in a country that decentralizes (使分权) decisions to local school boards. Even if a state is considered a high performer in its science standards, “that does not mean it will be taught”, he says.
Branch points out that, even if a growing number of official guidelines and textbooks reflect scientific consensus (共识) on climate change, unofficial educational materials that convey more biased (带有偏见的) perspectives are being distributed to teachers. They include materials sponsored by libertarian think-tanks (智库) and energy industry associations.
1. Why is the weather in Texas mentioned in Paragraph 1?A.To forecast a policy shift in Texas schools. | B.To stress the consequences of climate change. |
C.To indicate the atmosphere at the board meeting. | D.To draw the public’s attention to energy shortages. |
A.Hardy overstates the existing panic. | B.Hardy denies the value of scientific work. |
C.Hardy shows no concern for pre-teens. | D.Hardy expresses self-contradictory views |
A.The standards call for regular revision. | B.The standards cater to local needs. |
C.The standards have limited influence. | D.The standards require urgent application. |
A.It agrees to major public demands. | B.It reflects teachers’ personal biases. |
C.It may misrepresent the energy department. | D.It can be impacted by external forces. |
Mama notices that there has been a rise in bad manners in the family lately, such as Sister taking things from Brother without asking, and Brother pushing Sister without saying “Excuse me”. It then turns into a shoving (推搡) match between the kids, with them calling each other names and making faces. Their table manners are getting worse, as instead of asking to pass items across the table, Brother and Sister stuff their mouths with food and use some of it to engage in a food fight and kick each other from under the table.
Mama tries to coax (用好话劝) the kids, then complains, and finally shouts. She also tries to ask Papa for help, but he is also part of the problem, as when Papa gets angry at the kids, he bangs (猛捶) on the table. Nothing for Mama works, so she decides to take out a big piece of cardboard and writes out her politeness plan. When she is done, Mama calls a family meeting and introduces the plan to Papa and the kids: if they do something rude such as forgetting to say “please” or “thank you”, the punishment is to sweep the floor. Brother and Sister object to the politeness plan, telling Mama that she’s not being fair. Mama, however, reminds the kids that they’re the ones who aren’t being fair to themselves or other people. She then explains what manners are and why they are important until Papa interrupts her.
While Mama is thankful for Papa’s comment, she notes that he breaks one of the rules. She hands him a feather duster and has him dust the room. Brother and Sister note how serious the plan is and both come up with the idea of being super polite to get Mama to call off the politeness plan.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150个左右;2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
They put their idea into practice.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mama is pleased with the change.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. How many days do Japanese students go to school each week?
A.Four days. | B.Five days. | C.Six days. |
A.Informal. | B.Too serious. | C.Formal. |
A.Art classes. | B.Sports classes. | C.Discussion classes. |
A.Japan. | B.America. | C.China. |
10 . A teenager needs to have a sense of independence in their life to feel secure (安全的). To some teenagers independence means a lot to them and I think that some parents don’t allow their teenagers enough independence.
Independence has something to do with freedom. Some kids are not allowed to go anywhere alone, and the only thing their schedule includes is going to school, coming home, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next day. Parents tend to be afraid that their kids can get hurt if they go outside into the world. But if parents control their kids too much, they may never learn to live on their own. The best way for a teenager to lean lesson is through experience. I think it is good for teenagers to have freedom.
Teenagers’ lack of freedom can also stop them from having good friendship at school. Some might say this is a good thing, because it helps them focus more on their school work. I argue that this can only discourage them not to do their school work. Some parents do not allow their children to be around their friends outside the school, thinking that this will get them into trouble. But I don’t think so. Instead, isn’t this a good reason for parents to get their children a cellphone? Cellphones allow teenagers to stay in touch with their parents, and communicate with friends.
Privacy (隐私) is another issue between parents and their teenagers. Teenagers tend to enjoy relaxation by themselves in their own room. This also gives them a sense of independence. It often annoys teenagers when their parents enter their room when they are not home. I know that my mom always goes in my room when I’m not home, and this has brought me to the point where I have asked many times to get a lock on my door.
1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?A.Kids have a dull schedule every day. | B.Parents allow their kids no freedom. |
C.Kids know how to live independently. | D.It helps teenagers a lot to have freedom. |
A.It is unnecessary for a kid to have a cellphone. |
B.Good friendships between kids harm their school work. |
C.Parents should make it easy for kids to communicate with their friends. |
D.Kids should center on the school work without friends outside the school. |
A.Disappointed. | B.Frightened. | C.Angry. | D.Calm. |
A.To keep her father from reading her dairy. | B.To prevent her mother entering her room. |
C.To protect herself from any harm. | D.To stop thieves from going in. |