【推荐1】Allan T. Demaree, a retired executive editor of Fortune magazine, gladly makes donations to Princeton University, his alma matter. His son, who also went to Princeton, points to its endowment of $15.8 billion, and will not give it a penny.

“Why give money to an institution that can seemingly live off its interest when other very deserving entities need money to function tomorrow?” asked the son, Heath Demaree, a professor at Case Western Reserve University who instead donates to Virginia Tech, where he was a graduate student. His question captures how the wealth collected by elite universities like Princeton through soaring endowments over the past decade has widened the divide between a small group of dramaticly wealthy universities and all others.

The result is that America’s already stratified system of higher education is becoming ever more so, and the gap is creating all sorts of tensions as the less wealthy colleges try to compete. Even state universities are going into fund-raising overdrive and trying to increase endowments to catch up.

The wealthiest colleges can tap their endowments to give considerable financial aid to families earning $180,000 or more. They can tempt star professors with high salaries and hard-to-get apartments. They are starting advanced new research laboratories, expanding their campuses and putting up architecturally notable buildings.

Higher education has always been stratified, but the differences were never as large as today. The last decade brought a sea change, as skilled money managers hired by the universities moved their portfolios into high-performing investments, and endowments skyrocketed.

Until recently, top public research universities could rely on enough public subsidy to hold their own, when the taxpayer money was combined with tuition and fund-raising. But that world is changing.

The University of California, Berkeley has a $3 billion endowment, but it is stretched across 34,000 students. And with state budget cuts approaching, Robert Birgeneau, its president, fears he will no longer be able to attract the best professors and students.

“It will cost less for a student from a family with an income of $180,000 to go to Harvard than for a student with a family income of $90,000 to go to Berkeley,” he said, taking into account Harvard’s recent decision to give more financial aid to families earning up to $180,000 annually.

1. What do we learn about Heath Demaree?

A．He donated to Virginia Tech.	B．He donated as much as his father.
C．He donated to Princeton University.	D．He donated to Case Western Reserve University.

2. What is said about state universities?

A．They are expanding their campuses.

B．They are raising funds to increase endowments.

C．They manage to attract elite professors and students.

D．They are starting sophisticated new research laboratories.

3. What can we learn about top public research universities at present?

A．They can not hold their own just with state support.

B．The taxpayer money is combined with tuition and fund-raising.

C．Despite possible state budget cut, they do not need more endowment.

D．They can depend on enough public subsidy to lure professors and students.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Upsides and Downsides of Endowments	B．Harvard or Berkeley?
C．Endowments Widen a Higher Education Gap	D．Farewell to Stratified Endowments

【推荐2】The Benefits of Keeping a Journal

If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keeping a journal. It may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me. And to be honest, I can't imagine what my life would be like without it.     1    

It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea only to lose it later because you didn't write it down?     2     But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I'm away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

It helps you review all the lessons you’ve learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you've learned and the ideas you’ve gotten.     3     You can use the ideas to propel(鞭策)yourself forward.

    4     After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you've gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past might have been realized today.

It helps you expand your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it.     5     In the end, you will expand your ideas.

A．Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.

B．It trains you to express your thoughts.

C．It allows you to see your progress over time.

D．Here are some benefits you will get by keeping a journal.

E．Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with.

F．I often experienced that myself.

G．Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

【推荐1】Around four years ago, I received a call from the principal of our school as to the “Parents View” talk the next morning. He asked me to speak to the group. After the call, my whole body became feverish and panicky. The time from his call to the next morning seemed like years. The whole night, I could not sleep with many ominous apprehensions in mind. One of them was to call the principal with regret and tell him that I could not come. Finally, I gathered some courage. I thought, “If I miss this opportunity, surely the school will never invite me again to any of their programs.”

I reached the school in time. Before my turn came, my whole body was trembling. When my turn came and I started speaking, my heartbeat increased and my mouth went dry. I wasn’t even able to read the written speech properly. I was not aware of where I was standing and what I was reading. That was the day when I realized my biggest weakness, Public Speaking.

After my speech, I met with the principal and explained what happened to me. He told me that this happens to everyone. Even great speaker, faced the same things when they started. He suggested that I come again next time.

Around one month later, I was invited to refer to a topic on Motivation. This time I was feeling comfortable. My speech was not only appreciated by the principal as well as the teachers, because I was able to get my idea across to them. They encouraged and praised my efforts.

After delivering is successfully, I became more confident .l said to myself, “If I can speak in front of such a learned audience, like the principal who educates others, I can now speak in front of others too.”

I started delivering lectures in my plant, on various topics like Self Motivation, Personality Development, Personal Excellence, Spoken English and Presentation Skills. This has become a passion for me. I learned that everything is possible if we have the courage to take the first step.

1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage？

A．Practice Makes a Man a Better Speechmaker

B．Public Speaking Makes a Man Embarrassed.

C．Principal Provides the Best Chances.

D．Spoken English Develops in Malting Speeches.

2. The author had bad feelings before the speech because______.

A．he disliked the idea of giving a lecture

B．he had got a high fever before that

C．he regretted accepting the invitation

D．he feared he couldn't perform it properly

3. What does the underlined part “ominous apprehensions” in the first paragraph mean？

A．Unlucky opportunities.	B．Negative ideas.
C．Curious views.	D．Happy comments.

4. What can we conclude from the passage？

A．Nothing is to be got without pains but poverty.

B．Knowledge makes humble, ignorance makes proud.

C．A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

D．Necessity is the mother of invention.

【推荐2】“If you could have any three things, what would you want?” Eleven-year-old   Ruby Kate Chitsey loves asking that question, but it’s not a game. She asks it at nursing homes in the Harrison, Arkansas, where she lives. Even more amazing, she then sets out to make the residents’ wishes come true.

Ruby Kate has long been close to older folks. Her mother, Amanda Chitsey works at nursing homes in northwest Arkansas, and Ruby Kate often stays with her in the summer. The Chitseys learned that many nursing home residents are unable to afford even the smallest luxuries. So Ruby Kate decided to do something about it. “I’ve never found them scary at all, so I’m able to just go up to them and ask if they need anything,” she says.

She started by asking residents what three things they wanted most in the world. Amanda worried that people would ask for cars and other things an 11-year-old wouldn’t be able to provide. Instead, they asked for chocolate bars, McDonald’s fries, and pants that fit properly.

“It broke me as a human,” Amanda says. “We left the nursing home that day and went straight to a store and bought as many items as we could.”

Using their own money, the Chitseys granted the wishes of about 100 people in three months. Then they started asking for donations.

The good people of Harrison responded enthusiastically, so much that Amanda set up a GoFundMe page, Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents, hoping to collect $5,000. They hit their goal in a month. After GoFundMe named Ruby Kate a Kid Hero and promoted her story nationwide this past January, Three Wishes raised $20,000 in 24 hours and more than $250,000 in five months. With those funds, the Chitseys were able to get more creative: One resident asked for a man cave, so they got him a Walkman and stocked his fridge with snacks. Another wanted to go to a friend’s out-of-state wedding; they gave her money for gas and food.

Earlier this year, Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents became a nonprofit and launched its first nationwide chapters. One of its new goals is to set up a communal laptop in one nursing home in each state. Ruby Kate doesn’t plan to stop there. Actually, besides Ruby Kate, more youngsters are involved in helping others as a hobby. At one high school, students turned a single dollar into a truly inspirational act.

1. Why did the Chitseys decide to ask and meet the residents’ wishes?

A．It was Amanda’s duty to do that.	B．The residents’ stories moved them.
C．They wanted to do something for the poor there.	D．They had a close relationship with the residents.

2. Amanda said “It broke me as a human,” in Para.4, probably because _______.

A．the wishes were simple	B．the wishes were in her plan
C．she couldn’t realize the wishes	D．she couldn’t help her daughter

3. From last two paragraphs, we know the Chitseys _______.

A．started a page to get profit	B．wrote stories about nursing homes
C．appealed to more people to join them	D．carried out their project across the world

4. The story mainly inspires people to _______.

A．accompany the senior	B．deliver kindness to others
C．treasure what they have	D．be optimistic toward life