1 . Today’s 14-and 15-year-olds are ambitious. They are optimistic about their future, but their career ideas are rather unclear. A job for life is not in their vocabulary. Almost half the boys surveyed expected that their hobbies would lead them into the right sort of job, while most girls seemed determined to avoid traditionally female careers such as nursing.
In the past, this might have counted as bad news. But the world has changed. The global economy is not kind to yesterday’s hardworking and dependable workers. The future belongs to quick-thinking people who are resourceful, ambitious and creative. This means that young people need training and guidance to help them develop the right skills for today’s market; not the rigid preparation for a workplace that disappeared 20 years ago.
So what is to be done? A good first step would be to change the way in which schools prepare young people for adult life. The education system is becoming less flexible and paying more attention to traditional skills when the employment market is going in the opposite direction.
Accurate, latest information on new jobs and qualifications can help guidance counselors to help their students. Young people need solid information on the sort of training they need to their dream career. Also, a little bit of encouragement can go a long way.
What, then, can we as parents do to help them? The best thing is to forget all the advice that our parents gave us, and step into our teenager’s shoes. It is important for them to learn how to be independent and resourceful. Give them courage to follow their dreams—however odd they might sound right now. In a world that offers economic security to almost no one, imagination is a terrible thing to waste.
1. According to the survey, how are boys and girls different in career ideas?| A．Male teenagers are more ambitious and optimistic. |
| B．Dead-end but secure jobs are more popular with girls. |
| C．Boys prefer to choose jobs based on their interest. |
| D．Girl teenagers have clearer career ideas than boys. |
| A．Inventive. | B．Hardworking. | C．Modest. | D．Reliable. |
| A．Wasting is the main cause of terrible economy. |
| B．Creativity should be valued most in the changing world. |
| C．No one can be secure in such a terrible world. |
| D．Wasting imagination leads to economic insecurity. |
| A．To analyze teenagers’ ideas about the economic world. |
| B．To explain how the world has changed the young. |
| C．To encourage parents to help the young to be independent. |
| D．To offer advice on how to prepare teenagers for careers. |
2 . “Nobody else knows what they are doing either.” I read this quote about six years ago when I was in college．
I lived through college life without any
One day, I was having dinner with some classmates. One said suddenly, “I plan to buy a
I almost
He said leisurely, “Mortgage (抵押贷款).”
Another added, “Great! I
I just seemed to hear something
I
Like 90% of my peers, I still had no
We were totally
| A．experiences | B．concerns | C．failures | D．tests |
| A．grades | B．credits | C．achievements | D．missions |
| A．prepare | B．sit | C．pass | D．read |
| A．car | B．school | C．pet | D．house |
| A．approved | B．denied | C．quieted | D．choked |
| A．hard | B．fantastic | C．realistic | D．important |
| A．manage | B．expect | C．learn | D．rush |
| A．funny | B．normal | C．real | D．inspiring |
| A．moved | B．succeeded | C．graduated | D．dreamed |
| A．meaningful | B．fruitful | C．economical | D．miserable |
| A．never | B．formally | C．clearly | D．always |
| A．end | B．begin | C．change | D．lead |
| A．direction | B．trip | C．idea | D．effort |
| A．questioning | B．following | C．understanding | D．contacting |
| A．figured | B．shown | C．thought | D．printed |
| A．different | B．calm | C．unique | D．equal |
| A．separating | B．freeing | C．connecting | D．warning |
| A．sponsors | B．aims | C．courses | D．faults |
| A．searching | B．remembering | C．realizing | D．doubting |
| A．misfortunes | B．friends | C．advantages | D．stories |
3 . Bob was born in Cambridge. When he was in elementary school, he asked his mother to take him to parks in their community so he could collect empty soda cans to recycle. His mother agreed, as long as he saved part of the money he earned for college.
Bob’s mother remembers Bob as the most determined of her seven kids. Bob’s hard work paid off. On Friday, he will become the first person in his family, originally from El Salvador, to graduate from college. And he’s graduating with university honors.
For his honors thesis（毕业论文）he researched unmanned solar-powered（太阳能）airplanes, which BYU students have been building and testing for about 10 years. Bob’s study helps discover the best way to fly a solar-powered airplane so that it uses the least amount of power. The goal is to design and build an airplane that flies uncertainly. Bob’s thesis helps lay the basis for this work.
“My parents were always hard-working,” Bob said. “They often tell us hard work leads to success.” Bob’s father taught him to read at the age of 3, and his mother is now a student at Utah Valley University in a way to becoming a dentist.
Bob recognized he overcame some obstacles（障碍）to get where he is. For starters, English is his second language. He also faced stereotypes（模式化的形象）. Although Bob never doubted that he would be a college graduate, other people believed he wouldn’t because he didn’t come from a family of high income. There were other obstacles as well, but Bob viewed them all as opportunities.
Bob’s mother says she feels very happy and proud that her son is about to graduate with honors, and remembers the effort he’s made to get there. “He has worked very hard. He started something, and now he has finished it,” Cathy says. “I have always told him, ‘If this is your dream, then you can get it! Keep working hard and you can get it!’”
1. From the passage we can know that Bob’s honors thesis __________.| A．makes his mother feel surprised |
| B．helps to save the power of flying a solar-powered airplane |
| C．is done with BYU students |
| D．doubts the way of flying a solar-powered airplane |
| A．researched unmanned solar-powered airplanes for 10 years |
| B．paid for all his study by collecting empty soda cans |
| C．worked hard and has graduated from college |
| D．was affected by his family and has made some achievements |
| A．his parents had little money to support him |
| B．his teacher didn’t think he could graduate |
| C．he didn’t work hard on his study |
| D．he didn’t dare to face the obstacles for short of confidence |
| A．Bob’s mother is on the way to becoming a dentist |
| B．Bob’s mother works in their community |
| C．Bon’s father will graduate from Utah Valley University on Friday |
| D．Bob’s father learnt to read at the age of 3 |
4 . I felt like I had clicked my heels three times and come to a country away from home every morning as I walked through the doors at the Embassy of Australia in Washington. Musical Aussie accents, and Aboriginal art exhibits made me wonder if I had entered without a visa. In fact I was a temporary employee, a public affairs unpaid intern(实习) for three months during the summer in order to engage myself in the culture of the country where I planned to study the next spring.
During the summer I read the Australian news every day. Working at the embassy allowed me to escape the U.S. for six hours per day and learn about what was going on across the planet. After reading the daily Australian and U.S. news I usually helped prepare a PowerPoint presentation for school kids who visited the embassy as part of a school activity. Depending on whether an embassy event was going on, I would attend weekly meetings to listen in on planning and see what I could do to help. Usually there were smaller tasks to be done such as creating visitors' guides.
The most fantastic event in which I participated was the visit of the Australian prime minister. As the only American among countless Australian media and staff, I felt comfortable and was kept busy taking pictures and recording door-stop interviews at famous sites such as the Capitol. But as an intern, you will not be inside, exposed to top-secret information, when it comes to special events.
Government work is a useful addition to one's experience. As an embassy employee you will gain invaluable knowledge while spending your summer in a culturally diverse workplace.
1. What is the author talking about?| A．Her embassy internship. | B．Her trouble in finding a job. |
| C．Her foreign culture experience. | D．Her preparation for future employment. |
| A．To apply for a visa. | B．To prepare to study in Australia. |
| C．To record musical Aussie accents. | D．To appreciate Aboriginal art exhibits. |
| A．Record door-stop interviews. | B．Know top-secret information. |
| C．Take pictures of special events. | D．Stand among the Australian staff. |
| A．It is tiring. | B．It is boring. |
| C．It is exciting. | D．It is relaxing. |
