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BCAC

If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis．From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit．

    But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public education．

At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world．Yet in terms of its core mission---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing．

   The United States does a good job enrolling （招生） teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree．

   So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that．Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos．The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching．It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into．They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive．About half of the low-income students with a grade-point average of at least 3．5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have．“I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr．Bowen．

   In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates．Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs．“It’s really a waste,” Mr．Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country．” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students．Instead, it appears to have fallen．

   What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer．

63.  Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?

       A．The government．            B．Public education

       C．The Detroit automakers．   D．The Wall Street firms．

64．What is a big problem with American higher education?

    A．It is hard to enroll enough students into college．

    B．Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation．

    C．Many college students stay away from classes．

       D．It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government．

65．The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______．

       A．running to the end of the line        B．going to college

       C．finishing college education     D．working hard in college

66．Why do some students under--match ?

    A．Because they have financial difficulty．       B．Because they face ambition crisis．

    C．Because they lack confidence．          D．Because they can’t get guidance．

67．The passage is mainly about _______．

    A．problems with secondary American education and possible solutions

    B．America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence

    C．low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence

    D．relationship between American education and its economy

A fit and healthy teenage rugby player died 12 hours after taking treatment for acne(粉刺)，an officer，Mary Hassel，said today. She said Shaun Jones，14，died "as a result of complications(并发症)of medical treatment".

Shaun，who was described by his mother as "vain" about his appearance，saw Dr Jones，his family doctor，about spors on his back and shoulders after learning his friends had been given medication to deal with similar problems.

The boy，who had previously used Clearasil to treat the spots，was diagnosed with mild acne and given a prescription. But when he went to his local chemist's with his mother，he was told the drug was not available. They said they had contacted Dr Jones(in fact they didn't)，and  Shaun could be given different pills which were the same as the drug originally prescribed.  Mrs. Jones noriced there was no safety instructions included in the box，but thought nothing of it at the time.

Shaun took the drug just before going to bed at 10：30 pm. Little more than an hourlater， he complained of shortness of breath and tighmess in his chest. Mrs. . Jones initially contacted an out―of―hours GP service but was told no doctor was available. When Shaun's condition  became worse，he was rushed to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital by ambulance in the early hours of the next morning.

Despite treatment there，and at the University Hospital of Wales，Cardiff，where he was transferred，Shaun died at 10：40 am the following day. Doctors at the hospital believe an unusual reaction to the acne drug could have caused his death.

Hassel said she would write a report to the Lord Chancellor's office imdedining the impor-tailce that "doctors prescribe drugs and doctors make adjustments and patients receive drugs with the correct information attached".

56. Shaun Jones decided to take the treatment for acne because______________.

A. he thought he was fit and healthy

B. his friends advised him to take it

C. his mother gave him the suggestion

D. he wanted to improve his appearance

57. Which of the following is true of the drug Shaun took?

A. It was previously named Clearasil.

B. It was not the one in the prescription.

C. It should not be taken before going to bed.

D. It Was forbidden for people at Shaun's age.

58. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that ______________.

A. Shaun began to feel uncomfortable at 11：00 P. m

B. Shaun's parents called their family doctor at first

C. Ms. Jones called all out―hours GP service at first

D. Shaun's parents drove him to Royal Glamorgan Hospital

59. The reason why Shaun was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales was that______________

A. there were no doctors available at his local hospital

B. his family doctor suggested he be transferred there

C. he was expected to get better treallment at the hospital

D. the doctors in Royal Glamorgan Hospital were too busy

60. It call be inferred from the passage that Mary Hassel______________.

A. would report the event to the Lord Chancellor's office

B. could help mole people become more careful about drugs

C. would tell people the importance of correct prescription

D. could help more patients attach correct information to drugs

    A few days ago, Adrian bought six packages of ink for his printer at a $1 Store. Then he found a deal on better ink at the local computer store. So Adrian went back to the $1 Store to exchange the ink for some other items.

    He put the ink into a plastic bag and tied it up. When he entered the store, he immediately showed the bag to a clerk and told her that he was returning some items. She looked at him but said nothing, so Adrian put the bag into a push-cart and started shopping.

    He was midway through shopping when a female employee suddenly stopped him. “Sir,” she said sternly(严厉地), “you are not allowed to carry a plastic bag of items around in this store.”

    Adrian was taken back. There was no need for her to yell. He opened the bag and showed her the six packages of ink. “I’m exchanging these for some other items,” Adrian said.

    “You should have left the bag with the clerk when you entered the store. Let me see your receipt!” the employee demanded. Adrian was embarrassed. He felt like a shoplifter while he showed her the receipt.

By the time Adrian had finished shopping and exchanged the items, he was angry and asked what her name was. She mumbled something and he heard “Ursula.”

    When Adrian got home, he called the store’s corporate headquarters. Two days later, Adrian received a phone call from a representative. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but there’s no one at that store named Ursula. Can you describe her? I’ll find out who she is. I assure you, we do not tolerate rude behavior, nor do we tolerate lying to customers.”

    By this time, Adrian had calmed down. He didn’t really want the employee to lose her job. He told the representative to forget about it.

72. Adrian went back to the $1 Store in order to _____.

       A. buy some cheap items

       B. exchange the ink for some other items

       C. look for his receipt

       D. complain to the manager about a clerk

73. Adrian felt like a shoplifter because _____.

       A. he took some things and was caught by an employee

       B. the female employee asked to see his receipt

       C. an employee yelled at him without any reason

       D. he was asked to pay for the goods he exchanged

74. After reading this passage, we can see that _____.

       A. it was not the female employee’s duty to yell at him

       B. Adrian was wrong to buy things at the $1 Store

       C. the female employee must be bad-tempered

       D. Adrian should have left the bag with the clerk

75. The purpose of this passage is to _____.

       A. advise readers not to buy anything at the $1 Store

       B. tell readers about Adrian’s unpleasant experience

       C. point out the rudeness of the female employee at the $1 Store

       D. introduce how the employees at the store are employed

I was walking down the road one day when my cell phone rang．  36  voice on the other end spoke to me, "Dad, please come back soon．I miss you so much! "I judged that it was a   37_  number．A little while later, the call came once again, so I rudely   38   , "You've dialed the wrong number! " and then   39

    During the following days, I got the same call   40   ．But I didn't care much about it．

    Then one day she constantly called me,   41   I didn't answer．Finally I answered the phone and heard a weak voice, "Dad, please come back．I miss you so much!  Dad, I'm   42   so much pain! Mom said you were too busy to take   43  of me．But, dad, please   44  me again, OK?" The innocent   45  was difficult to reject．I made a   46  kiss on the phone and heard the weak voice say, "Thank you．．．Dad, I am so．．．happy, so．．．happy．．．"

    Shortly after this, I became   47   about who had been on the other end of my phone．So I called back, and a woman answered, "Sorry, sir．I am really sorry to have   48   you．My daughter has suffered from bone cancer   49   she was born．And her father．．．died in an    50   a short while ago．I dare not tell her this   51   ．Poor baby．When she couldn't   52  the painful chemotherapy(化疗), she would cry for her dad, who had always   53  her．I really couldn't bear it, so I gave her a random phone number．．．"

    "How is your daughter now?" I couldn't wait to   54

    "She has   55   ．You must have kissed her on the phone, because she went with a smile, tightly holding the cell phone．．．"

Tears blurred my eyes．．．

It was 4 o’ clock in the morning when I received the phone call.

“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just 31 in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a (n) 32 and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was 33 .

The doctor described the 34 , which caused the burns. Our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they 35 the charcoal(木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline(petrol). The flames 36 my son’s shirt tail(下摆) and shot from his waist to well over his head.

37 , one of the boys was quick-minded, grasped(抓住) my son, and 38 him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in 39 to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars(伤疤).

After he 40 from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容) for 6 months 41 it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking(缩水) and wrinkling(起皱). So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns.

When I was a child, my mother told my sister, who had a 10-inch, very 42 scar on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not 43 it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”

I 44 this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to his 45 and returned to school with his head held high——glad he was alive.

By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not 46 , so he made the 47 to give up any plastic surgery.

We all have “scars” that we believe 48 people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better.

But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same 49 standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value 50 yourself, and your beauty will shine through.

31. A. brought 　　　　　　　　 B. given　　　　　　　　　　 C. turned　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. showed

32. A. doctor　　　　　　　　　　 B. hospital　　　　　　　　　 C. aircraft　　　　　　　　　 D. ambulance

33. A. serious　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. terrible　　　　　　　　　 C. dangerous　　　　　　　　　　 D. important

34. A. event　　　　　　　　　　　 B. process　　　　　　　　 C. reason　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. accident

35. A. got　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. lit　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. burned　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. moved

36. A. took　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. held　　　　　　　　　　　 C. caught　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. attracted

37. A. Fortunately　　　　　　　　　　 B. Surprisingly　　　　　 C. Happily　　　　　　　　　 D. Slowly

38. A. pushed　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. threw　　　　　　　　　　 C. dropped　　　　　　　　 D. rolled

39. A. shape　　　　　　　　　　 B. place　　　　　　　　　　 C. fact　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. time

40. A. benefited　　　　　　　　 B. recovered　　　　　　　 C. suffered　　　　　　　　 D. relaxed

41. A. if　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. while　　　　　　　　　　　 C. because　　　　　　　　 D. although

42. A. normal　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. violent　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. obvious　　　　　　　　 D. popular

43. A. mention　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. notice　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. laugh　　　　　　　　　　 D. hide

44. A. sent　　　　　 　　　　　　 B. kept　　　　　　　　　　　 C. handed　　　　　　　　　 D. passed

45. A. heart　　　　　　　　　　　 B. life　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. practice　　　　　　　　 D. consideration

46. A. grow　　　　　　　　　　　 B. matter　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. exist　　　　　　　　　　　 D. appear

47. A. mistake　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. effort　　　　　　　　　　　 C. decision　　　　　　　　 D. request

48. A. invite 　　　　　　　　　　 B. cause　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. allow　　　　　　　　　　　 D. remind

49. A. false　　　　　　　　　　　 B. strict　　　　　　　　　　　 C. attractive　　　　　　　 D. general

50. A. by　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. over　　　　　　　　　　　 C. beyond　　　　　　　　　 D. within