In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic(学业的) achievements and felt confident that their degree（学位）would help them to find a good job.

However, in the past four years the job market has changed greatly. This year’s college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets. For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose State University, got a degree in religious（宗教）studies, but no job prospects. He points out that many people already working are getting laid off（解雇） and don’t have jobs, so it’s even harder for new college graduates to find jobs.

Four years ago, the future looked bright for the class of 2006. There were many high-tech job chances. Graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries（薪水）and benefits such as insurance(保险) and paid vacations. However, "Times have changed and it's a new market," according to an officer of the San Jose State Career Center.

The officer says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago. They worked during summer vacations, they have had several short-time jobs, and they’ve majored in one of the few fields that are still hot, like chemical engineering, accounting, or nursing, where average（平均的）starting salaries have actually increased over last year. Other popular fields (like information system management, computer science, and political science) have seen big declines(下降) in starting salaries.

Ryan Stewart (he had hoped to become a teacher) may go back to school in order to become a college teacher. He thinks college teaching could be a good career even in a bad economy.

In conclusion, these days a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth for some students. For now, they can only hope the value of their degree will increase over time.

51.The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means _____.

A. skills　　　　 B. interests　　　 C. chances　　　　 D. ideas

52. Which of the following majors has the best job offers?

A. teaching　　 B. accounting　　 C. political science　　 D. computer science

53. Ryan Stewart will have to _________.

A. change his major　　　　　　 B. get a job teaching

C. go back to school　　　　　　 D. become a religious leader

54. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ____________.

A. the best way to get rich is not to get a college degree

B. most students with degrees will not be able to find jobs

C. having a college degree does not mean that one has money for travelling

D. a college degree does not mean that one will find a well-paid job

55. The main idea of the passage is that _________.

A. a lot of graduates are losing their jobs　

B. Ryan Stewart has been able to find a job

C. salaries in some fields have increased in the past year

D. the job market has changed greatly over the past four years

Volunteering means that you work to help people without being paid. There are many different volunteers. They help people who really need help. There are many places where you can be volunteers. Here are just a few places for you.

Hospital---ask if you can go and visit people who are really sick. Sometimes what they need is someone to talk to, or someone to give them hope

Orphanage (孤儿院) ---the children living there really need someone to play with them.

Food Shelter（救助站）---many food shelters need people to clean up the shelters and help give out food or water to those who need it.

Seniors’ Home (敬老院) ---help the elderly people clean up their homes.

Community (社区) Center ---a lot of community centers are very well run. However, some of them really need extra help, especially cleaning and repairs.

As a student you can also do a lot of things to help others at school. Maybe you could start a support group. Here is some advice:

Help students give up smoking, drinking or other bad habits.

Help students who come from poor families.

Help new students get used to their school life soon.

Provide graduating students with information on future studies.

1.Volunteers don’t want to get ________ when they help others.

A．everything        B．money            C．some presents      D．a job

2.How many places are mentioned for you to be volunteers in according to this passage?

A．Six               B．Five              C．Four             D．Three

3.The volunteers can ________ in the community center.

A．give the sick person hope

B．give out food or water to the people who need it

C．play with the children in orphanage

D．clean up the yard

4.From the passage, you know the following volunteer jobs can be done at school except _______.

A．helping students who come from poor families

B．helping the students who have bad habits

C．helping the student to copy others' homework

D．helping the students in trouble with their studies

 

There are many ways to find a job. It can be as easy as walking into a neighborhood store to look at its announcement(通告) board. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking(寻找) workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist(网站名)Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas in Austin（奥斯丁 (美国得克萨斯州首府)） can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called “What Color is Your Parachute (降落伞)?” by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career (职业) since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts(专家) also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their strengths, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources(对策) to help them find the right job.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Finding a job.

B．College students’ part-time jobs.

C．Craigslist Web site.

D．The relation between study and work.

【小题2】It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．companies often put job information in local shops

B．the Internet is the most popular tool for job hunters in the USA

C．Susan W. Miller’s company is helping people choose careers

D．California Career Services mainly serves university students

【小题3】How many ways of finding a job are mentioned in the passage?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Five.

D．Six.