College graduation brings both the satisfaction of academic achievement and the expectation of a well-paid job. But for 6 000 graduates at San Jose State this year, there's uncertainty as they enter one of the worst job markets in decades. Ryan Stewart has a freshly-minted (新兴的) degree in religious studies, but no job prospects (前景).

　　 "You look at everybody's parents and neighbors, and they're getting laid off and don't have jobs," said Stewart, "then you look at the young people just coming into the workforce... it's just scary."

　　When the class of 2003 entered college, the future never looked brighter. But in the four years they've been here, the world outside has changed greatly.

　　 "Those were the exciting times, lots of dot-com opportunities, exploding offers, students getting top dollar with lots of benefits," said Chery Allmen Vinnidge of the San Jose State Career Center. "Times have changed. It's a new market."

　　Chery Allmen Vinnidge ought to know. She runs the San Jose State Career Center, sort of a crossroad between college and the real world. Allmen Vinnidge says students who do find jobs after college have done their homework.

　　 "The typical graduate who does have a job offer started working on it two years ago. They've postured (定位) themselves well during the summer. They've had several internships (实习)," she said. And they've majored in one of the few fields that are still hot, like chemical engineering, accounting, or nursing, where average starting salaries have actually increased over last year. Other popular fields have seen big declines in starting salaries.

　　Ryan Stewart may just end up going back to school. "I'd like to teach in college some day and that requires more schooling, which would be great in a bad economy," he said.

　　To some students, a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth. For now, they can only hope its value will increase over time.

(1) The underlined expression "dot-com" in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

[　　]

A．a company making dots

B．the Internet

C．teaching on the Internet

D．a well-known website

(2) The purpose of a college career center is probably to ________.

[　　]

A．help students do their homework

B．find jobs for students while they are in school

C．prepare students to find jobs after they graduate

D．help high school students get accepted to college

(3) Ryan Stewart is probably going to ________.

[　　]

A．get a teaching job

B．become a religious leader

C．change his major

D．go back to school

(4) What does the underlined sentence "To some students, a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth" mean?

[　　]

A．Having a college degree does not provide travel discounts.

B．A college degree doesn't promise a person a highpaying job.

C．Most students with degrees will be able to find jobs.

D．The best way to get rich is to get a college degree.

If you wanted to know what it’s like to walk on the moon, you’d interview an astronaut. If you wanted insights(深刻的见解) on playing Hamlet, you’d study the performance of a Shakespearean actor. And if you wanted to know what the first year of teaching school is like, well... you’d ask teachers who just completed their first year on the job. We wanted to know and we asked.
This book attempts to capture the fascinating and inspiring answers we received. It is based largely on a series of discussions held among winners of the First Class Teacher Award sponsored(赞助) every year by Sallie Mae, a corporation devoted to education. As in the past years, first-year teachers who won the award came to Washington, DC in the fall for a weekend of awards and related events.
One activity that grew out of the awards is a series of focus group discussions. These discussions allow us to ask first-year teachers some key questions: What was it like the first year What were your hardest challenges and your greatest rewards? Did you get the right preparation? Do you have any insights you could offer new teachers?
The teachers talked in frank terms about what it’s like to feel rebuffed by experienced teachers, to struggle with budget cutbacks, to see children in pain. But the difficulties they related are only half the story. They also told us how they dealt with challenges, what they would want new teachers to know, and why being a teacher is so important to their sense of self. All together, their words paint a picture of an inspired and inspiring group of up-and-coming leaders in their profession. We believe their reflections will prove helpful to principals, administrators, university professors in education departments, and particularly, new teachers who are speeding up to face the first day of school. This book is built on the words and recollections(回忆) of award-winning, first-year teachers. We have used direct quotations(引用语) from teachers (with their permission), both from the focus group discussions and from a set of essays they wrote. We felt their voices needed to be heard as directly as possible. Our job was to present their insights in a way that would be useful for readers. What follows is our effort to do so.
Thank you for your interest, and we welcome your response.
Sincerely,
Sharon A. Bobbitt, Ph.D.
Director, Knowledge Applications Division
U.S. Department of Education
65.Sharon A. Bobbitt writes the passage mainly to ________.
A. inspire would-be teachers               B. praise the award winners
C. share his teaching experience            D. introduce a valuable book
66.What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage?
A. To provide background information of the topic.
B. To attract readers’ attention to the topic.
C. To use the examples to support the topic.
D. To offer basic knowledge of the topic.
67.Which of the following is TRUE about the First Class Teacher Award?
A. It is sponsored by Sallie Mae every year.
B. It is held sometimes in Washington, DC.
C. It focuses on discussions and contests.
D. The participants are invited to write books.
68.What does the underlined word “rebuffed” in the Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Impressed deeply.                     B. Taught sincerely.
C. Refused rudely.                       D. Helped warm-heartedly.

If you wanted to know what it’s like to walk on the moon, you’d interview an astronaut. If you wanted insights(深刻的见解) on playing Hamlet, you’d study the performance of a Shakespearean actor. And if you wanted to know what the first year of teaching school is like, well... you’d ask teachers who just completed their first year on the job. We wanted to know and we asked.

This book attempts to capture the fascinating and inspiring answers we received. It is based largely on a series of discussions held among winners of the First Class Teacher Award sponsored(赞助) every year by Sallie Mae, a corporation devoted to education. As in the past years, first-year teachers who won the award came to Washington, DC in the fall for a weekend of awards and related events.

One activity that grew out of the awards is a series of focus group discussions. These discussions allow us to ask first-year teachers some key questions: What was it like the first year What were your hardest challenges and your greatest rewards? Did you get the right preparation? Do you have any insights you could offer new teachers?

The teachers talked in frank terms about what it’s like to feel rebuffed by experienced teachers, to struggle with budget cutbacks, to see children in pain. But the difficulties they related are only half the story. They also told us how they dealt with challenges, what they would want new teachers to know, and why being a teacher is so important to their sense of self. All together, their words paint a picture of an inspired and inspiring group of up-and-coming leaders in their profession. We believe their reflections will prove helpful to principals, administrators, university professors in education departments, and particularly, new teachers who are speeding up to face the first day of school. This book is built on the words and recollections(回忆) of award-winning, first-year teachers. We have used direct quotations(引用语) from teachers (with their permission), both from the focus group discussions and from a set of essays they wrote. We felt their voices needed to be heard as directly as possible. Our job was to present their insights in a way that would be useful for readers. What follows is our effort to do so.

Thank you for your interest, and we welcome your response.

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Bobbitt, Ph.D.

Director, Knowledge Applications Division

U.S. Department of Education

65.Sharon A. Bobbitt writes the passage mainly to ________.

A. inspire would-be teachers               B. praise the award winners

C. share his teaching experience            D. introduce a valuable book

66.What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage?

A. To provide background information of the topic.

B. To attract readers’ attention to the topic.

C. To use the examples to support the topic.

D. To offer basic knowledge of the topic.

67.Which of the following is TRUE about the First Class Teacher Award?

A. It is sponsored by Sallie Mae every year.

B. It is held sometimes in Washington, DC.

C. It focuses on discussions and contests.

D. The participants are invited to write books.

68.What does the underlined word “rebuffed” in the Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A. Impressed deeply.                     B. Taught sincerely.

C. Refused rudely.                       D. Helped warm-heartedly.