The question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts in higher education isn’t an either-or proposition(命题), although the current emphasis on preparing young Americans for STEM(science, technology, engineering, maths)-related fields can make it seem that way.

              The latest congressional report acknowledges the critical importance of technical training, but also asserts that the study of the humanities and social sciences must remain central components of America’s educational system at all levels. Both are critical to producing citizens who can participate effectively in our democratic society, become innovative leaders, and benefit from the spiritual enrichment that the reflection on the great ideas of mankind over time provides.

              Parents and students who have invested heavily in higher education worry about graduates’ job prospects as technological advances and changes in domestic and global markets transform professions in ways that reduce wages and cut jobs. Under these circumstances, it’s natural to look for what may appear to be the most “practical” way out of the problem “Major in a subject designed to get you a job” seems the obvious answer to some, though this ignores the fact that many disciplines in the humanities characterized as “soft” often, in fact, lead to employment and success in the long run. Indeed, according to surveys, employers have expressed a preference for students who have received a broadly-based education that has taught them to write well, think critically, research creatively, and communicate easily.

              Moreover, students should be prepared not just for their first job, but for their 4th and 5th jobs, as there’s little reason to doubt that people entering the workforce today will be called upon to play many different roles over the course of their careers. The ones who will do the best in this new environment will be those whose educations have prepared them to be flexible. The ability to draw upon every available tool and insight—picked up from science, arts, and technology—to solve the problems of the future, and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves, will be helpful to them and the United States.

21. What is the main concern of students when they choose a major?

  A. Their interest in relevant subjects.      B. The academic value of the courses.
  C. The quality of education to receive.           D. Their chances of getting a good job.
22. What does the author say about the so called soft subjects?
　A. They benefit students in their future life.　

  B. They broaden students’ range of interests.
　C. They improve students’ communication skills.
　D. They are essential to students’ healthy growth.
23. What advice does the author give to college students?
　A. Seize opportunities to tap their potential.　

  B. Try to take a variety of practical courses.
　C. Prepare themselves for different job options.
　D. Adopt a flexible approach to solving problems.

As for old people，some of the applications are hard to use because they didn't grow up with them. They don't have simple models of how they should work，what to do when something doesn't work or where to go for help. We make it as easy as possible to be used for people who are not familiar with the technology.

I think there is huge potential(潜力) and we are designing it. The ability to connect to friends，who remember the same movies and news and music，is really important，especially as people get old. They end up in retirement homes and they aren't always close to their friends. Allowing the network to help them connect with friends and family is a really powerful thing.

My mother is an enthusiastic user of the Internet，although it took me years to get her to use e－mail. She was born with normal hearing，but lost it when she was 3.She was totally deaf for many years，until age 53，when she got ear aids. They work really well. That is a big change for her. But before then，her friends couldn't call her on the phone，so they insisted (坚持) she use e-mail to communicate with them.

Young people don't even think of the Internet as technology. It’s just there，and they use it. There’s been a very interesting change in communications styles between old people and young people. There are some kids who are now in their teens and aren't willing to make phone calls. And they think of e-mail as old-fashioned and slow.

The reason why teens don't make phone calls seems to be that they don’t know what to say. When they call they often stop for a while. They don't know what to say，and there's this silence. On the other hand，texting is considered proper，and it's okay if you don't answer. You might have been distracted (心烦意乱的)．It's not considered rude. But it is considered strange if you're in this kind of voice conversation and simply stop talking.

24. What is the trouble that old people meet when surfing the Internet?

       A. They don’t know how to use some applications.

       B. They have to buy electronic productions at a high price.

       C. There is no professional teacher to teach them how to use the Internet.

       D. They have no friends to communicate with online.

25. We can infer from the passage that the author is a ________．

       A. company manager               B. program designer

       C. college professor                D. mobile phone designer

26. What do the young people think of the Internet according to the passage?

       A. Interesting.     B. Amazing.          C. Boring.      D. Common.

27. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Teens face challenges when taking phone calls with the old.

     B. The author's mother is still using e-mail to communicate with others after

getting ear aids.

C. Teens like to send texts to communicate with others in order to avoid

embarrassment.

D. Most people consider e-mail as the most old-fashioned tool to communicate

with others.

A young man named Ted received a high-priced car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Ted came out of his office, a street urchin (顽童) was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, Ted?” he asked.

Ted answered, “Yes, my brother gave it for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…” He hesitated(犹豫).

Of course Ted knew what he was going to wish for. He wished he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Ted greatly.

“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Ted looked at the boy in surprise, and then said, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?” “Oh yes, I’d love that.”

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Ted, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Ted smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big car. But Ted was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.

He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Ted heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled (残疾) brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.

“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it… Then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”

Ted got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.

28．The street urchin was very surprised when _____.

A. he saw the shining car              B. Ted told him about the car

C. he was walking around the car       D. Ted received an expensive car 

29．The urchin asked Ted to stop his car in front of his house _____.

A. to show he had a rich friend         B. to show his neighbors the car

C. to let his brother ride in the car       D. to tell his brother about his wish

30．From the story we know that the urchin _____.

A. wished to give his brother a car      B. wished Ted’s brother to give him a car

C. wished Ted could be a brother like that   D. wished he could have a brother like Ted’s 

31． We can infer from the story that _____.

A. Ted couldn’t understand the urchin       B. the urchin’s wish came true in the end

C. the urchin wished to have a rich brother   D. the urchin had a deep love for his brother

  What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed(展示)at  the entrance? Or the soft background music?

But have you ever noticed the smell? Unless it is bad，the answer is likely to be no．But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds，it is certainly there．And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase．

A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance via scent machines．A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air．One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores，customers’ intension to purchase increased by 80 percent．

When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs，scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on sales．That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be．

Some years ago，the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales  assistants’ disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t-afford displays．Now the rise of electronic commerce(e-commerce)has opened up famous brands to a wider audience．But while e-shops can use sights and sounds，only bricks-and-mortar stores(实体店)can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave．Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop，but rather a destination．And scent is just one way to achieve this．

Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department，and coconut (椰子)scent in the swimsuit section．A department store has even opened a new lab，inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books，pots and drawers，in search of their perfect scent．

32．According to the passage，what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store?

  A．Friendly assistant    B．Soft background music

  C．Unique scents．          D．Attractive window display．

33．E-shops are mentioned in the passage to________．

  A．urge shop assistants to change their attitude

  B．show the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores

  C．push stores to use sights and sounds

  D．introduce the rise of e-commerce

34．The underlined word  “destination”  in Paragraph 5 means_____．

  A．a place where customers love to go        B．a spot where travelers like to stay

  C．a platform that exhibits goods               D．a target that a store expects to meet

35．The main purpose of the passage is to______．

  A．compare and evaluate          B．inform and explain

  C．argue and discuss                     D．examine and assess   

Before going outside in the morning, many of us check a window thermometer (温度计) for the temperature. This helps us decide what to wear.      __36__ We want our food to be a certain coldness in the refrigerator. We want it a certain hotness in the oven. If we don't feel well, we use a thermometer to see if we have a fever. We keep our rooms a certain warmth in the winter and a certain coolness in the summer.

Not all the thermometers use the same system to measure temperature. We use a system called the Fahrenheit scale. But most other countries use the Centigrade scale. Both systems use the freezing and boiling points of water as their guide.    __37__

The most common kind of thermometer is made with mercury (水银) inside a clear glass tube. As mercury (or any other liquid ) becomes hot, it expands. As it gets colder, it contracts (收缩). That is why on hot days the mercury line is high in the glass tube.    __38__

First. Take a clear glass juice bottle that has a cap; fill the bottle with coloured water. Tap a hole in the center of the cap using a hammer and thick nail. Put the cap on the jar. Then stick a plastic straw (吸管) through the nail hole.     __39__

Finally. Place a white card on the outside of the bottle and behind the straw. Now you can see the water lever easily.      __40__

As the temperature goes down, the water will contract, and the lever in the straw will come down. Perhaps you will want to keep a record of the water lever in the straw each morning for a week.

A．We use and depend on thermometers to measure the temperature of many other things in our daily lives.

B．Thermometers measure temperature, by using materials that change in the same way when they are heated or cooled.

C．Now that you know this rule you can make a thermometer of your own that will work.

D．The water will rise in the straw. As the temperature of the air goes up, the water will expand and rise even higher.

E．They label these in different ways. On the Fahrenheit scale water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. On the Celsius scale water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees.

F．Take wax (you may use an old candle if you have one) and melt some of it right where the straw is struck into the cap to seal (把……粘住) them together.

G．People use thermometers which are made by themselves when travelling around the world.