Question

For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find an internship (实习). In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far behind.

Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.

In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.

But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills.

Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teach them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example ,encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job

experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.

However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to-19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.

“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they will become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,” said Michael, a researcher in the US.

1.In the author’s opinion, German high school leavers ______.

A. enjoy more career-related courses than that of US

B. need more career advice from their schools

C. perform better in exams than American students

D. are less brought into contact with the working world

2.According to Robert Schwartz, high school students should _________.

A. directly carry on higher education

B. get contact with the working world

C. focus on their performance in exams

D. not miss out on the summer job experience

3.The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 6 most probably mean “______”.

A. incredible B. motivating

C. impressive D. discouraging

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A. Remarks on recent US high school education reform

B. Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers in US.

C. The lack of career-based education in US high schools.

D. The severe situation of unemployment in US.

Answer 1