Question

When I graduated from Edinburgh University in 2004, I was unwilling to leave the city. The beautiful architecture, the Scottish countryside, friendly people—I was not short of reasons to stay. But along with the majority of my friends, both English and Scottish, I headed south to London to find a job.

This is a common pattern across the UK. About one in five graduates aged between 21 and 29 gets a job in London within six months of graduation, according to the Higher Education Careers Service Unit.

Emma Pollard, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies says, “There’s a real desire on the part of the students to stay on in a university town or city. They say the quality of life is good. But they get drawn away because they think that the opportunities are in big cities.” This trend is particularly strong in southern cities, with London not far away.

But although large cities such as Birmingham and Manchester are a major draw for financial jobs, graduates sometimes focus on them too much and miss opportunities elsewhere. “Some areas do have less of a lively financial services business—the East Midlands, for example. However, there are top-level manufacturing (制造业) jobs. Everywhere has top jobs in health and education, ” says Pollard.

However, people do not remain happy in the big cities forever. Later in their careers the UK’s middle class tend to change their opinions.

People traditionally look to move out of the big cities and travel to their workplace. This is especially true for families who want to buy more space for their money.

The increase in online communication also means more people can work from home or just go into the office a couple of times a week. With the comparatively small size of the UK, you can easily enjoy the best of both worlds, wherever you live.

1．Graduates leave university towns or cities because ______________ .

     A．the quality of life there is not good.

     B．they think there are more chances in big cities

     C．they want to follow the others

     D．the environment there is not satisfying

2．The underlined words “both worlds” in the last paragraph specifically refer to _____ .

     A．the west and the east                    B．the UK and a foreign country

     C．big cities and small places              D．work and home

3．What makes it possible to enjoy the best of both worlds easily?

     A．The change in people’s opinions.        B．The size of the UK.

     C．The development of minor cities.       D．People’s desire to buy more space.

4．According to the passage, Birmingham and Manchester __________ .

     A．are two of the attractions to graduates         

       B．are two less lively cities

     C．offer good manufacturing jobs      

       D．have lost their appeal to finance graduates

Answer 1

BCBA