President Obama wants the United States to have the world’s highest rate of college graduates. But his administration also wants stronger rules for colleges that operate for profit.

Career colleges receive billions of dollars from taxpayers through student loans. The Education Department says some of that goes to waste and leaves students in debt for educations of little or no value.

To receive federal aid, career colleges must prepare students for what the law calls “gainful employment” in a recognized occupation. Two tests are proposed to see if they do. One would measure the relationship between debt loads and how much students earn after they complete a program. The other would measure the rate at which all students repay their loans, whether they complete the program or not. Programs that fail these tests could be restricted or blocked from federal student aid.

The Education Department says for-profit colleges and training programs are important. In 2008 they had close to two million students--nearly three times more than in 2000.

Last year, the five largest received more than three-fourths of their money from federal student aid. And that amount did not include other forms of government aid.
　 Yet officials say for-profit colleges may be less supervised than other schools. They also point to reports of highly aggressive marketing.
　 For every 100 graduates of for-profit colleges, 18 fail to repay their federal student loans. That compares to five graduates of public colleges and universities.
　 The department is now collecting public comments on a number of negotiated rules. Some would require career colleges to release their graduation and job placement rates. The goal is to publish a final rule by November.

The Career College Association called the debt-to-earnings proposal unwise, unnecessary, unproven -- and unlawful. The group says it has found that students in higher priced programs are more likely, not less likely, to repay their students loans.

It says the move could eliminate programs serving 3000 students. Female and minority students would face the most harm, it says, as they are more likely to attend career colleges.

The association also points to shrinking budgets for community colleges. Its president, Harris Miller, says “Students need more information, not fewer choices. ”

70. How many reasons did the career college Association present to protest the debt-to-earnings proposal?

A. One.　　　　　 　　　　　 B. Two.　 　　　　　　 C. Three.　　　 D. Four.

Job hunting after being fired can prove to be difficult. When you are fired from a job, one of the first things you may wonder is how you will get another job. Although being fired does make it slightly more difficult to convince a new employer to hire you, there are some key ways you can decrease the negative impact.

   Instructions:

1. Cool off. Chances are that you’re angry about being fired. If you jump right into job hunting, you risk entering an interview with a negative attitude or making a bad remark about your former employer, neither of which will win you any points. Instead, take a few days to relax before beginning your search.

2. Strengthen your resume. An updated resume that focuses on your accomplishments is necessary when beginning a new job search. Focus on how your actions at recent jobs have helped improve productivity or efficiency.

3. Network with former colleagues. By obtaining an interview through a connection with someone who knows you personally, you give yourself an advantage. Your skills and work ethic (理念) may not be questioned as thoroughly as they would be when applying for a job where no one knows you.

4. Provide good references who can validate your ability to do the job you are interviewing for. Having a list of former leaders or colleagues who are willing to prove for you helps offset (抵消) the negative feelings a potential employer may have when he sees you were fired.

5. Volunteer the information about your end during the job interview. Being up front and honest about the situation, without going into too much detail, shows the interviewer that you are willing to address a negative situation openly.

6. Maintain a positive attitude. Even though being fired isn’t the best situation in which to look for a new job, having a pleasant personality and staying confident about your abilities can help you overcome this hurdle.

Spring is the perfect time to get yourself green. While some may not be able to line their home with solar panels, there are still simple ways to green up your life.

Light. By now we all know that those spiral (螺旋状的) light bulbs will save energy and even save us money, so why haven’t we done it? Maybe we just don’t understand the truly huge effects. Let’s do the math: for every 60-watt usual light bulb in the home, there’s a better 15-watt or less spiral bulb. The standard two-bedroom home has at least fifteen of them. Changing out all of old bulbs would save 45 watts each, or 675 watts overall.

Food. Growing your own produce is great, but most of us can’t grow everything we need. For everything else, there are farmers’ markets! Spring is the perfect season to visit farmers’ markets! Supporting local growers is a great way to reduce carbon emissions (排放) produced by growers needing to transport their goods long distances.

Money. If you’re still troubling to check the mailbox, consider going paperless. Many organizations now offer paperless billing and statements. They simply send them to any e-mail address that you provide. It’s a more convenient way to keep track of those payables and receivables, too. Simply set up an inbox folder (收件箱文件夹) for anything needing to be paid and all of your monthly bills will be at your fingertips at any given moment.

Going green doesn’t just help you; together, it helps everyone. So go ahead, take that first step or second, or third!

There was a wonder-filled little girl who was hurt so badly that when she entered adult life, she thought she was so bad that others just couldn't be nice to her.

   But she had a lot of curiosity, which kept her going. She sought many wise people to help her understand why she was so bad that her mother hurt her and why she was unable to be better so that men wouldn't hurt her.

   She was on a journey that she thought was to help her be "better". She carried a big bag with her everywhere she went. Inside it were all the hurts she had experienced. Because she was so eager to please those who offered their wisdom, she willingly agreed with what they said about forgiving. But she held that bag of hurts tightly.

   After 50 years of carrying that bag around and showing it to all she met as if it were proof that she was a good person, she decided to open it up and just see what happened. When she looked inside, it was filled with bits of paper. At one time they had words on them, detailing the hurts. But time had faded(褪色) the words and all that was left was some useless paper. She had been struggling to carry this bag that held nothing but the image of something that once was.

   She saw the absurdity of carrying that bag around. It made her laugh. But letting go of the paper and having pity for those that hurt her, this little girl was able to become a woman with beautiful hair. The woman looked in the mirror and said, "I am lovable." Although it took many years, she was finally open to bringing love and respect into her life.

Having a simple birthday party could be hard if you are going against the  48  of friends and the extended family.  49  the rest of the family in the birthday discussion --- this will make the process a little easier.  50  your plan to a few close friends,  51  if it needs their cooperation in some way. I had a  52  with a few friends when I planned for my daughter’s birthday party. It helped them understand my idea, and it helped me feel  53  with my decision.

   A celebration does not  54  with just the party. Afterwards, talk about why the day was so much fun with your child, and  55  the best parts for happier and more meaningful birthday parties in the future.

--Can I get you a cup of coffee?

--____.

　 A. You can, please. B. With pleasure.

　 C. That’s very nice of you 　　　　　　　　　 D. Thank you for the coffee.

 It’s too wet to go for a walk; ____, let’s go swimming.

A. therefore          B. however                   C. otherwise          D. instead

--I washed all my clothes only to find I’d left a $20 note in the pocket.

--____ is life, I suppose.

A. One　　　　　　　　　 B. That 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. As　　　　　　　　　 D. So

 Some people’s lack of basic morals is turning our society into one ____ those in need will be unable to expect help from others.

   A. which                 B. what                        C. that                  D. where

 It matters little whether the apologizer is wholly or only partly at fault: answering for one’s actions encourages others to take their ____ of the blame.

   A. share                  B. charge               C. turn                  D. advantage