One of the biggest challenges facing students and their families is what career they should enter and what is the best path for them to take.

I was talking to someone the other day who told me he first studied accounting because that was what everyone was studying several years ago. It was and some say still is a reliable career. However, then he told me that he was now studying financial investment because again--- that’s what everyone was studying now and it was needed if he wanted to get ahead in the company.

And I asked him what he was actually interested in and then— well the conversation kind of died. So I asked why he had bothered studying accounting in the first place and he explained that it was his parents’ idea. Finally I asked what his passion was and he wasn’t too sure because he never thought about it.

And so it is— lifelong learning— or the continual need to make ourselves marketable in a world that appears to be more competitive as time goes by. Is there a secret to help us so we can live a life of quality?

Regardless or not at this stage in world history with increasing connection between people,

ideas and markets — the ability to match the needs and desires of the day with your own skills and products is a tremendous and vigorous challenge.

Many have gone into English or foreign language study because it was encouraged at the time when China was entering the WTO. Or maybe they were interested in international affairs or working abroad. Upon graduation they then faced the reality that there was a limit to how many jobs they could apply for.

Perhaps some then studied further doing courses for work such as a tour guide or translator/ interpreter. Many may have decided that going into teaching was more rewarding or stable. Others would have gone into media or advertising or conference management and acquired new skills along the way.

This constant quest to remain ahead of the game makes many upset and exhausted. Some futurists who examine technology have even predicted that people should expect to change careers six or seven times during their lifetime!

So if you are concerned by the nature of change, why not start spending more time looking at the most modern leading economies, institutions and their publications. A whole lot of changes are starting to happen yet there is no reason why this cannot be enjoyable, exciting and also rewarding. Our attitude, approach and willingness to continually learn and update our skills must remain strong.

My tip is to track the work that our government is setting about to achieve. In particular, look at the people who have been chosen as the key support team and try to read behind the light surface news and look at their career development and examine the recent reports that they are now recommending the government move towards. Key industry development, new ways of dealing with information and new demands are creating opportunities for the students and workers of tomorrow — if we stay prepared.

1.Who is this article intended for?

A．Government administrators.

B．Students planning their careers.

C．Foreign language learners.

D．Professors designing courses.

2.The case of the student who first studied accounting and then financial investment shows ______.

A．many people decide their majors without knowing their own interest

B．parents’ decisions are always blind and will result in a life of low quality

C．accounting and financial investment are necessary to ensure a reliable career.

D．people never have a chance to think about their own interest in choosing career.

3.In the writer’s opinion, to make yourself competitive in the changing world today is _____.

A．exhausting        B．disappointing       C．unbelievable       D．necessary

4.According to the writer, lifetime learning can be exciting if ______.

A．we are prepared for the changes

B．we know who President has on his support team

C．we read the publications of advanced institutions

D．we learn English or some other foreign languages

5.Whoever has been chosen as the key support team of the government _______.

A．shows the government’s interest in new information

B．enables you to find out how hard-working these people are

C．indicates the direction the economy is developing

D．reveals the government encourages creative young people

 

Eight – year – old Jesse Abrogate was playing in the sea late one evening in July 2001 when a 7 – foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth – to – mouth resuscitation (人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.

Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into to the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boy’s arm.

At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, well then we wouldn’t have had a chance.’

According to local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in area where swimming is allowed.’

When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.”

What was the boy doing when the accident happened?

      A．Feeding a hungry shark.  B．Jumping into the rough sea.

       C．Dragging a boy to the shore.   D．Swimming in a dangerous area.

In which way did the boy’s uncle help with the operation?

       A．By finding his lost arm.  B．By shooting the fish.

       C．By flying him to hospital.       D．By blowing into his mouth.

How was his uncle in time of danger?

       A．Careful.    B．Brave.      C．Optimistic.       D．Patient.

Once upon a time there was a great man who married the woman of his dreams. With their love, they created a little girl. She was a bright and cheerful little girl and the great man loved her very much.

  When the little girl was growing up, the great man would hug her and tell her, “ I love you, little girl.” The little girl would shout and say, “ I’m not a little girls anymore.” Then the man would laugh and say, “ But to me, you’ll always be my little girl.”

  The little girl who- was- not- little- anymore left her home and went into the world. As she learned more about herself, she learned more about the man. She saw that he truly was great and strong, for now she recognized his strengths. One of his strengths was his ability to express his love to his family. It didn’t matter where she went in the world, the man would call her and say, “ I love you, little girl.”

  The day came when the little girl who-was- not- little-anymore received a phone call. The great man was damaged. He had had a stroke(中风 ). He couldn’t talk anymore and they weren’t sure that he could understand the words spoken to him.

  And so she went to the side of the great man. When she walked into the room and saw him, he looked small and not strong at all. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not.

  The little girl did the only thing she could do. She climbed up on the bed next to the great man. Tears ran from both of their eyes and she drew her arms around the useless shoulders of her father.

  Her head on his chest, she thought of many things. She remembered the wonderful times together and how she has always felt protected. And then she heard from within the man, the beat of his heart. The heart where the musid and the words had always lived. The heart beat on, steadily unconcerned about damage to the rest of the body. And while she rested there, the magic happened. She heard what she needed to hear.

  His hear beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say…

   I love you

   I love you

   I love you

   Little girl

   Little girl

   Little girl

   And she was comforted.

In the 2^nd paragraph, the little girl showed her ____ by pouting.

 A. displeasure   B. disappointment   C. agreement   D. excitement

The following except ____ can be inferred as the consequences of the father’s stoke.

 A. the loss of speaking ability   B. the inability to move around

 C. that his arms could no longer function properly  D. the beat of his heart

The girl felt _____ when she returned home and saw her father in bed.

 A. she was protected just as before   B. she could never have left home

 C. the difficulty of being old and sick  D. the need to show him her love

Which statement is true according to the story?

The daughter left her home because she had a fight with her father.

The girl returned home when she got a letter from his father about his illness.

The father recovered as if by magic soon after the daughter’s return.

D．From the father’s example, the daughter learned how to express her love.

Orphans (孤儿) whose parents died of AIDS in Henan Province have been given new hope. Last week the provincial government answered the children’s cries by promising 60 million yuan to improve schools, orphanages (孤儿院) and living conditions. But without the efforts of Dr. Gao Yaojie, these cries may never have been heard.

“I’m a doctor and it’s my duty to cure diseases and save live,” said the 77-year- old grandmother. Gao was named one of the 2003 People of Year on February 20 by CCTV after millions of people took part in an online poll. But in 1996, when she started to promote AIDS awareness, using money from her own pocket, her actions were widely misunderstood.

“Although some of the children were born with HIV, 90 percent of them were not infected (被感染),” Gao said. “But people still reject them. Many orphans change their names after finding a foster family (领养家庭).”

The horror of Henan’s AIDS problem became known in 1996. Frequent and unsafe bloodselling by poor farmers in the late 1980s and early1990s had caused HIV to spread through dirty needles and infected blood use. As a doctor, Gao believed she should help: over the last eight years she has visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients and published thousands of pamphlets on AIDS awareness. With her help, hundreds of orphans have returned to school or found foster families.

“It’s a disaster for the whole nation, not only for those innocent (无辜的) patients and their families,” she explained. Gao is delighted that so many childless families offer to foster orphans. But there is still much that can be done to support these children. “I hope that warm-hearted high school students will also reach out and offer a helping hand,” she said.

The passage mainly talks about _______.  

the dangers of AIDS

how the government help those orphans

how Gao Yaojie helped the orphans

the serious AIDS problem in Henan

Gao Yaojie was named one of the 2003 People of Year because ________.

the government would not answer the children’s cry without her

she used her own money to start to promote AIDS

she is a doctor

she visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients

The government promised 60 million yuan _______.

to reward Gao Yaojie

to help to treat HIV and AIDS patients

to help the children whose parents died of AIDS

to build new hospitals

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own.My mom was one of those people.

My father died when I was nine months old,making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen.While I was growing up,we lived a very hard life.We had little money,but my mom gave me a lot of love.Each night,she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life,“Kemmons,you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”

At fourteen,I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again.Every day,my mother spoke to me in her gentle,loving voice,telling me that no matter what those doctors said,I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough.She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her.A year later,I returned to school—walking on my own!

When the Great Depression(大萧条)hit,my mom lost her job.Then I left school to support the both of us.At that moment,I was determined never to be poor again.

Over the years,I experienced various levels of business success.But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951.I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child.That was too expensive for the average American family.I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽车旅馆)for families that would never charge extra for children.There were plenty of doubters at that time.

Not surprisingly,mom was one of my strongest supporters.She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style.As in any business,we experienced a lot of challenges.But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul,I never doubted we would succeed.Fifteen years later,we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn.In 1979 my company had 1759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.

You may not have started out life in the best situations.But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself,nothing can stop you.

What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was_______.

A.caring                                                          B.moving

C.encouraging                                                  D.interesting

According to the author,who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?

A.Doctors.                    B.Nurses.                            C.Friends.                    D.Mom.

What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?

A.His terrible experience in the hotel.

B.His previous business success of various levels.

C.His mom’s support.

D.His wife’s suggestion.

Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?

A.Modest,helpful and hard-working.

B.Loving,supportive and strong-willed.

C.Careful,helpful and beautiful.

D.Strict,sensitive and supportive.

Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?

A.Self-confidence,hard work,higher-education and a poor family.

B.Mom’s encouragement,clear goals,self-confidence and hard work.

C.Clear goals,mom’s encouragement,a poor family and higher education.

D.Mom’s encouragement,a poor family,higher education and opportunities.