The professor stood before his class of 30 senior biology students, about to pass out the final exam. “I have been honored to be your instructor this term, and I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test. I also know most of you are off to medical school or graduate school next fall,” he said to them.
“I can well understand how much pressure you are under to keep your grades up, and because I know you are able to understand this material, I am prepared to offer an automatic(自动的) “B” to anyone who would prefer not to take the final.”
In relief a number of students jumped up to thank the professor and left the class. The professor looked at the students who remained, and offered again, “Any other takers? This is your last chance.” One more student decided to go.
There were seven students left. The professor closed the door. Then he handed out the final exam. There were only two sentences typed on the paper: “Congratulations, you have just received an “A” in this class. Keep believing in yourself.”
I never had a professor who gave a test like that. It may seem like the easy way out of grading (评分) a lot of exams, but it’s a test that any teacher in any subject could and should give. Students who don’t have confidence in what they’ve learned are “B” students at best.
The same is true for students of real life. The “A” students are those who believe in what they’re doing because they’ve learned from both successes and failures. They have learned life’s lessons, whether from formal education or the school of hard knocks, and become better people.
Take your cue(榜样) from Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma: “It’s not the mountain we conquer (征服), but ourselves.” Don’t let the biggest limit be yourself.
【小题1】The professor offered an automatic “B” to those who would prefer not to take the final exam because _________.

A．he liked the students who wanted to get a “B”

B．he believed they were able to pass the exam

C．he thought any teacher should give them a “B”

D．he thought it was the easy way of grading exams

【小题2】According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．22 students got a “B” in the final test without doing the paper.

B．Most of the students would go to medical school shortly after the exam.

C．There were actually no problems on the test papers for the students to work out.

D．The way the professor tested his students would not be suitable for other subjects.

【小题3】 According to the writer, the test given by the professor was ________.

A．funny B．meaningful C．difficult D．harmful

【小题4】The point of the story is to advise readers _________.

A．to pay attention to what they can do

B．not to miss any final exam at school

C．not to let themselves limit their growth

D．to surround themselves with confident people

Preparing for the Next Job Market
The latest spike in the unemployment rate is being felt across the board ?in 98 percent of metropolitan areas, in high-wage and low-wage jobs, among young and old, women and men, but especially men．
This landscape means that young Americans who are trying to plan their futures right now have some hard choices．Do they go to college and take on debt without hope of getting a job? And what about high school students? Do they have any chance of securing a job without a college degree? Perhaps the education system needs to react to this rapidly moving economic crisis．
In our current economic collapse, the connection between education and employment could not be more different than it was during the Depression．Education must now hold center stage, not because of an enemy abroad but because of the global economy．The jobs of the future will demand levels of education, particularly skills in mathematics, technology and science, which exceed those now taught in high school．
A healthy society should strive for full employment．In our times, that goal cannot be realized, or even approximated by creating jobs for the unskilled．The long-term prospect for economic recovery depends on the extent to which we improve our educational system．And this is where America is now at its weakest．[来源:学##
Our high schools produce graduates who do not write well enough, have limited reasoning skills and are unable to use the tools of mathematics．Their command of science is far inferior to that of their counterparts in other nations．And all too many young people drop out．We may still have the best university system, but it benefits only a minority．
We will need more engineers, scientists and service providers, particularly in the health professions, with a quality of education that cannot be obtained in the current system．Radical change, not reform, is called for．
What should be done? First, high school should be cut short and end when students are 16．Second, a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills that the economy needs should be created．Third, access to four-year colleges should be expanded, giving more Americans the chance to acquire the deep learning that makes breakthroughs in technology possible．Fourth, we need to recruit more public school teachers and train them better, particularly in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, so that our children can be prepared to compete．
【小题1】Nowadays, students graduating from high school____．

A．write well enough

B．have limitless reasoning skills

C．can't use the tools of mathematics

D．command science as much as their counterparts in other nations

【小题2】What should we do to improve the quality of education?

A．Students shouldn't study in high school until 16．

B．We should create a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills the economy needs．[来源:学科网ZXXK]

C．We should limit access to four-year colleges．

D．We ought to recruit more private school teachers and train them better．

【小题3】What does the word "collapse" in the third paragraph mean?

A．success

B．failure

C．development

D．booming

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Young Americans planning their futures have difficult choices．

B．Education must hold center stage due to the global economy．

C．The best university system benefits a majority．

D．A health society should struggle for full employment．

Preparing for the Next Job Market

The latest spike in the unemployment rate is being felt across the board ?in 98 percent of metropolitan areas, in high-wage and low-wage jobs, among young and old, women and men, but especially men．

This landscape means that young Americans who are trying to plan their futures right now have some hard choices．Do they go to college and take on debt without hope of getting a job? And what about high school students? Do they have any chance of securing a job without a college degree? Perhaps the education system needs to react to this rapidly moving economic crisis．

In our current economic collapse, the connection between education and employment could not be more different than it was during the Depression．Education must now hold center stage, not because of an enemy abroad but because of the global economy．The jobs of the future will demand levels of education, particularly skills in mathematics, technology and science, which exceed those now taught in high school．

A healthy society should strive for full employment．In our times, that goal cannot be realized, or even approximated by creating jobs for the unskilled．The long-term prospect for economic recovery depends on the extent to which we improve our educational system．And this is where America is now at its weakest．[来源:学##

Our high schools produce graduates who do not write well enough, have limited reasoning skills and are unable to use the tools of mathematics．Their command of science is far inferior to that of their counterparts in other nations．And all too many young people drop out．We may still have the best university system, but it benefits only a minority．

We will need more engineers, scientists and service providers, particularly in the health professions, with a quality of education that cannot be obtained in the current system．Radical change, not reform, is called for．

What should be done? First, high school should be cut short and end when students are 16．Second, a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills that the economy needs should be created．Third, access to four-year colleges should be expanded, giving more Americans the chance to acquire the deep learning that makes breakthroughs in technology possible．Fourth, we need to recruit more public school teachers and train them better, particularly in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, so that our children can be prepared to compete．

1.Nowadays, students graduating from high school____．

A．write well enough

B．have limitless reasoning skills

C．can't use the tools of mathematics

D．command science as much as their counterparts in other nations

2.What should we do to improve the quality of education?

A．Students shouldn't study in high school until 16．

B．We should create a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills the economy needs．[来源:ZXXK]

C．We should limit access to four-year colleges．

D．We ought to recruit more private school teachers and train them better．

3.What does the word "collapse" in the third paragraph mean?

A．success       B．failure        C． development  D．booming

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Young Americans planning their futures have difficult choices．

B．Education must hold center stage due to the global economy．

C．The best university system benefits a majority．

D．A health society should struggle for full employment．