Today, there are many chances for those who wish to continue their education. However, nearly all require some break in one’s career in order to attend school full time.    　　

Part-time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. Additionally, such programs require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on one’s career and family time. 

Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible (灵活的) is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method which allows the students the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals which are so necessary in today’s world. The time required to study may be set aside at the student’s convenience. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning courses from actually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chosen career. Individual assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, fax machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet.

Good distance learning programs are characterized by the inclusion of a subject evaluation tool with every subject, so a student doesn’t need to travel away from home to take a test. Another characteristic of a good distance learning program is the equivalence (等同) of the distance learning course with the same subject materials as those students taking the course on the home campus. The resultant diploma or degree should also be the same whether distance learning or on-campus study is employed. The individuality of the professor/student relationship is another characteristic of a good distance learning program. In the final analysis, a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual student but also the company or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. Supporting distance learning programs for their employees gives the business the advantage of retaining (留住) career-minded people while contributing to their personal and professional growth through education.  　　

1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of part time education?

A. It requires some break in one’s career. 　　

B. It tends to last too long for many people to complete a degree program.       　　

C. It affects one’s career.     　　

D. It gives the student less time to share with the family.    　　

2. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of distance learning?   　

A. The student may choose his or her own pace.  　

B. The student may study at his or her convenience.   　　

C. They can pursue their chosen career while studying.    　　

D. Individual assistance comes through regular airmail, telephone and fax machine.

3.What benefit will distance learning program bring to a business?    　　

A. Attracting more talented people.      　　

B. Good image of the business.    　　

C. Better cooperation with universities.     　　

D. Further training of employees and business growth.      　　

4. Good distance learning program have the following characteristics EXCEPT _______.     　　

A. distance learning course is the same as students taking courses on campus     　

B. the diploma or degree should be the same as on campus study  　　

C. professor-student relationship is strictly one to one all through the course    　　

D. includes subject evaluation tool

5.What benefit will distance learning bring to an employee of a business?     　　

A. Higher salary.   　　

B. Professional growth.      　　

C. Good impression on the employer.      　　

D. Good relationship with the employer. 

Humanity uses a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet occurrences of shortages and droughts (干旱) are causing famine and distress in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world's population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.

　 But that doesn't have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world---if we start valuing water more than we did in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.

　 Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.

　 Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound (健康的) ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.

　 No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate (调整) water policy.

What is the real cause of the potentials water crisis.

　　A. Only half of the world's water can be used.

　　B. The world population is increasing faster and faster.

　　C. Half of the world's water resources have been seriously polluted.

　　D. Humanity has not placed enough value on water resources.

As is indicated in the passage, the water problem _________ .

A. is already serious in certain parts of the world.

B. has been exaggerated by some experts in the field

　　C. poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs(水库)

　　D. is underestimated by government organizations at different levels

According to the author, the water price should _______ .

　　A. be reduced to the minimum        B. stimulate domestic demand

　　C. go with its real value             D. take into account the occurrences of droughts

In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ______ .

　　A. guarantee full protection of the environment

　　B. centralize the management of water resources

　　C. increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels

D. encourage local and regional water resources

Humanity uses a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet occurrences of shortages and droughts (干旱) are causing famine and distress in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world's population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.

　 But that doesn't have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world---if we start valuing water more than we did in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.

　 Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.

　 Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound (健康的) ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.

　 No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate (调整) water policy.

1.What is the real cause of the potentials water crisis.

　　A. Only half of the world's water can be used.

　　B. The world population is increasing faster and faster.

　　C. Half of the world's water resources have been seriously polluted.

　　D. Humanity has not placed enough value on water resources.

2.As is indicated in the passage, the water problem _________ .

A. is already serious in certain parts of the world.

B. has been exaggerated by some experts in the field

　　C. poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs(水库)

　　D. is underestimated by government organizations at different levels

3. According to the author, the water price should _______ .

　　A. be reduced to the minimum        B. stimulate domestic demand

　　C. go with its real value             D. take into account the occurrences of droughts

4.In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ______ .

　　A. guarantee full protection of the environment

　　B. centralize the management of water resources

　　C. increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels

D. encourage local and regional water resources

       Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by a set of dynamic variables: language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions.』① To cope with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience.

　　The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment stem from the fact that one cannot learn culture—one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural diversity. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald’s. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from converging.

　　The other school proposes that companies must tailor business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia or even blindness.

　　Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your adversary, know your audience, and know your customer.

8. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

　 A. All international managers can learn culture.

　 B. Business diversity is not necessary.

　 C. Views differ on how to treat culture in business world.

　 Ｄ. Most people do not know foreign culture well.

9. According to the author, the model of Pepsi .

　Ａ. is in line with the theories of the school advocating the business is business the world around

　Ｂ. is different from the model of McDonald’s

　Ｃ. shows the reverse of globalization

　Ｄ. has converged cultural differences

10. The two schools of thought .

　　Ａ. both propose that companies should tailor business approaches to individual cultures

　　Ｂ. both advocate that different policies be set up in different countries

　　Ｃ. admit the existence of cultural diversity in business world

　　Ｄ. Both Ａ and Ｂ

11. This article is supposed to be most useful for those .

　　A. who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity

　  B. who have connections to more than one type of culture

　　C. who want to travel abroad

　　D. who want to run business on International Scale

12. According to Fortune, successful international companies .

　  Ａ. earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas

　  Ｂ. all have the quality of patience

　  Ｃ. will follow the overseas local cultures

　　Ｄ. adopt the policy of internationalization

In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fighters. We’re pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college of our first choice. I’ve twice been to the wars, and as I survey the battlefield, something different is happening. We see our kids’ college background as a prize demonstrating how well we’ve raised them. But we can’t acknowledge that our obsession(痴迷) is more about us than them. So we’ve created various justifications（辩解）that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices or myths. It actually doesn’t matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.
We have a full-developed panic; we worry that there won’t be enough prizes to go around. Fearful parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever. What causes the hysteria(歇斯底里) is the belief that scarce elite（精英）degrees must be highly valuable. Their graduates must enjoy more success because they get a better education and develop better contacts. All seems right but mostly wrong. We haven’t found any convincing evidence that selectivity or prestige matters. Selective schools don’t systematically employ better instructional approaches than less selective schools. On two measures—professors’ feedback and the number of essay exams selective schools do slightly worse.
By some studies, selective schools do enhance（提高） their graduates’ lifetime earnings. The gain is reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-point increase in a school’s average SAT scores. But even this advantage is probably a statistical fluke(偶然). A well-known study examined students who got into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere. They earned just as much as graduates from higher-status schools.
Kids count more than their colleges. Getting into Yale may signify intelligence, talent and ambition. But it’s not the only indicator and, surprisingly, its significance is declining. The reason: so many similar people go elsewhere. Getting into college is not life’s only competition. In the next competition—the job market and graduate school—the results may change. Princeton economist Alan Krueger studied admissions to one top Ph.D. program. High scores on the GRE helped explain who got in; degrees of famous universities didn’t.
So, parents, take it easy（lighten up）. The stakes (利害关系) have been vastly exaggerated. Up to a point, we can rationalize our pushiness. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that. But too much pushiness can be destructive. The very ambition we impose on our children may get some into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment. One study found that, other things being equal, graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction. They may have been so conditioned to being on top that anything less disappoints.
1. Why does the author say that parents are the true fighters in the college-admissions wars?
A. They have the final say in which university their children are to attend.
B. They know best which universities are most suitable for their children.
C. They have to carry out intensive surveys of colleges before children make an application.
D. They care more about which college their children go to than the children themselves.
2. Why do parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever?
A. They want to increase their children’s chances of entering a prestigious college.
B. They hope their children can enter a university that offers attractive scholarships.
C. Their children will have a wider choice of which college to go to.
D. Elite universities now enroll fewer student than they used to.
3. What does the author mean by “kids count more than their colleges” Line1, para.4?
A. Continuing education is more important to a person’s success.
B. A person’s happiness should be valued more than their education.
C. Kids’ actual abilities are more important than their college background.
D. What kids learn at college cannot keep up with job market requirements.
4. What does Krueger’s study tell us?
A. Getting into Ph.D. programs may be more competitive than getting into college.
B. Degrees of prestigious universities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs.
C. Graduates from prestigious universities do not care much about their GRE scores.
D. Connections built in prestigious universities may be kept long after graduation.
5. One possible result of pushing children into elite universities is that______
A. they earn less than their peers from other institutions　　
B. they turn out to be less competitive in the job market
C. they experience more job dissatisfaction after graduation　
D. they overemphasize their qualifications in job application