179. In China, the majority of men earn their living by manual ______.

A．labour

B．task

C．job

D．Work

 

In China, the majority of men earn their living by manual ______.

A. labour　　　 B. task　　　 C. job　　　 D. work

 

179. In China, the majority of men earn their living by manual ______.

A.labour                   B. task                      C. job                       D. Work

 

A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man — the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.

       This attitude toward manual labor is now  still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every proof of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist only of something quickly and easily collected from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby shop. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction group on a highway in order to pay for his education.

1. From paragraph 1, we can know that in America _________.

A. people feel painful to mention their fathers as labors.

B. people can always rise to the top through their won efforts

C. college professors win great respect from common workers

D. people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man

2. According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because _________.

A. she takes pride in what she can do herself

B. servants in American are hard to get

C. she can hardly afford servants

D. It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food

3. The expression “ wait on table” in the second paragraph means “_________”.

A. work in a furniture shop                     B. keep accounts for a bar

C. serve customers in a restaurant          D. wait to lay the tabl

4. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?

A. A Respectable Self-made Family        B.American Attitude toward Manual Labor

C. Characteristics of American Culture      D. The Development of Manual Labor

 

It’s high time someone spoke up for today’s college students.  They’re probably the most hardworking, ambitious people in America and their problems are not properly appreciated.
People like the Secretary of Education simply don’t know what they’re talking about when they knock students.  Nor do those who complain about falling academic standards.
The vast majority of the nation’s 12 million students are struggling to pay for their educations.  They are part of the invisible workforce.  Many hold down full-time jobs.  They’re frying hamburgers, photographing weddings, working in construction, and waiting on tables.  The fact that they even show up for classes is a wonderful event.
The financial situation of most students explains a lot about what is happening in schools.  Why are the traditional courses so unpopular?  Why are students flocking to accounting and computer science and any professional programs that seem to lead to careers?
Answer: Today’s working student has been forced into a kind of premature matter-of-fact way of viewing things.  Romance is gone.  The notion of transforming one’s self through study alone has disappeared.  Today’s students seek freedom from manual labor, and the status conferred by a good job.
There are other consequences.  Today’s students don’t have much time or energy to be devoted, and carry out independent research or even do serious homework.  That’s the secret behind falling academic standards.  Students have become consumers.  They want grades and certifications.  Their professors can’t be expected to give a grade of failure to students who are clearly tired from the effort to pay their bills.
There’s a lot wrong with this situation.  It’s twisting the definition of education out of shape.  Worse, it’s creating a generation that is totally unpleasant.  The brightest students turn out to be yuppies (雅皮士).  The vast majority are, at least, good-natured semi-literates.
The time has run out for philosophical debates about fixed courses of study.  What this country needs is someone to stand up and say that being a full-time student during one’s formative years is an honorable calling worthy of support.  If families can’t or won’t give it to their children, then the government should.
【小题1】The author’s purpose in writing this article is to __________.

A．awaken the whole society to the problems today’s college students face

B．warn Americans that academic standards are falling

C．advise college students to study hard

D．provide a suggestion that only full-time students be enrolled

【小题2】The most suitable word to describe the author’s feelings about today’s college students  is _________.

A．criticize

B．sympathize

C．complain

D．urge

【小题3】Which of the following cannot be learned from the passage?

A．Many students are often absent from classes.

B．Traditional courses are not popular.

C．Students commit crimes with computers.

D．Students don’t devote much time and energy to their homework.

【小题4】By saying “Romance is gone” in paragraph 5, the author means ____________.

A．today’s students do not believe in love stories any more

B．today’s students become more practical in dealing with things

C．students think there is no affection any more and break up with their lovers

D．today’s students hold matter-of-fact opinions on love

【小题5】Which of the following suggestions will the author not agree with?

A．We should encourage students to give up full-time jobs.

B．Families should offer their children more help financially.

C．We should stand up and say something for today’s college students.

D．We should make more strict regulations to force students to study hard.