user: Ques: It would be interesting to discover how many young people go to university without any clear idea of what they are going to do afterwards. If one considers the enormous variety of courses offered, it is not hard to see how difficult it is to select the course most suited to his interests and abilities. If a student goes to acquire a broader perspective of life, to enlarge his ideas and to learn to think for himself, he will undoubtedly benefit, since school often has too restricting an atmosphere, with its timetables and disciplines, to allow him much time for independent assessment of the work he is asked to do. Most students would, I believe, profit by a year or so's exploration of different academic studies, especially those "all-rounders" with no particular bent. They should have longer time to decide in what subject they want to take their degree, so that in later life they do not look back and say, "I should like to have been an archaeologist. If I hadn't taken a degree in Modern Languages, I shouldn't have ended up as an interpreter, but it's too late now. I couldn't go back and begin all over again, even if I had the chance." There is, of course, another side to the question of how to make the best use of one's time at university. This is the case of the student who excels in a particular branch of learning, is a first-rate mathematician, scientist, linguist and what you have. He is immediately accepted by the university of his choice, and spends his three or four years becoming a specialist, emerging with a first-class Honors Degree and very little knowledge of what the rest of the world is all about. It therefore becomes more and more important that, if students are not to waste their opportunities and, incidentally, the taxpayers' money, there will have to be much more detailed information about courses, more advice from Career Masters and Course Tutors if  _ are not to bring up, on one hand, a band of specialists ignorant of anything outside their own subject, and on the other hand, an... According to the passage, university students should avoid    . A) acquiring a broad perspective of life B) allowing themselves the independence of thinking C) becoming specialists ignorant of what the rest of the world is D) wasting their opportunities and the taxpayers' money
Ans: C

Ques: One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night. "Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town."All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said."But I can't send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night." When the couple declined, the young man pressed on."Don't worry about me; I'll make out just fine." the clerk told them. So the couple agreed. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,"You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you." The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy. Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round--trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky."That," said the older man,"is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.""You must be joking," the young man said."I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth. The older man's name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf--Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who... Which of the following proverbs suits the story the best? A) Every little thing helps. B) Make hay while the sun shines. C) Man proposes; God disposes(,). D) One good turn deserves another.
Ans: D

Ques: Avalanches   are one of those natural disasters that can cause great damage and only Mother Nature knows when and where they are going to occur. Even with modern technology it is still impossible to know exactly when or where one is going to occur. Mountain climbers are wise to be careful, as avalanches kill many of them each year.  The physics of how and why an avalanche occurs is complex. There are times of higher probability. During the year, the transition( from winter to spring will cause some snow and ice to melt, which may trigger avalanches. Also at daybreak there is a higher probability due to the temperature change . While climbers hike up slopes, some distance between the climbers should be kept. If an avalanche occurs, then there will be fewer lives lost and a higher probability that someone will be able to seek help. Since an accident is more likely to happen when a top layer of snow is loose, avoid areas where heavy snow or rain has recently occurred.  Try to choose areas that you are familiar with and stay in areas with rocks, bushes and trees. Trees and bushes allow snow to pile up and keep the layers stable. If an avalanche occurs, trees will take the impact of the snow, so there is a better chance of being safe.  Climbers must pay attention to the degree of the slope. Avalanches won't occur on level ground and there is little snowfall on very steep areas. The greatest danger is in areas where the slope is between 25 and 40 degrees.  Remember that, if you get stuck in an avalanche, there is no car hire available to take you to the nearest airport. Why is there a higher probability that an avalanche occurs at daybreak? A) Because daybreak is the coldest time of the day in the mountain. B) Because it often snows heavily in the mountains at daybreak. C) Because temperature changes at daybreak. D) Because the top layer snow is loose at daybreak.
Ans:

assistant: C