More students than ever before are taking a gap-year before going to university. It used to be called the "year off" between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year. This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by University and College Admissions Service (UCAS). That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. "Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible," he said. But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students(NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship -young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. "New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university with up to PS15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods," he said. What do we learn about the gap year from the text? A) It is flexible in length. B) It is a time for relaxation. C) It is increasingly popular. D) It is required by universities.
C
(Question)
Recently, China UnionPay did an experiment in a subway station in Beijing--Are you willing to offer a hand to a stranger who needs help? The leading role of the experiment was an old man. With a small bag in one hand and a large case in the other, the old man appeared in a cold winter morning in the bustling subway station. He was so old that he couldn't carry the heavy case up the stairs. Standing in front of the steps, he looked helpless. Something good happened finally. At 9 o'clock, a kind man showed up, he offered to carry the case for the old man and walked up the stairs with him, at 9:25, another man helped ... Within six hours,the old man walked up the stairs for 25 times,among which he was helped for 23 times. What's more,two ladies tried to help the old man--one in the front and the other in the back. They carried the case up the stairs for him. The most noteworthy thing was that another old man tried to help too. When these kind people were asked why they helped the stranger,they all said " It's just the right thing to do," "I always help people as long as I can" ,or "it's not a big thing, and I just want to help". We often see negative news about fake falling and blackmailing or scheming and cunning. But this experiment brought sheer warmth into our heart. The most moving scene is that _ . A) most of the passers-by helped the old man B) even a disabled girl helped the old man C) another old man also helped the old man D) one lady carried the old man on her back
(Answer)
C
Ques: Head held high, hands firmly gripping her walker, Mary Arnott, 99, walks slowly with dignity through the women's changing room at the Etobicoke Olympium pool, past the teenage girls who have been blow-drying their hair for half an hour, into the mist of the showers, then out the door and first one into the heated pool. She jumps over to the shallow end, stopping to talk to friends--everyone knows Arnott here; she swims twice a week and treats it as a job--about their children, the viciousness of bridge and their health. In fact, Arnott is an exception to the exception. Not only has she lived 20 years past the average lifespan for Canadians, she's healthy, her mind is sharp and she lives independently. Born in Brooklyn on May 28, 1909, Arnott was raised on Staten Island. She survived scarlet fever , helped bring up four siblings after her mother died in 1923 and worked as a secretary in New York City for 12 years, earning$35 a week and a$150 bonus at Christmas. Now she's happy living in a one-room apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom in her daughter's house. She wears a hearing aid, does the cryptic crossword with a magnifying glass, and can't really explain why she has live so well so long. Until recently, she has still liked to drink red wine--she used to drink two glasses before supper each day. It's more likely genes, she admits. Her interest in other people and life in general may have had something to do with it. Asked if a star photographer can take her picture at the pool, Arnott seems cheerful. "I look good in a swimsuit," she says, nodding her head firmly. "I look better in a swimsuit than I do in pants. " If someone asks about swimming, Mary Arnott may _ . A) like swimsuit better B) like pants C) like to sit at the bank D) like to swim with girls
Ans: A
When it comes to relationship, we spend a lot of time discussing their joys, but rarely talk about the pain when they break down. Yet most people have a story about a broken relationship. For Jane Black, a six-year friendship ended when her friend was rude to one of her children. "After quite a few drinks at a party in my house, she said something rude to my child. I ended the friendship face to face at the party," she says. "I didn't realize what I was doing at the time, I was simply standing up for my child, but in her eyes any challenge was a betrayal." When Angela Thompson noticed a seven-year friendship disappearing, she let it go. "I didn't know how to deal with the issue. I didn't sit down for a grown-up conversation; I just walked away quietly." The decision caused a reaction among Thompson's other friends. "The other friends in the circle are the worst people when you are trying to break up with a friend," she says. "They don't want you to stop being friends, because it puts them in a difficult position. You get told to just get it over." Though we have plenty of measures for handling conflict at work or family fight, we still don't have good ways of ending friendships. Do we sit down and properly break up, or just walk away? Psychologist Serena Cauchy has the following advice. Don't blame. Talk about your needs and feeling rather than talking like a Dutch uncle. Do talk about your needs. Talk about why the friendship is not working for you--about how your needs aren't being met. Don't gossip. Negative talk hurts everyone involved and in some cases can make matters worse. Don't be so accessible. If there is a common wish to conclude the friendship, then you can remove it. What would be the best title for the passage? A) A True Friendship B) When Friendships disappear C) How Friendships Last D) Ways to Fix Friendships
B