On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about the school seemed so difficult. When I got home, my parents said, "You're nervous and that's okay. Everyone is afraid of high school." I denied it. I wanted to be strong, so I refused to let anyone know about my fear, even my closest friends. On the first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle that I couldn't figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn't think I could rise to this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably right. Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out. With the exception of falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging. Since then, I've been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn't much of a victory since only three people ran for the four positions. It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is something that any student can overcome. Make sure you participate in some outofclass activities because you'll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn't straight A's. Most important of all, be who you are, whether you're a "fool", an athlete, or a lower grader. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. Now you know the true secrets of high school. After his first week at school, the author _ . A) was still not accustomed to the schedule B) gradually adjusted himself to the new school C) found high school not so challenging as he had imagined D) ran for monitor of his class against three other students
B
Forbes set out to determine which master's degrees would provide the best long-term opportunities, based on salary and employment outlook. To find the mid-career average pay for 35 popular degrees, we turned to Payscale.com, which lets users compare their salaries with those of other people in similar jobs by gathering real-time salary data from its 35 million profiles. We then looked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment estimate data to see how fast employment was expected to increase between 2010 and 2020 in popular jobs held by people with each degree. Finally we averaged each degree's pay rank and estimated growth rank to find the best and worst master's degrees for jobs. Physician assistant degree is at the top of the Forbes' third-annual look at the best master's degrees for jobs. Physician assistants are medical professionals who provide diagnostic and preventative health care services under the guidance of doctors. "Both an aging population and health care reform are contributing to a higher demand for health care services," says Katie Bardaro, Payscale's lead economist. They don't earn as much as doctors, but their mid-career average pay is $97,000. Another advantage of a physician assistant degree: Employment opportunities are expected to grow 30% by 2020 (from the 2010 employment numbers), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By our count, computer science follows close behind as the No. 2 best advanced degree for jobs. Mid-career average pay for these grads is $109,000, sixth best out of the 35 degrees in our survey. Employment opportunities for computer science degree-holders are expected to expand about 22% between 2010 and 2020. Electrical engineering, physics and economics degrees also make the top 10, all with an average mid-career salary of more than $110,000 a year. Not all master's degree holders enjoy anywhere near such optimistic job prospects or extraordinary pay. Biology, chemistry and history degrees are toward the bottom of the list--but that doesn't mean they're... What can be inferred from the passage? A) $100,000 or so is a satisfying pay for most of the grads. B) It is the first time that Forbes has done a survey of this kind. C) Biology degrees were once hot for those master's degree pursuers. D) Doctors earn more than those in electrical engineering on the average.
A
Q: Deadly heat waves, home-wrecking hurricanes, neighborhood-burning wildfires...When you stop to think about it, global warming can be thoroughly depressing. According to rising evidence, climate changewon't just cause new cases of stress, anxiety and depression. People who already have serious psychological problems will probably suffer most in the result of natural disasters and extreme weather events. "When these events happen, people with pre-established mental illnesses often have more extreme difficulty," said Lisa Page, a psychiatrist. "This is an area we maybe need to think about a little more seriously." In public health circles and even in climate talks, scientists have studied how climate change might affect physical health, by for example, causing the spread of malaria, fever and other infectious diseases. For the most part, though, the experts have made only vague references to the link between climate change and mental health, even though evidence for such connections is starting to pile up. In the future, climate models predict more destructive storms, floods, droughts and diseases. In turn, the new study suggests, more psychological crises will follow. Heat waves -- like the one that killed some 70,000 people in Europe in the summer of 2003 -- will also happen more frequently, last longer and be severer in coming years. The mentally ill will be hardest hit by these events because they're more likely to live in poor housing without air conditioning. People with pre-existing mental challenges will probably also have an extra hard time dealing with other forecasted consequences of climate change, including the sinking of coastlines and mass migration away from flooded shores. Then, there's the general sense of sadness that can come from reading about climate change, and recognizing that the world is changing. According to Lisa Page, people need to care more about _ . A) the relationship between climate change and mental health B) how climate change influences physical health C) the possibility that more natural disasters will happen D) the effect of global warming on human health
A: A
Q: On Nov.18th, 1908, three men went up in a balloon. They started early in London. The headman was Augusta Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way. Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope, and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight. It was for use over the sea. They were also carrying some bags of sand. After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 meters, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand, but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice. At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed up to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 meters! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had travelled 1,797 kilometers from London! Which of the following is NOT true? A) The three men started their journey before the sun rose. B) The balloon began to go up when they threw bags of sand out of the basket. C) When they pulled the box into the basket, the balloon began to climb up. D) The three men had to land because they felt cold.
A: B