Abby Subark is a mother of two from Boston. "For my kids, I'm nervous. I don't know if they'll be able to achieve their American dream." She may be right. More than hard work or education, the best way to get rich in America is to be born rich. It is the case that somebody who is in the upper third of income, poor scores, in the bottom on tests when they are in eighth grade, is more likely to go to college and finish college than a poor kid with the top scores. That's what the working persons' children are up against. The Economic Policy Institute finds it would take a poor couple with 2 children 9 or 10 generations to achieve middle class status. That's about 200 years. The hallmark of American opportunity has always been the ability to do better than your parents. But compared with similar developed countries, the United States ranks fifth out of six for so-called intergenerational mobility . If you look at the mechanisms for upward mobility that were so readily available 50 years ago, they are becoming out of reach, like plentiful factory jobs with good wages and affordable education and health care. White families are twice as likely as blacks to be upwardly mobile. For most people in America today, _ If you started in the middle-income class, about 40 to 45 percent of what you are making right now is due to the fact that your parents were in the middle-income class. The rest is up to you. But for the millions of people who find themselves below the poverty line and the millions more who are the working poor, their starting point for the American dream leaves them painfully far away from the middle class. The main idea of the passage is _ . A) How the middle class comes about in the U.S. B) It's hard to realize the American dream for the poor. C) Wealth and social status depend on family background. D) Upward mobility in America is never easy.
C
(Question)
Today, when a fire breaks out, you can be sure a citizen with a cell-phone camera has posted it to Facebook or Twitter, or sent it to the media.But up to now, that citizen has not been able to easily send images and details of what is happening to the people who need it most: police, firefighters and building-security people who must respond, and whose ability to help is often measured in minutes, if not seconds. That's about to change.A one-year old company called Elerts has developed a system that's designed to mobile and social technologies to speed the flow of information between citizens and emergency workers in time of danger.The system involves free mobile applications--iPhone and iPad app is available now--that eyewitnesses can use to report incidents and get public-safety warnings.And Elerts is offering a management console for security firms and universities to receive the reports and distribute warnings and instructions, like a map with the best evacuation route . The service is the brainchild of Chris Russo, deputy fire chief in the coastal town of Hull, Mass.As mobile communications sped up, he grew increasingly frustrated by his inability to communicate effectively with colleagues and the public, particularly with people who are at the scene and might be able to provide help. "Remembering situations when communications failed _ ," Mr.Russo says.Last summer, he was in a search at a beach for a missing boy, who went into a bathhouse but didn't come out.First responders feared an abduction on the beach or shark attack.The child's mother, who didn't speak English well, was so sad that she couldn't remember what color1 shorts he had on.Mr.Russo had no photo of the child, and no ability to turn to beachgoers. Two long hours later, the boy was spotted by a low-flying helicopter lost and alone on the beach crying--a lucky break."If 5 percent of beachgoers had an app to receive a message and send in sightings of a lost boy, the happy ending might have come much sooner," Mr.Russo said. The author takes Chris Russo's experience as an example to _ . A) advertise his creativity in communication B) inform readers how Russo got the idea of the service C) make the passage more interesting to read D) show readers the working principle of the new system
(Answer)
B
Ques: Here's something to think about the next time you ask your teacher for help:trying hard to do schoolwork on your own can help you learn.According to a recent study,the more you try while you are learning new information,the better you can remember it later. This might surprise you.When teachers are presenting new information,they often give students lots of help.But a new study shows this may not be the best way to support learning."Don't be too quick to get help when learning something new,"education expert Manu Kapur said."Try to work on it yourself even if it means trying different ways.'' Kapur came up with the idea that trying hard can lead to better learning.Then he tested it out on students in Singapore.He separated students into two groups.In the first group,students were asked to solve math problems with the teacher's help.In the second group,students were asked to solve the same problems by helping one another,instead of getting help from the teacher. With the teacher's help,students in the first group were able to find the correct answers.Students in the second group did not solve the problems correctly.But they did come up with a lot of good ideas. The students were then tested on what they had 1earned.The group without any help from a teacher scored much higher than the group who had help.Kapur said working to find the answers helped students understand the process ,not just the solution. Kapur's advice for kids is to put a 1ot of effort into learning something new rather than going to your teacher for help."Simply doing a little work or nothing at all won't work."says Kapur."Try to solve a problem in as many ways as possible.'' What is the best title for the text? A) Work Your Mind B) Practice Makes Perfect C) The Best Way to Learn D) Teachers' Role in Schoolwork
Ans: A
Question: Chinese writer Mo Yan's Noble Prize for Literature on Thunday might set off an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles being translated into English. Chinese literature has alyeady attracted international attention, but experts say translation remains a barrier. "Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already."says Michel Hockx, professor of University of London. " It's mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their work outside China and to interact with readerships abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in Chinese language and Chinese culture." Hockx adds: "We need more good translators, especially foreign translators, who know good Chinese and can translate the work into their own languages in a way that foreign readers will appreciate and understand." London's independent literary agent Toby Eady, who represents many Chinese writers, including Yu Dan, met Mo about 15 years ago in China. But Eady says:"I still think Mo Yan's writing--and, to an extent, all Chinese writing--are not truly understood by Western readers because a part of Chinese literature is lost in translation. The translator has done a good job in translating Mo's work, but the variety of Chinese vocabulary doesn't well translate into English." University of Oxford lecturer in medern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says:"The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit between China and its international counterparts --in particular, China knows incomparably more about Europe and America than the other way around--and reading Chinese literature is an effective means of narrowing that gap." Though Mo Yan is very successful, _ . A) his work was not fully enough translated B) people still misunderstand him when reading his work C) Yu Dan did a still better job than him D) Toby Eady doesn't think so highly of him
Answer:
A