In college,how did you go about influencing someone to accept your ideas?
For the past several decades, it seems there's been a general consensus on how to get ahead in America: Get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy your own home. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do, is it attainable? The most recent National Journal poll asked respondents about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goals, and whether or not they felt a significant amount of control over their ability to be successful. Overwhelmingly, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream—and what it takes to achieve it—looks quite different than it did in the late 20th century. By and large, people felt that their actions and hard work—not outside forces—were the deciding factor in how their lives turned out. But respondents had decidedly mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy. In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority—52 percent—think that young people do not need a four-year college education in order to be successful. Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master's degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability his parents and grandparents never did. While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of the degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new perspectives and life experiences. Sixty-year-old Will Fendley, who had a successful career in the military and never earned a college degree, thinks "personal drive" is far more important than just going to college. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook, are the necessary ingredients for a successful life in America. 51.It used to be commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America, one had to have _____.
A.an advanced academic degree
B.an ambition to get ahead
C.a firm belief in their dream
D.a sense of drive and purpose
52.What is the finding of the latest National Journal poll concerning the American dream_____
A.More and more Americans are finding it hard to realize.
B.It remains alive among the majority of American people.
C.Americans' idea of it has changed over the past few decades.
D.An increasing number of young Americans are abandoning it.
53.What do Americans now think of the role of college education in achieving success_____
A.It still remains open to debate.
B.It has proved to be beyond doubt.
C.It is no longer as important as it used to be.
D.It is much better understood now than ever.
54.How do some people view college education these days_____
A.It promotes gender equality.
B.It needs to be strengthened.
C.It adds to cultural diversity.
D.It helps broaden their minds.
55.What is one factor essential to success in America, according to Will Fendley_____
A.A desire to learn and to adapt.
B.A strong sense of responsibility.
C.A willingness to commit oneself.
D.A clear aim and high motivation.
You were probably right if you thought that was caused by a lack of sleep.Dr.Home, a sleep researcher in England, studied 24 college students.One group got their normal eight hours of sleep.The other group didn’t get the smallest amount of sleep — they stayed awake all night.The next day, Dr.Home tested the students.He asked them questions that required creative and original thinking.One of the questions was “How many uses can a cardboard box be put to?”
The results? The wide-awake students did well on the tests.The tired students did poorly.
Research has already shown that tired people can do okay on tests of routine thinking, like simple addition.But Dr.Home tested creative thinking only.
As part of his study, he offered an amount of money as a reward to the sleepy students if they did well.But even this encouragement wasn’t enough to help the students overcome their tiredness.They still did poorly.Dr.Home believes that the cerebral cortex — the part of the brain where thinking takes place — may get worn out during waking hours.Sleep may help to repair the brain overnight.Without any sleep, he emphasizes, “even if you concentrate harder, you cannot do better.”
This study gives people something to think about, especially people like hospital workers and airline pilots, who must stay awake all night and then make emergency decisions.
36.According to the passage, the confusion of your mind is possibly due to _____.
A.the lack of sleep
B.the difficult question
C.the requirement of your creative thinking
D.the requirement of your original thinking
37.Tired people can do everything EXCEPT_____.
A.doing simple addition
B.doing okay on tests of routine thinking
C.answering the creative question well
D.telling other people their names
38.The purpose for Dr.Home to offer a lot of money to the sleepy students is to _____.
A.help them repair their brains
B.stimulate their interests of the question
C.buy some medicine which can make them exciting
D.encourage them to do better
39.Who might be better instructed in their work after reading this passage?
A.Children.
B.Nurses.
C.Students.
D.Businessmen.
40.We can learn from the passage that _____.
A.a foolish man with good sleep may answer creative question well
B.a pilot should fly the aircraft after having good sleep
C.enough sleep is good for your emergency decisions
D.both B and C
They tried hard to establish enough schools for their children.The schools were not only to teach children how to read, write and calculate but also to train clergymen(牧师) .The first college, Harvard, was set up in Massachusetts in 1636.Soon after, the colonial government passed a law requiring every town of more than 40 families to have a school and school master.By the mid-eighteenth century several well-known colleges were founded, including Columbia in New York and Princeton in New Jersey.They were used to train young people.Education did not develop very fast in the South where big plantation(农场) owners did not want to build schools for the children of the poor workers and slaves.Children from rich families usually went to England for higher education.This was one of the reasons why the South developed more slowly than the North.
Colonial schools laid the foundation for American educational system in which all the American schools were left to the care of communities or local authority.Compulsory education has been carried out and primary and secondary education has been open to American children free of charge for many years.
21.Education in most Americans'eyes is().
A.quite necessary for social development and democracy
B.important only for the earliest settlers
C.good as they have many famous universities
D.the basis of working hard
22.Which of the following was not a task of school? ()
A.To train clergymen.
B.To teach children how to read and write.
C.To teach children maths.
D.To send children to British universities.
23.The South America developed slowly because().
A.children in the South went to England for higher education
B.there were not many rich people in the South
C.not all rich children in the South had chances to go to school in England
D.education developed quite slowly in the South
24.American educational system was built().
A.on the basis of colonial educational system
B.after some famous colleges were founded
C.by churches as they hoped to train more clergymen
D.when many children from rich families went to England
25.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? ()
A.Princeton University was founded around 1750s.
B.Colombia University was built in 1636.
C.Harvard University was founded by the American government.
D.A law was passed by the American government that a school should be built in every town.