Teaching Is "One of the Least Popular Jobs in the UK"
(1) The UK government has just published a report on the future of secondary-school teaching (pupils aged 11-16), and the conclusion of the report is that many secondary schools now face great difficulties in finding people who want to be teachers, Since the 1980s, the number of graduates who say they would "seriously consider" teaching as a career has fallen sharply,from 64% in 1982 to just 17% today. The report suggests that urgent action needs to be taken in order to encourage more intelligent young graduates into teaching.
(2) The main drawback of secondary teaching according to the report, is the low salary. Earnings in teaching are much lower than in many other jobs, and this means that fewer and fewer young people decide to be teachers. Joanne Manners,24, is a good example: "I graduated in maths last year, and I was thinking of doing a teacher-training course to become a maths teacher -- but when I looked into the details, it became clear that teaching isn't very lucrative(赚钱的) job these days. I saw I could earn twice as much if I worked in marketing or advertising, and so I decided not to become a teacher."
(3) It's not just about the money, however. The survey concluded that another reason why people don't want to be teachers is that some teenagers behave very badly in school. A lot of schools have problems with discipline, and it seems clear that children do not have the same respect for teachers as in the past. Here's the view of Dave Hallam, an account from London, "I think parents are to blame. They should have stricter rules with their children at home and also teach their children to have more respect for teachers,"
(4)"I love teaching; it's my passion. I've been a secondary-school teacher of Spanish for ten years now, and although it's a very demanding job, it's very satisfying. When I see my students passing their Spanish exams, or singing along to Spanish pop songs, it makes me feel so proud," says Brian Jones, who works in a secondary school in London. So what does he think the government should reduce the burden of work on teachers, "I find that I always have too much work to do."
(5) The report is clear that the problem of teacher shortage is a very serious one. It says that the government should raise teachers' pay significantly, to catch up with workers in other professions. It also suggests that the government could launch a nationwide publicity campaign, with some advertisements on TV and in the newspapers, to show the positive sides of teaching to young people. Another solution could be set a maximum number hours per week that teachers can work, in order to reduce stress on teachers. "Hopefully," the report concludes, "these solutions can improve the poor image of secondary teaching, and increase the number of young people who want to become teachers in the future."
23. Paragraph 1 __________
24. Paragraph 2__________
25. Paragraph 3 __________
26. Paragraph 4 __________
A. Students' bad behavior and lack of discipline
B. Improvement of children behavior
C. Heavy workload on teachers
D. The problem of low salary
E. A report on teacher shortage
F. A nationwide publicity campaign
27. More and more young people are held back from teaching __________.
28. Parents are encouraged to back the teacher up when there are ___________.
29. The government should reduce the workload on teachers to ease__________.
30. The government should promote teaching as a career by advertising __________.
A. its benefits
B. their childhood memories
C. their stress
D. more training
E. discipline problems
F. because oflow pay
2014年真题
The Storyteller
(1) Steven Spielberg has always had one goal: to tell as many great stories to as many people as will listen. And that's what he has always been about. The son of a computer scientist and a pianist, Spielberg spent his early childhood in New Jersey and, later, Arizona. From the very beginning, his fertile imagination filled his young mind with images that would later inspire his filmmaking.
(2) Even decades later, Spielberg says he has clear memories of his earliest years, which are the origins of some of his biggest hits. He believes that E.T. is the result of the difficult years leading up to his parent's 1966 divorce, "It is really about a young boy who was in search of some stability in his life." "He was scared of just about everything," recalls his mother, Leah Adler. "When trees brushed against the house, he would head into my bed. And that's just the kind of scary stuff he would put in films like Poltergeist."
(3)Spielberg was 11 when he first got his hands on his dad's movie camera and began shooting short flicks about flying saucers and World War II battles. Spielberg's talent for scary storytelling enabled him to make friends. On Boy Scout camping trips, when night fell, Spielberg became the center of attention. "Steven would start telling his ghost stories," says Richard Y. Hoffman Jr.,leader of Troop 294, "and everyone would suddenly get quiet so that they could all hear it."
(4) Spielberg moved to California with his father and went to high school there, but his grades were so bad that he barely graduated. Both UCLA and USC film schools rejected him, so he entered California State University at Long Beach because it was close to Hollywood.
Spielberg was determined to make movies, and he managed to get an unpaid, non-credit internship (实习) in Hollywood. Soon he was given a contract, and he dropped out of college. He never looked back.
(5) Now, many years later, Spielberg is still telling stories with as much passion as the kid in the tent. Ask him where he gets his ideas, Spielberg shrugs. "The process for me is mostly intuitive(凭直觉的 ) ," he says. "There are films that I feel I need to make, for a variety of reasons, for personal reasons, for reasons that I want to have fun, that the subject matter is cool, that I think my kids will like it. And sometimes I just think that it will make a lot of money, like the sequel (续集) to Jurassic Park."
23. Paragraph 1 __________
24. Paragraph 2 __________
25. Paragraph 3 __________
26. Paragraph 4 __________
A. Inspirations for his movies
B. The trouble of making movies
C. A funny man
D. Getting into the movie business
E. Telling stories to make friends
F. An aim of life
27. Some of Spielberg's most successful movies came from__________.
28. When Spielberg was a boy, he used to be scared of__________.
29. Spielberg is very good at __________.
30. Spielberg says he makes movies for __________.
A. almost everything
B. telling scary stories
C. a number of reasons
D. making children laugh
E. his childhood memories
F. a lot of money
2013年真题
Traffic Jams--No End in Sight
(1) Traffic congestion (拥堵) affects people throughout the world. Traffic jams cause smog in dozens of cities across both the developed and developing world. In the U. S., commuters (通勤人员 ) spend an average of a full working week each year sitting in traffic jams, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. While alternative ways of getting around are available, most people still choose their cars because they are looking for convenience, comfort and privacy.
(2) The most promising technique for reducing city traffic is called congestion pricing, whereby cities charge a toll to enter certain parts of town at certain times of day. In theory, if the toll is high enough, some drivers will cancel their trips or go by bus or train. And in practice it seems to work: Singapore, London and Stockholm have reduced traffic and pollution in city centres thanks to congestion pricing.
(3) Another way to reduce rush-hour traffic is for employers to implement flextime, which lets employees travel to and from work at off-peak traffic times to avoid the rush hour. Those who have to travel during busy times can do their part by sharing cars. Employers can also allow more staff to telecommute (work from home) so as to keep more cars off the road altogether.
(4) Some urban planners still believe that the best way to ease traffic congestion is to build more roads, especially roads that can take drivers around or over crowded city streets. But such techniques do not really keep cars off the road; they only accommodate more of them.
(5) Other, more forward-thinking, planners know that more and more drivers and cars are taking to the roads every day, and they are unwilling to encourage more private automobiles when public transport is so much better both for people and the environment. For this reason, the American government has decided to spend some $7 billion on helping to increase capacity on public-transportsystemsandupgradethemwithmoreefficienttechnologies.But
environmentalists complain that such funding is tiny compared with the $50 billion being spent on roads and bridges.
23. Paragraph 1 __________
24. Paragraph 2 __________
25. Paragraph 3 __________
26. Paragraph 4 __________
A. Paying to get in
B. Changing work practice
C. Not doing enough
D. A solution which is no solution
E. Closing city centres to traffic
F. A global problem
27. Most American drivers think it convenient to__________.
28. If charged high enough, some drivers may enter certain parts of town __________.
29. Building more roads is not an effective way to __________.
30. The U. S. government has planned to __________ updating public-transport systems.
A. reduce traffic jams
B. drive around
C. go by bus
D. spend more money
E. travel regularly
F. encourage more private cars
答案与解析
2015年真题
23．E。题干：第一段的主要内容是__________。第一段的主题句是第一句，大意是说英国政府的一项报告指出许多中开云kaiyun(中国)面临着师资困难，故E(有关师资短缺的报告)是正确答案。
24．D。题干：第二段的主要内容是__________。第二段首句是主题句，大意为“根据报告，中开云kaiyun(中国)教开云kaiyun(中国)的主要问题是工资低”，故D(低工资的问题)是正确答案。
25．A。题干：第三段的主要内容是__________。第三段的主题句为第二句，“yet”之前讨论的是师资不足不仅仅是钱的问题，“yet”之后讨论人们不愿做老师的另外一个原因就是有些开云kaiyun(中国)生行为恶劣，因而A(开云kaiyun(中国)生的不良行为和缺乏管束)是正确答案。
26．c。题干：第四段的主要内容是__________。四段没有主题句，以Brian Jones的例子来说明教师在看到开云kaiyun(中国)生通过考试时的满足感，后半部分则是他希望政府能够给老师减负，故C(教师工作负担重)是正确答案。(如果段落之中没有明显的主题句，则需要根据大意或者高频词汇进行判断。)
27．F。题干：越来越多的年轻人不愿意从事教师的职业__________。利用题干关键词young people可以定位到第二段第二句，教师工资比很多其他职业的工资低得多，这意味着越来越少的年轻人决定做教师，所以答案为F(因为低工资)
28．E。题干：家长被鼓励要支持教师，当有__________的时候。利用题干关键词parents和back the teacher可以定位到第三段最后两句，Dave Hallam认为家长要为孩子在开云kaiyun(中国)校的不良行为负责，应该在家严格要求孩子，同时也要教会孩子尊重老师，对比几个选项，可以发现选项E(纪律问题)比较符合语境。
29．C。题干：政府应该给教师减负来减轻__________。利用题干关键词reduce the workload可以定位到第三段最后一句，可知Brian认为政府应该给教师减负，因为他发现他的工作量太多了，所答案为C(他们的压力)o
30．A。题干：政府应该通过宣传__________来提升教师职业。利用题目顺序和段落顺序一致的原则以及题干关键词government，promotin9和advertisin9等可以定位到第五段的第三句，即政府也应发动全国性的宣传运动，例如在电视和报纸做广告等，来展示教授年轻人的积极意义。因此，该题答案选A(它的好处)。
2014年真题
23．F。题干：第一段的段落大意为__________。第一段的主题句为首句，即Steven Spielberg有一个目标，那就是给很多愿意倾听的人讲很多好的故事，所以选项F“人生的目标”为正确答案。
24．A。题干：第二段的段落大意为__________。第二段的主题句为第一句：Even decades later,Spielberg says he has clear memories of his earliest years，which are the origins of some of his biggest hits．即Spielber9认为他对儿时有着清晰的记忆，而这些就是他一些成功作品的来源，所以选项A“电影的灵感”为正确答案。
25．E。题干：第三段的段落大意为__________。第三段无明显的主题句，该段主要讲Spielberg很擅长讲恐怖的故事，让他交到了很多朋友，所以选项E“讲故事来交朋友”为正确答案。
26．D。题干：第四段的段落大意为__________。第四段无明显的主题句，该段主要讲述Spielberg被电影开云kaiyun(中国)院所拒，然后到离好莱坞比较近的大开云kaiyun(中国)上开云kaiyun(中国)，并努力获得在好莱坞实习的机会，获得电影合同后就退开云kaiyun(中国)了，所以选项D“进入电影行业”为正确答案。
27．E。题干：Spielberg非常成功的电影都来自于__________。利用题干关键词和第24题的分析，可知Spielberg认为他对儿时有着清晰的记忆，而这些就是他一些成功作品的来源，所以选项E“他儿时的记忆”为正确答案。
28．A。题干：Spielberg是个孩子的时候，他害怕__________。利用题干关键词be scared of可以定位到第二段“He was scared ofjust about everything”，意为“他害怕几乎所有的一切”，所以选项A“几乎所有的一切”为正确答案。
29．B。题干：Spielberg很擅长__________。利用题干关键词is good at和题目顺序与题干顺序一致的原则，可以定位第三段“Spielberg’s talent for scary storytelling enabled him to make friends”，意为“Spielberg讲恐怖故事的天赋让他交到了朋友”，所以选项B“讲恐怖故事”为正确答案。
30．C。题干：Spielber9说他制作电影是因为__________。利用题干关键词make movie可以定位到第五段“There are films that I feel I need to make，for a variety of reasons，for personal reasons．for reasons that l want to have fun…”，意为“我觉得我需要制作电影，因为各种各样的原因，比如因为个人的原因，因为我想找到乐趣的原因”，所以选项C“很多原因”为正确答案。
2013年真题
23．F。第一段首句是主题句，交通拥挤影响到了全世界的人，故F(全球问题)是正确
答案。
24．A。第二段首旬是主题句，最有希望减少城市拥挤的技术被称为拥堵收费，即车辆在一天的特定时段进入城里的特定区域是要收费的。故A(付费进入)是正确答案。
25．B。第三段首句是主题句，另一种缓解高峰期交通拥堵的方法是雇主实行弹性工作时间，这可以让员工在非高峰期往返工作，以避开上下班的高峰，因而B(改变上下班惯例)是正确答案。
26．D。第四段没有主题句，通过本段可知很多人认为缓解交通压力的办法是多修路，但作者认为这种办法并不能真正解决问题。故D(一个不能解决问题的解决方案)是正确答案。
27．B。句意：大部分美国人认为很方便。利用关键词convenient可以定位，根据第一段最后一句“most people still choose their cars because they are looking for convenience．Comfort and privacy”可知，很多人选择开车是为了舒适、方便和隐私。因而答案为B。
28．C。题干：如果收费足够高，许多司机可能进入城镇的特定区域。利用题干关键词charge可以定位，根据第二段“In theory，if the toll is high enough．some drivers will cancel their trips or go by bus or train．”可知，“理论上，如果收费足够高，有些司机将会取消行程或者乘坐公交或火车”，所以C(坐公交)为正确答案。
29．A。题干：建设更多的路不是的有效方法。利用题干关键词building roads等可以定位，根据第四段可知，有些城市规划者认为缓解交通拥挤的办法是建更多的路，但是并不能真的让车远离道路，而只会容纳更多的车。因而修路并不是缓解拥堵的好办法，所以A(缓解交通拥挤)为正确答案。
30．D。题干：美国政府计划通过升级公共交通系统来。利用题干关键词government和public—transport system等可以定位，根据第五段倒数第二句可知，美国政府决定花费70亿美元来提高公用交通系统的通行量，并使用更有效的技术对其进行升级，所以D(花费更多钱)为正确答案。
