填空题Is College Really Worth the Money?The Real World Este Griffith had it all figured out. When she graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2001, she had her sights set on one thing: working for a labor union. The real world had other ideas. Griffith left school with not only a degree, but a boatload of debt. She owed $15.000 in student loans and had racked up $4,000 in credit card debt for books, groceries and other expenses. No labor union job could pay enough to bail her out. So Griffith went to work instead for a Washington, D.C. firm that specializes in economic development. Problem solved? Nope. At age 24, she takes home about $1,800 a month, $1,200 of which disappears to pay her rent. Add another $180 a month to retire her student loans and $300 a month to whittle down her credit card balance. "You do the math," she says. Griffith has practically no money to live on. She brown-bags (自带午餐) her lunch and bikes to work. Above all, she fears she'll never own a house or be able to retire. It's not that she regrets getting her degree. "But they don't tell you that the trade-off is the next ten years of your income," she says. That's precisely the deal being made by more and more college students. They're mortgaging their futures to meet soaring tuition costs and other college expenses. Like Griffith, they're facing a one-two punch at graduation: hefty (沉重的) student loans and smothering credit card debt—not to mention a job market that, for now anyway, is dismal. "We axe forcing our children to make a choice between two evils," says Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law professor and expert on bankruptcy. "Skip college and face a life of diminished opportunity, or go to college and face a life shackled (束缚) by debt."Tuition Hikes For some time, colleges have insisted their steep tuition hikes are needed to pay for cutting-edge technologies, faculty and administration salaries, and rising health care costs. Now there's a new culprit (犯人): shrinking state support. Caught in a severe budget crunch, many states have sharply sealed back their funding for higher education. Someone had to make up for those lost dollars. And you can guess who—especially if you live in Massachusetts, which last year hiked its tuition and fees by 24 percent, after funding dropped by 3 percent, or in Missouri, where appropriations (拨款) fell by 10 percent, but tuition rose at double that rate. About one-third of the states, in fact, have increased tuition and fees by more than 10 percent. One of those states is California, and Janet Burrell's family is feeling the pain. A bookkeeper in Torrance, Burrell has a daughter at the University of California at Davis. Meanwhile, her sons attend two-year colleges because Burrell can't afford to have all of them in four-year schools at once. Meanwhile, even with tuition hikes, California's community colleges are so strapped for cash they dropped thousands of classes last spring. The result: 54,000 fewer students.Collapsing Investments Many families thought they had a surefire plan: even if tuition kept skyrocketing, they had invested enough money along the way to meet the costs. Then a funny thing happened on the way to Wall Street. Those investments collapsed with the stuck market. Among the losers last year: the wildly popular "529" plans—federal tax-exempt college savings plans offered by individual states, which have attracted billions from families around the country. "We hear from many parents that what they had set aside declined in value so much that they now don't have enough to see their students through," says Penn State financial aid director Anna Griswold, who witnessed a 10 percent increase in loan applications last year. Even with a market that may be slowly recovering, it will take time, perhaps several years, for people to recoup (补偿) their losses. Nadine Sayegh is among those who didn't have the luxury of waiting for her college nest egg to grow back. Her father had invested money toward her tuition, but a large chunk of it vanished when stocks went south. Nadine was then only partway through college. By graduation, she had taken out at least $10,000 in loans, and her mother had borrowed even more on her behalf. Now 22, Nadine is attending law school, having signed for yet more loans to pay for that. "There wasn't any way to do it differently," she says, "and I'm not happy about it. I've sat down and calculated how long it will take me to pay off everything. I'll be 35 years old." That's if she's very lucky: Nadine based her calculation on landing a job right out of law school that will pay her at least $120,000 a year.Dependent on Loans and Credit Cards The American Council on Education has its own calculation that shows how students are more and more dependent on loans. In just five years, from 1995 to 2000, the median loan debt at public institutions rose from $10,342 to $15,375. Most of this comes from federal loans, which Congress made more tempting in 1992 by expanding eligibility (home equity no longer counts against your assets) and raising loan limits (a dependent undergraduate can now borrow up to $23,000 from the federal government). But students aren't stopping there. The College Board estimates that they also borrowed $4.5 billion from private lenders in the 2000～2001 academic year, up from $1.5 billion just five years earlier. For lots of students, the worst of it isn't even the weight of those direct student loans. It's what they rack up on all those plastic cards in their wallets. As of two years ago, according to a study by lender Nellie Mae, more than eight out of ten undergrads had their own credit cards, with the typical student carrying four. That's no big surprise, given the in-your-face marketing by credit card companies, which set up tables on campus to entice (诱惑) students to sign up. Some colleges ban or restrict this hawking, but others give it a boost. You know those credit cards emblazoned with a school's picture or its logo? For sanctioning such a card—a must-have for some students—a college department or association gets payments from the issuer. Meanwhile, from freshman year to graduation, according to the Nellie Mae study, students triple the number of credit cards they own and double their debt on them. As of 2001, they were in the hole an average $2,327.A Wise Choice? One day, Moyer sat down with his mother, Janne O'Donnell, to talk about his goal of going to law school. Don't count on it, O'Donnell told him. She couldn't afford the cost and Moyer doubted he could get a loan, given how much he owed already. "He said he felt like a failure," O'Donnell recalls. "He didn't know how he had gotten into such a mess." A week later, the 22-year-old hanged himself in his bedroom, where his mother found him. O'Donnell is convinced the money pressures caused his suicide. "Sean tried to pay his debts off," she says. "And he couldn't take it." To be sure, suicides are exceedingly rare. But despair is common, and it sometimes leads students to rethink whether college was Worth it. In fact, there are quite a few jobs that don't require a college degree, yet pay fairly well. On average, though, college graduates can expect to earn 80 percent more than those with only a high school diploma. Also, all but two of the 50 highest paying jobs (the exceptions being air traffic controllers and nuclear power reactor operators) require a four-year college degree. So foregoing a college education is often not a wise choice. Merit Mikhail, who graduated last June from the University of California, Riverside, is glad she borrowed to get through school. But she left Riverside owing $20,000 in student loans and another $7,000 in credit card debt. Now in law school, Merit hopes to become a public-interest attorney, yet she may have to postpone that goal, which bothers her. To handle her debt, she'll probably need to start with a more lucrative (有利的) legal job. Like so many other students, Mikhail took out her loans on a kind of blind faith that she could deal with the consequences. "You say to yourself. 'I have to go into debt to make it work, and whatever it takes later. I'll manage.'" Later has now arrived, and Mikhail is finding out the true cost of her college degree.

填空题According to the author, the development of the highly specialized technology, for space travel has not only made space travel possible but also _______.

填空题Personality is to a large extent inherent — A type parents usually bring about A type{{U}} (36) {{/U}}But the environment must also have a{{U}} (37) {{/U}}effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor in the lives of their, children. One place where children{{U}} (38) {{/U}}up A characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools{{U}} (39) {{/U}}the 'win at all costs' moral standard and{{U}} (40) {{/U}}their success by sporting achievements. The current{{U}} (41) {{/U}}for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their B type fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner,{{U}} (42) {{/U}}dead seconds after saying: 'Rejoice, we conquer! ' By far the worst form of competition in schools is the{{U}} (43) {{/U}}emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well{{U}} (44) {{/U}} Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into B's.{{U}} (45) {{/U}}It is top management. If the preoccupation of schools with academic work was lessened, more time might be spent teaching children surer values.{{U}} (46) {{/U}}It is surely a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A type stock. B's are important and should be encouraged.

填空题Climate Disaster? Here"s What the US Could Look Like in 2100 A. You"ve been hearing about the negative impacts of global warming for years. Sometimes you read with worry the news about forest fires, hurricanes, droughts and heat waves. And you wonder, "Is climate disaster already upon us?" Scientists say the answer is "Yes." We are now experiencing the effects of human-caused climate change and say, even if we drastically alter our polluting behavior today, we"ll continue to see changes over the next two to three decades and researchers predict it may be worse than the depressing situation. B. Although the future seems gloomy, there is hope. While we can"t change the polluting that has already occurred, we can make changes now that will leave a cleaner world for our children and grandchildren. "One important message to convey is we can very much affect what happens 90 years from now by the decisions we make today," says Jim Hurrell, Ph.D., a senior atmospheric researcher with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). C. But what happens if we don"t act now? Here is how the parts of the United States could be affected in the year 2100 if we don"t turn it around. 1. Pacific Northwest D. Climate changes in the Northwestern states as a result of global warming will include heavier rainfall and higher temperatures. The slow steady drizzle so familiar to Northwest residents will change. E. By 2100 there will be very dramatic warming over the higher latitudes of both hemispheres. Studies on temperature changes that have already occurred show that Alaska has experienced a 3.6 degree Fahrenheit increase since 1951 and western states in the US are experiencing warmer summer temperatures. F. The Northwest will also be affected by the anticipated two to three feet of sea level rise, though cities in this area will suffer less than coastal cities in the Southwest and Southeast. "The sea level rise will be global, but it becomes a big problem when three things come together, high tides, a higher sea level, and a storm surge," says Kevin Trenberth, head of the Climate Analysis Section with NCAR. "The worst storm surges are associated with hurricanes. You don"t get hurricanes in the Northwest, so the Northwest is not as vulnerable as the Southeast in that regard." 2. Rocky Mountains G. Scientists predict that by 2100 increasingly early snowmelts will put a strain on water supplies in Denver, Salt Lake City and other communities fed by Rocky Mountain rivers. Winter snowpack is a vital part of life in the Mountain West. Snow piles up in the winter, melts in late spring and summer, and rivers flow, providing water everywhere. But global warming is changing all that. In the future, the snow season will get shorter, the snowpack will be less, and runoff (径流) could easily occur a month or two earlier. Consequently, the ski industry, now a main source of revenue for Rocky Mountain ski towns, will no doubt be put on notice, as will states downstream from the mountains. Less water in the Southwest will lead to drought conditions, more wildfires and stressed fish and other aquatic (水栖的) species. An earlier spring disrupts natural systems in ways that lead to human health issues. A longer summer and short winter also allow insects to thrive, threatening the health of trees and contributing to the risk of forest fires. 3. Northeast H. The largest metropolitan areas along the seaboard are especially at risk for stronger storms and flooding. East Coast cities will also be more affected by sea level rise than other areas of the US. Today"s coastal areas will be very different by the end of this century if we do nothing. On average, global sea levels will go up two to three feet. But scientists expect that in some coastal cities, such as Boston and New York, complex ocean currents that will change as our climate changes will add an extra 8 inches to that increase in water level. Rising sea levels could flood subways and underground sewage (污水) and transportation systems if left unchecked. Or, these cities could become similar to New Orleans, in that they"d need to build infrastructure to protect them from rising sea levels. I. An increase in the number of extreme storms would cause public health issues by creating a higher risk of waterborne (由水传播的) illnesses. Some estimates suggest that at our current rate of climate change, temperature in the Northeast will increase as much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit by century"s end. That will make the public health risks during heat waves immeasurably worse than they already are today. 4. Southeast J. The Southeastern states will experience less extreme temperature increases than northern and western states, but they will see stronger storms and find themselves more vulnerable to sea level rise. "There are two major factors in terms of sea level rise," says Hurrell. "The first is thermal expansion. The second is that more fresh water will be added to the oceans." K. "There are three main risks in the Southeast," says Trenberth. "There is risk for increased wind damage, risk for a storm surge, which is very coastal and worsened by higher sea levels, and then a bit further inland, there is an increased risk of flooding from heavy rains." Waterborne diseases are more likely to be prevalent in a flood zone and will create additional risk to public health. 5. The Northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes L. Scientists predict that the Northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes areas will experience stronger storms, longer storm seasons and an increase in temperatures. Temperature changes as high as 5 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit in winter, and 5 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit in summer by 2100. Warmer winters can lead to an increase in infectious diseases as warmer winter weather allows insect populations to remain active longer each year. M. An extended summer will translate to a longer growing season, but also to an increased risk of drought and extreme heat. That heat will create evaporation that will lower water levels, especially in the Great Lakes. While there will be little change in overall average precipitation (降雨量), this region will experience longer storm seasons. 6. Southwest N. The Southwestern states, including California and Nevada, will experience intense heat waves, poorer air quality, wildfire, water shortages, drought and expanding risks to agriculture. In general, the main worry in the Southwest is water resources. Water is already a scarce resource what with increasing population demands. These areas are already quite dependent on water flowing from the mountains, so any changes in snowpack will exert an impact on water sources in places like California. O. Dry conditions and" high temperatures will increase risk for heat waves and wildfires. Along with that come issues with insects and diseases. Some insects flourish with a longer summer season, and the dead trees they create lead to higher wildfire risk.

填空题The greenhouse effect has warmed the Earth when the Earth came into being.

填空题The author holds the view that if you play an old song you loved, you will feel like______.

填空题She expressed her strong detemination that ______ (没有什么能使她放弃教师这一职业).

填空题Carver battled all his life against the disposal of waste materials, and proposed that substitute be developed to______.

填空题During an interview with potential employers, self-honoring or self-love may help a job seeker to show ______.

填空题The Americans fought for their independence mainly because of heavy taxes imposed by Great Britain.

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