Studies of two Harvard economists show...

In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War II, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.
In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.
Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of "real world" education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not sin-rive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.
It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.Why are humanists regarded lightly today

A．Their income is too high.
B．They are short of scientific knowledge.
C．They benefit little in people"s income and nonacademic job hunting.
D．Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded.

单项选择题

The use of deferential language is symbolic of the Confucian ideal of the woman, which dominates conservative gender norms in Japan. This ideal presents a woman who withdraws quietly to the background, subordinating her life and needs to those of her family and its male head. She is a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother, master of the domestic arts. The typical refined Japanese woman excels in modesty and delicacy; she " treads softly (谨言慎行) in the world," elevating feminine beauty and grace to an art form.
Nowadays, it is commonly observed that young women are not conforming to the feminine linguistic (语言的) ideal. They are using fewer of the very deferential "women"s" forms, and even using the few strong forms that are known as "men"s." This, of course, attracts considerable attention and has led to an outcry in the Japanese media against the defeminization of women"s language. Indeed, we didn"t hear about "men"s language" until people began to respond to girls" appropriation of forms normally reserved for boys and men. There is considerable sentiment about the "corruption" of women"s language—which of course is viewed as part of the loss of feminine ideals and morality—and this sentiment is crystallized by nationwide opinion polls that are regularly carried out by the media.
Yoshiko Matsumoto has argued that young women probably never used as many of the highly deferential forms as older women. This highly polite style is no doubt something that young women have been expected to "grow into"—after all, it is assign not simply of femininity, but of maturity and refinement, and its use could be taken to indicate a change in the nature of one"s social relations as well. One might well imagine little girls using exceedingly polite forms when playing house or imitating older women—in a fashion analogous to little girls" use of a high-pitched voice to do "teacher talk" or "mother talk" in role play.
The fact that young Japanese women are using less deferential language is a sure sign of change—of social change and of linguistic change. But it is most certainly not a sign of the "masculization" of girls. In some instances, it may be a sign that girls are making the same claim to authority as boys and men, but that is very different from saying that they are trying to be "masculine." Katsue Reynolds has argued that girls nowadays are using more assertive language strategies in order to be able to compete with boys in schools and out. Social change also brings not simply different positions for women and girls, but different relations to life stages, and adolescent girls are participating in new sub-cultural forms. Thus what may, to an older speaker, seem like "masculine" speech may seem to an adolescent like "liberated" or "hip" speech.Which is not a character of a typical refined Japanese woman

A．Modesty and delicacy.
B．Beauty and grace to an art form.
C．A little masculine.
D．Influenced by Confucius on gender norms.

单项选择题

Wouldn"t it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists.
Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecast. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful, high-speed computers. This does give the meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country. But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that"s several hours old to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud "A picture of moisture is doing in the atmosphere," says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There"s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don"t see it, because it"s in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change to liquid water. It"s called condensation , and we see it happen all the time (for example, when humid air from the shower hits the cold glasses of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses, droplets come in the air. These droplets scatter light. A cloud is seen.
Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere. You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal an approaching storm. But don"t take our word for it; see for yourself.The word "condensation" in paragraph three means ______.

A．water vapor
B．the temperature of the air
C．humid air
D．water vapor changes to liquid water when the air is cold enough

单项选择题

The use of deferential language is symbolic of the Confucian ideal of the woman, which dominates conservative gender norms in Japan. This ideal presents a woman who withdraws quietly to the background, subordinating her life and needs to those of her family and its male head. She is a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother, master of the domestic arts. The typical refined Japanese woman excels in modesty and delicacy; she " treads softly (谨言慎行) in the world," elevating feminine beauty and grace to an art form.
Nowadays, it is commonly observed that young women are not conforming to the feminine linguistic (语言的) ideal. They are using fewer of the very deferential "women"s" forms, and even using the few strong forms that are known as "men"s." This, of course, attracts considerable attention and has led to an outcry in the Japanese media against the defeminization of women"s language. Indeed, we didn"t hear about "men"s language" until people began to respond to girls" appropriation of forms normally reserved for boys and men. There is considerable sentiment about the "corruption" of women"s language—which of course is viewed as part of the loss of feminine ideals and morality—and this sentiment is crystallized by nationwide opinion polls that are regularly carried out by the media.
Yoshiko Matsumoto has argued that young women probably never used as many of the highly deferential forms as older women. This highly polite style is no doubt something that young women have been expected to "grow into"—after all, it is assign not simply of femininity, but of maturity and refinement, and its use could be taken to indicate a change in the nature of one"s social relations as well. One might well imagine little girls using exceedingly polite forms when playing house or imitating older women—in a fashion analogous to little girls" use of a high-pitched voice to do "teacher talk" or "mother talk" in role play.
The fact that young Japanese women are using less deferential language is a sure sign of change—of social change and of linguistic change. But it is most certainly not a sign of the "masculization" of girls. In some instances, it may be a sign that girls are making the same claim to authority as boys and men, but that is very different from saying that they are trying to be "masculine." Katsue Reynolds has argued that girls nowadays are using more assertive language strategies in order to be able to compete with boys in schools and out. Social change also brings not simply different positions for women and girls, but different relations to life stages, and adolescent girls are participating in new sub-cultural forms. Thus what may, to an older speaker, seem like "masculine" speech may seem to an adolescent like "liberated" or "hip" speech.Today, young Japanese women have some changes in ______ from the traditional ones.

A．linguistic behavior
B．the deferential linguistic forms
C．the form of male and female language
D．strong linguistic expressions

单项选择题

In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War II, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.
In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.
Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of "real world" education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not sin-rive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.
It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.Why is science and technology so popular in the early 20th century

A．Because it could promote the nation"s social progress.
B．Because it would help raise people"s living standards.
C．Because it quickened the pace of industrialization.
D．Because they thought it can solve virtually all existing problems.

单项选择题

Wouldn"t it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists.
Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecast. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful, high-speed computers. This does give the meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country. But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that"s several hours old to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud "A picture of moisture is doing in the atmosphere," says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There"s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don"t see it, because it"s in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change to liquid water. It"s called condensation , and we see it happen all the time (for example, when humid air from the shower hits the cold glasses of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses, droplets come in the air. These droplets scatter light. A cloud is seen.
Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere. You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal an approaching storm. But don"t take our word for it; see for yourself.What does "meteorologists" refer to ______.

A．people who study the earth"s atmosphere and its changes
B．people who broadcast weather on TV
C．people who are in charge of weather forecast
D．people who study the earth"s rocks the history of its development

单项选择题

There is nothing like the suggestion of a cancer risk to scare a parent, especially one of the over-educated, eco-conscious type. So you can imagine the reaction when a recent USA Today investigation of air quality around the nation"s schools singled out those in the smugly green village of Berkeley, Calif, as being among the worst in the country. The city"s public high school, as well as a number of daycare centers, preschools, elementary and middle schools, fell in the lowest 10%. Industrial pollution in our town had supposedly turned students into living science experiments breathing in a laboratory"s worth of heavy metals like manganese (锰), chromium (铬) and nickel (镍) each day. This in a city that requires school cafeterias to serve organic meals. Great, I thought, organic lunch, toxic campus.
Since December, when the report came out, the mayor, neighborhood activists and various parent-teacher associations have engaged in a fierce battle over its validity: over the guilt of the steel-casting factor5, on the western edge of town, over union jobs versus children"s health and over what, if anything, ought to be done. With all sides presenting their own experts armed with conflicting scientific studies, whom should parents believe Is there truly a threat here, we asked one another as we dropped off our kids, and if so, how great is it And how does it compare with the other, seemingly perpetual health scares we confront, like panic over lead in synthetic athletic fields Rather than just another weird episode in the town that brought you protesting environmentalists, this latest drama is a trial for how today"s parents perceive risk, how we try to keep our kids safe—whether it"s possible to keep them safe—in what feels like an increasingly threatening world. It raises the question of what, in our time, "safe" could even mean.
"There"s no way around the uncertainty," says Kimberly Thompson, president of Kid Risk, a nonprofit group that studies children"s health. "That means your choices can matter, but it also means you aren"t going to know if they do." A 2004 report in the journal Pediatrics explained that nervous parents have more to fear from fire, car accidents and drowning than from toxic chemical exposure. To which I say: Well, obviously. But such concrete hazards are beside the point. It"s the dangers parents can"t—and may never—quantify that occur all of sudden. That"s why I"ve rid my cupboard of microwave food packed in bags coated with a potential cancer-causing substance, but although I"ve lived blocks from a major fault line (地质断层) for more than 12 years, I still haven"t bolted our bookcases to the living room wall.Parents are ______ with the experts" studies.

A．happy
B．frightened by the evidence
C．uncertain and doubted
D．relieved

单项选择题

The use of deferential language is symbolic of the Confucian ideal of the woman, which dominates conservative gender norms in Japan. This ideal presents a woman who withdraws quietly to the background, subordinating her life and needs to those of her family and its male head. She is a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother, master of the domestic arts. The typical refined Japanese woman excels in modesty and delicacy; she " treads softly (谨言慎行) in the world," elevating feminine beauty and grace to an art form.
Nowadays, it is commonly observed that young women are not conforming to the feminine linguistic (语言的) ideal. They are using fewer of the very deferential "women"s" forms, and even using the few strong forms that are known as "men"s." This, of course, attracts considerable attention and has led to an outcry in the Japanese media against the defeminization of women"s language. Indeed, we didn"t hear about "men"s language" until people began to respond to girls" appropriation of forms normally reserved for boys and men. There is considerable sentiment about the "corruption" of women"s language—which of course is viewed as part of the loss of feminine ideals and morality—and this sentiment is crystallized by nationwide opinion polls that are regularly carried out by the media.
Yoshiko Matsumoto has argued that young women probably never used as many of the highly deferential forms as older women. This highly polite style is no doubt something that young women have been expected to "grow into"—after all, it is assign not simply of femininity, but of maturity and refinement, and its use could be taken to indicate a change in the nature of one"s social relations as well. One might well imagine little girls using exceedingly polite forms when playing house or imitating older women—in a fashion analogous to little girls" use of a high-pitched voice to do "teacher talk" or "mother talk" in role play.
The fact that young Japanese women are using less deferential language is a sure sign of change—of social change and of linguistic change. But it is most certainly not a sign of the "masculization" of girls. In some instances, it may be a sign that girls are making the same claim to authority as boys and men, but that is very different from saying that they are trying to be "masculine." Katsue Reynolds has argued that girls nowadays are using more assertive language strategies in order to be able to compete with boys in schools and out. Social change also brings not simply different positions for women and girls, but different relations to life stages, and adolescent girls are participating in new sub-cultural forms. Thus what may, to an older speaker, seem like "masculine" speech may seem to an adolescent like "liberated" or "hip" speech.How do some people react to women"s appropriation of men"s language forms as reported in the Japanese media

A．They call for a campaign to stop the defeminization.
B．The see it as an expression of women"s sentiment.
C．They accept it as a modern trend.
D．They express strong disapproval.

单项选择题

There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.
A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the "labor-market premium to skill"—or the amount college graduates earned that"s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.
There"s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn"t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007～08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542) Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there Not likely.
No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren"t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.
As with automobiles, consumers in today"s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car In keeping with the automotive world"s hottest consumer trend, maybe it"s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车) :an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.Students who attend an in-state university can ______ in Colorado.

A．take more science courses
B．get a better education
C．save a half than out-state students on tuition
D．stay near with home

单项选择题

In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War II, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.
In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.
Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of "real world" education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not sin-rive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.
It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.Why did so many humanists become enthusiastic about humanistic studies after World War II

A．They realized science and technology alone were no guarantee for a better world.
B．They could get financial support from various foundations for humanistic studies.
C．They wanted to improve their own status within the current education system.
D．They believed the stability of a society depended heavily on humanistic studies.

单项选择题

Wouldn"t it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists.
Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecast. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful, high-speed computers. This does give the meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country. But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that"s several hours old to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud "A picture of moisture is doing in the atmosphere," says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There"s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don"t see it, because it"s in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change to liquid water. It"s called condensation , and we see it happen all the time (for example, when humid air from the shower hits the cold glasses of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses, droplets come in the air. These droplets scatter light. A cloud is seen.
Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere. You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal an approaching storm. But don"t take our word for it; see for yourself.If you want to learn weather forecasts, you"d better ______.

A．watch it on TV
B．watching clouds fluently in one day or two
C．buy more instruments at home
D．watch a single cloud in the sky

单项选择题

There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.
A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the "labor-market premium to skill"—or the amount college graduates earned that"s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.
There"s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn"t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007～08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542) Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there Not likely.
No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren"t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.
As with automobiles, consumers in today"s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car In keeping with the automotive world"s hottest consumer trend, maybe it"s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车) :an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.Studies of two Harvard economists show that for much of the 20th century, ______.

A．enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universities
B．competition for university admissions was far more fierce than today
C．the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed
D．the labor market preferred high-school to college graduates

单项选择题

There is nothing like the suggestion of a cancer risk to scare a parent, especially one of the over-educated, eco-conscious type. So you can imagine the reaction when a recent USA Today investigation of air quality around the nation"s schools singled out those in the smugly green village of Berkeley, Calif, as being among the worst in the country. The city"s public high school, as well as a number of daycare centers, preschools, elementary and middle schools, fell in the lowest 10%. Industrial pollution in our town had supposedly turned students into living science experiments breathing in a laboratory"s worth of heavy metals like manganese (锰), chromium (铬) and nickel (镍) each day. This in a city that requires school cafeterias to serve organic meals. Great, I thought, organic lunch, toxic campus.
Since December, when the report came out, the mayor, neighborhood activists and various parent-teacher associations have engaged in a fierce battle over its validity: over the guilt of the steel-casting factor5, on the western edge of town, over union jobs versus children"s health and over what, if anything, ought to be done. With all sides presenting their own experts armed with conflicting scientific studies, whom should parents believe Is there truly a threat here, we asked one another as we dropped off our kids, and if so, how great is it And how does it compare with the other, seemingly perpetual health scares we confront, like panic over lead in synthetic athletic fields Rather than just another weird episode in the town that brought you protesting environmentalists, this latest drama is a trial for how today"s parents perceive risk, how we try to keep our kids safe—whether it"s possible to keep them safe—in what feels like an increasingly threatening world. It raises the question of what, in our time, "safe" could even mean.
"There"s no way around the uncertainty," says Kimberly Thompson, president of Kid Risk, a nonprofit group that studies children"s health. "That means your choices can matter, but it also means you aren"t going to know if they do." A 2004 report in the journal Pediatrics explained that nervous parents have more to fear from fire, car accidents and drowning than from toxic chemical exposure. To which I say: Well, obviously. But such concrete hazards are beside the point. It"s the dangers parents can"t—and may never—quantify that occur all of sudden. That"s why I"ve rid my cupboard of microwave food packed in bags coated with a potential cancer-causing substance, but although I"ve lived blocks from a major fault line (地质断层) for more than 12 years, I still haven"t bolted our bookcases to the living room wall.The investigation by USA Today revealed that ______.

A．heavy metals in lab tests threaten children"s health in Berkeley
B．parents in Berkeley are over worried about cancer risks their kids may face
C．the air around Berkeley"s school campuses is polluted
D．berkeley residents are quite contented with their surroundings

单项选择题

The use of deferential language is symbolic of the Confucian ideal of the woman, which dominates conservative gender norms in Japan. This ideal presents a woman who withdraws quietly to the background, subordinating her life and needs to those of her family and its male head. She is a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother, master of the domestic arts. The typical refined Japanese woman excels in modesty and delicacy; she " treads softly (谨言慎行) in the world," elevating feminine beauty and grace to an art form.
Nowadays, it is commonly observed that young women are not conforming to the feminine linguistic (语言的) ideal. They are using fewer of the very deferential "women"s" forms, and even using the few strong forms that are known as "men"s." This, of course, attracts considerable attention and has led to an outcry in the Japanese media against the defeminization of women"s language. Indeed, we didn"t hear about "men"s language" until people began to respond to girls" appropriation of forms normally reserved for boys and men. There is considerable sentiment about the "corruption" of women"s language—which of course is viewed as part of the loss of feminine ideals and morality—and this sentiment is crystallized by nationwide opinion polls that are regularly carried out by the media.
Yoshiko Matsumoto has argued that young women probably never used as many of the highly deferential forms as older women. This highly polite style is no doubt something that young women have been expected to "grow into"—after all, it is assign not simply of femininity, but of maturity and refinement, and its use could be taken to indicate a change in the nature of one"s social relations as well. One might well imagine little girls using exceedingly polite forms when playing house or imitating older women—in a fashion analogous to little girls" use of a high-pitched voice to do "teacher talk" or "mother talk" in role play.
The fact that young Japanese women are using less deferential language is a sure sign of change—of social change and of linguistic change. But it is most certainly not a sign of the "masculization" of girls. In some instances, it may be a sign that girls are making the same claim to authority as boys and men, but that is very different from saying that they are trying to be "masculine." Katsue Reynolds has argued that girls nowadays are using more assertive language strategies in order to be able to compete with boys in schools and out. Social change also brings not simply different positions for women and girls, but different relations to life stages, and adolescent girls are participating in new sub-cultural forms. Thus what may, to an older speaker, seem like "masculine" speech may seem to an adolescent like "liberated" or "hip" speech.The highly polite style ______ according to Yoshiko Matsumoto.

A．may lead to changes in social relations
B．has been true of all past generations
C．is viewed as a sign of their maturity
D．is a result of rapid social progress

单项选择题

In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War II, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.
In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.
Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of "real world" education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not sin-rive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.
It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.What is the author"s opinion about today"s education

A．America is lagging behind in the STEM disciplines.
B．Americans do not pay enough attention to humanistic studies.
C．The STEM subjects are too challenging for students to learn.
D．Some Asian countries have overtaken America in basic sciences.

单项选择题

Wouldn"t it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists.
Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecast. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful, high-speed computers. This does give the meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country. But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that"s several hours old to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud "A picture of moisture is doing in the atmosphere," says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There"s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don"t see it, because it"s in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change to liquid water. It"s called condensation , and we see it happen all the time (for example, when humid air from the shower hits the cold glasses of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses, droplets come in the air. These droplets scatter light. A cloud is seen.
Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere. You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal an approaching storm. But don"t take our word for it; see for yourself.Meteorologists make their weather forecast by ______.

A．watching clouds constantly
B．collecting data from parts of the world
C．calculating analyzing datas
D．watching the sky

单项选择题

There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.
A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the "labor-market premium to skill"—or the amount college graduates earned that"s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.
There"s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn"t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007～08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542) Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there Not likely.
No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren"t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.
As with automobiles, consumers in today"s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car In keeping with the automotive world"s hottest consumer trend, maybe it"s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车) :an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.The relation between the tuition of college and graduates" salary is that ______.

A．the more they pay for college, the higher salary they will get
B．the relation between them is little to see
C．out-state students will receive a salary that is twice of in-state students
D．going to Columbia University will yield a greater return than attending the University of Colorado

单项选择题

The use of deferential language is symbolic of the Confucian ideal of the woman, which dominates conservative gender norms in Japan. This ideal presents a woman who withdraws quietly to the background, subordinating her life and needs to those of her family and its male head. She is a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother, master of the domestic arts. The typical refined Japanese woman excels in modesty and delicacy; she " treads softly (谨言慎行) in the world," elevating feminine beauty and grace to an art form.
Nowadays, it is commonly observed that young women are not conforming to the feminine linguistic (语言的) ideal. They are using fewer of the very deferential "women"s" forms, and even using the few strong forms that are known as "men"s." This, of course, attracts considerable attention and has led to an outcry in the Japanese media against the defeminization of women"s language. Indeed, we didn"t hear about "men"s language" until people began to respond to girls" appropriation of forms normally reserved for boys and men. There is considerable sentiment about the "corruption" of women"s language—which of course is viewed as part of the loss of feminine ideals and morality—and this sentiment is crystallized by nationwide opinion polls that are regularly carried out by the media.
Yoshiko Matsumoto has argued that young women probably never used as many of the highly deferential forms as older women. This highly polite style is no doubt something that young women have been expected to "grow into"—after all, it is assign not simply of femininity, but of maturity and refinement, and its use could be taken to indicate a change in the nature of one"s social relations as well. One might well imagine little girls using exceedingly polite forms when playing house or imitating older women—in a fashion analogous to little girls" use of a high-pitched voice to do "teacher talk" or "mother talk" in role play.
The fact that young Japanese women are using less deferential language is a sure sign of change—of social change and of linguistic change. But it is most certainly not a sign of the "masculization" of girls. In some instances, it may be a sign that girls are making the same claim to authority as boys and men, but that is very different from saying that they are trying to be "masculine." Katsue Reynolds has argued that girls nowadays are using more assertive language strategies in order to be able to compete with boys in schools and out. Social change also brings not simply different positions for women and girls, but different relations to life stages, and adolescent girls are participating in new sub-cultural forms. Thus what may, to an older speaker, seem like "masculine" speech may seem to an adolescent like "liberated" or "hip" speech.Katsue Reynolds believes the use of assertive language by young Japanese women is ______.

A．one of their strategies to compete in a male-dominated society
B．an inevitable trend of linguistic development in Japan today
C．a sure sign of their defeminization and maturation
D．an indication of their defiance against social change

单项选择题

There is nothing like the suggestion of a cancer risk to scare a parent, especially one of the over-educated, eco-conscious type. So you can imagine the reaction when a recent USA Today investigation of air quality around the nation"s schools singled out those in the smugly green village of Berkeley, Calif, as being among the worst in the country. The city"s public high school, as well as a number of daycare centers, preschools, elementary and middle schools, fell in the lowest 10%. Industrial pollution in our town had supposedly turned students into living science experiments breathing in a laboratory"s worth of heavy metals like manganese (锰), chromium (铬) and nickel (镍) each day. This in a city that requires school cafeterias to serve organic meals. Great, I thought, organic lunch, toxic campus.
Since December, when the report came out, the mayor, neighborhood activists and various parent-teacher associations have engaged in a fierce battle over its validity: over the guilt of the steel-casting factor5, on the western edge of town, over union jobs versus children"s health and over what, if anything, ought to be done. With all sides presenting their own experts armed with conflicting scientific studies, whom should parents believe Is there truly a threat here, we asked one another as we dropped off our kids, and if so, how great is it And how does it compare with the other, seemingly perpetual health scares we confront, like panic over lead in synthetic athletic fields Rather than just another weird episode in the town that brought you protesting environmentalists, this latest drama is a trial for how today"s parents perceive risk, how we try to keep our kids safe—whether it"s possible to keep them safe—in what feels like an increasingly threatening world. It raises the question of what, in our time, "safe" could even mean.
"There"s no way around the uncertainty," says Kimberly Thompson, president of Kid Risk, a nonprofit group that studies children"s health. "That means your choices can matter, but it also means you aren"t going to know if they do." A 2004 report in the journal Pediatrics explained that nervous parents have more to fear from fire, car accidents and drowning than from toxic chemical exposure. To which I say: Well, obviously. But such concrete hazards are beside the point. It"s the dangers parents can"t—and may never—quantify that occur all of sudden. That"s why I"ve rid my cupboard of microwave food packed in bags coated with a potential cancer-causing substance, but although I"ve lived blocks from a major fault line (地质断层) for more than 12 years, I still haven"t bolted our bookcases to the living room wall.USA Today"s report has ______.

A．caused panic in parents in Berkeley
B．gained popular support
C．brought strong criticism
D．caused a fierce debate

单项选择题

In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War II, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.
In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.
Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of "real world" education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not sin-rive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.
It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.Why does the author think making decision between humanities and science is false

A．Science can develop quickly without humanities.
B．They help prepare students for their professional careers.
C．Humanistic thinking helps define our culture and values.
D．Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.

单项选择题

Wouldn"t it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists.
Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecast. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful, high-speed computers. This does give the meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country. But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that"s several hours old to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud "A picture of moisture is doing in the atmosphere," says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There"s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don"t see it, because it"s in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change to liquid water. It"s called condensation , and we see it happen all the time (for example, when humid air from the shower hits the cold glasses of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses, droplets come in the air. These droplets scatter light. A cloud is seen.
Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere. You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal an approaching storm. But don"t take our word for it; see for yourself.This passage mainly tells us about how to ______.

A．broadcast the weather forecast
B．forecast the weather by ourselves
C．train yourself as a meteorologist
D．be an assistant to a meteorologist

单项选择题

There is nothing like the suggestion of a cancer risk to scare a parent, especially one of the over-educated, eco-conscious type. So you can imagine the reaction when a recent USA Today investigation of air quality around the nation"s schools singled out those in the smugly green village of Berkeley, Calif, as being among the worst in the country. The city"s public high school, as well as a number of daycare centers, preschools, elementary and middle schools, fell in the lowest 10%. Industrial pollution in our town had supposedly turned students into living science experiments breathing in a laboratory"s worth of heavy metals like manganese (锰), chromium (铬) and nickel (镍) each day. This in a city that requires school cafeterias to serve organic meals. Great, I thought, organic lunch, toxic campus.
Since December, when the report came out, the mayor, neighborhood activists and various parent-teacher associations have engaged in a fierce battle over its validity: over the guilt of the steel-casting factor5, on the western edge of town, over union jobs versus children"s health and over what, if anything, ought to be done. With all sides presenting their own experts armed with conflicting scientific studies, whom should parents believe Is there truly a threat here, we asked one another as we dropped off our kids, and if so, how great is it And how does it compare with the other, seemingly perpetual health scares we confront, like panic over lead in synthetic athletic fields Rather than just another weird episode in the town that brought you protesting environmentalists, this latest drama is a trial for how today"s parents perceive risk, how we try to keep our kids safe—whether it"s possible to keep them safe—in what feels like an increasingly threatening world. It raises the question of what, in our time, "safe" could even mean.
"There"s no way around the uncertainty," says Kimberly Thompson, president of Kid Risk, a nonprofit group that studies children"s health. "That means your choices can matter, but it also means you aren"t going to know if they do." A 2004 report in the journal Pediatrics explained that nervous parents have more to fear from fire, car accidents and drowning than from toxic chemical exposure. To which I say: Well, obviously. But such concrete hazards are beside the point. It"s the dangers parents can"t—and may never—quantify that occur all of sudden. That"s why I"ve rid my cupboard of microwave food packed in bags coated with a potential cancer-causing substance, but although I"ve lived blocks from a major fault line (地质断层) for more than 12 years, I still haven"t bolted our bookcases to the living room wall.The report in the journal Pediatrics showed that ______.

A．it is important to quantify various concrete hazards
B．nervous parents worry fire and car accident more than toxic air
C．parents should pay more attention to concrete hazards
D．attention should be paid to toxic chemical exposure

单项选择题

There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.
A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the "labor-market premium to skill"—or the amount college graduates earned that"s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.
There"s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn"t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007～08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542) Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there Not likely.
No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren"t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.
As with automobiles, consumers in today"s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car In keeping with the automotive world"s hottest consumer trend, maybe it"s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车) :an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.In this consumerist age, most parents ______.

A．consider college education a consumer product
B．place a premium on the prestige of the College
C．think it crucial to send their children to college
D．regard college education as a wise investment

单项选择题

There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.
A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the "labor-market premium to skill"—or the amount college graduates earned that"s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.
There"s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn"t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007～08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542) Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there Not likely.
No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren"t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.
As with automobiles, consumers in today"s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car In keeping with the automotive world"s hottest consumer trend, maybe it"s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车) :an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.What does the author think about college education

A．Their employment prospects after graduation are brighter.
B．It"s an expensive consumer product that may have rich dividends.
C．It has facilities and learning environment.
D．It will pay rich dividends soon after graduation.

单项选择题

There is nothing like the suggestion of a cancer risk to scare a parent, especially one of the over-educated, eco-conscious type. So you can imagine the reaction when a recent USA Today investigation of air quality around the nation"s schools singled out those in the smugly green village of Berkeley, Calif, as being among the worst in the country. The city"s public high school, as well as a number of daycare centers, preschools, elementary and middle schools, fell in the lowest 10%. Industrial pollution in our town had supposedly turned students into living science experiments breathing in a laboratory"s worth of heavy metals like manganese (锰), chromium (铬) and nickel (镍) each day. This in a city that requires school cafeterias to serve organic meals. Great, I thought, organic lunch, toxic campus.
Since December, when the report came out, the mayor, neighborhood activists and various parent-teacher associations have engaged in a fierce battle over its validity: over the guilt of the steel-casting factor5, on the western edge of town, over union jobs versus children"s health and over what, if anything, ought to be done. With all sides presenting their own experts armed with conflicting scientific studies, whom should parents believe Is there truly a threat here, we asked one another as we dropped off our kids, and if so, how great is it And how does it compare with the other, seemingly perpetual health scares we confront, like panic over lead in synthetic athletic fields Rather than just another weird episode in the town that brought you protesting environmentalists, this latest drama is a trial for how today"s parents perceive risk, how we try to keep our kids safe—whether it"s possible to keep them safe—in what feels like an increasingly threatening world. It raises the question of what, in our time, "safe" could even mean.
"There"s no way around the uncertainty," says Kimberly Thompson, president of Kid Risk, a nonprofit group that studies children"s health. "That means your choices can matter, but it also means you aren"t going to know if they do." A 2004 report in the journal Pediatrics explained that nervous parents have more to fear from fire, car accidents and drowning than from toxic chemical exposure. To which I say: Well, obviously. But such concrete hazards are beside the point. It"s the dangers parents can"t—and may never—quantify that occur all of sudden. That"s why I"ve rid my cupboard of microwave food packed in bags coated with a potential cancer-causing substance, but although I"ve lived blocks from a major fault line (地质断层) for more than 12 years, I still haven"t bolted our bookcases to the living room wall.Of the dangers in everyday life, the author thinks that people have most to fear from ______.

A．the uncertain
B．the quantifiable
C．an earthquake
D．unhealthy food

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