大学英语四级模拟卷一(3)

The “education is good” mantra does not work everywhere. In some countries many students have to be content with the intellectual rewards of study. In Spain, for example, 44% of college- and university-educated youngsters are working in low-skill jobs. America, Canada and Britain also have high shares of graduates working in jobs for which they are overqualified. In lucky Luxembourg hardly any graduates end up in menial jobs.

Salaries vary sharply too. Poland has fewer graduates in non-graduate jobs than America, but the gross earnings of 25- to 34-year-olds with tertiary qualifications in that country is $11,800 compared with $56,200 in the land of the free. Hardly surprising therefore that Polish graduates hanker after jobs in America and that American companies like investing in places such as Poland and Hungary, where they can hire highly qualified labour for far less money than at home.

四级模拟卷一 5

46. Why does academic qualifications’ value become an important issue?

A. People can find a good job without a good qualification.

B. More and more access to colleges and universities.

C. An increasing number of students lose their own characteristic.

D. Most graduates can find good jobs and pay much more in taxes.

47. Why does the author say the workforce is smartening up?

A. There are many old people approaching retirement.

B. A lot of money is put on the basic education.

C. Some countries are very competitive in education.

D. More people have finished higher education.

48. What is unclear in the third higher education?

A. Whether the earning data are accurate. C. How graduate pay has been affected.

B. How graduates look for jobs. D. Whether more graduates lose their jobs.

49. Why does not the “education is good” mantra work everywhere?

A. In some countries some graduates often lose their jobs.

B. In some countries some graduates cannot find suitable jobs.

C. In some countries some graduates are underqualified.

D. In some countries some graduates can be highly paid.

50. What is hardly surprising according to the author?

A. Graduates in Poland earn more money than those in America.

B. Graduates from Poland would like to look for a job in America.

C. Graduates in Poland are more qualified than those in America.

D. Graduates from Poland always do the low-skilled jobs in America.

Passage Two Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

The two economists call their paper “Mental Retirement,” and their argument has aroused the interest of behavioral researchers. Data from the United States, England and 11 other European countries suggest that the earlier people retire, the more quickly their memories decline.

“It’s incredibly interesting and exciting,” said Laura Carstensen, director of the Center on Longevity at Stanford University. “It suggests work actually provides an important component of the environment that keeps people functioning optimally (最佳地).”

While not everyone is convinced by the new analysis, published recently in T he Journal of Economic Perspectives, a number of leading researchers say the study is, at least, a bit of evidence for a hypothesis that is widely believed but surprisingly difficult to demonstrate.

Researchers repeatedly find that retired people as a group tend to do less well on cognitive (认知的) tests than people who are still working. But, they note, that could be because people whose memories and thinking skills are declining may be more likely to retire than people whose cognitive skills remain sharp.

And research has failed to support the premise that mastering activities like memory exercises, crossword puzzles and games like Sudoku carry over into real life, improve overall functioning.

“If you do crossword puzzles, you get better at crossword puzzles,” said Lisa Berkman, director of the Center for Population and Development Studies at Harvard University. “If you do Sudoku, you get better at Sudoku. You get better at one narrow task. But you don’t get better at cognitive behavior in life.”

The study was possible, explains one of its authors, Robert Willis, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, because the National Institute on Aging began a large study in the United States

四级模拟卷一 6

nearly 20 years ago. Called the Health and Retirement Study, it surveys more than 22,000 Americans over age 50 every two years, and administers memory tests.

51. According to the data from America and some European countries, retired people ___________.

A. have aroused the interest of many psychologists

B. are more forgetful than they were at work

C. don’t have a functioning mind any more

D. can have much better cognitive skills

52. In Laura L. Carstensen’s opinion, what is the relationship between work and mental function?

A. Work has nothing to do with people’s mental function.

B. Work has a positive effect on people’s mental function.

C. People’s mental function decreases gradually after work.

D. People’s mental function has no influence on people’s work.

53. Lisa Berkman claimed that Sudoku could ____________.

A. improve man’s overall functioning greatly C. help develop man’s cognitive skills

B. make people good at this narrow task D. help people live much longer

54. What can we learn about the Health and Retirement Study?

A. It has been carried out for about 20 years.

B. It surveys Americans under the age of 50.

C. It is led by Robert Willis in the National Institute.

D. It gets support from the University of Michigan.

55. According to the passage, what does “mental Retirement mean”?

A. People are reluctant to retire at an early age.

B. People have to …… 此处隐藏：4044字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……