英语六级考试模拟试题及答案1Word格式文档下载.docx
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Y(forYES)ifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage;
N(forNO)ifthestatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassage;
NG(forNOTGIVEN)iftheinformationisnotgiveninthepassage.
Forquestions5-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.
IsCollegeReallyWorththeMoney?
TheRealWorld
EsteGriffithhaditallfiguredout.WhenshegraduatedfromtheUniversityofPittsburghinApril2001,shehadhersightssetononething:
workingforalaborunion.
Therealworldhadotherideas.Griffithleftschoolwithnotonlyadegree,butaboatloadofdebt.Sheowed$15,000instudentloansandhadrackedup$4,000increditcarddebtforbooks,groceriesandotherexpenses.Nolaborunionjobcouldpayenoughtobailherout.
SoGriffithwenttoworkinsteadforaWashington,D.C.firmthatspecializesineconomicdevelopment.Problemsolved?
Nope.Atage24,shetakeshomeabout$1,800amonth,$1,200ofwhichdisappearstopayherrent.Addanother$180amonthtoretireherstudentloansand$300amonthtowhittledownhercreditcardbalance."
Youdothemath,"
shesays.
Griffithhaspracticallynomoneytoliveon.Shebrown-bags(自带午餐)herlunchandbikestowork.Aboveall,shefearsshe'
llneverownahouseorbeabletoretire.It'
snotthatsheregretsgettingherdegree."
Buttheydon'
ttellyouthatthetrade-offisthenexttenyearsofyourincome,"
That'
spreciselythedealbeingmadebymoreandmorecollegestudents.They'
remortgagingtheirfuturestomeetsoaringtuitioncostsandothercollegeexpenses.LikeGriffith,they'
refacingaone-twopunchatgraduation:
hefty(深重的)studentloansandsmotheringcreditcarddebt—nottomentionajobmarketthat,fornowanyway,isdismal.
"
Weareforcingourchildrentomakeachoicebetweentwoevils,"
saysElizabethWarren,aHarvardLawprofessorandexpertonbankruptcy."
Skipcollegeandfacealifeofdiminishedopportunity.orgotocollegeandfacealifeshackled(束缚)bydebt."
TuitionHikes
Forsometime,collegeshaveinsistedtheirsteeptuitionhikesareneededtopayforcutting-edgetechnologies,facultyandadministrationsalaries,andrisinghealthcarecosts.Nowthere'
sanewculprit(犯人):
shrinkingstatesupport.Caughtinaseverebudgetcrunch,manystateshavesharplyscaledbacktheirfundingforhighereducation.
Someonehadtomakeupforthoselostdollars.Andyoucanguesswho—especiallyifyouliveinMassachusetts,whichlastyearhikeditstuitionandfeesby24percent,afterfundingdroppedby3percent,orinMissouri,whereappropriations(拨款)fellby10percent,buttuitionroseatdoublethatrate.Aboutone-thirdofthestates,infact,haveincreasedtuitionandfeesbymorethan10percent.
OneofthosestatesisCalifornia,andJanetBurrell'
sfamilyisfeelingthepain.AbookkeeperinTorrance,BurrellhasadaughterattheUniversityofCaliforniaatDavisMeanwhile,hersonsattendtwo-yearcollegesbecauseBurrellcan'
taffordtohavealloftheminfour-yearschoolsatonce.
Meanwhile,evenwithtuitionhikes,California'
scommunitycollegesaresostrappedforcashtheydroppedthousandsofclasseslastspring.Theresult:
54,000fewerstudents.
CollapsingInvestments
Manyfamiliesthoughttheyhadasurefireplan:
eveniftuitionkeptskyrocketing,theyhadinvestedenoughmoneyalongthewaytomeetthecosts.ThenafunnythinghappenedonthewaytoWallStreet.Thoseinvestmentscollapsedwiththestockmarket.Amongtheloserslastyear:
thewildlypopular"
529"
plans—federaltax-exemptcollegesavingsplansofferedbyindividualstates,whichhaveattractedbillionsfromfamiliesaroundthecountry."
Wehearfrommanyparentsthatwhattheyhadsetasidedeclinedinvaluesomuchthattheynowdon'
thaveenoughtoseetheirstudentsthrough,"
saysPennStatefinancialaiddirectorAnnaGriswold,whowitnesseda10percentincreaseinloanapplicationslastyear.Evenwithamarketthatmaybeslowlyrecovering,itwilltaketime,perhapsseveralyears,forpeopletorecoup(补偿)theirlosses.
NadineSayeghisamongthosewhodidn'
thavetheluxuryofwaitingforhercollegenesteggtogrowback.Herfatherhadinvestedmoneytowardhertuition,butalargechunkofitvanishedwhenstockswentsouth.Nadinewasthenonlypartwaythroughcollege.Bygraduation,shehadtakenoutatleast$10,000inloans,andhermotherhadborrowedevenmoreonherbehalf.Now22,Nadineisattendinglawschool,havingsignedforyetmoreloanstopayforthat."
Therewasn'
tanywaytodoitdifferently,"
shesays,"
andI'
mnothappyaboutit.I'
vesatdownandcalculatedhowlongitwilltakemetopayoffeverything.I'
llbe35yearsold."
That'
sifshe'
sverylucky:
Nadinebasedhercalculationonlandingajobrightoutoflawschoolthatwillpayheratleast$120,000ayear.
DependentonLoansandCreditCards
TheAmericanCouncilonEducationhasitsowncalculationthatshowshowstudentsaremoreandmoredependentonloans.Injustfiveyears,from1995to2000,themedianloandebtatpublicinstitutionsrosefrom$10,342to$15,375.Mostofthiscomesfromfederalloans,whichCongressmademoretemptingin1992byexpandingeligibility(homeequitynolongercountsagainstyourassets)andraisingloanlimits(adependentundergraduatecannowborrowupto$23,000fromthefederalgovernment).
Butstudentsaren'
tstoppingthere.TheCollegeBoardestimatesthattheyalsoborrowed$4.5billionfromprivatelendersinthe2000-2001academicyear,upfrom$1.5billionjustfiveyearsearlier.
Forlotsofstudents,theworstofitisn'
teventheweightofthosedirectstudentloans.It'
swhattheyrackuponallthoseplasticcardsintheirwallets.Asoftwoyearsago,accordingtoastudybylenderNellieMae,morethaneightoutoftenundergradshadtheirowncreditcards,withthetypicalstudentcarryingfour.That'
snobigsurprise,giventhein-your-facemarketingbycreditcardcompanies,whichsetuptablesoncampustoentice(诱惑)studentstosignup.Somecollegesbanorrestrictthishawking,butothersgiveitaboost.Youknowthosecreditcardsemblazonedwithaschool'
spictureoritslogo?
Forsanctioningsuchacard—amust-haveforsomestudents—acollegedepartmentorassociationgetspaymentsfromtheissuer.Meanwhile,fromfreshmanyeartograduation,accordingtotheNellieMaestudy,studentstriplethenumberofcreditcardstheyownanddoubletheirdebtonthem.Asof2001,theywereintheholeanaverage$2,327.
AWiseChoice?
Oneday,Moyersatdownwithhismother,JanneO'
Donnell,totalkabouthisgoalofgoingtolawschool.Don'
tcountonit,O'
Donnelltoldhim.Shecouldn'
taffordthecostandMoyerdoubtedhecouldgetaloan,givenhowmuchheowedalready."
Hesaidhefeltlikeafailure,"
O'
Donnellrecalls."
Hedidn'
tknowhowhehadgottenintosuchamess."
Aweeklater,the22-year-oldhangedhimselfinhisbedroom,wherehismotherfoundhim.O'
Donnellisconvincedthemoneypressurescausedhissuicide."
Seantriedtopayhisdebtsoff,"
shesays."
Andhecouldn'
ttakeit."
Tobesure,suicidesareexceedinglyrare.Butdespairiscommon,anditsometimesleadsstudentstorethinkwhethercollegewasworthit.Infact,therearequiteafewjobsthatdon'
trequireacollegedegree,yetpayfairlywell.Onaverage,though,collegegraduatescanexpecttoearn80percentmorethanthosewithonlyahighschooldiploma.Also,allbuttwoofthe50highestpayingjobs(theexceptionsbeingairtrafficcontrollersandnuclearpowerreactoroperators)requireafour-yearcollegedegree.Soforegoingacollegeeducationisoftennotawisechoice.
MeritMikhail,whograduatedlastJunefromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Riverside,isgladsheborrowedtogetthroughschool.ButsheleftRiversideowing$20,000instudentloansandanother$7,000increditcarddebt.Nowinlawschool,Merithopestobecomeapublic-interestattorney,yetshemayhavetopostponethatgoal,whichbothersher.Tohandleherdebt,she'
llprobablyneedtostartwithamorelucrative(有利的)legaljob.
Likesomanyotherstudents.Mikhailtookoutherloansonakindofblindfaiththatshecoulddealwiththeconsequences."
Yousaytoyourself,'
Ihavetogointodebttomakeitwork,andwhateverittakeslater,I'
llmanage.'
"
Laterhasnowarrived,andMikhailisfindingoutthetruecostofhercollegedegree.
1.GriffithworkedforafirmthatspecializedineconomicdevelopmentinWashingtonD.C.becausesheneededmoneytopayforherdebt.
2.Theonlyproblemthestudentsarefacingatgraduationisthedismaljobmarket.
3.Onereasonwhycollegesincreasetuitionandfeesisthatthestatesupportisshrinking.
4.Nearlyallthefamiliescanmanagetomeetthesoaringtuitioncoststhroughvariousinvestmentplans.
5.AccordingtoNadine'
scalculation,shecanpayoffallherdebtwhensheis________ifshecangetasalaryof$120,000ayearrightoutoflawschool.
6.Studentsgetmoneyfromnotonlyfederalloansbutalso________.
7.Thecollegedepartmentorassociationcangetpaymentsfromtheissuer