
Young people’s interests are frequently overlooked in the public policy sphere in favor of

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In Britain and other countries, young people sometimes take a gap year, a year off between high school and college. This idea never gained a big following in America. Recent news reports have suggested that interest may be growing , though there are no official numbers. Charles Deacon, Dean of Admissions at Georgetown University in Washington, DC estimate that in the current first-year class of 1600 students, only about 25 decided to take a year off. He says this number hasn't changed much over the years. Mr.Deacon says the most common reason for taking a gap year is to have a chance to travel, but he says inernational students may take a gap year to meet requirements at home for military duty. Some high school graduates see a year off as a chance to recover after twelve years of required education, but it can also give students a chance to explore their interests. Students hoping to be doctors, for example, could learn about the profession by volunteering in a hospital. Many colleges and universities support gap-year projects by permitting students to delay their admission. Experts say students can grow emotionally and intellectually as they work at something they enjoy. The Harvard admissions office has an essay on its Web site called “Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation.” It praises the idea of taking time off to step back, think and enjoy gaining life experiences outside the pressure of studies. It also notes that students are sometimes admitted to Harvard or other colleges partly because they did something unusual with that time. Of couse, a gap year is not for everyone. Students might miss their friends who go on directly to college , and parents might worry that their children will decide not to go to college once they take time off. Another concern is money. A year off, away from home, can be costly. Holly Bull's job is to specialize in helping students plan their gap year. She notes that several books have been written about this subject. She says these books along with media attention and the availability of information on the Internet have increased inerest in the idea of a year off, and she points out that many gap-year programs cost far less than a year of college. |
1. What is the passage mainly about? |
A. If you want to go to an American university, take a gap year first. B. More and more American students are choosing to take a year off. C. It is likely that taking a gap year is becoming popular in America. D. Americans hold different opinions towards students taking a gap year. |
2. How many reasons for students' taking a gap year are mentioned in passage? |
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5 |
3. The esssay “time out or burn out for the next generation” suggests that ______. |
A. every student must take a gap year before applying for a famous university B. some famous universities encouage students to gain more life experiences C. taking a gap year can make students free from life learning D. the stress of studies does harm to the students' health |
4. What can we learn from the passage? |
A. Charles Deacon doesn't support the idea of the students' taking a gap year B. Books and media have contributed to the students' inerest in school learning C. Parents might disagree with the program, concerned about their children's future. D. Experts agree taking a year off will benefit the students emotionally and physically. |
More young people drink alcohol than use other drugs or smoke tobacco, and underage drinking costs the nation an estimated $53 billion annually in losses stemming from traffic fatalities, violent crime, and other behaviors that threaten the well-being of America's youth. Curbing underage drinking is an uphill battle because alcohol is legal and readily available to adults. To tackle the problem, a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies offers a comprehensive strategy that requires a deep, shared commitment from many institutions and individuals, including alcohol manufacturers and retail businesses, the entertainment industry, and parents and other adults in local communities.
"All segments of U.S. society should address underage drinking in a serious, coordinated, and sustained manner," said Richard J. Bonnie, John S. Battle Professor of Law and director of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and chair of the committee that wrote the report. "We have to find effective ways to protect our nation's youth while we respect the interests of responsible adult consumers of alcohol. The recommendations in this report attempt to strike the right balance." The congressionally man dated study lays out a strategy that includes heightened adult supervision of children's behavior. and calls upon the alcohol and entertainment industries to take stronger steps to shield young people from unsuitable messages about alcohol consumption. Taken as a whole, the plan would have a considerable impact, the committee said, adding that the strategy should be subject to ongoing refinement.
Most adults express concern about underage drinking and voice support for public policies to curb it. Yet surveys show that youth often obtain alcohol from adults. Studies also show that many parents underestimate both the extent of the problem and their own children's alcohol consumption habits.
States and localities should use a wide range of educational and enforcement measures to boost compliance with laws that prohibit selling or providing alcohol to children, adolescents, and young adults under the legal drinking age of 21. The aim is to deter adults and youths alike, the report says. Among the recommended measures, steps are increasing the frequency of compliance checks, in which authorities monitor whether businesses are obeying minimum-drinking age laws and levy fines when necessary, and requiring all sellers and servers of alcohol to complete state-approved training as a condition of employment. Likewise, the federal government should require states to achieve specified rates of retailer compliance with youth-access laws as a condition of receiving federal funds. And states should enhance efforts to prevent and detect the use of false identification by minors who want to purchase alcohol—for example, by issuing drivers' licenses and state ID cards that can be electronically scanned.
In addition, states that allow Internet sales and home delivery of alcohol should adopt regulations that require customers to sign statements verifying their identity and age at the time of delivery. At the local level, police, working with community leaders, should create policies for detecting and shutting down underage drinking parties, the report says. Likewise, the federal government should fund and actively support the development of a national media campaign to encourage parents and other adults to take steps in their own households and neighborhoods to discourage underage drinking. Officials should carefully craft this activity to make sure that it would reach a diverse audience, the report says.
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Many young people can use a computer, but few of them know how to look after it. Remember the following tips when you use a computer. Keep your computer in a cool, dry room. Too much or too little heat is bad for computers. Damp (潮湿) is also bad for them. Most computers work best at a temperature of 5-10 degrees centigrade (摄氏度). Do not let people smoke cigarettes near your computer. Smoke of all kinds is very bad for many parts of the computer and can cause many problems. Do not eat or drink when you are near your computer. Pieces of food or drops of water on the keyboard can also cause many problems. Make sure that the keyboard and the screen are the correct height for you. If they are not correct, you will get backache. Make sure the screen is the correct distance from your eyes. If you wear glasses, make sure these glasses are correct for using with the computer. Some people use a different pair of glasses when they use a computer. Keep your screen clean and do not have it too bright. A dirty screen can hurt your eyes. A very bright screen can also be bad for your eyes. If you can afford one, buy a computer screen. It will be better for you than using the screen of a TV set. Never use any software (软件) that you don't know whether they are clean or not. You must be careful because some software can bring viruses (病毒) into the computer. If your computer has viruses, it can't work or even breaks down. ( ) 1. According to this passage, most young people can control computers well while paying little attention to the keeping of them. ( ) 2. Putting the keyboard and the screen too high means you don't have to look at your manuscript (手稿) while typing. ( ) 3. Some people use a different pair of glasses when they use a computer because they want to protect their eyes. ( ) 4. It's better to use a TV set screen instead of a computer one because a TV set is usually larger than a computer one. ( ) 5. "Clean software" means the software without any viruses. |