Part V.
READING
Exercise 9. Read
the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to
each of the questions.
One
way of training for your future occupation in Germany is by pursuing a dual
vocational training programme. Such programmes offer plenty of opportunity for
on-the-job training and work experience. Programmes usually last between two
and three and a half years and comprise theoretical as well as practical
elements. You will spend one or two days a week, or several weeks at once, at a
vocational school where you will acquire the theoretical knowledge that you
will need in your future occupation. The rest of the time will be spent at a
company. There you get to apply your newly acquired knowledge in practice, for
example by learning to operate machinery. You will get to know what your
company does, learn how it operates
and find out if you can see yourself working there after completing your
training.
This
combination of theory and practice gives you a real head start into your job:
by the time you have completed your training, you will not only have the
required technical knowledge, but you will also have hands-on experience in your job. There are around 350 officially
recognised training programmes in Germany, so chances are good that one of them
will suit your interests and talents. You can find out which one that might be
by visiting one of the jobs and vocational training fairs which are organised
in many German cities at different times in the year.
Employment
prospects for students who have completed a dual vocational training programme
are very good. This is one of the reasons why this kind of training is very
popular with young Germans: around two thirds of all students leaving school go
on to start a vocational training programme.
106. Which of the
following is probably the best title of the passage?
A.
Employment Opportunities and Prospects in Germany
B.
Higher Education System in Germany
C.
Dual Vocational Training System in Germany
D. Combination of Theory
and Practice in Studying in Germany
107. The word "it" in the first paragraph refers
to ____.
A.
company
B.
machinery
C.
knowledge
D.
organisation
108. Which of the
following statements best describes the dual vocational training programmes?
A.
These programmes consist of an intensive theoretical course of two and a half years at a
vocational school.
B.
These programmes require you to have only practical working time at a certain company.
C.
These programmes offer you some necessary technical skills to do your future job.
D.
These programmes provide you with both theoretical knowledge and practical working
experience.
109. The word "hands-on” in the second paragraph is
closest in meaning to ____.
A.
theoretical
B.
practical
C.
technical
D.
integral
110. How many German
school leavers choose this vocational training programme?
A.
well over 75%
B.
around one out of five
C.
less than a third
D.
about 70%
Exercise 10. Read
the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to
each of the questions.
Do
you think education is better now than it was in your grandparents' time? Many
older people in the UK believe the opposite. “Schools were better in our day,”
they complain. “There isn't enough discipline these days. Kids don't work as
hard as we did, either. The syllabus isn't as challenging, so clever students
aren't being stretched enough. They need to study things in greater depth.
Exams are much, much easier now as well.”
Were
schools better years ago? Some British teenagers travelled back in time to a
1950s boarding school. They got a big surprise! The first shock came when the
teenagers met their new teachers. Dressed in traditional black gowns, they look
so frosty and uncaring! They were really authoritarian,
too, so anyone caught breaking the rules - talking in classes, mucking about in
the playground or playing truant – was in big trouble! Punishments included
writing 'lines' or staying after class to do detention. The naughtiest kids
were expelled.
Things
were just as bad after class. At meal times the students had to endure a diet
of plain, no-nonsense, healthy food. Homework was obligatory and it took ages! Copying essays off the Internet wasn't
an option, as personal computers didn't exist in the 1950s!
At
the end of 'term' everyone sat 1950s-style exams. The old exams were much longer than
their twenty-first century equivalents and involved learning huge amounts of
facts by heart. History papers were all dates and battles. Maths papers were
trickier, too; calculators weren't around in the 1950s, so the students had to
memorise multiplication tables and master long division. Our candidates found
this really difficult.
The
exam results surprised a lot of people. Students predicted to do well in their
real-life, twenty-first century exams often got low grades in the 1950s exams.
Does this prove modern exams are too easy? Do twenty-first century kids rely
too much on modern technology, like calculators and computers?
The
TV series of That 'll teach 'em! focused
on a 1960s vocational school. UK school-kids study a range of academic subjects
these days. But in the 1960s, children judged to be less ‘able' went to vocational
schools. These helped them learn job
skills. Boys studied subjects like metalwork, woodwork or gardening. In some
classes, they even learned how to milk goats! The girls' timetables included
secretarial skills. They also learned to cook, clean and sew - probably not
much fun for most girls.
111. What criticism
is sometimes made about modern education in the first paragraph?
A.
Teachers aren't strict enough.
B.
The syllabus is out of date.
C.
There's too much stress on exams.
D.
The teaching methods are not good enough.
112. The word "authoritarian” in the second paragraph
is closest in meaning to ____.
A.
inexperienced
B.
impolite
C.
unreasonable
D.
strict
113. Which of the
following statements is TRUE about the food the students ate at school?
A.
It wasn't cooked properly.
B.
It wasn't delicious.
C.
It wasn't nutritious.
D.
There wasn't much of it.
114. The word "obligatory” in the third paragraph is
closest in meaning to ____.
A.
compulsory
B.
difficult
C.
long
D.
complicated
115. According to the
passage, how did exams in the 1950s differ from those in the twenty-first
century?
A
They covered more subjects.
B.
It took students less time to do them.
C.
There was more to remember.
D.
They were less difficult.
116. What was
surprising about the students' results after taking the 1950s-style exams?
A.
All the students found the exams difficult.
B.
Students didn't do as well as expected.
C.
Students who were predicted to fail did rather well.
D.
Students did better than twenty-first century exams.
117. The word “these” in the last paragraph refers to ____.
A.
school-kids
B.
subjects
C.
series
D. vocational schools
118. Which of the
following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.
Vocational schools provided poorer children with equipment.
B.
Vocational schools took children who were good at studying.
C.
Vocational schools prepared students for employment.
D.
Vocational schools were a complete waste of time.
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