We answer some questions this week in our series on getting into an American college or university. The first question is about our recent discussion of English language test. Vo Ngoc from Vietnam would like to know about the TOEIC, which is designed to measure skills of English as spoken in the workplace. The Educational Testing Service administers the TOEIC. It says the test measures the language skills of people working in an international environment. American colleges and universities accept scores from the TOFEL and often the IELTS. If you miss our report on these tests, you can find it at our website www. unsv. com.. Tahir Mahood from Pakistan asks how to improve his English before taking these kinds of tests. Well, you can start by looking for ways to use English as much as you can Watch American movies and TV shows and read books in English Look for English speakers to talk to. The Internet has many free materials for Engiish learners. Visitors to www. unsv. com. for example, can read, listen and watch programmes on many different subjects. The U.S. Department of Education recent launched a free website designed to help immigrants learn English. The site is called USA Learns at www. usalearns, org, like www. chinadaily. cn, intended for English learners in China Next,a question from Turkey:Hasan Eker asks about getting a postdoctoral position in the U. S. This is work generally done by a person who recently earned a PhD. The National Post-doctoral Association in Washington has information about international postdocs on its website www. Nationalpostal.org. And, finally, we have questions from Iran, Afghanistan and Indonesia about how to pay an education through jobs. There're rules that restrict the kinds of jobs that foreign students can have while studying in the U. S. What-s the purpose of the passage? A) To attract more people to the website. B) To introduce the TOEIC to readers. C) To ask questions on entering American universities. D) To help deal with some puzzles on entering American colleges.
D


Things you need to know about studying there Study style Since the 1950s, the Netherlands has had courses in English especially for foreign students. Students are expected to be critical of what they read and hear, and to be able of working independently. Foreign students will soon notice that at Dutch institutions for higher learning people are expected to do a lot of talking. The most common form of teaching is the seminar or working group, where a small group of students work under a teacher's supervision to analyze a certain problem. On exams, they have to show that they know the material, and that they have formed well-founded opinions on the subject. Accommodations  If you are in an exchange programme or an international course, it is quite possible that a room will be arranged for you. Accept it immediately, or you will regret it later. That's because finding a place to live in a country as crowded as the Netherlands is not easy. Before you leave China, ask your host institution whether or not housing will indeed be arranged in advance. If you are in the Netherlands and still looking for a place, ask the international relations office or the student dean for advice. Expences Tuition:   Bachelor's degree:about 2,500 euros a year Master's degree: 5,000-12,000 euros a year Living expenses: Experience has shown that a year in the Netherlands costs a Chinese Student about 450-700 euros a month. Here is a breakdown of average prices of supermarket goods: Litre of milk:      0.5--0.8 euro Kilo of apples:     1.5 euros Shampoo, 400ml:     4 euros Tube of toothpaste:     1 euro Bed sheet:      20 euros Other expenses: Haircut:        15 euros Air ticket to China:        600-800 euros Mobile phone call(one minute):  0.1-0.3 euro Phone call to China (with IP card): 7 euros(one minute) Postage stamp in the Netherlands:   0.39 euro Stamp for China:        0.78 euro (1 euro-about 10 yuan) Transportation Trains, buses and trams run throughout the country. If you really want to sample Dutch life, and get around... It costs at least  _  a year for a Master degree. A) 104,000 yuan B) 104,000 euros C) 174,000 yuan D) 134,000 euros
A


Q: Living with other students can be a wonderful experience. Here are a few tips for student accommodations that can help ensure a great experience and build lifelong friendships: Screen your roommates carefully if you are given a choice. Combining the living spaces of several students into one location can be exciting and rewarding experience for the outgoing students. If you are on the shy side, or prefer a quiet group to study with, pick quieter roommates. Divide the bills evenly. Some students are far less responsible than their roommates and tend to let their part of the finance slide. Dissatisfaction is quick to build when everyone has to pay the bill for a fellow student who can't seem to pay his/her share of the money. Carry your part of the load. Everyone has to clean the bathroom and the kitchen sometime. Don't avoid your part of responsibility. Student accommodations can get messy and it involves everyone to keep them tidy and healthy. Think about someone else before you think about yourself. Put your roommates interests above your own. Life will be far enjoyable when everyone is concerned about the feelings property and studies of each other. Be open and honest. Hostilities   and frustrations may cause problems that can't be fixed. Everyone brings different standards and expectations to group living and it's in everyone's best interest to put them into the open. Disagreements can be managed more warmly when your are willing to be both open and listen to others. The role "carry your part of the load" means every room member should   _  . A) avoid making too much noise B) take turns to keep the room tidy C) take care of others when they are ill D) avoid staying up and oversleeping
A: B


(Question)
To celebrate the end of our exams, my friends and I went to a fast food restaurant. We ordered hamburgers and Coca Cola at the counter. When our food came, I started walking towards an empty table. By bad luck, my purse strap   got caught on a chair and the tray   that I was holding slipped from my hands and went flying in the air. The tray, and its contents, fell on a man who was just about to take a bite of his sandwich. I stared, greatly shocked , as the drinks soaked   his white shirt. Then I closed my eyes and prepared myself for his burst of anger. Instead, he said "It's OK" to comfort me before he disappeared into the washroom. Still shaky and unsure what to do next, my friends and I went to a table and sat there, trying our best to look calm. A moment later, the man came out of the washroom and approached our table. My heart almost stopped beating. I thought he was going to ask for my father' s number and call him. To my surprise, he merely smiled at us, handed us some cash and said, "Buy yourself new hamburgers." He then walked away without even finishing his food. He could have made what was already an uncomfortable situation worse, but he chose a different way and gave us a reason to believe that there is still kindness in this world. I'll never forget his actions. What do we know about the man? A) He was very rich. B) He was kind and forgiving. C) He made the situation worse. D) He enjoyed his food in the restaurant.
(Answer)

B