大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷59（共201题）

大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试

卷59（共9套）

（共201题）

大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试

卷第1套

一、仔细阅读（本题共20题，每题1.0分，共20分。）

NewYoikcisarcgraduallygellingusedlumurepedalingpassengersunthoseshilling

blueCitiBikes.Butwhataboutlocalbikeshops?IsCiliBikerollingupridersattheir

expense?AtGothamBikesinTribeca,managerW.Bensaidtheshophasseenan

increaseinitsoverallsalesduetothebike-shareprogram."It'sgettingmorepeopleon

theroad,morepeoplelearningaboutthesportandgettinginvolved,"hesaid.An

employeeatDanny'sCyclesinGramercyalsosaidCitiBikeisagoodoptionforpeople

tocaseintobikinginacityfamedfbritstrafficjamsandaggressivedrivers."Theycan

tryoutabikewithoutcommittingtobuyingone,"hesaid.Rentalsarenotabigpartof

thebusinessateitherGothamBikesorDanny'sCycles.ButforFrank'sBikeShop,a

smallbusinessonGrandSt.,thebike-shareprogramhasbeenbadnews.OwnerFrank

Arroyosaidhisrentalbusinesshasdecreasedby90percentsinceCitiBikewasrolledout

lastmonth.Arroyo'smainrentalcustomersareEuropeantourists,whohavesincebeen

drawnawaybyCitiBikes.However,Bensaidthebike-shareisgoodforbikesalesathis

shop."Peoplehaveusedthebike-shareandrealizedhowgreatitistobikeinthecity,

thendecidethattheywantsomethingnicerforthemselves,"henoted.ChristianFarrellof

WaterfrontBicycleShop,onWestSt.justnorthofChristopherSt.,saidinitiallyhewas

concernedaboutbike-share,though,headmitted,"Iwashappytoseepeopleonbikes."

Farrell'searlyconcernswereechoedbyAndrewCrooks,ownerofNYCVelo,at64

SecondAve."Itseemedlikeagreatidea,butonethatwouldbedifficulttoimplement/*

CrookssaidofCitiBike.Hesaidheworriedaboutinexperiencedriders'lackof

awarenessofbikingrulesandstrongnegativereactionfromnon-cyclists.However,he

said,it'sstilltooearlytotellifhisbusinesshasbeenimpacted.Whileit'spossiblebike­

sharewillcauseadropinbusiness,Crooksallowedthattheideaisapositivestep

forwardforNewYorkcity.

1、Whatistheauthor'schiefconcernabouttheincreasinguseofCitiBikesinNew

York?

A、Hownon-cyclistswillrespondtoit.

B、Whetherlocalbikeshopswillsuffer.

C^Whetherlocalbikebusinesseswillopposeit.

D、Howthesafelyofbikeriderscanbeensured.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

2、WhathappenedtoGothamBikesasaresultofthebike-shareprogram?

A、Itfounditsbikesalesunaffected.

B、Itshitteditsbusinesstorentals.

C、Itsawitsbikesalesontherise

D^Itrentedmorebikestotourists.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

3、Whyisthebike-shareprogrambadnewsforFranksBikeShop?

A^Itcannotmeetthedemandofthebikc-sharcprogram.

B、IlscustomershavebeendrawnawaybyCitiBikes.

C、Itsbikepriceshavetobeloweredagainandagain.

D、Ithastocompetewiththecity'sbikerentalshops.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

4、WhydidAndrewCrooksthinkthatthebike-shareprogramwouldbedifficultto

execute?

A、Inexperiencedridersmightbreakbikingrules.

B、Conflictsmightariseamongbikerentalshops.

C、Trafficconditionsmightworseninthedowntownarea.

D^Therearenotenoughlanestoaccommodatethebikes.

标准答案：A「

知识点解析：暂无解析

5、WhatisthegeneralattitudeoflocalbikeshopstowardsCitiBike?

A^Wait-and-see.

B>Negative.

C^Indifferent.

D、Approving.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

Variousstudieshaveshownthatincreasedspendingoneducationhasnotledto

measurableimprovementsinlearning.Between1980and2008,staffandteachersatUS

publicschoolsgrewroughlytwiceasfastasstudents.Yetstudentsshowednoadditional

learninginachievementtests.Universitiesshowsimilartrendsofincreased

administrationpersonnelandcostswithoutgreaterlearning,asdocumentedinRichard

ArumandJosipaRoksa'srecentbookAcademicallyAdrift:LimitedLearningonCollege

Campuses.Asurveyshowsthat63%ofemployerssaythatrecentcollegegraduatesdon't

havetheskillstheyneedtosucceedand25%ofemployerssaythatentry-levelwriting

skillsarelacking.Somesimplisticallyattributethedeclineinourpubliceducationsystem

tothedrainoftheskilledstudentsbyprivateschools,butfarmoresignificanteventswere

atwork.Publicschoolsworkedwelluntilaboutthe1970s.Infact,untilthattime,public

schoolsprovidedfarbettereducationthanprivateones.Itwastheunderperforming

studentswhowerethrownoutofpublicschoolsandwenttoprivateones.Aprominent

reasonpublicschoolsdidwellwasthatmanyhighlyqualifiedwomenhadtewoptionstor

workingoutsidethehouseotherthanbeingteachersornurses.Theyacceptedrelatively

lowpay,difficultworkingconditions,andgavetheirverybest.Havingsuchalarge

supplyoftalentedwomenteachersmeantthatsocietycouldpaylessfortheirservices.

Women'sliberationopenedupnewprofessionalopportunitiesforwomen,and,overtime,

someofthebestleftteachingasacareeroption,bringingaboutagradualdeclineinthe

qualityofschooling.Alsoaroundthattime,regulations,government,andunionscameto

dictatepay,preventadvancements,andintroducebureaucralic（官僚的）standardfor

advancement.Largeeducationbureaucraciesandunionscametodominatethelandscape,

confusingactivitywithachievement.Bureaucratsregularlyrewritecurriculums,talk

nonsenseabouttheoriesofeducation,andrequireevermoreadministrators.Theend

resulthadbeenthat,afterallthespending,studentshaveworsemathandreadingskills

thanboththeirforeignpeersandearliergenerationsspendingfarlessoneducation—as

alltheaccumulatingevidencenowdocuments.

6、WhatdowelearnfromvariousstudiesonAmerica'spubliceducation?

A、Achievementtestshavefailedtotrulyreflectthequalityofteaching.

B、Publicschoolslacktheresourcestocompetewithprivateschools.

C>Littleimprovementineducationhasresultedfromincreasedspending.

D、Thenumberofstudentshasincreasedmuchfasterthanthatofteachers.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

7、Howdosomepeopleexplainthedeclineinpubliceducation?

A、Governmentinvestmentdoesnotmeetschools,needs.

B、Skilledstudentsaremovingtoprivateschools.

C、Qualifiedteachersarefarfromadequatelypaid.

D、Trainingofstudents,basicskillsisneglected.

标准答案：B-

知识点解析：暂无解析

8、Whatwasasignificantcontributortothepastgloryofpublicschools?

A、Well-behavedstudents.

B、Efficientadministration.

C^Talentedwomenteachers.

D、Generouspaylorteachers.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

9、Whydidsomeofthebestwomenteachersleaveteaching?

A、Newcareeropportunitiesweremadeavailabletothembywomen'sliberation.

B、Higheracademicrequirementsmadeitdifficultforthemtostayintheirjobs.

C、Theywereunhappywiththebureaucraticadministrationintheirschools.

D、Theheavyteachingloadsleftthemlittletimeandenergyforfamilylife.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

10、Whatdoestheauthorthinkisoneoftheresultsofgovernmentinvolvementin

education?

A^Increasingemphasisontheoriesofeducation.

Highlystandardizedteachingmethods.

C^Students*improvedacademicperformance.

D、Anever-growingnumberofadministrators.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

TheriseoftheInternethasbeenoneofthemosttransformativedevelopmentsinhuman

history,comparableinimpacttotheinventionoftheprintingpressandthetelegraph.

Overtwobillionpeopleworldwidenowhaveaccesstovastlymoreinformationthanever

before,andcancommunicatewitheachotherinstantly,oftenusingWeb-connected

mobiledevicestheycarryeverywhere.ButtheInternetstremendousimpacthasonlyjust

begun."MassadoptionoftheInternetisdrivingoneofthemostexcitingsocial,cultural,

andpoliticaltransformationsinhistory,andunlikeearlierperiodsofchange,thistimethe

effectsarefullyglobal,"SchmidtandCohenwriteintheirnewbook,TheNewDigital

Age.Perhapsthemostprofoundchangeswillcomewhenthefivebillionpeople

worldwidewhocurrentlylackInternetaccessgetonline.Theauthorsdoanexcellentjob

ofexaminingtheimplicationsofdieInternetrevolutionfbrindividuals,governments,and

institutionslikethenewsmedia.Butifthebookhasonemajorshort-coming,it'sthatthe

authorsdon'tspendenoughtimeapplyingacriticaleyetotheroleofInternetbusinesses

inthesesweepingchanges.Intheirbook,theauthorsprovidethemostauthoritative

volumetodatethatdescribes-andmoreimportantlypredicts-howtheInternetwill

shapeourlivesinthecomingdecades.Theypaintapictureofaworldinwhich

individuals,companies,institutions,andgovernmentsmustdealwithtworealities,one

physical,andonevirtual.Atthecoreofthebookistheideathat"technologyisneutral,

butpeoplearen't."Byusingthisconceptasastartingpoint,theauthorsaimtomove

beyondthenowfamiliaroptimistvs.pessimistdichotomy（对立观点）thathas

characterizedmanyrecentdebatesaboutwhethertheriseoftheInternetwillultimately

begoodorbadforsociety.InaninterviewwithTIMEearlierthisweek,Cohensaid

althoughheandhisco-authorarcoptimisticaboutmanyaspectsoftheInternet,theyre

alsorealisticabouttherisksanddangersthatlieaheadwhenthenextfivebillionpeople

comeonline,particularlywithrespecttopersonalprivacyandstatesurveillance（监视）.

11>InwhatwayistheriseoftheInternetsimilartotheinventionoftheprintingpress

andthetelegraph?

A、Ittransformshumanhistory.

B、Itfacilitatesdailycommunication.

C>Itisadoptedbyallhumanity.

D、Itrevolutionizespeople'sthinking.

标准答案：A-

知识点解析：暂无解析

12、HowdoSchmidtandCohendescribetheeffectsoftheInternet?

A、Theyareimmeasurable.

B、Theyareworldwide.

C、Theyareunpredictable.

D^Theyarecontaminating.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

13、InwhatrespectisthebookTheNewDigitalAgeconsideredinadequate?

A^ItfailstorecognizetheimpactoftheInternettechnology.

B、IlfailstolookintothesocialimplicationsoftheInternet.

C^ItlacksanobjectiveevaluationoftheroleofInternetbusinesses.

D^ItdoesnotaddressthetechnicalaspectsofInternetcommunication.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

14>Whatwillthefuturebelikewheneverybodygetsonline?

A、Peoplewillbelivingintwodifferentrealities.

B、Peoplewillhaveequalaccesstoinformation.

C、Peopledon'thavetotraveltoseetheworld.

D、Peopledon'thavetocommunicatefacetoface.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

15、WhatdoesthepassagesayabouttheauthorsofTheNewDigitalAge?

A、TheyleavemanyquestionsunansweredconcerningtheInternet.

BNTheyarcoptimisticaboutthefutureoftheInternetrevolution.

C、Theyhaveexploredtheunknownterritoriesofthevirtualworld.

D、Theydon'ttakesidesinanalyzingtheeffectsoftheInternet.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

In1950,ayoungmanwouldhavefounditmucheasierthanitistodaytogetandkeepa

jobintheautoindustry.Andinthatyeartheaverageautoworkercouldmeetmonthly

mortgage（抵押贷款）paymentsonanaveragehomewithjust13.4percentofhistake-

homepay.Todayasimilarmortgagewouldclaimmorethantwicethatshareofhis

monthlyearnings.Othermembersoftheautoworker'sfamily,howevermightbeless

inclinedtotradethepresentforthepast.Hisretiredparentswouldcertainlyhavehadless

economicsecuritybackthen.Throughoutmuchofthe1960s,morethanaquarterofmen

andwomenage65andolderlivedbelowthepovertylevel,comparedtolessthan10

percentin2010.Inmoststates,hiswifecouldnothavetakenoutaloanoracreditcardin

herownname.In42states,ahomemakerhadnolegalclaimontheearningsofher

husband.Andnowheredidawifehavelegalprotectionagainstfamilyviolence.Most

blackworkerswouldnotwanttoreturntoatimewhen,onaverage,theyearned40

percentlessthantheirwhitecounterparts（职位相当的人）,whileraciallyrestrictive

agreementslargelypreventedthemfrombuyingintothesuburbanneighborhoodsbeing

builtforwhiteworking-classfamilies.Today,newproblemshaveemergedintheprocess

ofresolvingoldones,butthesolutionisnottogobacktothepast.Somepeoplemay

longforanerawhendivorcewasstillhardtocomeby.Thespreadofno-faultdivorce

hasreducedthebargainingpowerofwhicheverspouseismoreinterestedincontinuing

therelationship.Andthebreakupofsuchmarriageshascausedpainformanyfamilies.

Thegrowingdiversityoffamilylifecomeswithnewpossibilitiesaswellasnew

challenges.Accordingtoarecentpoll,morethan80percentofAmericansbelievethat

iheircurrentfamilyisascloseastheoneinwhichtheygrewup,orcloser.Findingways

toimprovethelivesoftheremaining20%seemsmorerealisticthantryingtorestorean

imaginarygoldenage.

16、WhatdowclearnaboutAmericanautoworkersin1950?

A、Theyhadlessjobsecuritythantheydotoday.

B、Itwasnottoodifficultforthemtobuyahouse.

C、Theirearningwereworthtwiceasmuchastoday.

D、Theywerebetteroffthanworkersinotherindustries.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

17>Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutretiredpeopletoday?

A、Theyinvariablylongtoreturntothegoldenpast.

B、Theydonotdependsomuchonsocialwelfare.

C、Theyfeelmoresecureeconomicallythaninthepast.

D、Theyareusuallyunwillingtolivewiththeirchildren.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

Whycouldn'tblackworkersbuyahouseinawhitesuburbanneighborhood?

A、Theylackedthemeansoftransportation.

B、Theyweresubjectedtoracialinequality.

C、Theywereafraidtobreakthelaw.

D、Theyweretoopoortoaffordit.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

19、Whatistheresultofno-faultdivorce?

A、Divorceiseasiertoobtain.

B、Domesticviolenceislessened.

C、Ilcauseslittlepaintoeitherside.

D、Itcontributestosocialunrest.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

20、Whatdoestheauthorsuggestsocietydo?

A^Getpreparedtofaceanynewchallenges.

B、Trytobetterthecurrentsocialsecuritynet.

C^Narrowthegapbetweenblacksandwhites.

D、Improvethelivesoffamilieswithproblems.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试

卷第2套

一、词汇理解（本题共20题，每题7.0分，共20分。）

Lastyear'seconomyintheUnitedStatesshouldhavewontheOscarforbestpicture.

Growthingrossdomesticproductwas4.1percentprofits[Cl]upexports

flourishedandinflation（通货膨胀）stayedaround3percentforthethirdyear.Sowhy

didsomanyAmericansgivethepictureonlyaBrating?Theanswerisjobs.The

macroeconomic（宏观经济的）situationwasgood,butthemicroeconomic（微观经济的）

numberswerenotYes,3millionnewjobswerethere,butnotenoughofthemwere

[C2],goodjobspayingenoughtosupportafamily.Jobinsecuritywasserious.

Evenasthey[C3]highersalesandprofits,corporationsactedasiftheywere

operatingata[C4],cutting516,069jobsin1994alone,almostasmanyasin

thebadyearof1991.Yes,unemploymentwentdown.Butover1millionworkerswere

so[C5]theyleftthelaborforce.Morethan6millionwhowantedfulltime

workwereonlypartially[C6]andanotherlargegroupwasshelteredbehind

self-employment.Welostamilliongoodmanufacturingjobsbetween1990and1995,

continuingthe[C7]thathasreducedtheblue-collarworkforcefromabout30

percentinthe1950stoabouthalfthattoday.White-collarworkersfoundouttheywere

nolonger[C8].In1995,forthefirsttime,theywereletgoinnumbers[C91

equaltothoseforblue-collarworkers.Manyturnto[CIO]work一v/ith

lowerpay,fewerbenefitsandlessstatus.Allthisisacountrywherepeoplemeetingfbr

thefirsttimesay,"Whatdoyoudo?"A.announcedB.trendC.performedD.temporary

E.permanentF.virtuallyG.technicalH.employedI.exposureJ.originallyK.soaredL.

significanceM.secureN.discouragedO.loss

1、[Cl]

标准答案：K

知识点解析：此处需填不及物动词，可以和up构成词组“上下文都在讲经济发展

良好，所以该词应表积极意义，词库中符合条件的词是soared。soaredup意为，高

涨，剧增

2、[C2]

标准答案：E

知识点解析：此处需要形容词，与good并列修饰jobs。由此可知该词与good一样

表积极意义，可先排除temporary。词库中符合条件的形容词有secure和

permanentosecure不能如此搭配，用法不对；permanent较为合适，表明薪水高

的、稳定持久的工作。

3、[C31

标准答案：A

知识点解析：此处需要及物动词的过去式，作谓语。Even在这里有转折之意，所

以根据主句中的谓语动词acted（行动，表现）可知该动词与言语行为有关，由此可

知announced一词比较合适，意为"宣布"。

4、[C4]

标准答案：O

知识点解析；此处需填可数名词，能与ata一起连用。根据句首的Even,可知此

处应该与前面的highersalesandprofits相反，由此很容易确定loss最为合适。ata

loss意为“亏损

5、[C5]

标准答案：N

知识点解析：此空在were后面，且由副词so修饰，所以有两种可能性，一种是形

容词，另一种是分词。前文说到失业率下降，此处的形容词是100多万工人自己离

职的原因，由此可确定该词表消极意义。词库中的四个形容词都不合适，而动词的

过去分词形式中，discouraged符合条件，意为“灰心的，丧气的”。

6、[C6]

标准答案：H

知识点解析：此空在were后面，且由副词parlially修饰，所以为形容词或动词过

去分词。上文提到unemployment下降，联系下文短到的self-employment,可知此

处指“就业”，由此可确定答案为employed。

7、[C7]

标准答案：B

知识点解析：此处需填可数名词。根据其后的that定语从句，显然trend最为合

适，意为“趋势，势头：

8、[C8]

标准答案：M

知识点解析：此处需要形容词或动词过去分词。上下文都在说工作不稳定，所以答

案显然是secure（安全的，有安全感的）。

9、[C9]

标准答案：F

知识点解析：此处需要副词，修饰equalto…。比较词库中的两个副词virtually和

originally,显然virtually比较合适，意思是“实际上，事实上

10、[CIO]

标准答案：D

知识点解析：此处需要二真入形容词。根据破折号后面对work的解释，可知该词表

消极意义。上下文都在说工作不稳定，被裁员，所以可确定答案为temporary（临时

的）。

Lastyear'seconomyintheUnitedStatesshouldhavewontheOscarforbestpicture.

Growthingrossdomesticproductwas4.1percentprofits[Cl]upexports

flourishedandinflation（通货膨胀）stayedaround3percentforthethirdyear.Sowhy

didsomanyAmericansgivethepictureonlyaBrating?Theanswerisjobs.The

macroeconomic（宏观经济的）situationwasgood,butthemicroeconomic（微观经济的）

numberswerenotYes,3millionnewjobswerethere,butnotenoughofthemwere

[C2],goodjobspayingenoughtosupportafamily.Jobinsecuritywasserious.

Evenasthey[C3]highersalesandprofits,corporationsactedasiftheywere

operatingata[C4],cutting516,069jobsin1994alone,almostasmanyasin

thebadyearof1991.Yes,unemploymentwentdown.Butover1millionworkerswere

so[C5]theyleftthelaborforce.Morethan6millionwhowantedfulltime

workwereonlypartially[C6]andanotherlargegroupwasshelteredbehind

self-cmploymcnt.Welostamilliongoodmanufacturingjobsbetween1990and1995,

continuingthe[C7]thathasreducedtheblue-collarworkforcefromabout30

percentinthe1950stoabouthalfthattoday.White-collarworkersfoundouttheywere

nolonger[C8].In1995,forthefirsttime,theywereletgoinnumbers[C9]

equaltothoseforblue-collarworkers.Manyturnto[CIO]work一v/ith

lowerpay,fewerbenefitsandlessstatus.Allthisisacountrywherepeoplemeetingfbr

thefirsttimesay,"Whatdoyoudo?"A.announcedB.trendC.performedD.temporary

E.permanentF.virtuallyG.technicalH.employedI.exposureJ.originallyK.soaredL.

significanceM.secureN.discouragedO.loss

11、[Cl]

标准答案：K

知识点解析：此处需填不及物动词，可以和up构成词组。上下文都在讲经济发展

良好，所以该词应表积吸意义，词库中符合条件的词是soared。soaredup意为，高

涨，剧增”。

12、[C2]

标准答案：E

知识点解析：此处需要形容词，与good并列修饰jobs。由此可知该词与good—•样

表积极意义，可先排除lemporary。词库中符合条件的形容词有secure和

permanentosecure不能如此搭配，用法不对：pemianent较为合适，表明薪水高

的、稳定持久的工作。

13、[C3]

标准答案：A

知识点解析：此处需要及物动词的过去式，作谓语。Even在这里有转折之意，所

以根据主句中的谓语动词acied（行动，表现）可知该动词与言语行为有关，由此可

知announced一词比较合适，意为“宣布"。

14、[C4]

标准答案：0

知识点解析：此处需填可数名词，能与ata一起连用。根据句首的Even,可知此

处应该与前面的highersalesandprofits相反，由此很容易确定loss最为合适。ata

loss意为“亏损

15、[C5]

标准答案：N

知识点解析：此空在were后面，且由副词so修饰，所以有两种可能性，一种是形

容词，另一种是分词。前文说到失业率下降，此处的形容词是100多万工人自己离

职的原因，由此可确定该词表消极意义。词库中的四个形容词都不合适，而动词的

过去分词形式中，discouraged符合条件，意为“灰心的，丧气的”。

16、[C6]

标准答案：H

知识点解析：此空在were后面，且由副词partially修饰，所以为形容词或动词过

去分词。上文提到unemployment下降,联系下文提到的self-employment,可知此

处指“就业”，由此可确定答案为employed。

17、[C7]

标准答案：B

知识点解析：此处需填可数名词。根据其后的thal定语从句，显然trend最为合

适，意为“趋势，势头”.

18、[C8]

标准答案：M

知识点解析：此处需要形容词或动词过去分词。上下文都在说工作不稳定，所以答

案显然是secure（安全的，有安全感的）。

19、[C9]

标准答案：F

知识点解析：此处需要副词，修饰equalto…。比较词库中的两个副词virtually和

originally,显然virlually比较合适，熹思是“实际上，事实上“。

20、[C10]

标准答案：D

知识点解析：此处需要填入形容词。根据破折号后面对work的解释，可知该词表

消极意义。上下文都在说工作不稳定，被裁员，所以可确定答案为temporary（临时

的）。

大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试

卷第3套

一、长篇阅读（本题共20题，每题7.0分，共20分。）

PromoteLearningSkillstorYoungPeopleandAdults[A]Thisgoalplacestheemphasis

onthelearningneedsofyoungpeopleandadultsinthecontextoflifelonglearning.It

callsforfairaccesstolearningprogramsthatarcappropriate,andmentionslifeskills

particularly.|B]Educationisaboutgivingpeopletheopportunitytodeveloptheir

potential,theirpersonalityandtheirstrengths.Thisdoesnotmerelymeanacquiringnew

knowledge,butalsodevelopingabilitiestomakethemostoflife.Thesearecalledlife

skills—includingtheinnercapacitiesandthepracticalskillsweneed.[C]Manyofthe

innercapacities-oftenknownaspsycho-socialskills-cannotbetaughtassubjects.

Theyarenotthesameasacademicortechnicallearning.Theymustratherbemodeled

andpromotedaspartoflearning,andinparticularbyteachers.Theseskillshavetodo

withthewaywebehave-towardsotherpeople,towardsourselves,towardsthe

challengesandproblemsoflife.Theyincludeskillsincommunicating,inmaking

decisionsandsolvingproblems,innegotiatingandexpressingourselves,inthinking

criticallyandunderstandingourfeelings.[D]Morepracticallifeskillsarethekindsof

manualskillsweneedforthephysicaltasksweface.Somewouldincludevocational

skillsundertheheadingoflifeskills-theabilitytolaybricks,sewclothes,catchfishor

repairamotorbike.Theseareskillsbywhichpeoplemayearntheirlivelihoodandwhich

arcoftenavailabletoyoungpeopleleavingschool.Infact,veryoftenyoungpeoplelearn

psycho-socialskillsastheylearnmorepracticalskills.Learningvocationalskillscanbea

strategyforacquiringbothpracticalandpsycho-socialskills.|E|Weneedtoincreaseour

lifeskillsateverystageoflife,solearningthemmaybepartofearlychildhood

education,ofprimaryandsecondaryeducationandofadultlearninggroups.Lifeskills

canbeputintothecategoriesthattheJacquesDelorsreportsuggested;itspokeoffour

pillarsofeducation,whichcorrespondtocertainkindsoflifeskills-Learningtoknow:

thinkingabilitiessuchasproblem-solving,criticalthinking,decisionmaking,

understandingconsequences.Learningtobe:personalabilitiessuchasmanagingstress

andfeelings,selfawareness,self-confidence.Learningtolivetogether:socialabilities

suchascommunication,negotiation,teamwork.Learningtodo:manualskills,practicing

know-howrequiredforworkandtasks.[F]Intoday'sworldalltheseskillsarenecessary

inordertofacerapidchangeinsociety.Thismeansthatitisimportanttoknowhowto

goonlearningaswerequirenewskillsforlifeandwork.Inaddition,weneedtoknow

howtocopewiththefloodofinformationandturnitintousefulknowledge.Wealso

needtolearnhowtohandlechangeinsocietyandinourownlives.[G]Lifeskillsarc

bothconcreteandabstract—practicalskillscanbelearneddirectlyasasubject.For

example,alearnercantakeacourseinlayingbricksandlearnthatskill.Otherlifeskills,

suchasself-confidence,self-esteem,andskillsforrelatingtoothersorthinkingcritically

cannotbetaughtinsuchdirectways.Theyshouldbepartofanylearningprocess,where

teachersorinstructorsareconcernedthatlearnersshouldnotjustlearnaboutsubjects,but

learnhowtocopewithlifeandmakethemostoftheirpotential.[H]Sotheselifeskills

maybelearntwhenpeoplearelearningotherthings.Forexample,learningliteracymay

haveabigimpactonsclf-cstccm,oncriticalthinkingoroncommunicationskills;

learningpracticalskillssuchasdriving,healthcareortailoringmayincreaseself­

confidence,teachproblem-solvingprocessesorhelpinunderstandingconsequences.[I]

Whetherthisistruedependsonthewayofteaching—whatkindsofthinking,relationship

buildingandcommunicationtheteacherorfacilitatormodelsthemselvesandpromotes

amongthelearners.Itwouldrequiretomeasuretheindividualandcollectiveprogressin

makingthemostoflearningandoflife,orassessinghowfarhumanpotentialisbeing

realized,orestimatinghowwellpeoplecopewithchange.Itiseasiertomeasurethe

developmentofpracticalskills,forinstancebycountingthenumberofstudentswho

registerforvocationalskillscourses.However,thisstillmaynottellushoweffectively

theseskillsarebeingused.[J]Thepsycho-socialskillscannoteasilybemeasuredbytests

andscores,butbecomevisibleinchangedbehavior.Progressinthisareahasoftenbeen

notedbyteachersonreportswhichtheymaketotheparentsoftheirpupils.Theteacher's

experienceoflife,ofteachingandofwhatcanbeexpectedfromeducationinthe

broadestsenseserveasastandardbywhichthegrowthanddevelopmentofindividuals

canbeassessedtosomeextent.Thiskindofassessmentisindividualandmaynever

appearininternationaltablesandcharts.|K]Thecurrentchallengesrelatetothese

difficulties:Weneedtorecognizetheimportanceoflifeskills-bothpracticaland

psychosocial-aspartofeducationwhichleadstothefulldevelopmentofhuman

potentialandtothedevelopmentofsociety.Thelinksbetweenpsychosocialskillsand

practicalskillsmustbemoreclearlyspelledout,sothateducatorscanpromoteboth

togetherandfindeffectivewaystodothis.Sincelifeskillsarctaughtaspartofawide

rangeofsubjects,teachersneedtohavetraininginhowtoputthemacrossandhowto

monitorlearners'growthintheseareas.Indesigningcurriculaandsyllabusesfor

academicsubjects,theremustbeabalancebetweencontentteachingandattentiontothe

accompanyinglifeskills.Amoreconsciousanddeliberateefforttopromotelifeskills

willenablelearnerstobecomemoreactivecitizensinthelifeofsociety.|L|

Governmentsshouldrecognizeandactivelyadvocatefbrthetransformationalroleof

educationinrealizinghumanpotentialandinsocio-economicdevelopment.Ensurethat

curriculaandsyllabusesaddresslifeskillsandgivelearnerstheopportunitytomakereal-

lifeapplicationsofknowledge,skillsandattitudes.Showhowlifeskillsofallkindsapply

intheworldofwork,forexample,negotiatingandcommunicationskills,aswell

practicalskills.Throughinitialandin-serviceteachertraining,increasetheuseofactive

andparticipatorylearning/teachingapproaches.Examineandadapttheprocessesand

contentofeducatio