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Occupational Licenses with the Biggest Bang for Buck
Some 1.8 million American were laid off or discharged from their jobs each month on average in 2019, according to data from the U. S. Bureau of Labor statistics. People who lose their jobs often confront a difficult choice: should they take a new job that pays less, or should they make a costly investment in gaining new skills so that they can compete for another similar job or an even better one?
If they do decide on retraining ,which programs and occupational licenses are worth their while? In general, the highest-paying jobs tend to have the most difficult education/ training and experience requirements. But that is not always the case. The following are five occupational licenses with the biggest bang for your buck.
Drone Pilots: If you want to become a drone pilot, all you need to do is be above 16 years old, pass the Federal Aviation Administration's Remote Pilot Certificate exam (which requires about 15 to 20 hours of studying), and pay a $ 150 licensing fee. Pay for drone pilots averages $ 56,426 per year, and jobs are growing rapidly across a range of industries. For example, companies like UPS are making substantial investments in drone delivery and will need to hire thousands of drone pilots in the coming years.
Home Inspectors: If you need a job that makes about $ 60K per year, you might want to consider becoming a Home Inspector. Both Home Inspectors and HVAC Contractors earn about $ 61K per year, on average, but getting a state HVAC Contractor license typically requires about 4,000 hours of training and experience (those systems are becoming even more complex), whereas a Home Inspector license only requires 360 hours of training and experience, and much of the training can be gained free of charge on the job.
Massage Therapists: On average, Manicurists/Pedicurists are required to complete more hours of training than Massage Therapists (700 hours versus 500 hours), but Massage Therapists earn almost twice as much, on average ($54,639 versus $ 32,509).
Radiologic Technologists: Licensing requirements for cosmetologists（美容师）have become so onerous that candidates now need 2,700 hours of training and experience on average. That's not much less than the requirement for becoming a Radiologic or MRI Technologist (3,300 hours), a job which is growing considerably faster than average, is more recession - proof, and pays twice as much ($ 56,162 versus $ 28,608).
Dental Hygienists: Among jobs that require a two-year associate's degree granted by a college or university, some pay substantially more than others. The average state licensing fee for becoming a Dental Hygienist is a hefty $ 1,600, but the pay bump you'll receive will likely make up for it ten times over in the first year.
1.The underlined expression "the biggest bang for your buck" in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
A.the job loss for your hesitation to invest
B.a good income resulting from your skills
C.a good return for the money you have spent
D.the great efforts you'd make to change your life.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Among the drone operators, those who work for delivery services can earn the most.
B.Compared to a home inspector, being an HVAC Contractor is more cost-effective.
C.As an MRI technologist, you'd be less likely to be jobless during an economic crisis.
D.Higher education isn't a compulsory requirement if you want to be a dental hygienist.
3.Which of the following matching for the chart is correct according to the passage?
A.① Radiologic Technologist; ② Cosmetologist; ③General Contractor
B.① Drone Pilot; ② General Contractor; ③ Dental Hygienists
C.① Message Therapist; ② Radiologic Technologist; ③ Cosmetologist
D.① Drone Piolt; ② Cosmetologist; ③ Radiologic Technologist
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The universe began with the Big Bang 13．7 billion years ago, with everything___ in space smaller than a grain of sand．
A．started B．starting
C．to start D．to be started
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“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回声). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and me on the other side.
We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining, causing rather sad feelings. I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree.
But now
I dont know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on, there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?
In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.
All the lights were off except fathers.
Dad was always like this. Maybe he didnt know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret.
This was how he always was. He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. Am I wrong? I whispered, maybe
With the key in my hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love----its second to none.
1.Which is the correct order of the following events according to the passage?
a. I opened the door and entered the house.
b. I ran out into the street angrily.
c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d. I recalled my happy childhood.
e. I began to walk about in the street without any aim.
A. e, b, d, c, a B. b, e, d, c, a
C. b, e, c, d, a D. e, b, c, a, d
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The author fully understood why he and his father had different thinking.
B. The author’s father didn’t approve of his stamp collecting.
C. The author and his father lacked communication.
D. The author’s father opened the door for him when he came back.
3.According to the author, why did his father often shout at him?
A. Perhaps the father was getting older and older.
B. Perhaps the son had already grown up.
C. Perhaps they never agreed with each other.
D. Perhaps the father had been used to doing that.
4.What did the author mean by the underlined sentence “My heart was frozen on this hot summer night”?
A. He felt lonely because there were so few people on the street.
B. He felt uncomfortable because it was a very hot night.
C. He was completely disappointed with his father.
D. He was at a loss because he had nowhere to go.
5.What was the author’s attitude towards his father at the end of the story?
A. He loved his father.
B. He was frustrated with his father.
C. He was afraid of his father.
D. He was dissatisfied with his father.
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“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation(回声)．It was just standing there, with Father standing on one side, and I on the other side．
We were both in great anger．“Never set foot in this house again!” stormed Father．With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street．
The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的)．I wandered aimlessly．
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me．I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious．
But now… I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old．We differ in our ways of thinking．He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me．Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it．We are just like two people coming from two different worlds．It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened．
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind．My heart was frozen on this hot summer night．As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company．When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on．
In fact, it was nothing．Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps．Perhaps he thought they were useless．I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps．I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的) words: “ I can throw you away, let alone these old papers．”
All the lights were off except father’s．
Dad was always like this．Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself．After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret．After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers．
This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature．
The light was still on．“Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been．At last, I decided to open the door．As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks．I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all．Love is second to none．
1. Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage．
a．I opened the door and entered the house．
b．Sadly I ran out into the street．
c．I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit．
d．I thought of my father’s kindness towards me．
e．I walked about in the street without any aim．
A．b, e, d, c, a B．b, e, c, d, a C．b, e, a, c, d D．b, e, c, a, d
2.What made the writer think of his childhood?
A．The sight of the desolate street lights．
B．The sight of the empty street．
C．The sight of a father with a child in his arms．
D．The sight of light in his own house．
3. Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?
A．Perhaps the father is getting older and older．
B．Perhaps the son has already grown up．
C．Perhaps they never agree with each other．
4. What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage?
A．The father is actually kind to his son．
B．The father treats his son in an unfair way．
C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son．
D．The father is always finding fault with his son．
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“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回声). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and me on the other side.
We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining, causing rather sad feelings. I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree.
But now … I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on, there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret.
This was how he always was. He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. “Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in my hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love----it’s second to none.
1. Which is the correct order of the following events according to the passage?
a. I opened the door and entered the house.
b. I ran out into the street angrily.
c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d. I recalled my happy childhood.
e. I began to walk about in the street without any aim.
A. e, b, d, c, a B. b, e, d, c, a
C. b, e, c, d, a D. e, b, c, a, d
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The author fully understood why he and his father had different thinking.
B. The author’s father didn’t approve of his stamp collecting.
C. The author and his father lacked communication.
D. The author’s father opened the door for him when he came back.
3. According to the author, why did his father often shout at him?
A. Perhaps the father was getting older and older.
B. Perhaps the son had already grown up.
C. Perhaps they never agreed with each other.
D. Perhaps the father had been used to doing that.
4. What did the author mean by the underlined sentence “My heart was frozen on this hot summer night”?
A. He felt lonely because there were so few people on the street.
B. He felt uncomfortable because it was a very hot night.
C. He was completely disappointed with his father.
D. He was at a loss because he had nowhere to go.
5.What was the author’s attitude towards his father at the end of the story?
A. He loved his father.
B. He was frustrated with his father.
C. He was afraid of his father.
D. He was dissatisfied with his father.
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“BANG” the door caused a reverberation．“Never set foot in this house again!” shouted Father．With tears welling (涌出) up in my eyes，I rushed out of the house and ran along the street．
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me．I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space：happy and harmonious.
But now I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because Dad is getting old．We are just like two people coming from two different worlds．It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened．
I wandered the street，without a destination in my mind．My heart was frozen on this hot summer night．As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people in the streets，until I had only streets to keep me company. When I finally reached the high rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on．
I thought to myself，“Is Father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact，it was nothing．Perhaps，Dad was throwing some of his old stamps．Perhaps he thought they were useless．I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps．
All the lights were off except Father’s.
Dad was always 1ike this．Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself．After shouting at me，he never showed any mercy or regret. After an argument he will creep(蹑手蹑脚)up in my sleep and then tuck me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature．
The light was still on. With the key in hand，I was as nervous as I had ever been．At last，I decided to open the door．As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks．I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love－it is second to none．
41. The underlined word “reverberation” refers to _____________.
A．a sound forced back B．a heavy blow C．a shake D. an earthquake
42. When seeing a young father with a child in his arms, the writer might have the following feelings EXCEPT _____________.
A. He admired them very much
B. He wished that the relation between him and his father could also be so harmonious
C. He felt that happiness had been far away from him／her
D. He felt disappointed with his father
43. Why do you think the father often shouts at his child?
A．The father is getting older and older．
B．The child had already grown up.
C．They never agree with each other．
D．The father has got used to doing that.
44. What conclusion can you draw after reading the text?
A．The father treats his child in an unfair way.
B．The father is actually kind to his child.
C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his child.
D．The father is always finding fault with his child.
45. The article is ____________.
A. expository writing B. argumentative writing
C. narrative writing D. reportage
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Twenty minutes isn't even enough time to catch a lecture of The Big Bang Theory. Yet for many people, that’s the amount of face time they'll get with their doctors all year. 1. During the time, try to ask the confusing questions, which is the key to staying healthy in between checkups.
What happens if I don't take the medicine?
Many patients feel medicine should be taken when they're obviously sick, and skip it when they feel they have recovered. But some conditions take months or even years to be completely removed. In such case, even if you don't have symptoms, don't skip medicine. 2.
Does the medicine interact with my supplements (增补物)?
Many patients assume that supplements like vitamins or herbs are helpful and won't interact with their medicine. That's a dangerous assumption. There're many drug interactions with herbs and nutrients. 3.Patients on certain antidepressants (抗抑郁剂), for example, should not take herbs like St. John's wort (圣约翰麦汁).
What changes can I make to improve my condition?
Diet, exercise, sleep, and stress are all huge elements that impact health and are all completely under a patient's control. 4. But in almost every case, your health can be improved with changes to those four elements.
5.
Your treatment can be a journey, and you should know what kinds of signposts (路标) to look for-good and bad. Being aware of potential challenges, side effects, and failure rates can help you prepare for issues and important improvements: you and your doctor can come up with ways to deal with both.
A. And some can be deadly.
B. Why should I have to deal with the health issues?
C. In many cases, drugs and medicine may be necessary.
D. What kind of improvements and problems should I expect?
E. Instead, take it regularly so that it can have its intended effect.
F. In your next checkup, instead, be prepared for the twenty minutes.
G. That's why it makes sense to make full use of that precious period.
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The biggest danger facing airlines nowadays may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with portable computer in business class. In the last 16 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference (电磁干扰). The source of this interference remains not proved, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTC.A. an organization which advises the aviation (航空 )industry, has suggested that all airlines ban such devices from being used during "critical" stages of flight particularly take- off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights .Cur- rently , rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some air- lines prevent passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are un- willing to carry out a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flight.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's computers. Experts know that portable devices send out radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory. they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be. dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be fragile to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As wo
rrying, though, is the passenger who can 't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music's too loud.
1.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 16 years?
A. They may have been caused by the damage to-the radio systems.
B. They may have taken place during take-off and landing.
C. They were proved to have been caused by the passengers portable computers.
D. They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
2.Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane 's computers?
A. Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
B. Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with.
C. Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in labs.
D. Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research.
3.Few airlines want to perform a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because_______
A. they don't believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B. the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C. most passengers refused to take a plane ,which bans the use of radio and cassette players
D. they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
4.The passage is mainly about_________.
A. a new rule for all airlines
B. the disadvantages of electronic devices
C. a possible cause of aircraft incidents
D. effective safety measures for air flight
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The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic device such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that all airlines ban such devices from being used during “critical” stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers. Experts know that portable device emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music’s too loud.
1.The passage is mainly about _____.
A.a new regulation for an airlines
B.the drawbacks of electronic devices
C.a possible cause of aircraft incidents
D.effective safety measures for air flight
2.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?
A.They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
B.They may have taken place during take-off and landing.
C.They were proved to have been caused by the passengers’ portable computers.
D.They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
3.Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because ______.
A.they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B.the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C.most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players
D.they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
4.It can be inferred from the passage that the author _____.
A.hasn’t expressed his own opinion on this problem
B.has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C.is in favor of prohibiting passengers’ use of electronic devices completely
D.regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
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The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that all airlines ban such devices from being used during “critical” stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant(不情愿的) to enforce (实施) a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flight.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers. Experts know that portable devices emit(发出) radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable (易受损的) to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music’s too loud.
1.The passage is mainly about ________.
A．a new regulation for all airlines B．the defects of electronic devices
C．a possible cause of aircraft crashes D．effective safety measures for air flight
2.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?
A．They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
B．They may have taken place during take-off and landing.
C．They were proved to have been caused by the passengers portable computers.
D．They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
3.Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because ________.
A．they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B．the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C．most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players
D．they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
4.Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane s computers?
A．Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
B．Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with.
C．Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in labs.
D．Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research.
rrying, though, is the passenger who can 't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music's too loud.