問題詳情
IV. Reading Comprehension: (18%) A. If sheer numbers provide any proof, America’s universities and colleges are theenvy of the world. While fully 60% of all U.S. high school graduates attend college atsome point in their life, just 30% of the comparable German population, 28% of theFrench, 20% of the British and 37% of the Japanese proceed beyond high school.German students who survive the Abitur or Britons who pass their A levels may still not qualify for a top university at home, but find American universities far morewelcoming. Some U.S. schools acknowledge the rigor of European secondarytraining and will give up to a year’s credit to foreigners who have passed their highschool exams. Many foreign students are attracted not only to the academic programs at aparticular U.S. college but also to the larger community, which affords the chance tosoak up the surrounding culture. Few foreign universities put much emphasis on thecozy communal life that characterizes American campuses: from clubs and sportsteams to student publications and theatrical societies. Foreign students also come insearch of choices. America’s menu of options—research universities, stateinstitutions, private liberal-arts schools, community colleges, religious institutions,military academies—is unrivaled. While students overseas usually must demonstrateexpertise in a single field, most American universities insist that students samplenatural and social sciences, languages and literature before choosing a field ofconcentration. entration.Such opposing philosophies grow out of different traditions and powerstructures. In Europe and Japan universities are answerable only to a Ministry ofEducation, which sets academic standards and distributes money. Whilecentralization ensures that all students are equipped with roughly the same resourcesand perform at roughly the same level, it also discourages experimentation. U.S.colleges, on the other hand, are so responsive to cultural currents that they are oftenon the cutting edge of social change. In some respects, the independent spirit of the American university thatforeigners admire comes down to dollars and cents. All U.S. colleges, private andpublic alike, must fight vigorously to stay alive. They compete not only for studentsbut also for faculty and research grants. Such competition, though draining anddistracting, can stimulate creativity and force administrators to remain attentive tostudent needs. In other words, U.S. students pay for their education, and demand acommensurate value for what they—or their parents—pay. Most universities abroadhave state funding, but that luxury has a steep price: universities have lessopportunity to develop distinctive personalities and define their own missions. On theother hand, these state-funded universities suffer less from the financial crisis, which will definitely impact the quality of education in American colleges.
【題組】22. What is the purpose of the article?
(A) To inform readers of the latest trend of American education.
(B) To provide solutions to the educational problems arising in Europe.
(C) To compare and contrast higher education in the U.S. and other countries.
(D) To convince readers of the viewpoint that the American universities offer thebest education.
參考答案
答案：C
難度：適中0.5
統計：A(0),B(0),C(0),D(0),E(0)