B
A new college guide in the United States compares educational requirements in seven subjects. These include math, science, writing and United States history or government. The other subjects are economics, foreign language and literature.
The free online guide is from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The council is a nonprofit group that supports liberal arts education.
Its president, Anne Neal, says these areas of knowledge are needed to succeed in a twenty-first century society and an increasingly connected world. Yet she told VOA’s Faiza Elmasry it was surprising how many students can graduate with, in her words, a “thin education.”
Forty-two of the one hundred colleges and universities surveyed received the lowest marks. This meant they required two or fewer of the seven subjects. Five schools received a top grade for requiring six subjects. These were Brooklyn College in New York City, Texas A&M, the University of Texas-Austin, West Point and the University of Arkansas.
Robert Costrell is a professor of education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas. He says many, if not all, of the top American colleges once had a core curriculum —a set of courses required for all students.
But over the years, many have dropped these requirements. Or they have watered them down, Professor Costrell says, into what became known as distribution requirements. This system lets a student choose from a number of different courses to satisfy a requirement.
ROBERT COSTRELL: “And in many cases these courses went too far, I would say, towards the fluffy treatment of serious material, and students could satisfy their requirement by taking such courses.”
Professor Costrell says schools should not only re-examine what they teach. They should also measure what students have learned — for example, through some form of examinations or papers.
A new report this week from the College Board showed that college prices continue to rise. But Anne Neal from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni says higher prices. do not guarantee a better general education. In fact, the group found that the higher the tuition, the more likely that students have to develop their own general education.
The college guide is on the Web at whatwilltheylearn.com. Anne Neal says her group is surveying more colleges. The hope, she says, is to discover what college graduates have really learned, and how ready they are to compete in the global marketplace.
61. Where does the passage probably come from?
A. A scientific fiction. B. A research newspaper.
C. A fashion magazine. D. An entertainment newspaper.
62. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni does all the following EXCEPT _________.
A. support liberal arts education
B. concern itself with education in America
C. devote time to helping improve college education
D. make money by helping with college education
63. The words “watered them down” underlined in Paragraph 6 most likely mean “_______.”
A. reduced required courses B. improved required courses
C. increased required courses D. developed required courses
64. In this passage, the new college guide mainly tells its readers that American colleges should _____.
A. meet the requirements of the new century B. reduce the number of required courses
C. have different standards on required courses D. cut down on their tuitions
高二英语阅读理解简单题
B
A new college guide in the United States compares educational requirements in seven subjects. These include math, science, writing and United States history or government. The other subjects are economics, foreign language and literature.
The free online guide is from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The council is a nonprofit group that supports liberal arts education.
Its president, Anne Neal, says these areas of knowledge are needed to succeed in a twenty-first century society and an increasingly connected world. Yet she told VOA’s Faiza Elmasry it was surprising how many students can graduate with, in her words, a “thin education.”
Forty-two of the one hundred colleges and universities surveyed received the lowest marks. This meant they required two or fewer of the seven subjects. Five schools received a top grade for requiring six subjects. These were Brooklyn College in New York City, Texas A&M, the University of Texas-Austin, West Point and the University of Arkansas.
Robert Costrell is a professor of education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas. He says many, if not all, of the top American colleges once had a core curriculum —a set of courses required for all students.
But over the years, many have dropped these requirements. Or they have watered them down, Professor Costrell says, into what became known as distribution requirements. This system lets a student choose from a number of different courses to satisfy a requirement.
ROBERT COSTRELL: “And in many cases these courses went too far, I would say, towards the fluffy treatment of serious material, and students could satisfy their requirement by taking such courses.”
Professor Costrell says schools should not only re-examine what they teach. They should also measure what students have learned — for example, through some form of examinations or papers.
A new report this week from the College Board showed that college prices continue to rise. But Anne Neal from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni says higher prices. do not guarantee a better general education. In fact, the group found that the higher the tuition, the more likely that students have to develop their own general education.
The college guide is on the Web at whatwilltheylearn.com. Anne Neal says her group is surveying more colleges. The hope, she says, is to discover what college graduates have really learned, and how ready they are to compete in the global marketplace.
61. Where does the passage probably come from?
A. A scientific fiction. B. A research newspaper.
C. A fashion magazine. D. An entertainment newspaper.
62. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni does all the following EXCEPT _________.
A. support liberal arts education
B. concern itself with education in America
C. devote time to helping improve college education
D. make money by helping with college education
63. The words “watered them down” underlined in Paragraph 6 most likely mean “_______.”
A. reduced required courses B. improved required courses
C. increased required courses D. developed required courses
64. In this passage, the new college guide mainly tells its readers that American colleges should _____.
A. meet the requirements of the new century B. reduce the number of required courses
C. have different standards on required courses D. cut down on their tuitions
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
A new report says the number of foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by three percent last year. This has been the first obvious increase since 2001.
American schools last fall had 583,000 foreign students. The record is 586,000. That was set in 2002 after many years of gains. But after that the numbers fell. The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 led to more visa (签证) requirements. Now stronger efforts are being made to get more foreign students to study in the United States.
China remained in second place in front of South Korea but behind India, whichsent almost 84,000 students last fall. The number of Japanese fell sharply by nine percent, although it remained in fourth place.
There were three percent drops from Indonesia and Kenya, the only African country in the top twenty last year. But there were obvious increases from Saudi Arabia, Nepal and Vietnam. The number of Saudi students more than doubled, rising to nearly eight thousand.
For a sixth year, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles had the most foreign students. Columbia University in New York was second. Other schools in the top five were New York University, the University of Illinois and Purdue University.
Unlike American students in other countries, who often choose history and language study, the leading area of study in the USA was business and management. Second was engineering.
The new report also says more than 220,000 Americans studied in other countries. That was during the 2005-2006 school year. It was a record number, and an increase of eight and a half percent from the year before. But only five percent of them stayed for a full year.
1.After 2002, the number of foreign students in the USA fell mainly because ____.
A.Americans were worried that foreign students might attack them
B.few American universities welcomed students from abroad
C.their own countries could offer them a better education
D.it was harder for foreign students to get permission to study in the USA
2.Which of the following Asian countries has the largest number of studentsstudying
in the USA?
A.China. B.Japan. C.South Korea. D.India.
3.Which subject is the most attractive to foreign students in the USA?
A.Business and management. B.History.
C.Engineering. D.Language.
4.We can learn from the passage that ____ .
A.Kenya is the only African country that has students in the USA
B.now foreign students are encouraged to study in the USA
C.the number of students studying in America always increases
D.the number of foreign students in the USA will keep increasing in the future
5.In which section of a newspaper could you most probably read this passage?
A.Culture. B.Science. C.Education. D.Business.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new report says the number of foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by three percent last year. This has been the first obvious increase since 2001.
American schools last fall had 583,000 foreign students. The record is 586,000. That was set in 2002 after many years of gains. But after that the numbers fell. The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 led to more visa (签证) requirements. Now stronger efforts are being made to get more foreign students to study in the United States.
China remained in second place in front of South Korea but behind India, which sent almost 84,000 students last fall. The number of Japanese fell sharply by nine percent, although it remained in fourth place.
There were three percent drops from Indonesia and Kenya, the only African country in the top twenty last year. But there were obvious increases from Saudi Arabia, Nepal and Vietnam. The number of Saudi students more than doubled, rising to nearly eight thousand.
For a sixth year, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles had the most foreign students. Columbia University in New York was second. Other schools in the top five were New York University, the University of Illinois and Purdue University.
Unlike American students in other countries, who often choose history and language study, the leading area of study in the USA was business and management. Second was engineering.
The new report also says more than 220,000 Americans studied in other countries. That was during the 2005-2006 school year. It was a record number, and an increase of eight and a half percent from the year before. But only five percent of them stayed for a full year.
1.After 2002, the number of foreign students in the USA fell mainly because ____ .
A.Americans were worried that foreign students might attack them
B.few American universities welcomed students from abroad
C.their own countries could offer them a better education
D.it was harder for foreign students to get permission to study in the USA
2.Which of the following Asian countries has the largest number of students studying in the USA?
A.China. B.Japan. C.South Korea. D.India.
3.Which subject is the most attractive to foreign students in the USA?
A.Business and management. B.History.
C.Engineering. D.Language.
4.We can learn from the passage that ____ .
A.Kenya is the only African country that has students in the USA
B.now foreign students are encouraged to study in the USA
C.the number of students studying in America always increases
D.the number of foreign students in the USA will keep increasing in the future
5.In which section of a newspaper could you most probably read this passage?
A.Culture. B.Science. C.Education. D.Business.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Compared to the history of China, the history of the United States is quite short. 1. In 1776, 13 colonies(殖民地)located on the eastern coast of North America declared independence and fought a revolution against the British. In 1783 the colonists won the revolution and gained their independence.
After the revolution, the United States bought a large section of country from Napoleon of France. This purchase doubled(加倍)the size of the United States. 2. If he hadn’t needed that money, the United States might have stayed a small country. Texas and most of what is now the southwestern part of the United States belonged to Mexico. The people of Texas fought a revolution against Mexico. 3. Later, the United States and Mexico went to war. If Mexico had defeated the United States in that war, California and New Mexico would have been part of Mexico today.
The British and the Americans both claimed the northwestern part of the country. They settled their differences with a compromise. South of the 49th parallel was the United States. North of the 49th parallel was Canada. In 1861 one half of the United States did go to war with the other half. 4. President Lincoln wanted to free slaves. He was supported by the North but opposed by the South. The South wanted to separate from the rest of the country and become independent. 5.
Following the Civil War, the United States bought Alaska from Russia. Today it is the largest state in the country and a very important one, too.
A. This was the Civil War.
B. It was controlled by England then.
C. It began little more than 200 years ago.
D. After 4 years of war, the South was defeated.
E. Napoleon needed money for his European wars.
F. They became independent and joined the United States.
G. At that time many people didn’t think Alaska was important.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
Are you interested in higher education in the United States?The following advice might help you.
●College,University or Institute
College and universities offer undergraduate degrees in arts and sciences.And both can help prepare young people to earn a living.But many colleges don’t offer graduate studies.Universities are generally bigger,offer more programs and do more research.An institute of technology can offer a wide choice of programs and activities.Seventyfive percent of freshmen go there with a strong interest and involvement in the arts.
●The Application Process
International admissions officers advise students to apply to at least three schools.You may be able to apply online and pay the application charge with a credit card,or by mail.You should study the websites of schools to find information about how and when to apply,how much it will cost and whether any financial aid is available.
●Get a Student Card
If you requesting a visa for the first time,you will have to go to an American embassy or consulate(领馆).You will need to bring a government form sent to you by your American school that shows you have been accepted.A consular official will also take your picture and your fingerprints.You will also need banking and tax records that show you have enough money to pay for your education.
●Financial Aid
American schools provide aid,like scholarships,fellowships,to almost half of foreign graduate students,but only ten percent of undergraduates.But grants,which,unlike a loan,does not have to be paid.
1.It can be inferred from the passage that American colleges and universities________.
A. have their own origins in institutes of technology
B. have both similarities and differences
C. can offer a wide choice of programs and activities
D. provide about seventy-five percent students with art courses
2.In what order should the steps for applying to an American school be completed by a foreign student?________
a.Apply online
b.Find out how much it will cost and whether any financial aid is available online
c.Pay the application charge with a credit card,or by mail
d.Choose at least three schools
e.Find information about how and when to apply online
A. a-c-e-d-b B. e-d-c-a-b
C. d-a-c-e-b D. b-c-e-d-a
3.To apply for a vise for the first time,you’ll have to do the following things EXCEPT________.
A. paying an American embassy or consulate some money
B. taking your picture and your fingerprints
C. showing a government form given by the American school admitting you
D. providing evidence that you have enough money to pay for your education
4.The purpose of the passage is________.
A. to make some money
B. to provide foreign students with a guide
C. to improve education quality
D. to attract foreign visitors to America.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States.This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall.But according to a recent report, there is a great change. Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever.1.
These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier.2.On the other hand, deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time. Students may not like being put on waiting lists. Also, common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them. Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight. Some universities send gifts.3.
For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous.4.The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student’s loans. So lately, top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students.
5.The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down. This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finishes high school. The number is not expected to start rising again until 2015.
A.Besides, top colleges are facing changes in the population. |
B.What contributes to it? |
C.But a mistake can be costly if it happens. |
D.But top colleges ignore them. |
E. They have international students who know English.
F. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.
G. They cannot afford college as planned.
高二英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
During the 19th century, women’s education was not considered important in the United States. Supporters of advanced education for women faced many problems. States did require each town to provide a school for children, but teachers were often poorly prepared. Most young women were not able to continue on with their education in private schools. If they did, they often were not taught much except the French language, how to sew (缝制) clothing, and music.
Mary Lyon felt that women’s education was extremely important. Through her lifelong work for education she became the most famous woman in the 19th century America. She believed that women were teachers both at home and in the classroom. And she believed that efforts to better educate young women also served God. If women were better educated, she felt, they could teach in local schools throughout the United States and in foreign countries.
In 1837, Mary Lyon opened Mount Holyoke Seminary for Women. Only four teachers and the first class of eighty young women lived and studied in the building when the school opened. But Mary knew the importance of what had been established (建立) — the first independent school for the higher education of women. The school continued to grow. In 1893, under a state law, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary became a college. Mount Holyoke College was the first college to offer women the same education as was offered to men.
People who have studied Mary Lyon say she was not fighting a battle (战争) of equality between men and women, yet she knew she wanted more for women. Her efforts led to the spread of higher education for women in the United States. Historians say she was the strongest influence on the education of American young people during the middle of the 19th century.
1.What did Mary Lyon think would be a result of better education for women?
A. They could be teachers in local schools in the USA and in foreign countries.
B. They could help their children with the homework.
C. They could help their husbands with the work.
D. They could help their parents with the housework.
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
A. Teachers were poorly prepared in the 19th century.
B. Mount Holyoke Seminary for Women was the first independent school for the higher education of women in the United States.
C. Mount Holyoke College only taught women French.
D. Young women studied French, sewing and music in private schools in the 19th century.
3.What contributions did Mary make to education?
A. She taught a great number of young women.
B. She made the law protect men’s right to education.
C. She was responsible for the spread of higher education for women in the USA.
D. She succeeded in developing her own education system.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
About ten percent of spending on primary and secondary education in the United States comes from the federal government. 1. States have been required to show progress through yearly testing.
But states say testing tells only part of the story about efforts by schools and students to improve. So the Obama administration has eased the limits in states in measuring performance.
2.. This new measurement tool is called the Colorado Growth Model. The ideas is to show academic growth, not just achievement on tests. It combines test scores, family income levels, school size, the ethnicity of the student and many other factors.
3.. The graph shows a school’s average score on standardized tests as well as its academic growth.
On average, students enter sixth grade at WEST Denver Prep performing below grade level. 4.
The new assessment(评价) method shows that, each year, the average West Denver Prep student learns more math than ninety-four percent of all the students in Colorado. 5.
Josh Smith says perhaps the most important thing they should learn is to believe in themselves.
A. The results from schools across the state are shown online on a graph.
B. Reading and writing scores also show growth.
C. For ten years now, federal law has tied this spending to student performance.
D. Therefore, the government feels it a great pressure.
E. But three years later, most are outperforming other students across the state.
F. However, the limits don’t work at all.
G. The western state of Colorado, for example, has a new assessment method.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States 84 colleges now accept just women. Most of them were established in the 19th century; they were designed to offer women the education they could not receive anywhere else. At that time major universities and colleges accepted only men. In the past 20 years many young women have chosen to study at colleges that accept both men and women. As a result some women’s colleges decided to accept men students too. Others, however, refused to change. Now these schools are popular again
The president of Trinity College in Washington, D. C. said that by the end of the 1980s women began to recognize that studying at the same school with men did not mean women were having an equal chance to learn. The president of Smith College in Massachusetts says a women’s college permits women to choose classes and activities freely. For example, she says that in a women’s college a higher percentage of students studies mathematics than in a college with both men and women.
Educational experts say men students in the United States usually speak in class more than women students do. In a women’s college, women feel free to say what they think. Women’s schools also bring out leadership capabilities in many women. Women are represented everywhere. For example, at a women’s college every governing office is held by a woman. Recent studies reportedly show this leadership continues after college. The studies show that American women who went to women’s colleges are more likely to hold successful jobs later in life.
1.Some women’s colleges decided to accept men students because_______.
A. teaching women is more difficult than teaching men
B. many young women chose to study at colleges with both men and women
C. study with men is more challenged.
D. women and men can have equal chances of competition.
2.From the passage we know that_______.
A. more and more women’s colleges are being established now
B. more and more women like to study in colleges with both men and women
C. there are more women’s colleges than colleges with both men and women in the USA
D. it is better for American women to study in women’s colleges
3.According to this passage, if a woman wants to hold successful jobs, she’d better_______.
A. study in colleges with both men and women
B. study in Trinity College
C. learn from the president of Smith College
D. study in women’s colleges
4.Most of women’s colleges were established_______.
A. to give women the education they could not receive anywhere else.
B. to separate women from men.
C. to offer women special chances for work.
D. to help women have more study opportunities.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
AThe three main types of secondary education in the United States have been provided by the Latin grammar school, the academy, and the public high school. The first of these was a colonial institution. It began in New England with the establishment in 1635 of the Boston Free Latin School. The curriculum(课程) consisted mainly of the classical languages, and the purpose of this kind of school was the preparation of boys for college, where most of them would be fitted for the ministry.
The academy began in the early 1750’s with Benjamin Franklin’s school in Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. It extended generally to about the middle nineteenth century, except in the southern states where the public high school was late in developing and where the academy continued to be a principal means of secondary education even after 1900.The academy was open to girls as well as to boys, and it provided a wider curriculum than what the Latin grammar school had furnished. It was designed not only as a preparation for college but also for practical life in commercial and business activities. Although its wide educational values are evident and are recognized as important contributions to secondary education in this country, the academy has never been considered a public institution as the public high school has come to be.
The public high school had its origin in Massachusetts in 1821 when the English Classical School was established in Boston. In 1827,the state enacted(制定)the first state wide public high school law in the United States. By 1840,there were perhaps a dozen public high schools in Massachusetts and many in other eastern states by 1850,they could also be found in many other states. Just as the curriculum of the academy grew out of that of the Latin grammar school, the curriculum of the public high school developed out of that of the academy. The public high school in the United States is a repudiation(推翻) of the aristocratic(贵族的)and selective principle of the European educational tradition. Since 1890,enrollments( 入学)in secondary schools, mainly public high schools, have practically doubled in this country every ten years.
1.According to the passage, which of the following sequences indicates the order in which the schools developed?
A.Latin grammar school, public high school, academy.
B.Latin grammar school, academy, public high school.
C.Public high school, Latin grammar school, academy.
D.Public high school, academy, Latin grammar school.
2.It is the opinion of the author that the academy, compared with the public high school, was ____.
A.obviously academically better
B.more discriminatory in student selection
C.coeducational
D.not generally considered as a public institution
3.One can probably infer from his article that “Latin grammar school” refers to ____.
A.the Boston Free Latin School
B.all the elementary schools in the United States
C.schools which taught Latin, exclusive of all other subjects
D.a number of schools which developed in New England
4.It is implied but not stated in the passage that ____.
A.European educational systems are not good
B.As high schools developed in the united states, the decision was made to make them responsible to people from all classes of society.
C.There was an aristocratic and selective principle in the European educational tradition
D.public high schools in the United States embraced the European educational tradition
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析