Question

    When times get tough, we all look for ways to cut back. When we’re hungry, we eat at home instead of going out. We take buses instead of taxis. And we wear our old designer jeans just a few months longer. With college expenses at all-time highs, high school students are eager to do anything to cut the cost of a university education.

One cost-cutting proposal is to allow college students to get a bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four. Educational institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning process more efficient. But there’s a question: Would the quality of undergraduate education suffer? Few US universities have formally approved a “three-year degree” model.

I doubt that mainstream North American colleges will carry out a three-year curriculum any time soon. For one thing, most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits. In addition, at famous universities, the committee who determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are unlikely to suddenly “throw out” one quarter of the required credits. Professors will resist “diluting (稀释)” the quality of the education they offer.

In my opinion, a quality four-year education is always superior to a quality three-year education. A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major. It is not a good idea to water down education, any more than it’s not a good idea to water down medicine. If we want to help students find their way through university, we should help them understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon graduation. We should allow students to test out of as many courses as possible. We should give them a chance to earn money as interns (实习生) in meaningful part-time jobs that relate to their university studies, such as the five-year co-op program at Northeastern University.

1.Which of the following can best sum up the main idea?

A.It’s time to shorten the learning process.

B.Best learning takes place over time.

C.University education should be watered down.

D.College education calls for reform.

2.We can learn from the passage that ________.

A.most American universities are against the “three-year degree” model

B.many famous US universities are considering adopting the “three-year degree” model

C.professors are willing to accept the “three-year degree” model

D.The “three-year degree” model can make college learning more efficient

3.In most US universities，________.

A.college students are offered the co-op program

B.electives’ credits make up one quarter of the required credits

C.all students are required to finish four-year education before graduation

D.some excellent students can graduate ahead of time

4.We can infer that________.

A.the author is a college professor exploring ways to make learning more efficient

B.the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high for people to afford

C.the author considers the university education quality very important

D.the author pays special attention to the all-round development of college students

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章作者认为把大学四年的学制缩短为三年不是一个好主意，保证足够的时间才能保证大学教育的质量。

1.主旨大意题。根据第二段的Few US universities have formally approved a “three-year degree” model.(很少有美国大学正式批准“三年学位”模式。)和最后一段的In my opinion, a quality four-year education is always superior to a quality three-year education.(在我看来，优质的四年教育总是优于优质的三年教育。) 可推断，文章作者认为把大学四年的学制缩短为三年不是一个好主意，学好大学功课是需要付出时间的，所以这篇文章的中心思想是“最好的学习是随着时间的推移而进行的。”，故选B。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段Few US universities have formally approved a “three-year degree” model.（美国很少有大学正式批准“三年制学位”模式。）由此推断出，大多数美国大学反对“三年制学位”模式，故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段中For one thing, most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits.（一方面，大多数大学已经允许合格的学生通过某些课程的考试和获得一些大学学分提前毕业。）由此可知，特别优秀的大学生可以提前毕业。故选D。

4.推理判断题。第四段作者给出了自己的观点，从A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major.（大学教育要求学生有足够的时间掌握专业技能，并在专业以外的领域学习课程。）和It is not a good idea to water down education, any more than it’s not a good idea to water down medicine.（削弱教育不是个好主意，就像削弱医学不是个好主意一样。）等处可以看出作者非常看重大学教育质量。故选C。