Question

    In many countries the best, and sometimes only, path to acceptance to a university is having high test scores or good grades. In the US, admissions officials almost always ask students to list the activities they are involved in outside of the classroom in their applications. 1. This method of considering both academic success and non-academic skills is known as holistic (全面的) admissions.

The more a school knows about a student’s interests, the more they understand the student.  2. The best American universities receive thousands of applications from both inside and outside the country. For example, Washington University had over 30,000 applicants for the 2017 school year. But it only had room to accept about 16 percent of them.

3. What would schools value more: playing basketball or singing in a musical group? Is it more important to spend weekends serving free food to homeless people or cleaning up a public park? Thinking about holistic admissions in this way is not helpful. Instead of trying to figure out which activities are better than others, you should think about which activities serve you best as an individual. 4.

A student could explain their interest in reading many books or even exploring their home city. 5. Students, for example, can bring attention to their special qualities in the writing samples they provide, or the letters they ask teachers to write in support of them.

Students should trust that admissions officials will consider their personal history and what might have been available to them. The holistic method lets them pay more attention to the qualities they are looking for, not only academics.

A.Many universities only value test scores.

B.You can do almost anything, as long as it’s legal.

C.It’s difficult to choose an activity that suits you best.

D.Some students might wonder how to choose activities.

E.This is especially important for the top universities in the US.

F.These activities can show that a student possesses the qualities they are looking for.

G.Also, there are other places where a student can describe their non-academic interests.

Answer

1.F

2.E

3.D

4.B

5.G

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。在美国，招生官员几乎总是要求学生在申请表中列出他们课外参与的活动。这些活动可以表明一个学生拥有他们所追求的品质。这种同时考虑学术成就和非学术技能的方法被称为整体录取。文章就学生如何选择课外活动提出了一些建议。

1.根据上文In the US, admissions officials almost always ask students to list the activities they are involved in outside of the classroom in their applications.可知在美国，招生官员几乎总是要求学生在申请表中列出他们课外参与的活动。由此可知，本句承接上文继续说明列出这些活动的意义在于这些活动可以表明一个学生拥有他们所追求的品质。上文the activities可对应到F选项中These activities。故F选项“这些活动可以表明一个学生拥有他们所追求的品质”符合上下文语境，故选F。

2.根据后文The best American universities receive thousands of applications from both inside and outside the country.可知美国最好的大学收到成千上万来自国内外的申请。由此可知，学校越了解学生的兴趣，他们就越了解学生，这对美国的顶尖大学来说尤其重要。故E选项“这对美国的顶尖大学尤其重要”符合上下文语境，故选E。

3.根据后文What would schools value more: playing basketball or singing in a musical group? Is it more important to spend weekends serving free food to homeless people or cleaning up a public park?可知学校更看重什么：打篮球还是在一个音乐团体里唱歌？周末为无家可归的人提供免费食物和打扫公园哪个更重要？由此可知，本句是在说明学生对于如何选择课外活动的一些疑惑。故D选项“一些学生可能想知道如何选择活动”符合上下文语境，故选D。

4.根据上文Instead of trying to figure out which activities are better than others, you should think about which activities serve you best as an individual.可知与其试图找出哪些活动比其他的更好，你应该考虑作为一个个体，哪些活动最适合你。由此可知，在选择课外活动时应当考虑适不适合自己，只要活动合法，你可以参加任何你想做的课外活动。故B选项“只要是合法的，你几乎可以做任何事情”符合上下文语境，故选B。

5.根据后文The holistic method lets them pay more attention to the qualities they are looking for, not only academics.可知整体的方法让他们更加关注他们所追求的品质，而不仅仅是学术。由此可知，学生也可以描述他们的非学术兴趣。故G选项“此外，还有其他地方，学生可以描述他们的非学术兴趣”符合上下文语境，故选G。