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. |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from London University, took a group of Britain people who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and math skill. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
1. The main subject talked about in this passage is .| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C．language can help brain power |
| D．language learning and math study |
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he/she is learning a language |
| C．show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| A．learning a second language is the same as studying math |
| B．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in study other subjects |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．we’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
【推荐2】Final exams are around the comer — but that won’t stop some teenagers putting in the least effort. This may be because their brains aren’t developed enough to properly assess how high the stakes (利害关系) are, and adapt their behaviour accordingly.
Catherine Insel, at Harvard University, and her team asked adolescents between the ages of 13 and 20 to play a game while monitoring their brains. In some rounds of the game,participants could earn 20 cents fora correct response, while an incorrect one would cost them 10 cents. But in rounds with higher stakes,correct responses were worth a dollar, and wrong answers lost the participants 50 cents.
The team found that while the older volunteers performed better in the high stakes rounds, the younger ones didn’t — their performance didn’t change in line with whether the stakes were low or high. And the older the volunteers were, the more improved their performance was.
When the team looked at the brain activity of the volunteers,they found that their ability to improve their performance was linked to how developed their brains were. A region in the brain, which continues to develop until we are at least 25 years old, seemed to be particularly important. The findings explain why some teenagers are so unconcerned when it comes to hazardous behaviors, such as driving too fast, for instance, especially when one of their friends is nearby.
Insel thinks schools should reconsider the way they test performance in teenagers. “This study suggests it’s not a good idea to evaluate school performance in a single final exam”, she says. A better idea would be to use a variety of smaller tests, conducted throughout the year.
It’s not all bad news for teens, though. Teenagers put the same amount of effort into tasks that aren’t “important”, and start to prefer hobbies to school. It could be a good thing, allowing teenagers to learn complex social skills, for example.
1. Why did the researchers set different bets in the game?| A．To teach how to make money. |
| B．To better monitor participants’ brains. |
| C．To show the varied risk levels of the game. |
| D．To meet the needs of different participants. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Abusive. |
| C．Specific. | D．Addictive. |
| A．It should not be judged by only one exam. |
| B．The items in exams should not be too difficult. |
| C．Exam-focused education should not be adopted. |
| D．Examination is not a good means of evaluating students. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Favorable. | C．Doubtful. | D．Negative. |
I got on well with other girls. After school, I often had ice cream with them first instead of finishing my homework before it was time to hand it in. I always finished it the next day between classes. I knew it wasn’t very good and the grades that I got showed I was not hard working enough. I realized that I needed to find some kind of balance.
So I created a timetable that would divide my time between studying and relaxing. It was a good idea but I was only able to follow it for a few days because it made me under too much pressure.
Later, I tried another plan. Each week I listed everything that I had to get done during the week and the time by which I had to get it done. The under the things I had to do, I made another list of things that I could do if I had time.
It worked really well. Ever since I have never missed any important things. At the same time, I enjoyed my spare time a lot.
Planning my time has been challenging, but I continue to do it. I’m glad that I’ve learned to balance things and it has helped prepare for what is coming after graduation.
1. Why did the writer follow the first timetable only for a few days?
| A．Because it had a specific list |
| B．Because it wasn’t a good idea |
| C．Because it brought her too much pressure. |
| A．The things she shouldn’t do |
| B．the things she had to get done |
| C．The things she could do if she had time |
| A．The writer had few friends because of bad grade |
| B．Learning to balance things is helpful to make plans for the future |
| C．The writer preferred to spend more time in relaxing than studying |
| A．Facing challenges |
| B．Concentrating on lessons |
| C．Balancing study and play |
【推荐1】Teenagers who travel around the world alone have been making headlines quite often. A young person alone in a dangerous situation attracts attention and sponsors. Young sailors also attract various views. For example, Jessica Watson was asked by the government to cancel her voyage yet the Prime Minister called her "a hero for young Australians'' when she returned. It seemed there is confusion about the competence and independence of young people.
The popular psychologists tell us that teenage brains are likely to make wrong judgments. But such ideas often do not apply to specific individuals .Between the ages of 14 and 18, teenagers vary greatly in their abilities. The amount of independence that each is allowed should be determined not simply by their age but by discussion with the related, responsible adults. Some teens are certainly inexperienced and capable of childish mistakes, but the ones who attempt dangerous journeys normally do so by winning the confidence of hard-headed and well-qualified adult supporters.
But it’s also wrong to think that any 16-year old can desire to get achievements as unusual as Jessica Watson’s. Watson calls herself "an ordinary girl who had a dream". Her intention is to encourage teenagers but this idea can have the opposite effect of making them feel not good enough because great achievements are beyond them. Should all teens have such dreams? Actually, individuals face varying circumstances that restrict their dreams.
Teenagers who travel around the world alone should not be judged by preconceived（事先形成的）views about young people. Nor should young “ordinary” teenagers feel pressure to long for extraordinary personal goals. In fact, I believe the example of solo sailing overstresses individualism. The teenage years are when most of us "ordinary" people learn that we can achieve great things in cooperation with others.
1. Why is Jessica Watson mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To praise Jessica’s great achievement. |
| B．To point out the media's interest in young people. |
| C．To introduce a divided idea about young people's adventures. |
| D．To show the Prime Minister's attitude against the government. |
| A．They need supports of responsible adults. |
| B．Their abilities vary with the level of independence, |
| C．They tend to make wrong decisions between 14 and 18. |
| D．Their attempts in dangerous journeys prove their lacking experience. |
| A．Dreams need encouragement |
| B．Teenagers should have wild dreams. |
| C．Everyone would accomplish what Jessica has done. |
| D．Ordinary teens could also make great achievements, |
| A．Supportive, | B．Doubtful. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Sympathetic. |
【推荐2】Whom should you marry? Where should you live? How should you spend your time? For centuries, people have relied on their gut instincts (直觉) to figure out the answers to these life-changing questions. Now, though, there is a better way. We are living through a data explosion, as vast amounts of information about all aspects of human behavior have become more and more accessible. We can use this big data to help determine the best course to chart.
There has long been overwhelming—and often surprising—evidence that algorithms (算法) can be much better than people at making difficult decisions. Researchers have collected data on various kinds of choices people make, the information they base those choices on, and how things turn out. They have found, for example, that a simple data-driven algorithm would have been better than judges at deciding whether a defendant should stay in prison or be released; better than doctors at deciding whether a patient should undergo surgery; and better than school principals at deciding which teachers should be promoted.
The power of data analysis has been proved in the sports and business worlds, too. As made famous by the book and movie Moneyball, baseball teams found that algorithms were better than scouts (星探) at picking players, and better than managers at picking strategies. In finance, the hedge fund Renaissance Technologies dramatically defeated competitors by seeking out patterns in stock market data and using them to inform its investment strategy. Tech firms in Silicon Valley have found that data from experiments provides better insights into how to design their websites than designers could.
These are the early days of the data revolution in decision-making. I am not claiming that we can completely count on algorithms to make our lifestyle choices, though we might get to that point in the future. I am claiming instead that we can all dramatically improve our decision-making by consulting evidence mined from thousands or millions of people who faced dilemmas similar to ours. And we can do that now.
1. What’s the main idea of the passage?| A．Big data is a double-edged sword. |
| B．Data revolution will change people’s life. |
| C．Big data is helpful in making important decisions. |
| D．Algorithms behaves better than people in many fields. |
| A．court rulings | B．job promotions |
| C．operative estimation | D．teaching practices |
| A．To provide further evidence. | B．To show potential applications. |
| C．To encourage the use of big data. | D．To explain how to use algorithms. |
| A．Algorithms offer perfect advice now. |
| B．Big data will certainly cause a revolution. |
| C．Big data can make up for our lack of experience. |
| D．Algorithms are bound to be fully trusted in the future. |
【推荐3】In 1941, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov stated the Three Laws of Robotics. These laws come from the world of science fiction, but the real world is catching up. A law firm gave Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University $10 million to explore artificial intelligence. Peter Kalis, chairman of the law firm, K&L Gates, said the development of technology had led to questions that were never taken seriously before. What will happen when you make robots that are smart, independent thinkers and then try to limit their freedom?
Researcher Kalis said, “One expert said we’ll be at a point when we give an instruction to our robot to go to work in the morning and it turns around and says, ‘I’d rather go to the beach.’” He said that one day we would want laws to keep our free-thinking robots from running wild.
With the law firm’s gift, the university will be able to explore problems now appearing within automated industries. “Take driverless cars for example,” Kalis said. “If there’s an accident concerned with a driverless car, what policies do we have in place? What kind of insurance policies do they have?” In fact, people can take a ride in a driverless car in Pittsburgh where an American online transportation network company uses the city as a testing ground for the company’s driverless cars.
The problems go beyond self-driving cars and robots. Think about the next generation of smartphones, those chips fixed in televisions, computers, fridges, etc., and the ever-expanding collection of personal data being stored in the “cloud”. So can Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics be used in reality? Is it necessary to have a moral guideline that everyone can understand? Whatever it is, doing no harm should be the very first one.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Robot should have more freedom. |
| B．Technology is running ahead of laws. |
| C．The Three Laws of Robotics are practical. |
| D．Peter wants to explore artificial intelligence. |
| A．Robots may be out of control. |
| B．Robots can do something illegal. |
| C．Robots can become angry easily. |
| D．Robots may have many requests. |
| A．It’s hard for robots to obey rules. |
| B．A law on robotics is really a must. |
| C．Driverless cars can cause accidents. |
| D．Driverless cars are being tested out now. |
| A．Robots should be cautiously used in life. |
| B．Robots should obey Asimov’s Three Laws. |
| C．Robots should be easy for people to operate. |
| D．Robots should help with people’s life and work. |
