1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 14及答案与解析 Section B 0 The Three-Year Solution A)Hartwick College, a small liberal-arts school in upstate New York, makes this offer to well prepared students: earn your undergraduate degree in three years instead of four, and save about 543,000 the amount of one years tuition and f
2、ees. A number of innovative colleges are making the same offer to students anxious about saving time and money. Thats both an opportunity and a warning for the best higher-education system in the world. B)The United States has almost all of the worlds best universities. A recent Chinese survey ranks
3、 35 American universities among the top 50, eight among the top 10. Our research universities have been the key to developing the competitive advantages that help Americans produce 25% of all the worlds wealth. In 2007, 623,805 of the worlds brightest students were attracted to American universities
4、. C)Yet, there are signs of peril(危险 )within American higher education. U.S. colleges have to compete in the marketplace. Students may choose among 6,000 public, private, nonprofit, for profit, or religious institutions of higher learning. In addition, almost all of the 532 billion the federal gover
5、nment provides for university research is awarded competitively. D)But many colleges and universities are stuck in the past. For instance, the idea of the fall-to-spring “school year“ hasnt changed much since before the American Revolution, when we were a summer stretch no longer makes sense. Former
6、 George Washington University president Stephen Trachtenberg estimates that a typical college uses its facilities for academic purposes a little more than half the calendar year. “While college facilities sit idle, they continue to generate maintenance expenses that contribute to the high cost of ru
7、nning a college,“ he has written. E)Within academic departments, tenure(终身职位 ), combined with age-discrimination laws, makes faculty turnover critical for a university to remain current in changing times difficult. Instead of protecting speech and encouraging diversity and innovative thinking, the t
8、enure system often stifles(压制 )them: younger professors must win the approval of established colleagues for tenure, encouraging like-mindedness and sometimes inhibiting the free flow of ideas. F)Meanwhile, tuition has soared, leaving graduating students with unprecedented loan debt. Strong campus pr
9、esidents to manage these problems are becoming harder to find, and to keep. In fact, students now stay on campus almost as long as their presidents. The average amount of time students now take to complete an undergraduate degree has stretched to six years and seven months as students interrupted by
10、 work, inconvenienced by unavailable classes, or lured by one more football season find it hard to graduate. G)Congress has tried to help students with college costs through Pell Grants and other forms of tuition support. But some of their fixes have made the problem worse. The stack of congressiona
11、l regulations governing federal student grants and loans now stands twice as tall as I do. Filling out these forms consumes 7% of every tuition dollar. H)For all of these reasons, some colleges like Hartwick are rethinking the old way of doing things and questioning decades-old assumptions about wha
12、t a college degree means. For instance, why does it have to take four years to earn a diploma? This fall, 16 first-year students and four second-year students at Hartwick enrolled in the schools new three year degree program. According to the college, the plan is designed for high-ability, highly mo
13、tivated student who wish to save money or to move along more rapidly toward advanced degrees. I)By eliminating that extra year, three-year degree students save 25% in costs. Instead of taking 30 credits a year, these students take 40. During January, Hartwick runs a four week course during which stu
14、dents may earn three to four credits on or off campus, including a number of international sites. Summer courses are not required, but a student may enroll in them and pay extra. Three-year students get first crack at course registration. There are no changes in the number of courses professors teac
15、h or in their pay. J)The three-year degree isnt a new idea. Geniuses have always breezed through. Judson College, a 350-student institution in Alabama, has offered students a three-year option for 40 years. Students attend “short terms“ in May and June to earn the credits required for graduation. Ba
16、tes College in Maine and Ball State University in Indiana are among other colleges offering three-year options. K)For students who dont plan to stop with an undergraduate degree, the three-year plan may have an even greater appeal. Dr. John Sergent, head of Vanderbilt University Medical School s res
17、idency(住院医生 )program, enrolled in Vanderbilt s undergraduate college in 1959. He entered medical school after only three years as did four or five of his classmates.“ My first year of medical school counted as my senior year, which meant I had to take three to four labs a week to get all my sciences
18、 in. I basically skipped my senior year,“ says Sergent. He still had time to be a student senator and meet his wife. L)There are, however, drawbacks to moving through school at such a brisk pace. For one, it deprives students of the luxury of time to roam(遨游 )intellectually. Compressing everything i
19、nto three years also leaves less time for growing up, engaging in extracurricular activities, and studying abroad. On crowded campuses it could mean fewer opportunities to get into a prized professor s class. Iowa s Waldorf College has graduated several hundred students in its three-year degree prog
20、ram, but it now phasing out the option. Most Waldorf students wanted the full four-year experience academically, socially, and athletically. And faculty members will be wary of any change that threatens the core curriculum in the name of moving students into the workforce. M)“Most high governmental
21、officials seem to conceive of education in this light as a way to ensure economic competitiveness and continued economic growth,“ Derek Bok, former president of Harvard, told The Washington Post. “I strongly disagree with this approach.“ Another risk: the new campus schedules might eventually produc
22、e less revenue for the institution and longer working hours for faculty members. N)Adopting a three-year option will not come easily to most school. Those that wish to tackle tradition and make American campus more cost-conscious may find it easier to take Trachtenberg s advice: open campuses year-r
23、ound. “You could run two complete colleges, with two complete faculties,“ he says. “Thats without cutting the length of students vacations, increasing class sizes, or requiring faculty to teach more.“ O)Whether they experiment with three-year degrees, offer year-round classes, challenge the tenure s
24、ystem or all of the above universities are slowly realizing that to stay competitive and relevant they must adapt to a rapidly changing world. P)Expanding the three-year option may be difficult, but it may be less difficult than asking Congress for additional financial help, asking legislators for m
25、ore state support, or asking students even higher tuition payments. Campuses willing to adopt convenient schedules along with more focused, less-expensive degrees may find that they have a competitive advantage in attracting bright, motivated students. These sorts of innovations can help American un
26、iversities avoid the perils of success. 1 A Chinese survey has made a rank of universities in the world, and 35 Americans are among the top 50. 2 Doing everything in three years, leaves less time for students to taking part in extracurricular activities, and studying abroad. 3 Innovations in campuse
27、s, such as less-expensive degrees will help the universities succeed in attracting bright students. 4 Hartwick College gives students a chance to finish their school in three years but four. 5 The three-year plan seems more attractive for students who want to further their education after undergradu
28、ate degree. 6 Trachtenberg advises universities to open campuses year-round to tackle tradition and make American campus more cost-conscious. 7 Derek Bok says, new campus schedules might eventually produce less revenue for the institution. 8 Many innovative colleges make some prepared students get t
29、heir degree in three years but four to save time and money. 9 Some colleges begin to think what a college degree means. 10 Three-year degree students can save 25% of costs, while taking 40 credits a year instead of 30. 10 How Do You See Diversity? A)As a manager, Tiffany is responsible for interview
30、ing applicants for some of the positions with her company. During one interview, she noticed that the candidate never made direct eye contact. She was puzzled and somewhat disappointed because she liked the individual otherwise. B)He had a perfect resume and gave good responses to her questions, but
31、 the fact that he never looked her in the eye said “untrustworthy,“ so she decided to offer the job to her second choice. C)“It wasnt until I attended a diversity workshop that I realized the person we passed over was the perfect person,“ Tiffany confesses. What she hadnt known at the time of the in
32、terview was that the candidates “different“ behavior was simply a cultural misunderstanding. He was an Asian-American raised in a household where respect for those in authority was shown by averting(避开 )your eyes. D)“I was just thrown off by the lack of eye contact; not realizing it was cultural,“ T
33、iffany says. “I missed out, but will not miss that opportunity again.“ E)Many of us have had similar encounters with behaviors we perceive as different. As the world becomes smaller and our workplaces more diverse, it is becoming essential to expand our understanding of others and to reexamine some
34、of our false assumptions. Hire Advantage F)At a time when hiring qualified people is becoming more difficult, employers who can eliminate invalid biases(偏爱 )from the process have a distinct advantage. My company, Mindsets LLC, helps organizations and individuals see their own blind spots. A real est
35、ate recruiter we worked with illustrates the positive difference such training can make. G)“During my Mindsets coaching session, I was taught how to recruit a diversified workforce. I recruited people from different cultures and skill sets. The agents were able to utilize their full potential and ex
36、periences to build up the company. When the real estate market began to change, it was because we had a diverse agent pool that we were able to stay in the real estate market much longer than others in the same profession.“ Blinded by Gender H)Dale is an account executive who attended one of my work
37、shops on supervising a diverse workforce. “Through one of the sessions, I discovered my personal bias,“ he recalls. “I learned I had not been looking at a person as a whole person, and being open to differences.“ In his case, the blindness was not about culture but rather gender. I)“I had a manageme
38、nt position opened in my department, and the two finalists were a man and a woman. Had I not attended this workshop, I would have automatically assumed the man was the best candidate because the position required quite a bit of extensive travel. My reasoning would have been that even though both can
39、didates were great and could have been successful in the position, I assumed the woman would have wanted to be home with her children and not travel.“ Dales assumptions are another example of the well-intentioned but incorrect thinking that limits an organizations ability to tap into the full potent
40、ial of a diverse workforce. J)“I learned from the class that instead of imposing my gender biases into the situation, I needed to present the full range of duties, responsibilities and expectations to all candidates and allow them to make an informed decision.“ Dale credits the workshop, “because it
41、 helped me make decisions based on fairness.“ Year of the Know-It-All K)Doug is another supervisor who attended one of my workshops. He recalls a major lesson learned from his own employee. L)“One of my most embarrassing moments was when I had a Chinese-American employee put in a request to take tim
42、e off to celebrate Chinese New Year. In my ignorance, I assumed he had his dates wrong, as the first of January had just passed. When I advised him of this, I gave him a long talking-to about turning in requests early with the proper dates. M)“He patiently waited, then when I was done, he said he wo
43、uld like Chinese New Year did not begin January first, and mat Chinese New Year ,which is tied to the lunar cycle, is one of the most celebrated holidays on the Chinese calendar. Needless to say, I felt very embarrassed in assuming he had his dates mixed up. But I learned a great deal about assumpti
44、ons, and that the timing of holidays varies considerably from culture to culture. N)“Attending the diversity workshop helped me realize how much I could learn by simply asking questions and creating dialogues with my employees, rather than making assumptions and trying to be a know-it-all,“ Doug adm
45、its. “The biggest thing I took away from the workshop is learning how to be more inclusive to differences.“ A better Bottom Line O)An open mind about diversity not only improves organizations internally, it is profitable as well. These comments from a customer service representative show how an incl
46、usive attitude can improve sales. “Most of my customers speak English as a second language. One of the best things my company has done is to contract with a language service that offers translations over the phone. It wasnt until my boss received Mindsets training that she was able to understand how
47、 important inclusiveness was to customer service. As result, our customer base has increased.“ P)Once we start to see people as individuals, and discard the stereotypes, we can move positively toward inclusiveness for everyone. Diversity is about coming together and taking advantage of our differenc
48、es and similarities. It is about building better communities and organizations that enhance us as individuals and reinforce our shared humanity. Q)When we begin to question our assumptions and challenge what we think we have learned from our past, from the media, peers, family, friends, etc, we begi
49、n to realize that some of our conclusions are flawed(有缺陷的 )or contrary to our fundamental values. We need to train ourselves to think differently, shift our mindsets and realize that diversity opens doors for all of us, creating opportunities in organizations and communities that benefit everyone. 11 With the Mindsets coaching session, a diverse agent pool was there to make the company stay much longer in the real estate market. 12 After received Mindsets training, the boss was able to understand the importance of inclusiveness. 13 Da
