Question

【题目】 Going to university is supposed to be a mind-broadening experience. That statement is probably made in comparison to training for work straight after school. But is it actually true? Jessika Golle of the University of Tubingen, in Germany reports in Psychological Science this week that those who have been to university indeed seem to leave with broader and more curious minds than those who have spent their immediate post-school years in vocational (职业的) training for work. However, it was not the case that university broadened minds. Rather, vocational training for work seemed to have narrowed them. The result is not quite what might be expected.

Dr. Golle came to this conclusion after she and a team of colleagues studied the early careers of 2,095 German youngsters. The team used two standardized tests to assess their volunteers’ personality traits (特点) including openness, conscientiousness (认真) and so on, and attitudes such as realistic, investigative and enterprising twice, once towards the end of each volunteer’s time at high school, and then again six years later. Of the original group, 382 had to make a choice between the academic and vocational routes, and it was on these that the researchers focused. University beckoned for 212 of them. The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.

When it came to the second round of tests, Dr. Golle found that the personalities of both groups had not changed significantly. As for changes in altitude, again, none were noticeable in the university group. However, those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature. And that might restrict their choice of careers.

The changes in attitude that the researchers recorded were more worrying. Vocational training has always been what Germany prides itself on. If Dr Golle is correct, and changes in attitude brought about by the very training are narrowing people’s choices that is indeed a matter worthy of serious consideration.

【1】What does Dr. Colle’s research suggest?

A.Going to university is a mind-broadening experience.

B.College students pride themselves on their education.

C.Working straight after school narrows people’s minds.

D.Attending university has apparent effects on personalities.

【2】What does the underlined phrase “beckoned for” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A.Examined.B.Attracted.

C.Organized.D.Recognized

【3】What can we learn about vocational training?

A.it is essential to scientific research.

B.It leads to marked change in personality.

C.It helps to broaden the volunteers’ minds.

D.It causes less interest in investigative job.

【4】What is the author’s attitude towards the finding?

A.Skeptical.B.Optimistic.

C.Concerned.D.Unclear.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【4】C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍德国学者Jessika Golle通过研究表明并非大学教育让人思维开阔，而是职业训练让学生对调查型、创新型的工作降低了兴趣，从而限制了该部分学生的职业选择。然而德国人向来以职业训练为傲，这引起了作者的忧虑。

【1】细节理解题。根据第一段中的中“vocational training for work seemed to have narrowed them”及第三段中的“However, those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature. And that might restrict their choice of careers”可知，Jessika Golle的研究发现，职业训练降低了学生对探究性工作的兴趣，限制了他们的职业选择，也就是说毕业后直接工作会使人们的思想狭隘，故选C。

【2】词义猜测题。根据画线词前后的“Of the original group, 382 had to make a choice between the academic and vocational routes,”及“The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.”可知，此项研究中的382人，其中170人选择接受职业训练或工作，其余212人进入大学，也就是说大学吸引了212人，由此可知画线词词义为“吸引”，故选B。

【3】细节理解题。根据第三段中“those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature”可知，职业训练降低了学生对探究创新型工作的兴趣，故选D。

【4】推理判断题。根据最后一段内容，特别是“The changes in attitude that the researchers recorded were more worrying. Vocational training has always been what Germany prides itself on.”可知，职业训练存在降低学生的兴趣、限制职业选择的缺点，但德国人却以职业训练为傲，这引起作者的担忧，故选C。

本篇第2题词义猜测的难度较大，抓住研究中的人数变动的是关键，根据画线词前后的“Of the original group, 382 had to make a choice between the academic and vocational routes,”及“The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.”可知，此项研究中的382人，其中170人选择接受职业训练或工作，“remaining”一词表明大学吸引走了212人，由此可知画线词词义为“吸引”。