B
A new college guide in the United States compares educational requirements in seven subjects. These include math, science, writing and United States history or government. The other subjects are economics, foreign language and literature.
The free online guide is from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The council is a nonprofit group that supports liberal arts education.
Its president, Anne Neal, says these areas of knowledge are needed to succeed in a twenty-first century society and an increasingly connected world. Yet she told VOA’s Faiza Elmasry it was surprising how many students can graduate with, in her words, a “thin education.”
Forty-two of the one hundred colleges and universities surveyed received the lowest marks. This meant they required two or fewer of the seven subjects. Five schools received a top grade for requiring six subjects. These were Brooklyn College in New York City, Texas A&M, the University of Texas-Austin, West Point and the University of Arkansas.
Robert Costrell is a professor of education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas. He says many, if not all, of the top American colleges once had a core curriculum —a set of courses required for all students.
But over the years, many have dropped these requirements. Or they have watered them down, Professor Costrell says, into what became known as distribution requirements. This system lets a student choose from a number of different courses to satisfy a requirement.
ROBERT COSTRELL: “And in many cases these courses went too far, I would say, towards the fluffy treatment of serious material, and students could satisfy their requirement by taking such courses.”
Professor Costrell says schools should not only re-examine what they teach. They should also measure what students have learned — for example, through some form of examinations or papers.
A new report this week from the College Board showed that college prices continue to rise. But Anne Neal from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni says higher prices. do not guarantee a better general education. In fact, the group found that the higher the tuition, the more likely that students have to develop their own general education.
The college guide is on the Web at whatwilltheylearn.com. Anne Neal says her group is surveying more colleges. The hope, she says, is to discover what college graduates have really learned, and how ready they are to compete in the global marketplace.
61. Where does the passage probably come from?
A. A scientific fiction.                      B. A research newspaper.  
C. A fashion magazine.                     D. An entertainment newspaper.
62. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni does all the following EXCEPT _________.
A. support liberal arts education
B. concern itself with education in America
C. devote time to helping improve college education
D. make money by helping with college education
63. The words “watered them down” underlined in Paragraph 6 most likely mean “_______.”
A. reduced required courses                 B. improved required courses
C. increased required courses                D. developed required courses
64. In this passage, the new college guide mainly tells its readers that American colleges  should _____.
A. meet the requirements of the new century        B. reduce the number of required courses
C. have different standards on required courses      D. cut down on their tuitions

When people advise your children to “get an education”, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to give manpower for your society.

Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you are occupationally(职业上) dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison and you can successfully stop study in primary school.

Get a college degree, if possible. With a BA(学士学位), you should start to find a job. You have to put on the brakes now. If you do go for a master’s degree, make sure it is an MBA and only from a first-class university. Otherwise, the famous law of diminishing(报酬递减律) begins to work.

Do you know; for example, that long-distance truck drivers make more money a year than full professors(正教授)? Yes, each driver was paid $ 28,000 in 1997 while a full professor managed to get $ 27,930.

A PhD is the highest degree you can get, but except in few specialized filed such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly by turned to industrial or commercial aim, you are facing a not very bright future. There are more PhDs unemployed in this country than in any other part of the world by far.

If you became a PhD in English or history or political science or languages or－worst of all-in philosophy, you take the risk of becoming over-educated for our national demands.

Thousands of PhDs are selling shoes, driving taxis, vomiting on tables and filling out applications month after month, and then may be taking a job in high school or college with the pay much less than a door-keeper makes.

1．According to the writer, the society expects education to turn out people who will ________.

       A．raise their payment                               B．become specialized in some way

       C．have a bright future                              D．meet the demands as a source of manpower

2．If you don’t want to be occupationally dead, you ____________.

       A．should look for a job in a primary school

       B．must at least get a high school diploma

       C．have to change your name for Bernard Shaw or Edison

       D．should go on learning and become a doctor or physics or chemistry

3．The underlined phrase “put on the brakes” (in Para 3) means ________.

       A．stop learning for a high degree

       B．take up master’s degree at once

       C．go on studying in a first-class university

       D．find any interesting job

4．Which of the following is not TRUE according to the passage?

       A．Neither Bernard Shaw or Edison finished high school

       B．There are more PhDs than the society demands.

       C．The higher education level is, the more money you will earn.

       D．If you are overeducated, you can not easily get a good job.

When people advise your children to “get an education”, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to give manpower for your society.

Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you are occupationally（职业上） dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison and you can successfully stop studying in primary school.

Get a college degree, if possible. with a BA（学士学位），you should start to find a job, You have to put on the brakes now. If you do go for a master’s degree, make sure it is an MBA and only from a first — class university, Otherwise, the famous law of diminishing（报酬递减律）begins to work..

Do you know, for example, that long — distance truck drivers make more money a year than full professors（正教授）？Yes, each driver was paid ﹩28,000 in 1997 while a full professor managed to get﹩27,930.

A PhD is the highest degree you can get, but except in few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial aim, you are facing a not very bright future. There are more PhDs unemployed in this country than in any other part of the world by far.

If you become a PhD in English or history or political science or languages or —worst of all— in philosophy, you take the risk of becoming over-educated for our national demands.

Thousands of PhDs are selling shoes, driving taxis, vomiting（呕吐）on tables and filling out applications month after month, and then may be taking a job in high school or college with the pay much less than a door – keeper makes.

1．According to the writer, the society expects education to turn out people who will     .

A．raise their payment                               B．become specialized in some way

C．have a bright future                              D．meet the demands as a source of manpower

2．If you don’t want to be occupationally dead, you      .

A．should look for a job in a primary school

B．must at least get a high school diploma

C．have to change your name for Bernard Shaw or Edison

D．should go on learning and become a doctor or physicist or chemist

3．The underlined phrase “put on the brakes “ in paragraph three means      .

A．stop learning for a higher degree           

B．take up a master’s degree at once

C．go on studying in a first — class university

D．find an interesting job

4．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Neither Bernard Shaw nor Edison finished high school

B．There are more PhDs than the society demands.

C．The higher education level is, the more money you will earn.

D．If you are overeducated, you can not easily get a good job.