Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of all the many colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard.
　 In the early years, these schools were much alike(*similar).Only young men went to college. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated(*毕业),most of them became ministers or teachers.
　In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers could receive their training in Harvard’s law school. In 1825, besides Latin and Greek, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German. Soon it began teaching American history.
　As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.
　Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are made up of smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There’s so much to learn that one kind of school can’t offer it all.
【小题1】The oldest university in the US is _________.

Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of the many colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard. They were all started before the American Revolution made the 13 colonies into states.

       In the early years, these schools were much alike. Only young men attended colleges. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and no kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated, most of them became ministers or teachers.

       In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later lawyers could receive their training in Harvard’s law school. In 1825, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German, as well as Latin and Greek. Soon it began teaching American history.

       As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.

       Special colleges for women were started. New state universities began to teach such subjects as farming, engineering and business. Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are divided into smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There is so much to learn that one kind of school cannot offer it all.

The story doesn’t say so, but it makes you think that       .

       A．universities have changed over the years

       B．today all the students study to become teachers or ministers

       C．all colleges were much alike in the early years

       D．the students learned foreign languages only

As knowledge increased, colleges began to teach      .

       A．everything that was known

       B．many new subjects

       C．Latin, Greek and Hebrew

       D．French and German

On the whole, this story is about      .

       A．how colleges have changed

       B．how to start a university

       C．the American revolution

       D．the famous colleges in America

Which statement does the story lead you to believe?

       A．There is more to learn today than in 1636.

       B．The early schools are still much alike.

       C．At that time, every student studied Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

       D．They began teaching foreign languages in 1862.

Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of the many colleges and universities in the United States, Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard．They were all started before the American Revolution made the thirteen colonies（殖民地） into states．

    In the early years, these schools were much the same．Only young men attended colleges．All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew．Little was known about the science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world．When the students graduated（left school）, most of them became ministers or teachers．

    In 1682, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors．Later lawyers could receive their training in Harvard’s law school．In 1825, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German, as well as Latin and Greek．Soon it began teaching American history．

    Special colleges for women were started．New state universities, began to teach such subjects as farming, engineering and business．Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities．Most of them are divided into smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning．There is so much to learn that one kind of school cannot offer it all．

1．The story doesn’t say so, but it makes you think that       ．

     A．universities have changed over the years．

     B．today all the students study to become teachers or ministers．

     C．all colleges were much the same in the early years．

     D．students then were allowed to study both language and science

2．As knowledge increased, colleges began to teach         ．

     A．everything that was known            B．many new subjects

     C．Latin, Greek and Hebrew             D．foreign languages

3．On the whole, this story is about        ．

      A．how colleges have changed          B．how to start a university

C．the American Revolution             D．the world-famous colleges in America

4．Which of the following does the story lead you in believing?

      A．There is more to learn today than in 1636．

      B．The early schools are still much the same．

      C．every student studied Latin, Greek and Hebrew．

      D．They began teaching foreign languages in 1825．

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The term is most commonly used to refer to those eight schools considered as a group. The term is also connected with academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism(精英主义).
The term became official, especially in sports terminology, after the formation of the NCAA Division I athletic conference in 1954, when much of the nation polarized around favorite college teams. “IV” was used because originally the league consisted only of four members. The use of the phrase is no longer limited to athletics, and now represents an educational philosophy inherent to ( 固有的，内在的)the nation's oldest schools. In addition, Ivy League schools are often viewed by the public as some of the most prestigious （著名的）universities worldwide and are often ranked amongst the best universities in the United States and worldwide. The eight institutions are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.
All of the Ivy League's institutions place near the top in the U.S. News & World Reportcollege and university rankings and rank within the top one percent of the world's academic institutions in terms of financial endowment(捐助). Seven of the eight schools were founded during America's colonial period; the exception is Cornell, which was founded in 1865. Ivy League institutions, therefore, account for seven of the nine Colonial Colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The Ivies are all in the Northeast geographic region of the United States. All eight schools receive millions of dollars in research grants and other subsidies from federal and state government.
Undergraduate enrollments among the Ivy League schools range from about 4,000 to 14,000, making them larger than those of a typical private liberal arts college and smaller than a typical public state university. Ivy League university financial endowments range from Brown's $2.01 billion to Harvard's $26 billion, the largest financial endowment of any academic institution in the world.
【小题1】Which meaning can the term “the Ivy League” convey today?