栏目搜索

2008年6月大学英语六级考试A卷真题（3）

编辑：四六级考试网来源：点击：16 日期：2008-07-05

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Inthecollege-admissionswars,weparentsarethetruefights.Wearepushingourkidstogetgoodgrades,takeSATpreparatorycoursesandbuildresumessotheycangetintothecollegeofourfirstchoice.I’vetwicebeentothewars,andasIsurveythebattlefield,somethingdifferentishappening.Weseeourkids’collegebackgroundaseprizedemonstratinghowwellwe’veraisedthem.Butwecan’tacknowledgethatourobsession(痴迷)ismoreaboutusthanthem.Sowe’vecontrivedvariousjustificationsthatturnouttobehalf-truths,prejudicesormyths.Itactuallydoesn’tmattermuchwhetherAaronandNicolegotoStanford.

Wehaveafull-blownprestigepanic;weworrythattherewon’tbeenoughprizestogoaround.Fearfulparentsurgetheirchildrentoapplytomoreschoolsthanever.Underlyingthehysteria(歇斯底里)isthebeliefthatscarceelitedegreesmustbehighlyvaluable.Theirgraduatesmustenjoymoresuccessbecausetheygetabettereducationanddevelopbettercontacts.Allthatisplausible——andmostlywrong.Wehaven’tfoundanyconvincingevidencethatselectivityorprestigematters.Selectiveschoolsdon’tsystematicallyemploybetterinstructionalapproachesthanlessselectiveschools.Ontwomeasures——professors’feedbackandthenumberofessayexams——selectiveschoolsdoslightlyworse.

Bysomestudies,selectiveschoolsdoenhancetheirgraduates’lifetimeearnings.Thegainisreckonedat2-4%forevery100-poinntincreaseinaschool’saverageSATscores.Buteventhisadvantageisprobablyastatisticalfluke(偶然).Awell-knownstudyexaminedstudentswhogotintohighlyselectiveschoolsandthenwentelsewhere.Theyearnedjustasmuchasgraduatesfromhigher-statusschools.

Kidscountmorethantheircolleges.Gettingintoyalemaysignifyintellgence,talentand

Ambition.Butit’snottheonlyindicatorand,paradoxically,itssignificanceisdeclining.Thereason:somanysimilarpeoplegoelsewhere.Gettingintocollegeisnotlifeonlycompetiton.Old-boynetworksarebreakingdown.princetoneconomistAlanKruegerstudiedadmissionstoonetopPh.D.program.HighscoresontheGREhelpdexplainwhogotin;degreesofprestigiousuniversitiesdidn’t.