英语四级考试仔细阅读练习20

　　Passage One

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　By almost any measure, there is a boom in Internet-based instruction. In just a few years, 34 percent of American universities have begun offering some form of distance learning , and among the larger schools, its close to 90 percent. If you doubt the popularity of the trend, you probably havent heard of the University of Phoenix. It grants degrees entirely on the basis of online instruction. It enrolls 90,000 students, a statistic used to support its claim to be the largest private university in the country.

　　While the kinds of instruction offered in these programs will differ, DL usually signifies a course in which the instructors post syllabi , reading assignment, and schedules on Websites, and students send in their assignments by e-mail. Generally speaking, face-to-face communication with an instructor is minimized or eliminated altogether.

　　The attraction for students might at first seem obvious. Primarily, theres the convenience promised by courses on the Net: you can do the work, as they say, in your pajamas . But figures indicate that the reduced effort results in a reduced commitment to the course. While dropout rate for all freshmen at American universities is around 20 percent, the rate for online students is 35 percent. Students themselves seem to understand the weaknesses inherent in the setup. In a survey conducted for Cornell, the DL division of Cornell University, less than a third of the respondents expected the quality of the online course to be as good as the classroom course.

　　Clearly, from the schools perspective, theres a lot of money to be saved. Although some of the more ambitious programs require new investments in servers and networks to support collaborative software, most DL courses can run on existing or minimally upgraded systems. The more students who enroll in a course but dont come to campus, the more school saves on keeping the lights on in the classrooms, paying doorkeepers, and maintaining parking lots. And, while theres evidence that instructors must work harder to run a DL course for a variety of reasons, they wont be paid any more, and might well be paid less.

　　57. What is the most striking feature of the University of Phoenix?

　　A) All its courses are offered online.

　　B) Its online courses are of the best quality.

　　C) It boasts the largest number of students on campus

　　D) Anyone taking its online courses is sure to get a degree.

　　58.According to the passage , distance learning is basically characterized by_____

　　A) a considerable flexibility in its academic requirements

　　B) the great diversity of students academic backgrounds

　　C) a minimum or total absence of face-to-face instruction

　　D) the casual relationship between students and professors

　　59. Many students take Internet -based courses mainly because they can_____

　　A) earn their academic degrees with much less effort

　　B) save a great deal on traveling and boarding expenses

　　C) select courses from various colleges and universities

　　D) work on the required courses whenever and wherever

　　60. What accounts for the high drop-out rates for online students?

　　A) There is no strict control over the academic standards of the courses.

　　B) The evaluation system used by online universities is inherently weak.

　　C) There is no mechanism to ensure that they make the required effort.

　　D) Lack of classroom interaction reduces the effectiveness of instruction.

　　61. According to the passage, universities show great enthusiasm for DL programs for the purpose of_____

　　A) building up their reputation

　　B) cutting down on their expenses

　　C) upgrading their teaching facilities

　　D) providing convenience for student

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

　　In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.

　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesnt win the contest again? Thats the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.

　　A revelation came last week when I asked her, Dont you want to win again?

　　No, she replied, I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.

　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly guided by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.

　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughters experience.

　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough a way to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.

　　62. What do we learn from the first paragraph?

　　A) Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activites.

　　B) Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time.

　　C) Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.

　　D) A lot of distractions compete for childrens time nowadays.

　　63. What did the author say about her own writing experience?

　　A) She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.

　　B) Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.

　　C) She was constantly under pressure of writing more.

　　D) Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.

　　64. Why did Rebecca want to enter this years writing contest?

　　A) She believed she possessed real talent for writing.

　　B) She was sure of winning with her mothers help.

　　C) She wanted to share her stories with readers.

　　D) She had won a prize in the previous contest.

　　65. The author took great pains to refine her daughters stories because _______.

　　A) she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

　　B) she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much

　　C) she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dream of becoming a writer

　　D) she was afraid Rebeccas imagination might run wild while writing.

　　66. Whats the authors advice for parents?

　　A) A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.

　　B) Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.

　　C) Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.

　　D) Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.

　　Unit 20

　　57. B 58. D 59. B 60.A 61. C

　　62. B 63. A 64. C 65.A 66. D