Question

Is the “Go to College” Message Overdone?

Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn’t the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.

“We’ve been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there’s a lot of truth to that,” Ms. Sawhill said. “On average it does pay off… But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don’t graduate, that is a very bad situation.”

One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April’s national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate for high-school graduates over 25 years old who hadn’t attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16—24. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists warns that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.

Ms. Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one’s major: Students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than ones who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition (学费) and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.

She suggested two ways to improve the situation: increasing vocational (职业的)-technical training programs and taking a page from Europe’s focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning. “The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades,” she said. “Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you’re more likely to be highly subsidized (资助).”

She also is a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because “employers are desperate” for workers with these skills.

1.People usually think that          .

A. the cost of technical schooling is a problem

B. technical skills are most important for finding a job

C. one will not succeed without a college degree

D. there is an increased competition in getting into a college

2.What does the underlined part “taking a page from” (in Para.5) possibly mean?

A. Learning from.      B. Changing from.       

C. Differing from.D. Hearing from.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Public institutions charge more for education.   

B. European universities are stricter with students.

C. Canadian students prefer to major in engineering.

D. Students with certain skills are in great demand.

4.Ms. Sawhill may probably agree that          .

A. technical training is more important than college education

B. too much stress has been put on the value of college degrees

C. a college degree will ensure promising employment

D. it’s easier for art students to find favorite jobs

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章主要讲了是不是“上大学”的消息过头了，围绕这一话题 Sawhill女士提出了两种途径改善现状：越来越多的职业（职业的），技术培训计划。

1.人们常常认为没有大学文凭就不会成功。故选C。

2.taking a page from Europe’s focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning..可知作者意思是建议向欧洲的关注早期教育学习，故选A。

3.雇主渴望招聘到有职业技能的员工，当然有职业技能的学生炙手可热，故选D。

4.Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.通过此段，可推测出Sawhill女士同样认为人们对大学学位给予太多压力，故选B。

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