Question

【题目】High school students and families are increasingly questioning whether investing in a college or university education is still worth it.

The short answer is “Yes.” 【1】 A wide range of statistics shows the economic advantage of a four-year college education. Over a lifetime, students who graduate from college can expect to make about 60% more than those who do not, well over a million dollars more than they would otherwise. 【2】 They vote more often, volunteer more often and are more likely to own a home. They are healthier and less likely to smoke. They and their children are less likely to be overweight, and their children are more likely to go to college.

But what about the benefits of college that are more difficult to measure? 【3】

College takes students to places they’ve never been before. College is a passport to different places, different times, and different ways of thinking. It gives students a chance to understand themselves differently, seeing how their lives are both like and unlike those who inhabited other times and other lands. 【4】

College introduces students to people they’ve never met before. One of the most important ways in which students learn, at colleges and universities everywhere, is by communicating with people who are different from themselves both inside and outside of the classroom.

【5】 No one doubts the value of speed, connectivity (网络连通性) and the virtual world in an economy that enjoys all three. But “thinking” is a word that is too often forgotten in our rush to communicate faster and left behind as our brains struggle to keep up with our devices (设备). College teaches students to change information to insight and knowing to understanding, preparing students for lifetime of considering information and growing in knowledge and in wisdom.

Higher education is valued by people who dream bigger and achieve more, who create their own futures, and shape their own destinies.

A. There is no doubt that college pays off financially.

B. College teaches students the virtue of slowing down.

C. College graduates also tend to lead more active lives.

D. Education encourages people to live healthier and longer lives.

E. College opens minds and worlds in ways that are beyond measurement.

F. For many of us, it is the best chance we will have to follow our curiosity.

G. They are equally significant and add up to a lot of value over the course of a lifetime.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】C

【3】G

【4】F

【5】B

【解析】大学成就梦想，高等教育回报丰厚，经济回报显而易见，同时还有一些难以衡量的回报。

【1】考查对上下文语境的理解。空前句意：然而越来越多的高中生和家长开始质疑高等教育的价值。那么，支持孩子接受高等教育是不是仍然值得呢？回答很简单——“值得”。空后句意：有大量数据表明四年大学教育带来的经济优势。故这里A（毫无疑问，高等教育带来经济回报。）符合上下文，故选A。

【2】考查对上下文语境的理解。空后句意：他们会更积极参与投票和志愿者活动，更可能拥有自己的住房。根据空后的句子可知C（受过高等教育的人生活也更积极。）符合上下文，故选C。

【3】考查对上下文语境的理解。空前句意：那么，大学教育还带来哪些难以衡量的益处呢？下文介绍了很多大学教育带来的难以衡量的好处，故这里G（这些益处同样重要，我们将因此而受益终身。）符合上下文，故选G。

【4】考查对上下文语境的理解。空前句意：高等教育让学生有机会从不同角度了解自己，看到自己的生活与不同时代、不同地域的人有何异同。根据空前句意可推断这里选项F（对很多人来说，这也是我们很多人满足好奇心的最好机会。）符合上下文，故选F。

【5】考查对上下文语境的理解。第5小题是此段的首句，也是本段的主题句。根据空后句意，没人怀疑速度、连通和虚拟世界的重要性。但我们忙于追求交际速度，努力让大脑赶上日新月异的电子产品时，常常忘记思考。大学教导学生将信息内化为见解，将知识转化为理解。这让学生在辨别信息、增长知识和智慧等方面做好了储备，终生受益。可知这里B（大学教会学生“欲速则不达”。）符合上下文，故选B。