Question

【题目】Young people in the United States do not have a strong understanding of the world and their place in it.

Two US-based groups, the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Geographic Society, conducted an online survey last year. They wanted to know what young people in American colleges knew about geography, U.S. foreign policy, recent international events, and economics.

The survey was given to over 1,200 Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 years. All of them presently attending, or having previously graduated from, a 2- or 4-year college or university.

The average test score, out of 75 total possible answers, was 55 percent. The study identifies a few important problems. For example, only 30 percent knew that the only part of the U.S. government that can declare war is Congress. Only 60% of those taking the survey could identify Brazil on a world map.

Part of the problem, argue the organizers of the survey, is the Internet. They say it is becoming harder to find high-quality information about world events amongst all the fake news and trivia which swamp the web. Forty-three percent of those questioned said they read about the news on Facebook.

Another problem is that most college courses do not require students to learn about international issues. If such information is not required, Richard Haass from the Council on Foreign Relations said, then the United States could have leaders like Gary Johnson. He was a recent presidential candidate who did not know about the Syrian city of Aleppo when a reporter asked him about it.

The survey results were not all bad. The young people also demonstrated a good understanding of climate change and renewable energy. And the majority of them said that international issues were becoming more important to them.

Haass says these findings suggest the need to find ways to get good information to students, both in school and online. To help, the Council on Foreign Relations is creating a new program called CFR Campus, designed to help build knowledge about global issues.

【1】What do we know about the survey?

A. The participants were all recent university graduates.

B. It was an online survey conducted by two US universities.

C. It was given to over 1,200 American people aged from 18 to 26.

D. It aimed to find out what the young people know about America.

【2】What’s one reason survey organizers give for young people’s lack of knowledge?

A. The poor quality of the US university system.

B. Young people’s unwillingness to travel abroad.

C. The sources from which they get their information.

D. Their lack of interest in knowing more about the world.

【3】What topic did the young Americans understand best according to the survey?

A. Government organizations. B. Geographic information.

C. Foreign relations. D. Environmental matters.

【4】In which column of a newspaper could we find this article?

A. Economics. B. Education.

C. National Politics. D. Entertainment.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】C

【3】D

【4】B

【解析】这是一篇说明文。美国外交关系委员会和国家地理学会去年进行了一项在线调查。他们想知道美国大学的年轻人对地理，美国外交政策，最近的国际事件和经济了解多少。调查结果表明美国的年轻人对世界和他们所处的地方都不太了解。

【1】细节理解题。根据第三段“The survey was given to over 1,200 Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 years”（这项调查是针对1200名年龄在18到26岁之间的美国人进行的）可知，C项正确。

【2】细节理解题。根据第五段“Part of the problem, argue the organizers of the survey, is the Internet”（调查的组织者说，部分问题在于互联网）可知，年轻人缺乏知识的原因是获取知识的来源。故选C。

【3】细节理解题。根据第七段“The young people also demonstrated a good understanding of climate change and renewable energy”（年轻人也显示出对气候变化和可再生能源的良好理解）可知，故选D。

【4】推理判断题。根据最后一段“Haass says these findings suggest the need to find ways to get good information to students, both in school and online”（ Haass说，这些发现表明需要找到好的信息传递给学生的方式，无论是在学校和网络）推知，这篇文章应该是在报纸的教育版块，故选B。