题目
There're currently 21.5 million students in America， and many will be funding their college on borrowed money. Given that there's now over ＄1.3 trillion in student loans on the books， it's pretty clear that many students are far from sensible. The average student's debt upon graduation now approaches ＄40， 000， and as college becomes ever more expensive， calls to make it "free" are multiplying. Even Hillary Clinton says that when it comes to college， "Costs won't be a barrier." But the only way college could be free is if the faculty and staff donated their time， the buildings required no maintenance， and campuses required no utilities. As long as it's impossible to produce something from nothing， costs are absolutely a barrier. The actual question we debate is who should pay for people to go to college. If taxpayers are to bear the cost of forgiving student loans， shouldn't they have a say in how their money is used？ At least taxpayers should be able to decide what students will study on the public dime. If we're going to force taxpayers to foot the bill for college degrees， students should only study those subjects that are of greatest benefit to taxpayers. After all， students making their own choices in this respect is what caused the problem in the first place. We simply don't need more poetry， gender studies， or sociology majors. How do we know which subjects benefit society？ Easy. Average starting salaries give a clear indication of what type of training society needs its new workers to have. Certainly， there're benefits to a college major beyond the job a student can perform. But if we're talking about the benefits to society， the only thing that matters is what the major enables the student to produce for society. And the value of what the student can produce is reflected in the wage employers are willing to pay the student to produce it. A low wage for elementary school teachers， however， doesn't mean elementary education isn't important. It simply means there're too many elementary school teachers already. Meanwhile， there're few who're willing and able to perform jobs requiring a petroleum engineering major， so the value of one more of those people is very high. So we can have taxpayers pick up students' tuition in exchange for dictating what those students will study. Or we can allow students both to choose their majors and pay for their education themselves. But in the end， one of two things is true： Either a college major is worth its cost or it isn't. If yes， taxpayer financing isn't needed. If not， taxpayer financing isn't desirable. Either way， taxpayers have no business paying for students' college education.（1）What does the author think of college students funding their education through loans？ ____ A. They only expect to get huge returns.B. They are acting in an unwise way.C. They benefit at taxpayers' expense.D. They will regret doing so someday.（2）What should students do if taxpayers are to bear their college costs？ ____ A. Work even harder to repay society.B. Choose their subjects more carefully.C. Choose majors that will serve society's practical need.D. Allow taxpayers to participate in college administration.（3）What does the author say about the value of a student's college education？ ____ A. It is well reflected in their average starting salary.B. It is to be proved by what they can do on the job.C. It is underestimated by profit-seeking employers.D. It is reflected in how they remove social barriers.（4）What message does the author want to convey in the passage？ ____ A. Students should think carefully whether to go to college.B. Taxpayers should only finance the most gifted students.C. The worth of a college education is open to debate.D. College students should fund their own education.
There're currently 21.5 million students in America， and many will be funding their college on borrowed money. Given that there's now over ＄1.3 trillion in student loans on the books， it's pretty clear that many students are far from sensible. The average student's debt upon graduation now approaches ＄40， 000， and as college becomes ever more expensive， calls to make it "free" are multiplying. Even Hillary Clinton says that when it comes to college， "Costs won't be a barrier."
But the only way college could be free is if the faculty and staff donated their time， the buildings required no maintenance， and campuses required no utilities. As long as it's impossible to produce something from nothing， costs are absolutely a barrier.
The actual question we debate is who should pay for people to go to college. If taxpayers are to bear the cost of forgiving student loans， shouldn't they have a say in how their money is used？
At least taxpayers should be able to decide what students will study on the public dime. If we're going to force taxpayers to foot the bill for college degrees， students should only study those subjects that are of greatest benefit to taxpayers. After all， students making their own choices in this respect is what caused the problem in the first place. We simply don't need more poetry， gender studies， or sociology majors. How do we know which subjects benefit society？ Easy.
Average starting salaries give a clear indication of what type of training society needs its new workers to have. Certainly， there're benefits to a college major beyond the job a student can perform. But if we're talking about the benefits to society， the only thing that matters is what the major enables the student to produce for society. And the value of what the student can produce is reflected in the wage employers are willing to pay the student to produce it.
A low wage for elementary school teachers， however， doesn't mean elementary education isn't important. It simply means there're too many elementary school teachers already.
Meanwhile， there're few who're willing and able to perform jobs requiring a petroleum engineering major， so the value of one more of those people is very high.
So we can have taxpayers pick up students' tuition in exchange for dictating what those students will study. Or we can allow students both to choose their majors and pay for their education themselves. But in the end， one of two things is true：
Either a college major is worth its cost or it isn't. If yes， taxpayer financing isn't needed. If not， taxpayer financing isn't desirable. Either way， taxpayers have no business paying for students' college education.
（1）What does the author think of college students funding their education through loans？ ____
A. They only expect to get huge returns.
B. They are acting in an unwise way.
C. They benefit at taxpayers' expense.
D. They will regret doing so someday.
（2）What should students do if taxpayers are to bear their college costs？ ____
A. Work even harder to repay society.
B. Choose their subjects more carefully.
C. Choose majors that will serve society's practical need.
D. Allow taxpayers to participate in college administration.
（3）What does the author say about the value of a student's college education？ ____
A. It is well reflected in their average starting salary.
B. It is to be proved by what they can do on the job.
C. It is underestimated by profit-seeking employers.
D. It is reflected in how they remove social barriers.
（4）What message does the author want to convey in the passage？ ____
A. Students should think carefully whether to go to college.
B. Taxpayers should only finance the most gifted students.
C. The worth of a college education is open to debate.
D. College students should fund their own education.
But the only way college could be free is if the faculty and staff donated their time， the buildings required no maintenance， and campuses required no utilities. As long as it's impossible to produce something from nothing， costs are absolutely a barrier.
The actual question we debate is who should pay for people to go to college. If taxpayers are to bear the cost of forgiving student loans， shouldn't they have a say in how their money is used？
At least taxpayers should be able to decide what students will study on the public dime. If we're going to force taxpayers to foot the bill for college degrees， students should only study those subjects that are of greatest benefit to taxpayers. After all， students making their own choices in this respect is what caused the problem in the first place. We simply don't need more poetry， gender studies， or sociology majors. How do we know which subjects benefit society？ Easy.
Average starting salaries give a clear indication of what type of training society needs its new workers to have. Certainly， there're benefits to a college major beyond the job a student can perform. But if we're talking about the benefits to society， the only thing that matters is what the major enables the student to produce for society. And the value of what the student can produce is reflected in the wage employers are willing to pay the student to produce it.
A low wage for elementary school teachers， however， doesn't mean elementary education isn't important. It simply means there're too many elementary school teachers already.
Meanwhile， there're few who're willing and able to perform jobs requiring a petroleum engineering major， so the value of one more of those people is very high.
So we can have taxpayers pick up students' tuition in exchange for dictating what those students will study. Or we can allow students both to choose their majors and pay for their education themselves. But in the end， one of two things is true：
Either a college major is worth its cost or it isn't. If yes， taxpayer financing isn't needed. If not， taxpayer financing isn't desirable. Either way， taxpayers have no business paying for students' college education.
（1）What does the author think of college students funding their education through loans？ ____
A. They only expect to get huge returns.
B. They are acting in an unwise way.
C. They benefit at taxpayers' expense.
D. They will regret doing so someday.
（2）What should students do if taxpayers are to bear their college costs？ ____
A. Work even harder to repay society.
B. Choose their subjects more carefully.
C. Choose majors that will serve society's practical need.
D. Allow taxpayers to participate in college administration.
（3）What does the author say about the value of a student's college education？ ____
A. It is well reflected in their average starting salary.
B. It is to be proved by what they can do on the job.
C. It is underestimated by profit-seeking employers.
D. It is reflected in how they remove social barriers.
（4）What message does the author want to convey in the passage？ ____
A. Students should think carefully whether to go to college.
B. Taxpayers should only finance the most gifted students.
C. The worth of a college education is open to debate.
D. College students should fund their own education.
题目解答
答案
（1）B. 推理判断题。由第一段中的"There're currently 21.5 million students in America， and many will be funding their college on borrowed money. Given that there's now over ＄1.3 trillion in student loans on the books， it's pretty clear that many students are far from sensible."（目前，美国有2150万学生，许多人将用借来的钱资助他们的大学。考虑到现在有超过1.3万亿美元的学生贷款在册，很明显很多学生都不明智）可知大学生通过贷款来上学，作者认为他们的行为是不明智的。故选B项。
（2）C. 细节理解题。由第三段中的"If taxpayers are to bear the cost of forgiving student loans， shouldn't they have a say in how their money is used？"（如果纳税人要承担免除学生贷款的成本，他们难道不应该对他们的钱是如何使用的有发言权吗？）和第四段中的"At least taxpayers should be able to decide what students will study on the public dime. If we're going to force taxpayers to foot the bill for college degrees， students should only study those subjects that are of greatest benefit to taxpayers."（至少纳税人应该能够决定学生花公众的金钱上学所学习的内容。如果我们要强迫纳税人为大学学位买单，学生们应该只学习那些对纳税人最有利的科目。）根据第五段"But if we're talking about the benefits to society， the only thing that matters is what the major enables the student to produce for society."但如果我们说的是对社会的好处，唯一重要的是这个专业能让学生为社会做出什么贡献。可知，如果纳税人要承担他们的大学费用，学生应该选择符合社会实际需要的专业学习。故选C项。
（3）A. 推理判断题。由第五段"Average starting salaries give a clear indication of what type of training society needs its new workers to have. Certainly， there're benefits to a college major beyond the job a student can perform. But if we're talking about the benefits to society， the only thing that matters is what the major enables the student to produce for society. And the value of what the student can produce is reflected in the wage employers are willing to pay the student to produce it."（平均起薪清楚地表明，社会需要什么样的培训新员工。当然，大学专业除了学生所能从事的工作之外，还有其他好处。但如果我们说的是对社会的好处，唯一重要的是这个专业能让学生为社会做出什么贡献。学生的价值体现在雇主愿意付给学生的工资上。）可知作者认为大学教育价值在他们的平均起薪中得到了很好的反映。故选A项。
（4）D. 主旨大意题。第一段讲"美国学生通过贷款上大学，要求免费上大学"，第二段讲"提出上大学唯一可以免费的方式"，第三四段讲"如果纳税人为学生上大学而付钱，学生应该选择符合社会实际需要的专业学习"，第五六七段讲"大学教育是有价值的，它在人们的平均起薪中得到了很好的反映"，最后两段讲"纳税人不能为学生的大学教育买单，大学生应该自己自费上大学"，可知文章就"谁应该为人们上大学而付钱"展开讨论，最终得出结论：纳税人不能为学生的大学教育买单，大学生应该自己自费上大学，D项"大学生应该为自己的教育买单。"符合文意。故选D项。
（2）C. 细节理解题。由第三段中的"If taxpayers are to bear the cost of forgiving student loans， shouldn't they have a say in how their money is used？"（如果纳税人要承担免除学生贷款的成本，他们难道不应该对他们的钱是如何使用的有发言权吗？）和第四段中的"At least taxpayers should be able to decide what students will study on the public dime. If we're going to force taxpayers to foot the bill for college degrees， students should only study those subjects that are of greatest benefit to taxpayers."（至少纳税人应该能够决定学生花公众的金钱上学所学习的内容。如果我们要强迫纳税人为大学学位买单，学生们应该只学习那些对纳税人最有利的科目。）根据第五段"But if we're talking about the benefits to society， the only thing that matters is what the major enables the student to produce for society."但如果我们说的是对社会的好处，唯一重要的是这个专业能让学生为社会做出什么贡献。可知，如果纳税人要承担他们的大学费用，学生应该选择符合社会实际需要的专业学习。故选C项。
（3）A. 推理判断题。由第五段"Average starting salaries give a clear indication of what type of training society needs its new workers to have. Certainly， there're benefits to a college major beyond the job a student can perform. But if we're talking about the benefits to society， the only thing that matters is what the major enables the student to produce for society. And the value of what the student can produce is reflected in the wage employers are willing to pay the student to produce it."（平均起薪清楚地表明，社会需要什么样的培训新员工。当然，大学专业除了学生所能从事的工作之外，还有其他好处。但如果我们说的是对社会的好处，唯一重要的是这个专业能让学生为社会做出什么贡献。学生的价值体现在雇主愿意付给学生的工资上。）可知作者认为大学教育价值在他们的平均起薪中得到了很好的反映。故选A项。
（4）D. 主旨大意题。第一段讲"美国学生通过贷款上大学，要求免费上大学"，第二段讲"提出上大学唯一可以免费的方式"，第三四段讲"如果纳税人为学生上大学而付钱，学生应该选择符合社会实际需要的专业学习"，第五六七段讲"大学教育是有价值的，它在人们的平均起薪中得到了很好的反映"，最后两段讲"纳税人不能为学生的大学教育买单，大学生应该自己自费上大学"，可知文章就"谁应该为人们上大学而付钱"展开讨论，最终得出结论：纳税人不能为学生的大学教育买单，大学生应该自己自费上大学，D项"大学生应该为自己的教育买单。"符合文意。故选D项。