单选题 Chinese College Students Flocking to U. S. Campuses Bo Sun knew next to nothing about football—or the state of Nebraska, for that matter—until he started looking for U. S. colleges and universities on the Internet. Now, as one of a growing number of Chinese students at the state"s flagship university, he catches every game he can. President Obama announced plans last month to "dramatically expand" to 100, 000 the number of U. S. students who study in China over the next four years, calling such exchanges "a clear commitment to build ties among our people in the steady pursuit of cooperation that will serve our nations, and the world. " But Sun, who grew up in China"s Jiangxi Province, is part of a surge already taking place in the other direction. In 2008 alone, 98, 510 Chinese graduate and undergraduate students poured into U. S. colleges and universities, lured by China"s emphasis on academic achievement and the prestige of U. S. higher education. China is second only to India when graduate students and undergrads are counted. But undergraduates such as Sun are the newer phenomenon. Nationally, an 11% growth in undergrad enrollments in 2008 was driven largely by a 60% increase from China, a report by the Institute of International Education(IIE)says. Graduate student enrollments were up 2%. U. S. colleges and universities have long welcomed students from China, where the higher education system can"t meet the demand. Two years ago, a record 10 million students throughout China took the national college entrance test, competing for 5. 7 million university slots. Because foreign undergraduates typically aren"t eligible for U. S. federal aid, colleges here can provide limited financial help. Now, thanks to China"s booming economy in recent years, more Chinese families can afford to pay. The increase also reflects a "strong dialogue" between the two countries, says U. S. State Department deputy assistant secretary Alina Romanowski. She says the recent growth can"t be pinned to specific changes in visa policy, but some U. S. college officials say they detect a friendlier attitude among U. S. embassies and consulates, which review visa applications. One key question for any country is whether visa-seeking students can prove they will return to their home country upon graduating from a U. S. college. "Because the Chinese economy has improved, students feel there are opportunities there waiting for them, " says Gretchen Olson, director of international programs at Drake University in Des Moines, where there are 28 undergraduates from China this fall, up from one in 2003. In turn, the United States has greatly benefited from hosting foreign students. They contributed nearly $18 billion last year in tuition and living expenses to the U. S. economy, including about $89 million in Nebraska, according to a November report from the Institute of International Education. Though it"s costly for colleges to recruit abroad, that population " has the potential to be a significant source of revenue, " says University of Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman. Nearly half(47%)of Chinese undergraduates, and 29% of all foreign undergraduates, receive some discounts on their tuition based on their academic record. But most international students, including Sun, pay the entire non-resident rate for tuition and fees—about $18, 000 this year. That"s money the school otherwise might not have seen, because Nebraska"s high-school-age population is declining. A legislative task force in 2003 encouraged its public institutions to " more actively recruit non-Nebraska high school graduates" —but with a caveat: They can"t " diminish the state"s priority of providing appropriate need-based aid to Nebraska"s high school graduates. " Nebraska, which admits any resident or non-resident who meets basic academic requirements, is largely spared the criticism sometimes aimed at more selective institutions. Among concerns voiced by USA TODAY readers in response to a story on the topic was whether American students were being denied entrance to more elite universities because slots were being set aside for students overseas. But Paul Thiboutot, admissions dean at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. , which admits about 27% of applicants, says that argument misunderstands one of U. S. higher education"s greatest strengths. Although some American students may be displaced by those students, Thiboutot says it"s true "only if you"re looking at a single institution. It isn"t true when you look across the entire system of higher education and all the options. There"s no one being denied a good college education. " Moreover, it works both ways, he says. Carleton, which enrolled 18 Chinese freshmen this year, admitted no more than 10% of the 300 Chinese who applied.
单选题 Which of the following is a reason for the surge of Chinese students into U. S. campuses?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题考查中国学生涌向美国大学学习的原因,属于细节考查题。本文第四段第一句提到,美国的大学一直以来都很欢迎来自中国的学生,因为中国高等教育系统无法满足学生教育的需求,A符合文意,为正确选项。第二段第一句提到奥巴马提出扩大美国学生留学中国进行交流学习的计划,但紧接着在第二句又指出中国学生留学美国的高潮早就开始了,可见不是因为奥巴马的计划才引起中国学生留学美国的高潮,排除B;文章没有提到中国提高教育水平的决心,C项无中生有,排除;第四段第三句提到留学美国的中国大学生没有资格获得联邦资助,仅仅有学校提供的一些有限的经济援助,D项与文意相悖,排除。
单选题 According to U. S. State Department official Romanowski, the sharp increase of Chinese students in U. S. is a reflection of______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:由题干关键词“U.S.State Department official Romanowski”定位至第五段第一句。该句作者提到官员Romanowski的观点,她认为中国留学生人数的增加反映出两国“对话交流的加强”,即纽带关系更紧密,C为正确选项。本段第二句提到中国留学生人数的增加并不能归因于签证政策的改变,A项与文意不符,排除;本段第四句引语部分提到中国经济日益改善,学生们会有更多的机会,但这是Gretchen Olson的观点,与题干不符,排除B项;本段第二句作者提到,有些大学官员发现美国大使馆和领事馆对美国学生签证的态度有所好转,这并不是Romanowski的观点,排除D项。
单选题 The author uses Bo Sun"s case to show the surge of Chinese students in the category of______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题考查人物身份,属于细节考查题。第三段前两句提到,中国大学生与研究生在美留学的总人数仅次于印度,但像Bo Sun这样的本科大学生留学是一个最新现象,可推知Bo Sun的身份是undergraduate student,C为正确选项。
单选题 By the word "caveat"(Paragraph 8), the author means ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:本题属于词义考查题。作者在第七段提到,内布拉斯加州高中适龄人口在下降,紧接着在第八段指出,该州在2003年的立法中表示要鼓励公办学校加大招收非内布拉斯加州生源的高中生,但也给出警告:学校不得减少本州学生获得助学金的优先权,caveat同warning意为“警告,限制性条款”,D为正确选项。
单选题 The passage suggests that USA TODAY readers" concern about Chinese students pouring into the U. S. is caused by______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:由题干关键词“USA TODAY readers’concern”定位至第九段。第一句作者提到,《今日美国》的一些读者担心海外留学生会占用本国学生的名额,导致他们无法进入精英大学学习,但紧接着在第二句作者借用了Paul Thiboutot的观点:以上读者的担心误解了美国高等教育的巨大能力,就单个学校而言,留学生确实代替了本国学生,但从整个教育系统来看,美国学生仍具有很多机会与选择,可见作者认为读者们的担心只是一场误会,D为正确选项。ignorance“无知”,hostility“敌意”,anxiety“忧虑”,均未提到,排除。