【正确答案】 1、D    

【答案解析】[听力原文]21-30 Interviewer: Welcome to our University Radio programme entitled "Leaping the Language Barrier". {{U}}My guests today are Tony Wu, a Master's student from China, Susan Hall, International Student Liaison, and Wendy Clark, Head of the ESL Unit here at the university{{/U}}. Tony, you're starting your Master's degree in a few weeks, aren't you? Tony Wu: Yes, I am. I'll be taking a Master's in Computing. Like many overseas students, I found the selection process tough. Making the transition from undergraduate studies to postgraduate research is hard enough for a native speaker, {{U}}but my lack of fluency in English was a bigger hurdle. So, I decided to take a pre-Master's course{{/U}}. Interviewer: Susan, are these courses popular? Susan Hall: Not at the moment, but each year, over 100000 overseas students apply to study for a postgraduate degree in this country. Many of these students, like Tony, need to work on their English to get the maximum benefit from their time here. Paying full fees, {{U}}these students represent a significant source of income for the universities{{/U}}. As a result, a growing number of universities and private colleges are offering foundation or pre-Master's courses. The pre-Master's courses are designed to bridge the gap between undergraduate studies and a postgraduate degree taught in English. Tony Wu: That's right. I won my place on the Master's course after attending a nine-month pre-masters programme at the International Foundation College, a private language and study skills school approved by universities in this country. Interviewer: Wendy, you're an ESL professional. How useful are these courses? Wendy Clark: Very useful indeed. As Susan said, many students come here with some English, but not really enough to take full advantage of having an education in an English-speaking country. Pre-Master's courses bring language proficiency up to a more acceptable level. {{U}}Students develop language skills through classroom interaction and by being part of the wider community, living among native English speakers{{/U}}. Interviewer: Tony, how successful were the other students on your course? Tony Wu: {{U}}The IFC pre-Master's course started in January with 28 students, all from China. All but five gained places on university Master's courses{{/U}}. The IFC was very happy with the success rate. Interviewer: Wendy, Tony didn't do his course here, but this university does have a pre-Master's course, doesn't it? Wendy Clark: Yes, it does. In this country, {{U}}at least a dozen universities{{/U}} now run courses specially designed to cater for the needs of students from overseas regions--particularly Russia, Japan, China, East and South Asia. On top of that, {{U}}private colleges are starting to enter the market, although most stick to what they do best--improving students' English language test scores{{/U}}. Last year, we prepared 80 foreign students--mostly from China, South East Asia, Iran and the, former Soviet republics-for masters degrees at universities in this country. Studied over an academic year, the course is demanding. Students from a range of disciplines are taught by a subject specialist, with an English language teacher working alongside to review students' comprehension and written work. The course culminates in a mini dissertation prepared over four months. Interviewer: Did you find that difficult, Tony? Tony Wu: I certainly did! Wendy Clark: I believe that a pre-Master's course should do a lot more than boost language skills. It's also about preparing students from different cultural backgrounds to succeed in the academic world. We prepare them to look at a variety of sources, anal-yse the pros and cons, put forward their own ideas, {{U}}challenge their tutors{{/U}} and take part in rigorous discussion. Interviewer: Wendy, has the course nm at this university been successful? Wendy Clark: The results here speak for themselves. The one-year pre-Master's programme has a 90% success rate and a smattering of students go on to Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge as well as other prestigious institutions. However, at ＄9000, {{U}}the course fee is on a par with the full fee for a Master's programme itself{{/U}}. Interviewer: Susan, do you have any reservations about these programmes? Susan: Not here at our university, but I am unhappy at what I see as a lack of control over the proliferation of pre-Master's programmes. {{U}}Some form of external validation is needed, as there is no universal recognition of the quality of such courses. There is a benchmark system for access to higher education courses for domestic students, but so far there is no nationwide benchmark for foundation courses for international students{{/U}}. Interviewer: Thank you all very much. Next week, I'll be talking to...