单选题 The University in Transformation, edited by Australian futurists Sohail Inayatullah and Jennifer Gidley, presents some 20 highly varied outlooks on tomorrow's universities by writers representing both Western and non-Western perspectives. Their essays raise a broad range of issues, questioning nearly every key assumption we have about higher education today. The most widely discussed alternative to the traditional campus is the Internet University—a voluntary community to scholars/teachers physically scattered throughout a country or around the world but all linked in cyberspace. A computerized university could have many advantages, such as easy scheduling, efficient delivery of lectures to thousands or even millions of students at once, and ready access for students everywhere to the resources of all the world's great libraries. Yet the Internet University poses dangers, too. For example, a line of franchised courseware, produced by a few superstar teachers, marketed under the brand name of a famous institution, and heavily advertised, might eventually come to dominate the global education market, warns sociology professor Peter Manicas of the University of Hawaii at Manoah. Besides enforcing a rigidly standardized curriculum, such a "college education in a box" could undersell the offerings of many traditional brick and mortar institutions, effectively driving them out of business and throwing thousands of career academics out of work, note Australian communications professors David Rooney and Greg Hearn. On the other hand, while global connectivity seems highly likely to play some significant role in future higher education, that does not mean greater uniformity in course content—or other dangers—will necessarily follow. Counter-movements are also at work. Many in academia, including scholars contributing to this volume, are questioning the fundamental mission of university education. What if, for instance, instead of receiving primarily technical training and building their individual careers, university students and professors could focus their learning and research efforts on existing problems in their local communities and the world? Feminist scholar Ivana Milojevic dares to dream what a university might become " if we believed that childcare workers and teachers in early childhood education should be one of the highest(rather than lowest)paid professionals?" Co-editor Jennifer Gidley shows how tomorrow's university faculty, instead of giving lectures and conducting independent research, may take on three new roles. Some would act as brokers, assembling customized degree-credit programmes for individual students by mixing and matching the best course offerings available from institutions all around the world. A second group, mentors, would function much like today's faculty advisers, but are likely to be working with many more students outside their own academic specialty. This would require them to constantly be learning from their students as well as instructing them. A third new role for faculty, and in Gidley's view the most challenging and rewarding of all, would be as meaning-makers: charismatic sages and practitioners leading groups of students/colleagues in collaborative efforts to find spiritual as well as rational and technological solutions to specific real-world problems. Moreover, there seems little reason to suppose that any one form of university must necessarily drive out all other options. Students may be "enrolled" in courses offered at virtual campuses on the Internet, between—or even during—sessions at a real-world problem focused institution. As co-editor Sohail Inayatullah points out in his introduction, no future is inevitable, and the very act of imagining and thinking through alternative possibilities can directly affect how thoughtfully, creatively and urgently even a dominant technology is adapted and applied. Even in academia, the future belongs to those who care enough to work their visions into practical, sustainable realities.
单选题 When the book reviewer discusses the Internet University, ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:态度题。针对“Internet University”,本文第二段提出了许多的“advantages”,随后的第三段则指出其存在的“dangers”,可见文中对网络大学的利弊均进行了客观的陈述,观点上不存在倾向性,故答案为B。
单选题 Which of the following is NOT seen as a potential danger of the Internet University?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:细节题。文中关于网络大学潜在弊端的介绍主要在第三段中。通过“throwingthousands of career academics out of work”可知B项符合文意;C项可由“enforcing a rigidlystandardized curriculum”得出;D项也可以从“a few superstar teachers”得出:A项谈到“网络课程比传统课程节省费用”,这是件好事,不是其潜在的危险,故为答案。
单选题 According to the review, what is the fundamental mission of traditional university education?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:推断题。第五段首句提到大学教育的根本任务,第二句进一步提到“instead ofreceiving primarily technical training and building their individual careers”,即“不是接受基本的技术训练和构建学生个人的职业生涯”,可知传统大学的基本功能是“knowledge learningand career building”。
单选题 Judging from the three new roles envisioned for tomorrow's university faculty, university teachers______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:推断题。第六段首句指出:“instead of giving lectures and conducting independentresearch”,即“而不是授课和进行独立的研究”,排除A;第二句指出:“assemblingcustomized degree credit programmes for individual students by mixing and matching the bestcourse offerings available from institutions all around the world”可以看出将来对大学教员的要求越来越高,要将世界各地大学的优秀课程进行整合之后再传授给学生,故C为答案,排除B:末句指出:“…are likely to be working with many more students outside their own academicspecialty”,可知大学教员将来不是“管理更多的自己专业的学生”,而是要“和更多其他专业的学生接触”,排除D。