单选题 Out of all the students: who enroll in a massive open online course (MOOC), only about 5 percent complete the course and receive a certificate accomplishment This statistic is often cited as evidence that MOOCs are fatally flawed (缺陷的) and offer little educational value to most students. Yet more than 80 percent of students who fill out a post-course survey say they met their primary objective. How do we look at these two facts?
We"re used to focusing on completion rates in higher education, but they"re not the only—or even the most meaningful—indicator of engagement in open online courses. With no cost to enroll, no punishment for dropping out, and little reward for actually earning a certificate, MOOCs are fundamentally different from traditional classes—and students use them in fundamentally different ways.
Data from more than 1.8 million students enrolled in 36 MOOCs offered by the University of Pennsylvania show that students treat MOOCs as a buffet (自助餐), sampling the material according to their interests and career goals. Some are curious about the subject matter and just watch one or two video lectures; others use the discussion forums to connect with their intellectual peers around the world. Of all enrolled students, nearly 60 percent watch at least one video, complete at least one assignment, or post at least once in a forum.
So focusing on the tiny fraction of students who complete a MOOC is misguided.
The more important number is the 60 percent engagement rate. Students may not finish a MOOC with a certificate of accomplishment, but the courses nonetheless meet the educational goals of millions.
单选题 What do we learn about MOOCs from Para. 1?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 通读文章第一段的内容可知，前半部分提到“5%的人完成了课程并且获得了证书，这个数据经常被作为证据证明MOOCs有着致命的缺陷，并且对大多数学生来说几乎没有教育价值”；后半部分又说“课后填写调查问卷的学生中有80%多的人觉得他们达到了根本目标”，由此可见，前后两部分提供的数据是相互矛盾的，所以选A。
单选题 In Para. 2, the author stresses ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 由第二段后半部分内容可知，“MOOCs are fundamentally different from traditional classes”是本段强调的主要内容，而“no cost to enroll, no punishment for dropping out, and little reward for actually earning a certificate”正是MOOCs与传统课程的不同之处。
单选题 According to Para. 3, students choose MOOCs for the following reasons EXCEPT ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 由第三段中的“according to their interests and career goals”可知，B是原因之一。由“Some are curious about the subject matter and just watch one or two video lectures. ”可知C是原因之一。由“others use the discussion forums to connect with their intellectual peers around the world”可知D是原因之一。文中并未提到A项。
单选题 The sentence "students treat MOOCs as a buffet" (Para. 3) ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] buffet意为“自助餐”，自助餐的特点就是具有自主选择权，所以将MOOCs比作“自助餐”就是为了突出它可以满足学生自主选择课程的特点，与选项C同义。
单选题 What is the author"s attitude toward MOOCs?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第一段指出多数学生认为MOOCs有好处；第二段指出了MOOCs与传统课程的不同之处；第三段将MOOCs比作“自助餐”，并提出了几点优点；最后一段又指出“完成MOOC课程的学生可能并未获得证书，但课程确确实实使得成千上万的学生达到了教育目标”。由此可知，作者对MOOCs是持支持态度的。