单选题   Universities have started giving away their content free as 'massive open online courses', with the acronym (首字母缩略词) MOOC. Eleven top UK universities recently announced they were joining the Open University to launch FutureLearn, in a bid to catch up with the elite US institutions that have led the way in teaching huge numbers online.
    It all sounds great for people who, for one reason or another, can't go to a traditional university. But do MOOCs have anything to offer students who already study at a bricks-and-mortar institution, people like me who hate the niggling (烦人的) feeling that they might be missing out on a bargain? Well, I've signed up for a MOOC in microeconomics. I did it because I'm thinking about whether to do a master degree, and what to study. I'm testing my resolve: If I enjoy it enough to study in my own time, maybe I'm ready for masters. Better to find out before I hand over the money.
    Why else would a university student consider a MOOC? You could use it to boost CV—it shows you're motivated and you have a variety of interests and you're not struggling with your workload.
    And before you can use online courses to help you get a job, employers have to learn what they are and respect them. University isn't just about what you learn but proving you know it. The only proof you did your MOOC is that you clicked on 'I promise not to cheat' on the honor code. This is changing though: One of the biggest MOOC organizers, Coursera, is trialing facial recognition software to monitor students, and charging a small fee for verification.
    Do MOOCs pose a threat to old school universities? Should we fear that, before we've even paid them off, traditional university degrees will go the way of floppy (松软的，垂下的) disks? Probably not. As Patrick McGee writes, they are a long way from ready to replace traditional degrees. A MOOC versus traditional university mega-battle to the death is unlikely—instead online courses offer another option on higher education's menu of delights.
    MOOCs still have teething problems. A Coursera course—oh so ironically about planning online courses—crashed recently, unable to cope with the thousands of students trying to join online discussions. MOOCs are limited to subjects that can be assessed with multiple choice exams, marked automatically. Written any essays in your degree? Your professor's critique of them can't be replicated by a MOOC—yet. As for me, despite not making a single friend in a cohort (一批人) of 37000, I revelled in the chance to learn what I was interested in, on my own terms. MOOCs are a new take on education—and we traditional university students needn't miss out.
单选题     What did eleven top UK universities intend to get by launching FutureLearn? ______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】由FutureLearn定位到第一段第二句。 推理判断题。由定位句可知，11所一流英国高校最近宣布加入“开放大学”计划，推出一个名为FutureLearn的在线学习平台，努力追赶开网络公开课先河的美国精英教育机构。由此可知，英国大学希望自己能和美国大学一样在网络开放课程方面取得成功，故答案为B。
单选题     Why did the author make a decision to sign up for an online course? ______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】由sign up for an online course定位到第二段第三至五句。 细节辨认题。由定位句可知，作者报名参加了慕课中的微观经济学课程，他这样做是因为他在考虑要不要读研究生以及读哪个方向的研究生，他想验证自己的决定。因此，答案为B。
单选题     What prompts Coursera to try the facial recognition software to monitor students? ______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】由the facial recognition software定位到第四段。 推理判断题。定位段指出，通过学习慕课课程来找工作的一个前提是你的雇主要知道你学了什么并认可你学习的课程，而所有参加慕课课程的学生却很难证明自己接受了教育并考试合格。因此，Coursera才开始尝试用面部识别软件来监测学生，并收取少量费用进行课程认证，故答案为B。
单选题     What does the author think about traditional universities and MOOCs? ______
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】由traditional universities and MOOCs定位到第五段最后一句。 推理判断题。由定位句可知，传统大学与慕课大战至死也不可能——相反，慕课提供了另一种“高等教育美食”。由此推断，作者认为传统大学与慕课会长久共存，故答案为C。
单选题     What does the author think is a big weakness of online courses? ______
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】由a big weakness of online courses定位到最后一段。 推理判断题。定位段第二至五句指出，慕课只能通过自动评分来评定学生的课程成绩，无法复制教授对学生论文的批改意见等，故答案为C。