The British government recently announced a proposal to introduce health care access fees for migrants and long-term visitors this year. The fees would affect some foreign students, who would for the first time have to pay for medical cover while in Britain. The proposal is part of an immigration bill now going through Parliament and does not expressly target students. But concerns are being voiced that it would set up yet another obstacle for international access to the British education system—one of the most prestigious in the world. "As a matter of principle, the charge is unfortunate and unfair," said Dominic Scott, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs. Foreign students who need to apply for visas—those from countries outside the European Union—will have to pay 150 pounds per year of study when they are issued their visa, according to the plan laid out by the Department of Health. The proposed charge is relatively minor compared with tuition and other costs that for a foreign student in Britain can easily reach £20,000 a year. Critics of the plan concede that it is unlikely, by itself, to turn many away. Still, they warn that it will add to a cumulative message that is increasingly unwelcoming. It comes during a controversial campaign for tighter immigration curbs and less than two years after the government eliminated a visa track, known as Tier-1 (post-study work), that allowed newly graduated foreigners to stay in Britain to work. "Tier-1 was the hammer blow, but it's just possible that people will see this as one unpleasant thing after another," Mr. Scott said. Daniel Stevens, the international students' officer at the National Union of Students, the country's largest student union, agreed: "You will see a shift in the attitude of international students toward other countries," he said. Daniel Obst, deputy vice president of the Institute of International Education, said he thought it highly unlikely that the fee would cut the number of students going to Britain. Still, "every time you have a new regulation, there is concern," he said. "You have to deal with the perceptions issue."
单选题 What result will the new proposal most probably bring according to the first paragraph?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题询问新提案可能带来的后果。该段最后一句提到,人们普遍担忧,该提案会为想到英国留学的国际学生又增设一道障碍(set up…another obstacle),由此推断,该提案对外国学生赴英留学造成负面影响,故A“给潜在的外国留学生留下坏印象”是合理的推断。
单选题 What is the impact of the new plan on students from outside the European Union?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:该句提到,对于来自非欧盟国家的学生来说,他们每学年需多交150英镑,故B“他们在英留学的花费会增多”是对原文意思的概括,故为答案。
单选题 According to critics, the new plan proposed by the Department of Health_______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:该部分提到,批评者承认,该提案本身不大可能打消多数外国学生赴英求学的念头。不过该提案传递出了一个愈加强烈的信息,那就是英国日益加剧的不欢迎态度,故可见B“再次传达了一种不欢迎外国学生的信息”为正确答案。
单选题 What do we know about Tier-1 (post-study work) visa from the passage?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:该句提到了“Tier-1(毕业工作)”的相关内容,指出该签证允许应届留学生留在英国工作,但该签证在两年前已被取消,故D“英国政府已取消该签证”为正确答案。
单选题 As to proposing a new regulation, what suggestion does Daniel Obst make?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:该段最后一句提到,Daniel Obst认为每当一条新规出台,都会引起人们的忧虑,所以必须去处理perceptions issue“有关解读的问题”,言下之义,Daniel Obst建议政府应该处理好新规引发出来的解读问题,由此可知D为正确答案。