填空题 For more than two centuries, American's colleges and universities have been the backbone of the country's progress. They have educated the technical, managerial, {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}and provided generation after generation of national leaders. Today educators from around the globe are turning to U. S. institutions of higher learning {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}. They are apt to find many reasons for the excellence of American universities, but {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}stand out as watersheds:
Education {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}: In 1862 Congress enacted the Land-Grant College Act, which essentially extended the opportunity of higher education {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}, including such disenfranchised groups as women and minorities. Each state was permitted to sell large tracts of {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}and use the proceeds to endow at least one public college.
{{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}: Over the years, the decentralization and diversity of the America's colleges and universities have promoted competition for students and resources. Competitive pressure first arose {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}. The academy's impact really grew after World War II, when {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}commissioned by President Roosevelt argued that it was the federal government's responsibility to {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}for basic research. Instead of being centralized in government laboratories, scientific research {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}in American universities and generated increasing investment. It also gave graduate students research opportunities and helped {{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}far and wide, to the benefit of industry, medicine and society as a whole.
{{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}: The end of the World War II saw passage of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The law, which provided for {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}for returning veterans, made an already democratic higher-education system accessible in ways that were {{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}in Europe, opening the doors of the best universities to men and women who had {{U}} {{U}} 16 {{/U}} {{/U}}of going to college.
{{U}} {{U}} 17 {{/U}} {{/U}}: The creation of federal loan guarantees and subsidy programs, as well as outright grants for college students brought {{U}} {{U}} 18 {{/U}} {{/U}}to higher education and further helped to democratize access. Since its founding {{U}} {{U}} 19 {{/U}} {{/U}}, the Federal Family Education Loan Program has funded more than 74 million student loans worth more than {{U}} {{U}} 20 {{/U}} {{/U}}.