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By almost any measure, there is a boom in Internet-based instruction. In just a few years, 34 percent of American universities have begun offering some form of distance learning (DL), and among the larger schools, it is closer to 90 percent. If you doubt the popularity of the trend, you probably haven't heard of the University of Phoenix. It grants degrees entirely on the basis of online instruction. It enrolls 90000 students, a statistic used to support its claim to be the largest private university in the country.
While the kinds of instruction offered in these programs will differ, DL usually signifies a course in which the instructors post syllabi, reading assignments, and schedules on Websites, and students send in their assignments by e-mail. Generally speaking, face-to-face communication with an instructor is minimized or eliminated altogether.
The attraction for students might at first seem obvious. Primarily，there's the convenience promised by courses on the Net: you can do the work, as they say, in your pajamas. But figures indicate that the reduced effort results in a reduced commitment to the course. While drop-out rates for all freshmen at American universities is around 20 percent, the rate for online students is 35 percent. Students themselves seem to understand the weaknesses inherent in the setup. In a survey conducted for eComell, the DL division of Cornell University, less than a third of the respondents expected the quality of the online course to be as good as the classroom course.
Clearly, from the schools' porspective，there's a lot of money to be saved. Although some of the more ambitious programs require new investments in servers and networks to support collaborative software, most DL courses can run on existing or minimally upgraded systems. The more students who enroll in a course but don't come to campus, the more the school saves on keeping the lights on in the classrooms, paying doorkeepers, and maintaining parking lots. And, while there's evidence that instructors must work harder to run a DL course for a variety of reasons， they won't be paid any more, and might well be paid less.
What is the most striking feature of the University of Phoenix?
根据文章第一段提到的“It grants degrees entirely on the basis of online instruction.”可知“University of Phoenix”采取线上授课的方式。故选A。
According to the passage, distance learning is basically characterized by ________.
根据文章第二段最后一句“Generally speaking，face-to-face communication with an instructor is minimized or eliminated altogether”可知在“University of Phoenix”，极大地缩小了甚至消除了老师与学生面对面的交流。故选 C。
Many students take Internet-based courses mainly because they can________.
根据文章第三段可知“线上授课的大学最大的吸引力在于学生可以在任何时间，即使是穿着睡衣的情况下听课”。由此可以概括其最大的特点是学生可以上课，无论在任何时间，任何地点。故选 D 。
What accounts for the high drop-out rates for online students?
文章第三段提到了“But figures indicate that the reduced effort results in a reduced commitment to the course”， 但是有数据表明，由于付出的努力与在正常大学相比有所减少，这也导致了学生对课程的坚持。由此判断“线上大学的辍学率高的一个原因是没有一个确定的体制来确保学生的努力程度，监督学生的学习质量及学习效果”。故选 C。
According to the passage, universities show great enthusiasm for DL programs for the purpose of ________.
根据文章最后一段可知“从学校的角度看，线上授课可以节省大量的成本”。故选B。