单选题 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's close 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 90,000 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 (课程大纲), reading assignment, 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 (睡衣). But figures indicate that the reduced effort results in a reduced commitment to the course. While dropout rate 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 e-Cornell, 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' perspective, 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 (升级) systems. The more students who enroll in a course but don't come to campus, the more 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.

单选题 What is the most striking feature of the University of Phoenix?

A. It boasts the largest number of students on campus.
B. All its courses are offered online.
C. Its online courses are of the best quality.
D. Anyone taking its online courses is sure to get a degree.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为：“菲尼克斯大学最显著的特征是什么?”A项意为“它宣称有最多的在校学生”；B项意为“它所有的课程都采取网上授课”；C项意为“它的网络课程质量最好”；D项意为“所有选修其网络课程的人都能获得学位”。根据题干线索词the University of Phoenix定位至第一段第三、四句，其中提到，菲尼克斯大学会全部基于网络教学而授予学位。由此推知，菲尼克斯大学的所有课程都采用了网络授课。故B为正确答案。

单选题 According to the passage, distance learning is basically characterized by ______.

A. a minimum or total absence of face-to-face instruction
B. a considerable flexibility in its academic requirements
C. the great diversity of students' academic backgrounds
D. the casual relationship between students and professors

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“根据文章，远程教学的基本特征是”。A项意为“很少或几乎没有面对面授课”；B项意为“学科要求具有很大的灵活性”；C项意为“学生学术背景的多样性”；D项意为“师生之间的友好关系”。文中第二段最后一句提到，一般来讲，在远程教育过程中，学生与教师之间面对面的交流减少了，甚至完全不存在了。由此推知，A选项与其意思一致，故A为正确答案。而B、C、D项在原文均未提及。

单选题 Many students take Internet-based courses mainly because they can ______.

A. save a great deal on traveling and boarding expenses
B. select courses from various colleges and universities
C. work on the required courses whenever and wherever
D. earn their academic degrees with much less effort

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为“很多学生选修网络课程主要是因为他们可以”。A项意为“节省路费和住宿费”；B项意为“在不同的学校选修课程”；C项意为“随时随地上所选的网络课程”；D项意为“花较少的努力就可以获得学位”。根据题干students take Internet-based courses定位至第三段前两句，句中提到，对于学生来讲，网络课程的魅力显而易见，即在于其便捷性，也就是说，学生们穿着睡衣就可以听课。由此推知，C项与其意思相近，故C为正确答案。

单选题 What accounts for the high drop-out rates for online students?

A. There is no mechanism to ensure that they make the required effort.
B. There is no strict control over the academic standards of the courses.
C. The evaluation system used by online universities is inherently weak.
D. Lack of classroom interaction reduces the effectiveness of instruction.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为：“什么可以解释选修网络课程的学生的高逃课率?”A项意为“没有机制确保他们应该做出课程所要求的努力”；B项意为“课程的学术标准没有严格的控制”；C项意为“进行网络授课的大学所使用的评估系统本身很薄弱”；D项意为“课堂交流的缺乏导致降低了教学效率”。根据题干线索词the high drop-out rates for online students定位至第三段第四句。该句指出，相对于普通的美国大学来说，进行网络授课的学校的学生逃课率要高很多。其原因在前一句中指出，即网络课程所要求付出的努力减少了也就意味着对学生必须上课的要求降低了。由此推知，逃课率较高是因为网络课程对学生应付出的努力没有特别的规定。A项与其意思相近，故A为正确答案。

单选题 According to the passage, universities show great enthusiasm for DL programs for the purpose of ______.

A. building up their reputation
B. upgrading their teaching facilities
C. providing convenience for students
D. cutting down on their expenses

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“根据文章，许多大学对远程教育表现出极高的热情是为了”。A项意为“增加其声誉”；B项意为“更新他们的教学实施”；C项意为“为学生提供便利”；D项意为“降低他们的花费”。文中最后一段第一句提到，对大学来讲，实施远程教育可以节省很多钱。D选项与其意思一致，故D为正确答案。A、B项在文中未提及，而C项虽在第三段提及，但这并不能作为大学进行远程教育的目的。