The rigid higher-education business is about to experience a welcome earthquake. Traditional universities now face a new【C1】______in the form of massive open online courses, or MOOCs. These digitally-delivered courses, which teach students via the【C2】______or tablet apps, have big【C3】______over their established rivals. With low startup costs and powerful economies of scale, online courses【C4】______lower the price of learning and【C5】______access to it, by【C6】______the need for students to be taught at set times or places. The low cost of【C7】______courses—creating a new one costs about $70,000— means they can be sold【C8】______, or even given away. Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School considers MOOCs a【C9】______"disruptive technology" that will kill off many【C10】______universities. "Fifteen years from now more than half of the universities in America will be in bankruptcy," he【C11】______last year. 【C12】______, traditional universities have a few favorable aspects. As well as teaching, examining and certification, college education creates social capital. Students learn how to【C13】______present themselves, make contacts and roll joints. How can a digital college experience give all of that? The answer may be to【C14】______the two. Anant Agarwal, who runs edX-, one of established MOOCs, proposes an alternative to the【C15】______American four-year degree course. Students could spend an introductory year learning via a MOOC,【C16】______by two years attending university and a final year starting part-time work while【C17】______their studies online. This sort of【C18】______learning might prove more attractive than a four-year online degree. It could also【C19】______those who want to integrate learning with work or child-rearing, freeing them from timetables assembled to【C20】______academics.
单选题
【C1】
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：空后的massive open online courses(大规模的在线课程)与主语(传统大学)对应，结合下句rivals(竞争对手)，可推断。传统大学与在线课程是竞争关系，故选C项competitor“竞争对手”。