单选题
There are few more sobering online activities than entering
data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a
six-figure sum, But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four
years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the
knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should
yield huge dividends. A 2008 study by two Harvard economists
notes that the "labor-market premium to skilr " —or the amount college graduates
earned that's greater than what high-school graduates earned—decreased for much
of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance since the 1980s. In
2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college
degree earned $ 50,900, 62% more than the $ 31,500 earned by a worker with only
a high-school diploma. There's no question that going to
college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in
tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn't come down
merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room
and board $ 49,260 in 2007-2008) yield a 40% greater return than attending the
University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student( $ 35,542)?
Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado
at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state students(
$17,380) there? Not likely. No, in this consumerist age, most
buyers aren't evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer
product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only
one of many crucial factors to consider. As with automobiles,
consumers in today's college marketplace have vast choices, and people search
for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their
budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different
types of experiences(such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going
to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And
just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very
different cars, college students(or, more accurately, their parents)often show a
willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So
which is it?
单选题
What's the opinion of economists about going to college?
A. Huge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing
B. It doesn't pay to run into debt to receive a college education
C. College education is rewarding in spite of the starting costs
D. Going to college doesn't necessarily bring the expected returns
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】
单选题
The two Harvard economists note in their study that, for much of the
20th century, _______.
A. enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and
universities
B. the labor market preferred high-school graduates to college
graduates
C. competition for university admissions was far more fierce than
today
D. the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates
narrowed
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】
单选题
Student who attend an in-state college or university can ______.
A. save more on tuition
B. receive a better education
C. take more liberal-arts courses
D. avoid traveling long distances
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】
单选题
In this consumerist age, most parents ______.
A. regard college education as a wise investment
B. place a premium on the prestige of the college
C. think it crucial to send their children to college
D. consider college education a consumer product
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】
单选题
What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today?