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Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) 15minutes Universities Branch Out As never before in their long story, universities have become instruments of national competition as well as instruments of peace. They are the place of the scientific discoveries that move economies forward, and the primary means of educating the talent required to obtain and maintain competitive advantages. But at the same time, the opening of national borders to the flow of goods, services, information and especially people has made universities a powerful force for global integration, mutual understanding and geopolitical stability. In response to the same forces that have driven the world economy, universities have become more self-consciously global: seeking students from around the world who represent the entire range of cultures and values, sending their own students abroad to prepare them for global careers, offering courses of study that address the challenges of an interconnected world and collaborative（合作的）research programs to advance science for the benefit of all humanity. Of the forces shaping higher education none is more sweeping than the movement across borders. Over the past three decades the number of students leaving home each year to study abroad has grown at an annual rate of 3.9 percent, from 800,000 in 1975 to 2.5 million in 2004. Most travel from one developed nation to another, but the flow from developing to developed countries is growing rapidly. The reverse flow, from developed to developing countries, is on the rise, too. Today foreign students earn 30 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded in the United States and 38 percent of those in the United Kingdom. And the number crossing borders for undergraduate study is growing as well, to 8 percent of the undergraduates at America’s best institutions and 10 percent of all undergraduates in the U.K. In the United States, 20 percent of the newly hired professors in science and engineering are foreign-born, and in China many newly hired faculty members at the top research universities received their graduate education abroad. Universities are also encouraging students to spend some of their undergraduate years in another country. In Europe, more than 140,000 students participate in the Erasmus program each year, taking courses for credit in one of 2, 200 participating institutions across the continent. And in the United States, institutions are helping place students in summer internships（实习）abroad to prepare them for global careers. Yale and Harvard have led the way, offering every undergraduate at least one international study or internship opportunity and providing the financial resources to make it possible. Globalization is also reshaping the way research is done. One new trend involves sourcing portions of a research program to another country. Yale professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Tian Xu directs a research center focused on the genetics of human disease at Shanghai’s Fudan University, in collaboration with faculty colleagues from both schools. The Shanghai center has 95 employees and graduate students working in a 4,300-square-meter laboratory facility with scientists from both campuses. The arrangement benefits both countries; Xu’s Yale lab is more productive, thanks to the lower costs of conducing research in China, and Chinese graduate students and faculty get on-the-job training from a world-class scientist and his U.S. team. As a result of its strength in science, the United States has consistently led the world in the commercialization of major new technologies, from the mainframe computer and integrated circuit of the 1960s to the internet infrastructure(基础设施)and applications software of the 1990s. The link between university-based science and industrial application is often indirect but sometimes highly visible: Silicon Valley was intentionally created by Stanford University, and Route 128 outside Boston has long housed companies spun off from MIT and Harvard. Around the world, governments have encouraged copying of his model, perhaps most successfully in Cambridge, England, where Microsoft and scores of other leading software and biotechnology companies have set up shop around the university. For all its success, the United States remains deeply hesitant about sustaining the research university model. Most politicians recognize the link between investment in science and national economic strength, but support for research funding has been unsteady. The budget of the National Institutes of Health doubled between 1998 and 2003, but has risen more slowly than inflations since then. Support for the physical sciences and engineering barely kept pace with inflation during that same period. The attempt to make up lost ground is welcome, but the nation would be better served by steady, predictable increases in science funding at the rate of long-term GDP growth, which is on the order of inflation plus 3 percent per year. American politicians have great difficulty recognizing that admitting more foreign students can greatly promote the national interest by increasing international understanding. Adjusted for inflation, public funding for international exchanges and foreign-language study is well below the levels of 40 years ago. In the wake of September 11, changes in the visa process caused a dramatic decline in the number of foreign students seeking admission to U.S. Universities, and a corresponding surge in enrollments in Australia, Singapore and the U .K. Objections from Americans university and business leaders led to improvements in the process and a reversal of the decline, but the United States is still seen by many as unwelcoming to international students. Most Americans recognize that universities contribute to the nation’s well-being through their scientific research, but many fear that foreign students threaten American competitiveness by taking their knowledge and skills back home. They fail to grasp that welcoming foreign students to the United States has two important positive effects: first, the very best of them stay in the states and---- like immigrants throughout history----strength the nation; and second, foreign students who study in the United States become ambassadors for many of its most cherished(珍视) values when they return home. Or at least they understand them better. In America as elsewhere, few Instruments of foreign policy are as effective in promoting peace and stability as welcoming international university students. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。 1．From the first paragraph we know that present –day universities have become _______. A．more and more research-oriented B．in-service training organizations C．more popularized than ever before D．a powerful force for global integration 2．Over the past three decades, the enrollment of overseas students has increased _______. A．by2.5 million B．by 800,000 C．at an annual rate of 3.9 percent D．at an annual rate of 8 percent 3．In the United States, how many of the newly hired professors in science and engineering are foreign-born? A．10% B．20% C．30% D．38% 4．How do Yale and Harvard prepare their undergraduates for global careers? A．They organize a series of seminars on world economy B．They offer them various courses in international politics C．They arrange for them to participate in the Erasmus program D．They give them chances for international study or internship 5．An example illustrating the general trend of universities’ globalization is _______. A．Yale’s collaboration with Fudan University on genetic research B．Yale’s helping Chinese universities to launch research projects C．Yale’s student exchange program with European institutions D．Yale’s establishing branch campuses throughout the world 6．What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage? A．It houses many companies spun off from MIT and Harvard B．It is known to be the birthplace of Microsoft Company C．It was intentionally created by Stanford University D．It is where the Internet infrastructure was built up 7．What is said about the U.S. federal funding for research? A．It has increased by 3 percent B．It has been unsteady for years C．It has been more than sufficient D．It doubled between 1998 and 2003 8．The dramatic decline in the enrollment of foreign students in the U.S after September 11 was caused by _______________________. 9．Many Americans fear that American competiveness may be threatened by foreign students who will _______________________. 10．The policy of welcoming foreign students can benefit the U.S. in that the very best of them will stay and _______________________. That’s enough, kids It was a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine with her two children when a young boy, aged about four, approached her two-year-old son and pushed him to the ground. “I’d watched him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child he’d shoved,” she says.” I went over to them, picked up my son, turned to the boy and said, firmly, ‘No, we don’t push.’” What happened next was unexpected. “The boy’s mother ran toward me from across the park,” Stella says, “I thought she was coming over to apologize, but instead she started shouting at me for’ disciplining her child’. All I did was let him know his behavior was unacceptable. Was I supposed to sit back while her kid did whatever he wanted, hurting other children in the process?” Getting your own children to play nice is difficult enough. Dealing with other people’s children has become a minefield. In my house, jumping on the sofa is not allowed. In my sister’s house it’s encouraged. For her, it’s about kids being kids: “If you can’t do it at three, when can you do it?” Each of these philosophies is valid and, it has to be said, my son loves visiting his aunt’s house. But I find myself saying “no” a lot when her kids are over at mine. That’s OK between sisters but becomes dangerous territory when you’re talking to the children of friends or acquaintances. “Kids aren’t all raised the same,” agrees Professor Naomi White of Monash University. “But there is still an idea that they’re the property of the parent. We see our children as an extension of ourselves, so if you’re saying that my child is behaving inappropriately, then that’s somehow a criticism of me.” In those circumstances, it’s difficult to know whether to approach the child directly or the parent first. There are two schools of thought. “I’d go to the child first,” says Andrew Fuller, author of Tricky Kids. “Usually a quiet reminder that ‘we don’t do that here’ is enough. Kids have finely tuned antennae (直觉) for how to behave in different settings.” He points out bringing it up with the parent first may make them feel neglectful, which could cause problems. Of course, approaching the child first can bring its own headaches, too. This is why White recommends that you approach the parents first.” Raise your concerns with the parents if they’re there and ask them to deal with it,” she says. Asked how to approach a parent in this situation, psychologist Meredith Fuller answers: “Explain your needs as well as stressing the importance of the friendship. Preface your remarks with something like: ‘I know you’ll think I’m silly but in my house I don’t want...’” When it comes to situations where you’re caring for another child, white is straightforward: “common sense must prevail. If things don’t go well, then have a chat.” There’re a couple of new grey areas. Physical punishment, once accepted from any adult, is no longer appropriate. “Now you can’t do it without feeling uneasy about it,” White says. Men might also feel uneasy about dealing with other peoples children.” Men feel nervous,” White says.” A new set of considerations has come to the fore as part of the debate about how we handle children.” For Andrew Fuller, the child-centric nature of our society has affected everyone,” The rules are different now from when today’s parents were growing up,” he says.” Adults are scared of saying, ‘Don’t swear’, or asking a child to stand up on a bus. They’re worried that there will be conflict if they point these things out – either from older children, or their parents.” He sees it as a loss of the sense of common public good and public courtesy (礼貌), and says that adults suffer from it as much as children. Meredith Fuller agrees,” A code of conduct is hard to create when you’re living in a world in which everyone is exhausted from overwork and lack of sleep, and a world in which nice people are perceived to finish last.” “It’s about what I’m doing and what I need,” Andrew Fuller says. “The days when a kid came home from school and said, ‘I got into trouble’, and dad said, ‘You probably deserved it’, are over. Now the parents are charging up to the school to have a go at teachers.” This jumping to our children’s defense is part of what fuels the “walking on eggshells” feeling that surrounds our dealings with other people’s children. You know that if you remonstrate(劝诫) with the child, you’re going to have to deal with the parent. It’s admirable to be protective of our kids, but is it good? “Children have to learn to negotiate the world on their own, within reasonable boundaries,” White says,“I suspect that it’s only certain sectors of the population doing the running to the school –better –educated parents are probably more likely to be too involved.” White believes our notions of a more child-centred society should be challenged. “Today we have a situation where, in many families, both parents work, so the amount of time children get from parents has diminished,” she says. “Also, sometimes when we talk about being child-centred, it’s a way of talking about treating our children like commodities(商品). We’re centred on them but in ways that reflect positively on us. We treat them as objects whose appearance and achievements are something we can be proud of, rather than serve the best interests of the children.” One way over-worked, under-resourced parents show commitment to their children is to leap to their defence. Back at the park, Bianchi’s intervention(干预) on her son’s behalf ended in an undignified exchange of insulting words with the other boy’s mother. As Bianchi approached the park bench where she’d been sitting, other mums came up to her and congratulated her on taking a stand. “Apparently the boy had a longstanding reputation for bad behaviour and his mum for even worse behaviour if he was challenged.” Andrew Fuller doesn’t believe that we should be afraid of dealing with other people’s kids. “Look at kids that aren’t your own as a potential minefield,” he says. He recommends that we don’t stay silent over inappropriate behaviour, particularly with regular visitors. 1. What did Stella Bianchi expect the young boy’s mother to do when she talked to him? A) Make an apology. B) Come over to intervene. C) Discipline her own boy. D) Take her own boy away. 2. What does the author say about dealing with other people’s children? 　　A) It’s important not to hurt them in any way. B) It’s no use trying to stop their wrongdoing. C) It’s advisable to treat them as one’s own kids. D) It’s possible for one to get into lots of trouble. 3. According to Professor Naomi White of Monash University, when one’s kids are criticised, their parents will probably feel . A) discouraged B) hurt C) puzzled D) overwhelmed 4. What should one do when seeing other people’s kids misbehave according to Andrew Fuller? A) Talk to them directly in a mild way B) Complain to their parents politely C) Simply leave them alone D) Punish them lightly 5. Due to the child-centric nature of our society, . A) parents are worried when their kids swear at them B) people think it improper to criticise kids in public C) people are reluctant to point our kids’ wrongdoings D) many conflicts arise between parents and their kids 6. In a world where everyone is exhausted from over work and lack of sleep, . A) it’s easy for people to become impatient B) it’s difficult to create a code of conduct C) it’s important to be friendly to everybody D) it’s hard for people to admire each other 7. How did people use to respond when their kids got into trouble at school? A) They’d question the teachers. B) They’d charge up to the school. C) They’d tell the kids to calm down. D) They’d put the blame on their kids. 8. Professor White believes that the notions of a more child-centred society should be . 9. According to Professor White, today’s parents treat their children as something they . 10. Andrew Fuller suggests that , when kids behave inappropriately, people should not . 2007年12月 选词填空 As war spreads to many corners of the globe, Children sadly have been drawn into the center of conflicts. In Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Colombia, however, groups of children have been taking part in peace education 47 .The children, after learning to resolve conflicts, took on the 48 of peacemakers. The Children’ s Movement for peacemakers was even nominated(提名) or the Nobel peace prize in 1998. Groups of children 49 as peacemakers studied human rights and poverty issues in Colombia, eventually forming a group with five other schools in Bogota known a The Schools of Peace. The classroom 50 opportunities for children to replace angry, violent behaviors with 51, peaceful ones. It is in the classroom that caring and respect for each person empowers children to take a step 52 toward becoming peacemakers. Fortunately, educators have access to many online resources that are 53 useful when helping children along the path to peace. The Young Peacemakers Club, started in 1992, provides a Website with resources for teachers and 54 on starting a Kindness Campaign. The World Centers of Compassion for Children International call attention to children’s rights and how to help the 55 of war. Starting a Peacemakers’ Club is a praiseworthy venture for a class and one that could spread to other classrooms and ideally affect the culture of the 56 school. A) acting B) assuming C) comprehensive D) cooperative E) entire F) especially G) forward H) images I) information J) offers K) projects L) respectively M) role N) technology O) victims 2008年12月四级考试真题 A bookless life is an incomplete life. Books influence the depth and breadth of life. They meet the natural 47 for freedom, for expression, for creativity and beauty of life. Learners, therefore, must have books, and the right type of book, for the satisfaction of their need. Readers turn 48 to books because their curiosity concerning all manners of things, their eagerness to share in the experiences of others and their need to 49 from their own limited environment lead them to find in books food for the mind and the spirit. Through their reading they find a deeper significance to life as books acquaint them with life in the world as it was and it is now. They are presented with a 50 of human experiences and come to 51 other ways of thought and living. And while 52 their own relationships and responses to life , the readers often find that the 53 in their stories are going through similar adjustments, which help to clarify and give significance to their own. Books provide 54 material for readers’ imagination to grow. Imagination is a valuable quality and a motivating power, and stimulates achievement. While enriching their imagination, books 55 their outlook, develop a fact-finding attitude and train them to use leisure 56 . The social and educational significance of the readers’ books cannot be overestimated in an academic library. A. Abundant B. Characters C. Communicating D. Completely E. Derive F. Desire G. Diversity H. Escape I. Establishing J. Narrow K. Naturally L. Personnel M. Properly N. Respect O. Widen 2010年6月19日真题 篇章选词 When we think of green buildings, we tend to think of new ones--- the kind of high-tech，solar-paneled masterpieces that make the covers of architecture magazines. But the U. S. has more than 100 million existin