Passage Two

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 skill”—or the amount college graduates earned that’s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned 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 2007-08) 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 student (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? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive world’s hottest consumer trend, maybe it’s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车); an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.

6. 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 startling costs.

D．Going to college doesn’t necessarily bring the expected returns.

7. 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 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

8. Students 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

9. 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

10. What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today?

A．Their employment prospects after graduation.

B．A satisfying experience within their budgets.

C．Its facilities and learning environment.

D．Its ranking among similar institutions.

参考答案

6.C 7.D 8.A 9.D 10.B

名师点评

Passage Two

此文是典型的教育类文章，在六级考试中，教育类文章一般会深入探讨教育体制和教育弊端。这篇阅读有一个new idea是即使大学教育是一种高消费，但作者仍鼓励和支持人们进入大学深造，把大学作为一种投资和商品的结合；这与以往六级阅读大走“批判路线”有所不同。总体来说，这篇阅读比上篇阅读要简单一些，因为较好定位。文章一共5段，每一段对应一道题。

要做好这篇文章需要把握两点：1. 明确本文中心：即作者对于花钱上大学的态度（肯定or否定）；2. 定位到原文后做题时，即使不太确定整句话的意思，但只要注意几个关键词就大功告成。 如第57题定位于第一段But之后，虽然是个长句，但是主要抓住关键families can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that should yield huge dividends，而最重点就是yield huge dividends，可见作者是持肯定态度的，从而排除了ABD这三个持否定态度的答案。又如第58题，考生可能对“labor-market premium to skill”理解不透，不过没有关系，考场上只要看懂earn这一词，还有decrease这一词，就明白这句话谈论的是有关收入earning。本篇较为容易的题有59、60、61题，59题靠2个数字就可解答出正确答案，而60、61题基本上答案就是原文中词汇。