英美报刊期末考试

题目：美英报刊文章选读期末论文姓名：专业：班级：学号：Lesson one又到一年开学季，莘莘学子们又开始背上行囊开始他们的大学旅程，踏上他们的寻梦之旅。

但他们同时也面临着选择高昂学费但名声斐然的私立学校，还是选择价格低廉且教学质量又有保障的州内公立大学这样一个难题。

本文题目很好阐述了本文主题，对于美国中产阶级的而言，倾家荡产将孩子送入昂贵的私立名校，表面光鲜，实则毫无裨益。

从本文的篇章结构来看，整体采取总分的结构。

本文首先提出对于中产阶级两难的抉择。

然后论述送孩子去私立学校不如送孩子去公立学校的原因，原因如下：1.私立大学的学费比州内公立大学要贵2.5倍；2.根据美国盖洛普民意测验的数据显示，私立大学生与公立大学生的幸福指数是相近的，而学生的负债率又与学生的幸福感指数成反比；3.大学生活的充实度并不在于你进入私立高校，因为无论是私立还是公立学到的东西是一样的，重点是在于自己是否有意愿参加课外活动和研讨会；4.大学毕业后，进入私立学校的学生似乎比公立学校的学生工资要高，但是根据美国著名经济学家的调查，毕业后工资的高低与学校无直接关系，而最重要的因素是学生个人的进取心以及家庭环境的影响；5.对于一些美国的少数名族对于名校也是趋之若鹜的现象，究其原因是想要有一个与外界，上流社会接触的机会，但是对于白人大学生而言，他们不需要这种机会；但作者也没有全盘否定中产阶级的孩子进入高等学府的希望，对于一些学生而言，他们的学业成绩可以使他们获得类似奖学金的资助，这样可以大大减轻学生的负债压力，但是很多学生没有利用这个机会。

那么对于中国的教育体系而言，中国也面临这样一个两难的局面，大学教育水平参差不齐，大学收费不合理，大学课程与社会就业所需脱节的问题也是层出不穷；但归根到底，学生的主观能动性才是大学生能否有所作为的关键。

1. If you are in this dilemma, which school do you prefer, the public one or the private one and what are your reasons?2. What are the important factors that will attribute to a successful college student?3. How do you choose your college, what attract you most about college?Private colleges are a waste of money for white, middle class kidsBy Max EhrenfreundThese students attend the University of Maryland in College Park. They were smart. (Sarah L. Voisin /the Washington Post)⒈Many parents whose kids have their eye on an exclusive, private college face a difficult question: Is it worth unloading your life's savings orhaving your child take on tens of thousands of dollars in student loans?⒉The average four-year private college costs over $42,000 a year for tuition, room and board, after all, while the average four-year public school costs less than half that -- $18,943 for in-state students, according to the College Board. So the question is really, really important, especially at a time when nearly half of recent college grads have a job that doesn't even require a degree.⒊Fortunately, for many Americans -- white, middle-class kids -- there's an easy answer: Don't pay more to go to a private college.⒋That means choosing the University of California over Pomona, the State University of New York over NYU and the University of Maryland over nearby American or George Washington.⒌Of course, if a student is getting a scholarship that heavily discounts the cost of attendance, the question isn't as relevant. And the answer to the question is much more complicated for kids from families in other racial socioeconomic groups. But for white kids with well educated parents, what matters is getting a college degree, not where it came from.⒍For starters, take a large survey of college graduates published this year by Gallup. It asked graduates how they were doing across five different metrics, including financially, physically and socially. Eleven percent of graduates of public universities and private universities said they were"thriving" across all five. Twelve percent of graduates of U.S. News & World Report's top 100 schools were thriving, essentially the same as the rest.Gallup⒎The happiest people, in general, were the ones who developed a relationship with a mentor, participated in extracurricular activities or took on a major academic project -- all things you can do at any school.⒏The biggest predictor of whether a graduate wasn't thriving was whether he or she had student loans. Fourteen percent of those without any debt said they were thriving, compared to 2 percent of those with more than $40,000 of debt. You can't draw iron-clad conclusions from that, but thosefigures should be worrisome all the same for anyone thinking about taking on student loans.What about earnings?⒐But these are general survey findings about well-being. What about a more precise measure: the income that college grads earn?⒑Alumni of selective schools do tend to make more money after they graduate. Yet it isn't clear whether that's because they learned something especially useful while they were in school because they had greater talents to begin with.⒒Economists Stacy Dale of Mathematica Policy Research and Alan Krueger of Princeton have examined this problem carefully.⒓Relying on a survey of graduates from about two dozen colleges and other data, they compared students who applied to the most selective schools when they were in 12th grade against those who applied to schools that were still selective, albeit less so. Dale and Krueger reasoned that those who applied to the most exclusive schools were more ambitious or had more potential as judged by their parents, teachers and counselors.⒔The two economists found that the students with more potential made more as adults, and the students with less made less -- no matter wherethey went to school. They conclude that how much you make depends on you, not where you get in.⒕Although the study concentrated on graduates of prestigious schools, Krueger wrote in an email that the logic of the study could likely be extended to other schools as well. If there's minimal to no gain to attending an elite private university, there's almost certainly zero gain from paying to apply for a less selective private university.⒖"When I was a resident tutor in a Harvard dorm in the 1980's, I saw a lot of students who were not serious about their schoolwork, and who wasted a lot of time with likeminded peers," Krueger wrote. "Determined students can get a good education in many places in the U.S., and graduates who are talented and hardworking often get recognized by employers."⒗These findings do not apply in every individual case. There's great variationin graduation rates among private colleges and among public universities, and going to a school where you're less likely to graduate puts your future earnings at risk. But these results do hold an important lesson for most kids who are white and whose parents also graduated from college -- a huge group of college applicants. (According to the College Board, about half of students taking the SAT this year were white, and about 57 percent had parents who had at least a bachelor's degree.)For minorities and low-income students, a more complex picture⒘The answer is much more complicated for blacks, Hispanics and those whose parents are comparatively less educated.⒙In Dale and Krueger's research, these groups did seem to make more money after attending more selective schools.⒚The authors suggest that attending an elite school might provide these students with access to a new social circle that provides themwith more economic opportunities later in life. Children of well-educated whites might already have that access and so don't gain anything from attending an elite school. Sometimes, it's who you know.⒛There could be other explanations. Perhaps at selective institutions, students from different circumstances pick up from their peers a setof social cues or professional habits that allow them to fitin among America's economically secure stratum, like how to ask for an informational interview or how to tie a bow tie.21. But even for these groups, there are important caveats. It's conceivable that for some, borrowing to pay tuition at a private school could be a wise decision financially. Yet the more a student has to borrow, the less likely the investment is to pay off, and borrowing for school is risky in any case. Costs can explode if a student takes longer than four years tograduate, as many do, and if the student drops out, debt can become impossible to manage. Alternative ideas -- such as starting at a community or state university, then transferring to a private one -- might also be attractive.22. But if they're qualified, these students should definitely consider applying to elite colleges, which will often help them pay tuition. U.S. News compiled this list of schools that pledge to meet 100 percent of their student's financial needs in order to ensure an affordable education. The 62 institutions on the list include the Ivy League, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other very exclusive schools. Only three of the schools are public. The Washington Monthly has another list of academically rigorous schools that offer generous financial aid.23. Many talented students from poor families don't realize that attending one of these schools can be affordable. The average out of pocket cost for low-income student at the most competitive private universities is only $6,754 per year, while less competitive schools require close to $20,000 a year, according to another study.24."The majority of high-achieving, low-income students do not apply to any selective colleges despite apparently being well qualified foradmission," write the authors, economists Caroline Hoxby and Christopher Avery.25. Added Lydia Frank of PayScale, which collects data on salaries and education in the workforce: "Their net price for that school might be a lot lower than they think. The reputation for a school being expensive prevents students from doing that research."(From The Washington Post,December 18, 2014)1.Have one's eye on(vi.)considering doing something carefully or take somethinginto serious consideration; 关注，考虑做某事2.Unload (vi.) take the load off, in this text it means spent a lot money on privatecollege 卸货，支付3.Take on(vi.) hold responsibility on something, here means have an obligation topay the school loan 承担4.In-state(adj.) within the boundary of other states, in this text in-state universityis more affordable for students 州内的5.Racial (adj.) of or related to genetically distinguished groups of people 种族的6.Mentor(n.) a wise and trusted guide and advisor, served as a teacher or trustedcounselor 良师7.Extra-curriculum(n.) outside the regular academic curriculum 课外活动8.Predictor(n.) indicator 指标9.Draw an iron-clad conclusion: inflexible entrenched and unchangeable result铁证如山10.Precise (adj.) sharply, exact or accurate and delimited精确的，明确的11.Alumni (n.) the alumni of a school, college, or university are the people whoused to be students there. Alumnus(plus)校友12.T alents (n.)is a natural ability to do something well人才13.A lbeit (adv.) introduce a fact or comment that reduces the force or significanceof what you have just said 虽然，表转折14.P restigious(adj.) an institution or a people is respected and admired by people;celebrated 有声望的，声名显赫的15.P icture (n.) When you refer to the picture in a particular place, you are referringto the situation there. 局面; 情况16.M inorities (n.) a minority are a group of people of the same race, culture, orreligion who live in a place where most of the people around them are of a different race, culture, or religion. 少数民族17.E lite (n.) people or organizations are considered to be the best of their kind. 精英18.P rovide… with: equip somebody with something, accommodate somebody withsomething, cater to one’s need 提供19.Access (vt.) If you have access to a person, you have the opportunity or rightto see them or meet them. 接触的机会; 接触的权利20.Stratum (n.) a stratum of society is a group of people in it who are similar intheir education, income, or social status. 社会阶层21.C aveat (n.) a caveat is a warning of a specific limitation of something such asinformation or an agreement. 警告; 提醒22.C onceivable (adj.) if something is conceivable, you can imagine it or believe it.可想像的; 可相信的23.Pay off (phrasal verb) if an action pays off, it is successful or profitable after aperiod of time. (某行动) 取得成功; 带来好结果24.A lternative(adj.) have another choice If one thing is an alternative to another,the first can be found, used, or done instead of the second. 替代品25.D rop-out(adj.) forced to leave school in that violate the school law or have abad performance on tests 辍学的piled (vi.) when you compile something such as a report, book, orprogrammed, you produce it by collecting and putting together many pieces of information. 汇编; 汇集27.R igorous (adj.) a test, system, or procedure that is rigorous is very thorough andstrict. (测试、制度、程序) 严格缜密的28.a ffordable(adj.) that you have the financial means for 买的起的1.The Washington Post:The largest and oldest newspaper in Washington D.C. Itgains a worldwide reputation by exposing the Watergate Scandal and forcing President Richard Nixon resigned. Most people regard it as the most prominent after the New York Times newspaper. Its headquarter is located in the capital of the United States, it is particularly good at reporting domestic politicaldynamics, on the contrary, the New York Times is usually good at reporting more prestigious international things. 华盛顿邮报2.Max Ehrenfreund is a blogger on the Financial deskand writes for Know More and Wonkblog and he is a journalist appointed by Washington Post.3.The University of Maryland：The University of Maryland University College(UMUC) is an American public university located in the unincorporatedcommunity of Adelphi in Prince George's County, Maryland in the UnitedStates. It is known primarily for its distance learning classes and programs; it serves over 90,000 students worldwide and is one of the largest distancelearning institutions in the world. 马里兰大学4. The College Board: A mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Boardwas created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.Its aim is that all students should have access to an affordable and successful college experience. We offer recommendations to improve and simplify the financial aid system so that enrollment and full participation in college is possible for all students. 美国大学理事会5.Grads: graduates的缩写6. A Gallup poll：an opinion poll carried out by an official organization and used especially in forecasting the results of elections. The Gallup Poll usually refer to a poll that demonstrates the public opinions, and it was widely been used as a method for the mass media to represent public opinion. It was established by American statistician George Gallup. The feature of this poll is to use random sampling method and its ultimate goal is to minimize the deviation degree. 盖洛普民意测验7.U.S. News & World Report: an American media company that publishes consumer advice, rankings and analysis. Founded as a news weekly magazine in 1933, U.S. News transitioned to a digital-only publication in 2010. U.S. News is best known today for its influential Best Colleges and Best Hospitals rankings, but it has expanded its content and product offerings in education, health, money, careers, travel, and cars.The editorial staff of U.S. News & World Report is based in Washington,D.C. Brian Kelly has been the chief content officer since April 2007.美国新闻与世界报道8. Selective school: a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems. The opposite is a comprehensive school（综合性学校）, which accepts all students, regardless of aptitude. 重点大学9. The middle class：a class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class. The common measures of what constitutes middle class vary significantly among cultures. 中产阶级10. SAT: it stands for Scholastic Assessment Test, is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. It was first introduced in 1926, and its name and scoring have changed several times, being originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, then the Scholastic Assessment Test, then the SAT Reasoning Test, and now simply the SAT. 学术能力评估测试This news is really thought-provoking; it reflects a worldwide phenomenon to some extent. It concentrates on the most prevailing issue around the world, which strikes on the high tuition fee for college students. It goes without saying that knowledge is power, and it is really pathetic to see money gets in the way of knowledge acquisition. The highly-recognized and academic-renowned elite universities are ideal place for those who want to pursue their further studies. However, in this text the author bring up a very interesting perspective, that it not worth for middle-class parents to send their children to the expensive private schools. The author illustrates his points in the following ways. First and foremost, the tuition fee paid for the private school is 3times higher than the public one; Secondly, the students who study in the public university tend to be happier than the private ones, because they have little worry about their school loans. Thirdly, to be a successful student, a prestigious school only attributes little to students' accomplishment, what really matters is the student's personality and their learning attitude. Fourthly, the reason why some minorities are flooding into these institutions because it provides them with an access to the upper class, in which will give them more opportunities to get respect and dignity from the major group. But it is pointless for white students to do this, because they are part of this group. What's more what can you learn in private school can also be learned in public school because they are under the same educational system. Last but not least, which school did you attend has nothing to do with your future salary? In otherwords, you are like an entrepreneur who starts from scratch, and the future belongs to those who see the beauty in their dreams.In China, we also have a similar problem that is the disparity of the university teaching qualities and the discrimination among education circles. It is a loophole in a computer that contains virus which can easily penetrate and destroy the whole system. Recently, the value of the college degree stirs a heated discussion on the internet. I am in favor of the point of view that when comes to land a job it is your top priority to show your degree. It works like an invitation allow you to attend a party, it gives you permission to the company you dreamed of. But your reality competence matters more in the following procession, your adaptability, flexibility and your social network seems more important than your degree.All in all, entering a university you embark on a new journey, whether it is a highly-renowned and prestigious college or an ordinary university. It is your call to realize your dream, your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.。