【短文一】

　　Many foreign students are attracted not only to the academic programs at a particular U.S. college but also to the larger community, which affords the chance to soak up the surrounding culture. Few foreign universities put much emphasis on the cozy communal life that characterizes American campuses from clubs and sports teams to student publications and drama societies. “The campus and the American university have become identical in people’s minds,” says Brown University President Vartan Gregorian. “In America it is assumed that a student’s daily life is as important as his learning experience.”

　　Foreign students also come in search of choices. America’s menu of options—research universities, state institutions, private liberal-arts schools, community colleges, religious institutions, military academies—is unrivaled. “In Europe,” says history professor Jonathan Steinberg, who has taught at both Harvard and Cambridge, “there is one system, and that is it.” While students overseas usually must demonstrate expertise in a specific field, whether law or philosophy or chemistry, most American universities insist that students sample natural and social sciences, languages and literature before choosing a field of concentration.

　　Such opposing philosophies grow out of different traditions and power structures. In Europe and Japan, universities are answerable only to a ministry of education, which sets academic standards and distributes money.

　　While centralization ensures that all students are equipped with roughly the same resources and perform at roughly the same level, it also discourages experimentation. “When they make mistakes, they make big ones,” says Robert Rosenzweig, president of the Association of American Universities. “They set a system in wrong directions, and it’s like steering a supertanker.”

　　16. What does the speaker say characterizes American campuses?

　　答案：(A) The cozy communal life.

　　【点评】：细节题。本篇文章开头即指出 'Few foreign universities put much emphasis on the cozy communal life that characterizes American campuses from clubs and sports teams to student publications and drama societies.'此可知美国校园的特点就在于集体生活，比如俱乐部、运动队、学生刊物以及戏剧社团。

　　17. What does Brown University president Vartan Gregorian say about students' daily life?

　　答案：(C) It is as important as their learning experience.

　　【点评】：细节题。布朗大学校长在说到学生日常生活时说“In America it is assumed that a student’s daily life is as important as his learning experience. . .” 可见在美国学生平日生活和他们的学习经历同等重要。

　　18. In what way is the United States unrivaled according to the speaker?

　　答案：(C) It provides numerous options for students.

　　【点评】：细节题。听力原文中说到America’s menu of options—research universities, state institutions, private liberal-arts schools, community colleges, religious institutions, military academies—is unrivaled.其实归根结底就是America's menu of options is unrivaled.美国各类学校应有尽有任你选。

　　19. What does the speaker say about universities in Europe and Japan?

　　答案：(B) They are responsible merely to their Ministry of Education.

　　【点评】：细节题。说到欧洲和日本大学时，原文"In Europe and Japan, universities are answerable only to a ministry of education, which sets academic standards and distributes money."中的"answerable only to…"意思和"be responsible merely to"相同，即“只对……负责，只听从……的”。

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