It’s high time someone spoke up for today’s college students. They’re probably the most hardworking, ambitious people in America and their problems are not properly appreciated.
People like the Secretary of Education simply don’t know what they’re talking about when they knock students. Nor do those who plain about falling academic standards.
The vast majority of the nation’s 12 million students are struggling to pay for their educations. They are part of the invisible workforce. Many hold down full-time jobs. They’re frying hamburgers, photographing weddings, working in construction, and waiting on tables. The fact that they even show up for classes is a wonderful event.
The financial situation of most students explains a lot about what is happening in schools. Why are the traditional courses so unpopular? Why are students flocking to accounting and puter science and any professional programs that seem to lead to careers?
Answer: Today’s working student has been forced into a kind of premature matter-of-fact way of viewing things. Romance is gone. The notion of transforming one’s self through study alone has disappeared. Today’s students seek freedom from manual labor, and the status conferred by a good job.
There are other consequences. Today’s students don’t have much time or energy to be devoted, and carry out independent research or even do serious homework. That’s the secret behind falling academic standards. Students have bee consumers. They want grades and certifications. Their professors can’t be expected to give a grade of failure to students who are clearly tired from the effort to pay their bills.
There’s a lot wrong with this situation. It’s twisting the definition of education out of shape. Worse, it’s creating a generation that is totally unpleasant. The brightest students turn out to be yuppies (雅皮士). The vast majority are, at least, good-natured semi-literates.
The time has run out for philosophical debates about fixed courses of study. What this country needs is someone to stand up and say that being a full-time student during one’s formative years is an honorable calling worthy of support. If families can’t or won’t give it to their children, then the government should.
【小题1】The author’s purpose in writing this article is to .A．awaken the whole society to the problems today’s college students faceB．warn Americans that academic standards are fallingC．advise college students to study hardD．provide a suggestion that only full-time students be enrolled【小题2】The most suitable word to describe the author’s feelings about today’s college students is .A．criticizeB．sympathizeC．plainD．urge【小题3】Which of the following cannot be learned from the passage?A．Many students are often absent from classes.B．Traditional courses are not popular.C．Students mit crimes with puters.D．Students don’t devote much time and energy to their homework.【小题4】By saying “Romance is gone” in paragraph 5, the author means .A．today’s students do not believe in love stories any moreB．today’s students bee more practical in dealing with thingsC．students think there is no affection any more and break up with their loversD．today’s students hold matter-of-fact opinions on love【小题5】Which of the following suggestions will the author not agree with?A．We should encourage students to give up full-time jobs. B．Families should offer their children more help financially.C．We should stand up and say something for today’s college students.D．We should make more strict regulations to force students to study hard.A
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(答案→)A
解析：文章谈论了现在的大学生所遇见的种种难题，呼吁全社会一起来关注这些问题。
【小题1】A 推理题。作者写这篇文章是想让别人知道大学生所遇见的种种困难，尤其是经济方面的困难，很多学生要做兼职来付自己的学费。主要是唤醒社会对这些问题的认识。故A正确。
【小题2】B 根据文章第三段2,3,4行内容Many hold down full-time jobs. They’re frying hamburgers, photographing weddings, working in construction, and waiting on tables说明现在很多的大学生都要做兼职工作来付学费，他们要做很多的事情，作者对他们充满了同情。故B正确。
【小题3】C 细节题。根据第三段最后一句推理出很多学生都逃课。根据Why are the traditional courses so unpopular说明B也提及了。以及第七段1,2行Today’s students don’t have much time or energy to be devoted, and carry out independent research or even do serious homework说明D也提及了，只有C没有提及。
【小题4】B 推理题。浪漫已经不见了。说明现在的学生学会了现实，不在相信那些浪漫的爱情故事，对实际的物质更感兴趣了，故B正确。
【小题5】D 推理题。文章中提及现在的学生的生活压力很大，已经没有太多的时间放在真正的学习和研究上了，D选项中的说法等于是给学生更大的负担和压力，故作者应该是不同意该说法。