大学英语四级真题阅读部分(新)(6)

By almost any measure, there is a boom in Internet-based instruction. In just a few years, 34 percent of American universities have begun offering some form of distance learning (DL), and among the larger schools, it’s close to 90 percent. If you doubt the popularity of the trend, you probably haven’t heard of the University of Phoenix. It grants degrees entirely on the basis of online instruction. It enrolls 90,000 students, a statistic used to support its claim to be the largest private university in the country.

While the kinds of instruction offered in these programs will differ, DL usually signifies a course in which the instructors post syllabi (课程大纲), reading assignment, and schedules on Websites, and students send in their assignments by e-mail. Generally speaking, face-to-face communication with an instructor is minimized or eliminated altogether.

The attraction for students might at first seem obvious. Primarily, there’s the convenience promised by courses on the Net: you can do the work, as they say, in your pajamas (睡衣). But figures indicate that the reduced effort results in a reduced commitment to the course. While dropout rate for all freshmen at American universities is around 20 percent, the rate for online students is 35 percent. Students themselves seem to understand the weaknesses inherent in the setup. In a survey conducted for eCornell, the DL division of Cornell University, less than a third of the respondents expected the quality of the online course to be as good as the classroom course. Clearly, from the schools’ perspective, there’s a lot of money to be saved. Although some of

英语四级、六级考试练习

the more ambitious programs require new investments in servers and networks to support collaborative software, most DL courses can run on existing or minimally upgraded (升级) systems. The more students who enroll in a course but don’t come to campus, the more school saves on keeping the lights on in the classrooms, paying doorkeepers, and maintaining parking lots. And, while there’s evidence that instructors must work harder to run a DL course for a variety of reasons, they won’t be paid any more, and might well be paid less.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

62. What is the most striking feature of the University of Phoenix?

A) It boasts the largest number of students on campus.

B) All its courses are offered online.

C) Its online courses are of the best quality.

D) Anyone taking its online courses is sure to get a degree.

63. According to the passage, distance learning is basically characterized by ________.

A) a minimum or total absence of face-to-face instruction

B) a considerable flexibility in its academic requirements

C) the great diversity of students’ academic backgrounds

D) the casual relationship between students and professors

64. Many students take Internet-based courses mainly because they can ________.

A) save a great deal on traveling and boarding expenses

B) select courses from various colleges and universities

C) work on the required courses whenever and wherever

D) earn their academic degrees with much less effort

65. What accounts for the high drop-out rates for online students?

A) There is no mechanism to ensure that they make the required effort.

B) There is no strict control over the academic standards of the courses.

C) The evaluation system used by online universities is inherently weak.

D) Lack of classroom interaction reduces the effectiveness of instruction.

66. According to the passage, universities show great enthusiasm for DL programs for the purpose of ________.

A) building up their reputation

B) upgrading their teaching facilities

C) providing convenience for students

D) cutting down on their expenses

英语四级、六级考试练习

2008年6月大学英语四级真题阅读部分

Passage One

Question 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but- regardless of whether it is or isn't - we won't do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.

A1 Gore calls global warming an "inconvenient truth," as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don't know enough to relieve global warming, and - without major technological breakthroughs - we can't do much about it.

From 2003 to 2050,the world 's population is projected to grow from 6.4 billon to 9.1 billion ,a 42% increase. if energy use per person and technology remain te same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions(mainly,CO2)will be 42% higher in 2050.But that's too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need econmic growth unless we condemn the world's poor to their present

百度搜索“77cn”或“免费范文网”即可找到本站免费阅读全部范文。收藏本站方便下次阅读，免费范文网，提供经典小说实用文档大学英语四级真题阅读部分(新)(6)在线全文阅读。