Question

【題目】 Going to university is supposed to be a mind-broadening experience. That statement is probably made in comparison to training for work straight after school. But is it actually true? Jessika Golle of the University of Tubingen, in Germany reports in Psychological Science this week that those who have been to university indeed seem to leave with broader and more curious minds than those who have spent their immediate post-school years in vocational (職業(yè)的) training for work. However, it was not the case that university broadened minds. Rather, vocational training for work seemed to have narrowed them. The result is not quite what might be expected.

Dr. Golle came to this conclusion after she and a team of colleagues studied the early careers of 2,095 German youngsters. The team used two standardized tests to assess their volunteers’ personality traits (特點(diǎn)) including openness, conscientiousness (認(rèn)真) and so on, and attitudes such as realistic, investigative and enterprising twice, once towards the end of each volunteer’s time at high school, and then again six years later. Of the original group, 382 had to make a choice between the academic and vocational routes, and it was on these that the researchers focused. University beckoned for 212 of them. The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.

When it came to the second round of tests, Dr. Golle found that the personalities of both groups had not changed significantly. As for changes in altitude, again, none were noticeable in the university group. However, those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature. And that might restrict their choice of careers.

The changes in attitude that the researchers recorded were more worrying. Vocational training has always been what Germany prides itself on. If Dr Golle is correct, and changes in attitude brought about by the very training are narrowing people’s choices that is indeed a matter worthy of serious consideration.

【1】What does Dr. Colle’s research suggest?

A.Going to university is a mind-broadening experience.

B.College students pride themselves on their education.

C.Working straight after school narrows people’s minds.

D.Attending university has apparent effects on personalities.

【2】What does the underlined phrase “beckoned for” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A.Examined.B.Attracted.

C.Organized.D.Recognized

【3】What can we learn about vocational training?

A.it is essential to scientific research.

B.It leads to marked change in personality.

C.It helps to broaden the volunteers’ minds.

D.It causes less interest in investigative job.

【4】What is the author’s attitude towards the finding?

A.Skeptical.B.Optimistic.

C.Concerned.D.Unclear.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【4】C

【解析】

本文是一篇說(shuō)明文，主要介紹德國(guó)學(xué)者Jessika Golle通過(guò)研究表明并非大學(xué)教育讓人思維開(kāi)闊，而是職業(yè)訓(xùn)練讓學(xué)生對(duì)調(diào)查型、創(chuàng)新型的工作降低了興趣，從而限制了該部分學(xué)生的職業(yè)選擇。然而德國(guó)人向來(lái)以職業(yè)訓(xùn)練為傲，這引起了作者的憂慮。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段中的中“vocational training for work seemed to have narrowed them”及第三段中的“However, those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature. And that might restrict their choice of careers”可知，Jessika Golle的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，職業(yè)訓(xùn)練降低了學(xué)生對(duì)探究性工作的興趣，限制了他們的職業(yè)選擇，也就是說(shuō)畢業(yè)后直接工作會(huì)使人們的思想狹隘，故選C。

【2】詞義猜測(cè)題。根據(jù)畫(huà)線詞前后的“Of the original group, 382 had to make a choice between the academic and vocational routes,”及“The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.”可知，此項(xiàng)研究中的382人，其中170人選擇接受職業(yè)訓(xùn)練或工作，其余212人進(jìn)入大學(xué)，也就是說(shuō)大學(xué)吸引了212人，由此可知畫(huà)線詞詞義為“吸引”，故選B。

【3】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段中“those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature”可知，職業(yè)訓(xùn)練降低了學(xué)生對(duì)探究創(chuàng)新型工作的興趣，故選D。

【4】推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段內(nèi)容，特別是“The changes in attitude that the researchers recorded were more worrying. Vocational training has always been what Germany prides itself on.”可知，職業(yè)訓(xùn)練存在降低學(xué)生的興趣、限制職業(yè)選擇的缺點(diǎn)，但德國(guó)人卻以職業(yè)訓(xùn)練為傲，這引起作者的擔(dān)憂，故選C。

本篇第2題詞義猜測(cè)的難度較大，抓住研究中的人數(shù)變動(dòng)的是關(guān)鍵，根據(jù)畫(huà)線詞前后的“Of the original group, 382 had to make a choice between the academic and vocational routes,”及“The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.”可知，此項(xiàng)研究中的382人，其中170人選擇接受職業(yè)訓(xùn)練或工作，“remaining”一詞表明大學(xué)吸引走了212人，由此可知畫(huà)線詞詞義為“吸引”。