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  3. If the goal of an engineering camp at Kettering University is to get high school girls interested in math- and science-related c

If the goal of an engineering camp at Kettering University is to get high school girls interested in math- and science-related c

admin2014-08-28  35
问题     If the goal of an engineering camp at Kettering University is to get high school girls interested in math- and science-related careers, let there be no doubt that Lauryn Watkoske is interested.
    On this July afternoon, she sewed up a 1-inch cut in a hot dog that she could see only by watching a video camera, an exercise that simulated robotically assisted surgery and tested her hand-eye coordination.
    "I used to like building things when I was little, but I never expected Robotics(机器人技术), something so stereotypically(带有成见地)male, to be exciting," says Lauryn.
    That’s encouraging news for people who are concerned about a persistent gender gap in college degrees in science, technology, engineering and math—STEM, for short. The notion that it might have to do with talent has long been dismissed. Yet research shows that girls who enjoy—and excel at—math and science in high school are less likely than boys to pursue a college major in those fields.
    And even if they start college majoring in a STEM field, women are more likely than men to change majors, federal data show. Women make up 24% of STEM jobs, which offers some of the most profitable careers, a Commerce Department report says.
    Some critics focusing on gender parity(对等)say the concern is overblown. "There may be something about math- and science-related fields that are just less interesting to most women," says Hoff Sommers, editor of The Science on Women and Science, in which several contributors argue that biology is a factor. "No one is saying they’re not as talented, but they have different aspirations. "
    A number of colleges that specialize in these fields have recently taken steps to increase female enrollment and are seeing results.
    This spring, Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass, graduated 247 women, its largest number of women ever, representing 30% of its graduating class. The percentage of women at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif, who graduate with a computer science degree jumped from an average 12% in recent years to more than 26% in 2010, 43% in 2011 and 38% this year.
    The schools’ strategies vary, but a key component is to create opportunities for women to apply their talents and skills to matters that appeal to them. Harvey Mudd College, for example, checked up a required introductory computer science course to allow students more choice in how they apply principles being covered.
    "Many of the guys would be just as happy in a class that focused exclusively on video games and robots," says Department Chair Ran Libeskind-Hadas. For women, "seeing the applications of computing to society is really important, and seeing applications of computing to things they use in their day-to-day lives is important. That includes things like, how does Google Maps work, or how does a music recommendation system work. "
What does the author say about colleges specializing in STEM fields?
选项 A、They encourage students to put science principles into practice.
B、They see STEM as a mechanism for making the world a better place.
C、They put more emphasis on the application of computer science.
D、They take strategies to make women interested in STEM.
答案D
解析 事实细节题。本题考查有关专攻STEM领域的大学的相火信息。倒数第四段提到，这些大学采取措施增加女生的入学率，并且已见成效。倒数第二段第一句提到，虽然这些大学的策略各异，但其共同的关键点是要为女性创造机会，让她们把才干和技能应用到真正能使她们感兴趣的地方，故答案为D)。A)“他们鼓励学生将科学原理应用到实践中去”和B)“他们将STEM视为改善世界的工具”，原文均未提及，故排除；C)“他们强调计算机科学的应用"是哈维玛德学院的作为，而不是所有专攻STEM领域的大学的作为，故排除。
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