2. 考研
  3. There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits b

There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits b

admin2017-07-09  1
问题     There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends(红利).
    A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the "labor-market premium (额外收益) to skill"—or the amount college graduates earned that’s greater than what high-school graduates earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复) since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U. S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50 900, 62% more than the $31 500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.
    There’s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn’t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49 260 in 2007-2008) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35 542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17 380) there? Not likely.
    No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren’t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.
    As with automobiles, consumers in today’s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive world’s hottest consumer trend, maybe it’s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车) : an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.
What’s the opinion of economists about going to college?
选项 A、Huge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing.
B、It doesn’t pay to run into debt to receive a college education.
C、College education is rewarding in spite of the startling costs.
D、Going to college doesn’t necessarily bring the expected returns.
答案C
解析 细节题。根据题干中的opinion of economists和going to college定位到第一段第二句。本题考点是经济学家们对上大学的看法。第一段第二句中economists say后面的宾语从句就是经济学家们的观点。他们认为，那些准备负债去资助孩子参加长达四年的派对和学习的家庭可以这样来安慰自己：上大学是一笔投资，但是与购买银行股票不同，它应该能够带来丰厚的收益。简而言之，他们认为，上大学就像投资一样，需要先进行投入，最后是能够获得回报的，故C项为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/8NbZ777K
0

考研英语一

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)