首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Distance Learning in Britain In times of inflation, smart investors look for a safe haven. So, with universities complaining
Distance Learning in Britain In times of inflation, smart investors look for a safe haven. So, with universities complaining
admin
2013-07-11
69
问题
Distance Learning in Britain
In times of inflation, smart investors look for a safe haven. So, with universities complaining about grade inflation and Cambridge warning applicants away from 20 fluffy A-level subjects, it is perhaps not surprising that the fastest-growing A-level by far is "further mathematics", the second, harder exam in what is already seen as one of the hardest subjects of all.
In the past scientifically-minded boys at selective schools would take A-levels in maths, further maths and physics, and then study yet more maths at university. But recently many comprehensive schools, without enough keen A-level students to justify redirecting a precious maths teacher from teaching the basics to younger students, have dropped further maths entirely. Students, meanwhile, have been lured away by fancy new subjects such as media studies and information technology. Afraid of turning away talented state-school applicants, most universities stopped asking for further maths, even for maths or physics degrees—removing any remaining inclination among state schools to offer the subject.
The number of students taking A-level further maths fell from around 15,000 in the late 1980s to a low of some 5,000 by the late 1990s. Now, however, it is picking up. Last summer 7,270 students took the exam, up more than a fifth on the previous year. And this autumn, for the first time, every A-level student in England can study further maths, if not at school, then at one of the 46 centres set up by the Further Mathematics Network (FMN). And a clever redesign of the syllabus has made it easier to teach further maths over two years along with standard maths, thus boosting its popularity.
Universities are delighted to see the return of students who need less hand holding. John Begg, who runs the FMN centre in Manchester, says that more than half of maths undergraduates at the city’s university have done further maths, up from a quarter just a few years ago. The maths department at the University of Warwick, one of the top-ranked in the country, is thinking of requiring further maths again, for the first time in more than a decade. For students, the main attraction of the subject is getting a qualification with hard-currency purchasing power. Maths departments are so keen on candidates with further maths that they often accept them with lower grades in other subjects. And students looking for places on sought-after courses such as medicine and veterinary science see advanced maths as a way to stand out.
There are signs, too, that the wider availability of further maths will boost the dwindling number of maths teachers. More graduates may be willing to pass up tempting salaries elsewhere for the chance of teaching something really interesting. Language teachers might also take a leaf from the further-maths textbook. Since 2004, when studying a foreign language beyond age 14 became optional in state schools, the number of students taking a language at GCSE has dropped dramatically. Some students have quit with relief, but others have been put off by schools that now schedule languages against other subjects. A distance-learning scheme might help to stem that decline too.
From the text we can infer that "A-level" is probably a kind of
选项
A、subject studied in high schools
B、degree granted by universities
C、qualification for the entrance into a university
D、exam taken by academically talented students
答案
C
解析
本题考查推理引申。A-level是本文的关键词,它在文章中反复出现。第一段第二句提到,剑桥大学警告申请者不要选择20个轻松而简单的A-level科目。第二段提到A—level科目包括:数学、进阶数学、物理、传媒科学和信息技术;该段末句还提到,为了将有天赋的州立学校的申请者招收进来,大部分大学不再对进阶数学这个A—level科目提出要求。第三段末句提到,英国每一个A—level学生可以在学校或中心学习进阶数学。由文中给出的信息,我们能推知A-level是大学对申请者的一种要求,因此[C]正确。从以上内容可以看出,A-level本身不是指具体的科目,排除[A];也不是指完成大学学业后获得的学历,排除[B]。文中虽然提到进阶数学的考试很难,以及它是精英中学里有科学头脑的男孩选择的科目,但是不能由此推出所有A-level科目都必须由有学术才能的学生选择,[D]无从推知。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Fe4O777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
TheU.S.CentersforDiseaseControlsuggestedroutineHIVtestsfor
HowtoDevelopanOutlineⅠ.ApreliminaryoutlineA.Definition:a/an【1】______listoftopicsandsubtopicscoveredint
WeliveinsouthernCaliforniagrowinggrapes,afirstgenerationofvintners,ourhomeadjacenttothevineyardsandthewinery
WeliveinsouthernCaliforniagrowinggrapes,afirstgenerationofvintners,ourhomeadjacenttothevineyardsandthewinery
Perhapsit’stheweather,whichsometimessealsLondonwithagrayceilingforweeksonend.OrmaybeitisBritons’penchantfo
Americanthisyearwillswallow15,000tonsdrugsofaspirin,oneofsafestandmosteffectiveinventedbyman.【M1】______
Althoughthedistributionofrecordedmusicwentdigitalwiththeintroductionofthecompactdiscintheearly1980s,technolog
Withwoundedpride,theUS,whichisleadingthewartosafeguardpeace,shouldbesupportedbytherestoftheworld.Whileno
Intheschoolsofancienttimes,themostimportantexaminationswerespoken.Usuallythestudentsweresupposedtosaypoetrya
TheInfluenceofRomeEmpireonToday’sSocietyI.OverallIntroduction:Manyaspectsoftoday’ssocietyhavebeenaffectedbya
随机试题
患者李XX,男,40岁,建筑工人,工作中不慎从高处坠落,不省人事送人医院抢救,医院虽进行了积极的抢救,但一周后,病情未好转又发生了感染性中毒性休克,继而循环和肾衰竭,难以康复,当家属和单位得知患者预后消息后,出现了二种态度:家属要求放弃治疗和抢救,而单位要
A.中焦B.胞中C.胸中D.手小指端
资格预审和资格定审之间的主要区别在于()不同。
适用于较大跨径的高桥和宽桥的拱桥轻型桥台是()。
运用()制订薪酬计划的优点是实际、灵活,且可行性较高。
对在学校教育与管理之外发生的学生伤害事故,学校可以免责。
近年来,农业生产上利用残渣食物链进行食物生产越来越多,__________食用菌为纽带的生态模式效果明显。微生物菌体以其丰富的蛋白质、氨基酸及维生素含量被列为重要营养食品,许多食用菌品种还以其突出的抗癌、降脂及提高机体免疫力的功效而成为__________
对磁盘请求重新排队的目的是()。
(2010年真题)甲和乙于2007年2月1日签订房屋买卖合同,约定:甲将自有房屋一套卖给乙,价款120万元。合同订立后,乙依约交付全部房款,并搬入该房屋居住。由于房价不断上涨,甲迟迟不与乙去房地产交易中心办理房屋过户登记手续。2007年10月10日,甲又与
下列量表中,包含效度量表的测验有()。
最新回复
(
0
)