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
On August 18th US News & World Report released its 2007 rankings of America’s top colleges. The survey began in 1983 as an unoff
On August 18th US News & World Report released its 2007 rankings of America’s top colleges. The survey began in 1983 as an unoff
admin
2010-11-02
20
问题
On August 18th US News & World Report released its 2007 rankings of America’s top colleges. The survey began in 1983 as an unofficial opinion poll, when the magazine asked 662 college presidents to identify the country’s best places of learning. It has since changed into an annually frightening experience for reputable universities. A strong showing in the rankings spurs student interest and alumni giving while a slip has grave consequences for public relations.
University administrators deeply dislike the survey. Many reject the idea that schools can be stacked up against one another in any meaningful way. And the survey’s methodology is suspect. The rankings are still based partly on peer evaluations. They compare rates of alumni giving, which has little to do with the transmission of knowledge. Besides, the magazine’s data are sup plied by the schools and unproved.
But whether the rankings are fair is beside the point, because they are wildly influential. In the 1983 survey barely half of the presidents approached bothered to respond. Today, only a handful dare refuse.
Most, in fact, do more than simply fill out the survey. Competition between colleges for top students is increasing, partly because of the very popularity of rankings. Colin Diver, the president of Reed College in Oregon, considers that "rankings create powerful incentives to manipulate data and distort institutional behaviour." A school may game the system by luring applications from students who stand no chance of admission, or by leaning on alumni to arrange jobs for graduates. Reed is one of the few prominent colleges that dares to despise taking part in the US News survey.
In some ways, the scramble to attract applicants has helped students. Universities such as Duke in North Carolina and Rice in Houston are devoting more money to scholarships. That seems a reasonable response to the challenge of the rankings, as the National Centre for Education Statistics reckons that roughly two-thirds of undergraduates rely on financial aid.
Other colleges, though, are trying to drum up excitement by offering privileges that would have been unheard of a generation ago. Students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) now appreciate weekly maid service in the dorms. "The elevators", replied an enthusiastic respondent to an online survey, "smell lemon fresh." Students at Pennsylvania State University enjoy free access to Napster, the music-sharing service. Multi-million dollar gyms have become so common that they are unremarkable.
University officials, defending this strategy, often imply that they are only responding to student demand. Discouraging words for those who believe that a college’s job is to educate, not indulge.
What do the top universities take the annual rankings as?
选项
A、A severe test.
B、A routine schedule.
C、A chance to distinguish themselves.
D、An official public-opinion poll.
答案
A
解析
原文该句中的frightening experience意为“严酷的考验”,可见本题应选A。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/JNs7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Peopletendtobuyprivatecarstoday.Formanypeople,especiallyyoungpeople,owningaprivatecarhassomanyadvantagestha
Peopletendtobuyprivatecarstoday.Formanypeople,especiallyyoungpeople,owningaprivatecarhassomanyadvantagestha
Peopletendtobuyprivatecarstoday.Formanypeople,especiallyyoungpeople,owningaprivatecarhassomanyadvantagestha
Noeventhashadsucha【B1】______effectinshapingtheattitudeoftheIrishpeopletowardstheBritishastheIrishFamine.Lo
Clothesplaya【B1】______roleintheconclusionswereachbyprovidingcluestowhopeopleare,whotheyarenot,andwhotheyw
Clothesplaya【B1】______roleintheconclusionswereachbyprovidingcluestowhopeopleare,whotheyarenot,andwhotheyw
Francemightbedescribedasan’all-round’country,onethathasachievedresultsofequalimportanceinmanydiversebranches
A、Toobservepeople’sattitudetowardsstrangers.B、Toseehowpeoplegetalongwiththeirfriends.C、Tochangepeople’sbehavio
A、Housesalescompany.B、Motorsalescompany.C、Foodsalescompany.D、Travelagency.B对话中当谈及男士的工作地点时,男士提到inthemotorsalescomp
Bymakingvehicleslighterinweight,aluminum____________________(大减少了开动它们所需的燃料).
随机试题
正常人血清总胆红素的参考值为()
患者,男,66岁,昏迷1d入院,既往无糖尿病史,BP160/85mmHg,血糖38.9mmol/L,血钠150mmol/L,血pH7.42,可能诊断是
总体率95%可信区间的意义是
凉膈散的组成中不含
投资人以资本金的形式为项目或企业投入资金称“权益投资”,权益投资目的是取得项目或权的()。
招标人应当按照()规定的时间、地点发售资格预审文件或者招标文件。
某畜产品公司经理在澳大利亚参加贸易洽谈会回国时,随身携带了5只活动物、3张羊皮样品、2包澳洲产的香肠和一些名贵花木种子,以下表述正确的是( )。
以下各项中。最低折旧年限为3年的固定资产是()。
蒸发散热:指体液的水分在皮肤和粘膜(主要是呼吸道粘膜)表面由液态转化为气态,同时带走大量热量的一种散热方式。根据上述定义,下面属于蒸发散热的是()。
阅读下列材料,回答问题。材料一:2017年5月,国务院办公厅印发《关于加快推进“多证合一”改革的指导意见》。《意见》指出,要坚持市场化改革方向,充分发挥市场在配置资源中的决定性作用。按照能整合的尽量整合、能简化的尽量简化、该减掉的坚决减
最新回复
(
0
)