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  3. A detailed and thorough research project undertaken by the Open University recently reported that their evidence appears to show

A detailed and thorough research project undertaken by the Open University recently reported that their evidence appears to show

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问题     A detailed and thorough research project undertaken by the Open University recently reported that their evidence appears to show that competition between nearby schools does not significantly improve academic standards. Indeed, their report inclines to the opposite outcome: the exam re- suits may actually decline where competition is fiercest.
    When the further education sector was  "privatized"  a few years ago,  competition between colleges became truly fierce, at least in urban areas where potential students could choose between several of them. Colleges appointed highly paid marketing directors and gave them large budgets; some even "bribed" interested students with promises of hundreds of pounds if they completed certain courses satisfactorily.
    Fully competitive markets being a philosophical foundation of Britain’s recent governments, it was no surprise to hear claims that many educational developments of the 1990s would move us towards a free market in secondary education--giving youngsters and their parents a free choice of where to study. However, the secondary sector did not become particularly competitive while, admittedly, the consumers have been given more information, which is one aspect of a truly free market. It is very rare that two nearby schools with at least some empty places are similar enough to be comparable yet different enough to be rankable; only where that occurs can there be true competition.
    The Open University research was probably not flawed--but its conclusions are.  This is because the team did not really compare areas having true competition (as just defined) with areas that do not.
    But, let us all breathe a sigh of relief. Secondary schools had started of late to move in the marketing direction--considering allocating scarce resources of staff and money to persuading the pupils that their schools are the best in the area. No schools could afford to do that properly, so it is a relief to realize this research tells us we don’t have to.
    Competition? We haven’t got time for it! Let’s spend our small budget in teaching and learning, not in competing and marketing.
Real competition can happen only when _______.
选项 A、academic standard is improved
B、there are comparable schools with different educational qualities
C、students have different interests
D、schools of all areas have sufficient budget for their development
答案B
解析 只要理解第3段最后一个分句中的that指向前一个分句，答案不难找到。选项B是对该分句的近义改写。
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