Unit 77
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ,BEST OF TIMES for many of the nation's top universities-and the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them. Thanks to a robust stock market, school endowments have ballooned. Yet few institutions have held down steep increases in tuition. But that may be changing.
Williams College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced last month that for the first time in 46 years, its tuition would remain steady at $31,520. Last week students at Princeton University learned that their annual $31,599 tuition, room and board will rise just 3.3%-the smallest hike in 30 years.
These shows of restraint may signal a turnaround from the whopping tuition increases of recent years, as some schools now consider using their endowments to control price hikes. Since 1980, college costs have more than doubled, after adjustment for inflation, while the median income of families with college-age children has increased only 12%. Last year tuition rose an average of 4.6%, the lowest jump in 12 years-but still more than twice the rate of inflation. "Remaining affordable for middle-class parents is the 800-lb. gorilla facing colleges and universities," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.
Williams held its tuition flat by paying more of its bills with the investment profits on its $1.1 billion endowment and with contributions from alumni. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them. "If we were to keep tuition constant, would it change the situation here for students in need?" asks Princeton president Harold Shapiro. "No, because their tuition is fully covered." The school plans to boost scholarships to needy students this year as much as $2,250 a person. To be sure, there is no shortage of families who can afford elite institutions. Despite annual tuition hikes at Harvard, its applicant pool swelled from 13,029 in 1992 to 18,167 last year. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College. Most wealthy families can afford the high tuitions, and poor families get financial aid, but middle-income families get squeezed-and even squeezed out.
One reason colleges are curbing tuition increases is to attract those middle-income students. Rice University in Houston uses its $3 billion endowment to guarantee that tuition for sophomores, juniors and seniors will not leap ahead of the consumer price index. Another reason for restraint is concern that public outrage will prompt government intervention. Congress is already tackling the issue during two days of hearings this week, and President Clinton recently proposed a $31 billion package to make higher education more affordable. Now if only someone could do something about campus parking.
注（1）：本文選自Time；02/14/2000，p70；
注（2）：本文習題命題模仿對象是1999年真題text2（1，2，3，5題）和2002年真題text2第2題（第4題）
1.We learn from the beginning of the passage that college tuition _______________.
[A] has become a heavy burden on many middle income families with college-age children
[B] has ballooned due to a robust stock market
[C] has brought more endowments to the top universities
[D] has increased relatively slowly in the past few years
2.Speaking of college cost, the author implies that ___________________.
[A] it is a big challenge facing colleges and universities
[B] it has increased twice as much as the median income of families in the past 2 decades
[C] changes are taking place as schools are looking for sources to control it
[D] it will not stop increasing until parents are unaffordable
3.In the view of Harold Shapiro, __________________________.
[A] it's unnecessary to control tuition increases because even needy students can pay their tuition
[B] students in need can not benefit much from the efforts of keeping tuition constant
[C] schools should provide more scholarships to students instead of cutting down tuition
[D] using endowments to freeze tuition will only add to student' economic burden
4.The phrase “800-lb gorilla” （line 6, paragraph 3） most probably means _____________.
[A] big, heavy animal
[B] urgent issue
[C] tough problem
[D] unwanted situation
5.We learn from the last paragraph that _______________.
[A] tuition in Rice University has dropped
[B] government will take measures to punish schools that allow their tuition to increase steeply
[C] the public will urge government to tackle tuition increase if schools can not handle it
[D] there will be more middle-income students on college campus if tuition can be curbed
答案：A C B C D
篇章剖析：
本篇文章圍繞高校采取措施抑制學費增長的問題進行了分析。第一段介紹了高校學費高昂的事實。第二段以威廉姆斯學院和普林斯頓大學為例，說明高校正在采取措施抑制學費增長。第三段介紹了1980年以來高校學費增長的幅度，第四段介紹了一些高校平抑學費的措施以及引起的質疑，最后一段分析了高校平抑學費的原因。
詞匯注釋：
robust: [rE5bQst] adj. 健康和有力的；精力充沛的
endowment: [in5daumEnt] n. 資助，捐贈
balloon: [bE5lu:n] v. 激增，飛漲迅速增長或上升
hike: [haik] n. 突然的或急劇的上升、上漲、增加
restraint: [ris5treint] n. 抑制, 制止
turnaround: [`t\:nE9raJnd] n. 轉變, 轉向, （經濟, 營業(yè)等的）突然好轉
whopping: [5（h）wCpiN] adj. 巨大的, 龐大的
median: [5mi:djEn] adj. 中間的，位于中間的
gorilla: [^E5rilE] n. 大猩猩
alumni: [E5lQmni] n. 校友
vulnerable:[5vQlnErEb（E）l] adj. 易受傷害的；易受影響的
boost: [bu:st] v. 增進；改善
pool: [pu:l]] n. 集中備用的物資（如錢、 物、工人等）
swell: [swel] v. 增加，增大
equate: [i5kweit] v. （常與to, with連用）使相等
autopilot: [5C:tEpailEt] v. 自動駕駛儀; 自動操舵裝置
squeeze: [skwi:z] v. 壓榨, 擠, 擠榨
curb: [kE:b] v. 抑制；控制
outrage: [5autreidV] n. 憤慨；（由暴力或冒犯而引起的）憤怒
prompt: [prCmpt] v. 鼓動, 促使
package: [5pAkidV] n. 建議，提議
難句突破
1. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them.
主體句式：college officials say…
結構分析：這是一個復雜句，主語college officials帶有一個定語從句。本句難點是vulnerable這個詞?！皏ulnerable”的意思是“易受攻擊的”。
句子譯文：但反對利用捐贈款來防止學費增長的大學官員認為這些措施對于那些受到學費增長打擊的學生并無實質性的幫助。
2. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College.
主體句式：Gordon Winston says …
結構分析：本句整體結構為倒裝結構，這種結構常見于引述句，特別是主語較長的引述句。在這個句子里，主語帶了一個同位語，因而比較長，如果按照正常語序就會造成語意連接不緊密地情況。says的賓語是families… “autopilot”，其中families還帶有一個that引導的定語從句。
句子譯文：那些將價格和質量劃等號的家庭其實默許了一流大學學費“隨行就市”的情況，威廉姆斯學院的一位經濟學家戈登·溫斯頓說。
題目分析：
1. 答案為A，屬事實細節(jié)題。從第一段第一句話 “the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them”可以看出，高校學費已經令很多家中等收入家庭不堪重負。
2. 答案為C，屬推理判斷題。在文章第一段末寫道：But that may be changing.第二段接著舉例說明高校如何采取措施平抑學費。第三段第一句又說這些抑制學費的措施也許是最近幾年學費暴漲的形勢turnaround的跡象，由此可見學校正積極尋找資金來源控制學費，學費問題正在發(fā)生變化。
3. 答案為B，屬事實細節(jié)題。文中第四段引用Shapiro的話說真正困難的學生并不會因為學費保持穩(wěn)定其境況就發(fā)生改變，因為學生的學費都是足額支付的。也就是說這些學生不會從中受益。
4. 答案為C，屬推理判斷題?！癵orilla”本意為“大猩猩”，根據上下文，中等收入家庭的收入增幅遠遠小于學費的增幅，因而各大高校都面臨著如何使中等收入家庭付得起學費這樣一個“800-1b gorilla”，下文又介紹了各高校如何采取措施平抑學費，可見這里“800-1b gorilla”是一個暗喻，指“棘手的問題”。
5. 答案為D，屬推理判斷題。文章最后一段解釋了高校平抑學費的原因之一就是想要吸引更多來自中等收入家庭的孩子。最末一具有說“現在要是有人能夠解決以下校園停車問題就好了”，暗示校園有可能會有很多學生。不難理解，如果學費能夠被平抑，會有更多來自中等收入家庭的孩子。
參考譯文：
對于國內許多一流大學來說，現在是的時候；而對于那些收入中等，勉強付得起學費的家庭來說，情況已經糟得不能再糟了。幸虧股市上揚，學校獲得的資助也水漲船高?？墒菂s沒有多少學校能夠遏制住不斷上漲的學費。不過這種情況也許正在發(fā)生變化。
馬薩諸塞州的文科大學威廉姆斯學院上個月宣布其學費將維持在31,520美元的水平上，這開了46六年來的先例。普林斯頓大學的學生上周得知他們每年31,599美元的學費，食宿費將只上漲3.3%，是30年來增幅最小的一次。
這些抑制學費的措施也許是最近幾年學費暴漲的形勢發(fā)生逆轉的跡象，因為一些學校目前已經開始考慮用所獲得的資助來控制價格上漲。從1980年開始，由于通貨膨脹而調整價格后，大學費用增加了一倍多，而供孩子上大學的家庭平均收入只增加了12%.去年學費平均漲幅是4.6%，雖然是12年里增幅最低的一次，但仍然是通貨膨脹指數的兩倍多。“各大高校都面臨如何讓中產階級家庭支付得起學費這樣一個棘手的問題，”華盛頓美國教育委員會高級副總裁特里·哈特爾說道。
威廉姆斯學院平抑學費的措施就是利用從其11億美元捐贈款所得的投資利潤和該校校友會的捐款來支付大部分的賬單。但反對利用捐贈款來防止學費增長的大學官員認為這些措施對于那些受到學費增長打擊的學生并無實質性的幫助?！氨３謱W費不變難道會讓那些身處逆境的學生的境況發(fā)生改變嗎？”普林斯頓大學校長哈羅德·夏皮羅質疑道?！安?，因為他們的學費已經全都支付了?！痹撔Ｓ媱澖衲杲o每位貧困學生的獎學金增加到2250美元。的確，上得起一流大學的家庭并不在少數。雖然哈佛大學每年學費都會增加，但申請入學的人數還是從1992年的13029人增加到了去年的18167人?！澳切r格和質量劃等號的家庭其實默許了一流大學學費”隨行就市“的情況，”威廉姆斯學院的一位經濟學家戈登·溫斯頓說。最富裕的家庭負擔得起學費，貧困家庭能得到財政資助，而中等收入家庭卻陷入困境，甚至無力負擔學費。
各高校紛紛開始控制學費增長的一個原因就是要吸引中等收入家庭的學生。休斯敦萊斯大學動用了30億美元的捐贈基金以確保大二，大三和大四學生的學費不會超過消費者物價指數。另一個控制學費增長的原因就是擔心公眾的憤怒會導致政府干預。國會已經開始在本周連續(xù)兩天的聽證會上處理這個問題，克林頓總統(tǒng)最近也提出了一個310億美元的一攬子計劃來減輕高等教育的學費負擔?，F在要是有人能解決一下校園停車問題就好了。
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ,BEST OF TIMES for many of the nation's top universities-and the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them. Thanks to a robust stock market, school endowments have ballooned. Yet few institutions have held down steep increases in tuition. But that may be changing.
Williams College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced last month that for the first time in 46 years, its tuition would remain steady at $31,520. Last week students at Princeton University learned that their annual $31,599 tuition, room and board will rise just 3.3%-the smallest hike in 30 years.
These shows of restraint may signal a turnaround from the whopping tuition increases of recent years, as some schools now consider using their endowments to control price hikes. Since 1980, college costs have more than doubled, after adjustment for inflation, while the median income of families with college-age children has increased only 12%. Last year tuition rose an average of 4.6%, the lowest jump in 12 years-but still more than twice the rate of inflation. "Remaining affordable for middle-class parents is the 800-lb. gorilla facing colleges and universities," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.
Williams held its tuition flat by paying more of its bills with the investment profits on its $1.1 billion endowment and with contributions from alumni. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them. "If we were to keep tuition constant, would it change the situation here for students in need?" asks Princeton president Harold Shapiro. "No, because their tuition is fully covered." The school plans to boost scholarships to needy students this year as much as $2,250 a person. To be sure, there is no shortage of families who can afford elite institutions. Despite annual tuition hikes at Harvard, its applicant pool swelled from 13,029 in 1992 to 18,167 last year. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College. Most wealthy families can afford the high tuitions, and poor families get financial aid, but middle-income families get squeezed-and even squeezed out.
One reason colleges are curbing tuition increases is to attract those middle-income students. Rice University in Houston uses its $3 billion endowment to guarantee that tuition for sophomores, juniors and seniors will not leap ahead of the consumer price index. Another reason for restraint is concern that public outrage will prompt government intervention. Congress is already tackling the issue during two days of hearings this week, and President Clinton recently proposed a $31 billion package to make higher education more affordable. Now if only someone could do something about campus parking.
注（1）：本文選自Time；02/14/2000，p70；
注（2）：本文習題命題模仿對象是1999年真題text2（1，2，3，5題）和2002年真題text2第2題（第4題）
1.We learn from the beginning of the passage that college tuition _______________.
[A] has become a heavy burden on many middle income families with college-age children
[B] has ballooned due to a robust stock market
[C] has brought more endowments to the top universities
[D] has increased relatively slowly in the past few years
2.Speaking of college cost, the author implies that ___________________.
[A] it is a big challenge facing colleges and universities
[B] it has increased twice as much as the median income of families in the past 2 decades
[C] changes are taking place as schools are looking for sources to control it
[D] it will not stop increasing until parents are unaffordable
3.In the view of Harold Shapiro, __________________________.
[A] it's unnecessary to control tuition increases because even needy students can pay their tuition
[B] students in need can not benefit much from the efforts of keeping tuition constant
[C] schools should provide more scholarships to students instead of cutting down tuition
[D] using endowments to freeze tuition will only add to student' economic burden
4.The phrase “800-lb gorilla” （line 6, paragraph 3） most probably means _____________.
[A] big, heavy animal
[B] urgent issue
[C] tough problem
[D] unwanted situation
5.We learn from the last paragraph that _______________.
[A] tuition in Rice University has dropped
[B] government will take measures to punish schools that allow their tuition to increase steeply
[C] the public will urge government to tackle tuition increase if schools can not handle it
[D] there will be more middle-income students on college campus if tuition can be curbed
答案：A C B C D
篇章剖析：
本篇文章圍繞高校采取措施抑制學費增長的問題進行了分析。第一段介紹了高校學費高昂的事實。第二段以威廉姆斯學院和普林斯頓大學為例，說明高校正在采取措施抑制學費增長。第三段介紹了1980年以來高校學費增長的幅度，第四段介紹了一些高校平抑學費的措施以及引起的質疑，最后一段分析了高校平抑學費的原因。
詞匯注釋：
robust: [rE5bQst] adj. 健康和有力的；精力充沛的
endowment: [in5daumEnt] n. 資助，捐贈
balloon: [bE5lu:n] v. 激增，飛漲迅速增長或上升
hike: [haik] n. 突然的或急劇的上升、上漲、增加
restraint: [ris5treint] n. 抑制, 制止
turnaround: [`t\:nE9raJnd] n. 轉變, 轉向, （經濟, 營業(yè)等的）突然好轉
whopping: [5（h）wCpiN] adj. 巨大的, 龐大的
median: [5mi:djEn] adj. 中間的，位于中間的
gorilla: [^E5rilE] n. 大猩猩
alumni: [E5lQmni] n. 校友
vulnerable:[5vQlnErEb（E）l] adj. 易受傷害的；易受影響的
boost: [bu:st] v. 增進；改善
pool: [pu:l]] n. 集中備用的物資（如錢、 物、工人等）
swell: [swel] v. 增加，增大
equate: [i5kweit] v. （常與to, with連用）使相等
autopilot: [5C:tEpailEt] v. 自動駕駛儀; 自動操舵裝置
squeeze: [skwi:z] v. 壓榨, 擠, 擠榨
curb: [kE:b] v. 抑制；控制
outrage: [5autreidV] n. 憤慨；（由暴力或冒犯而引起的）憤怒
prompt: [prCmpt] v. 鼓動, 促使
package: [5pAkidV] n. 建議，提議
難句突破
1. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them.
主體句式：college officials say…
結構分析：這是一個復雜句，主語college officials帶有一個定語從句。本句難點是vulnerable這個詞?！皏ulnerable”的意思是“易受攻擊的”。
句子譯文：但反對利用捐贈款來防止學費增長的大學官員認為這些措施對于那些受到學費增長打擊的學生并無實質性的幫助。
2. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College.
主體句式：Gordon Winston says …
結構分析：本句整體結構為倒裝結構，這種結構常見于引述句，特別是主語較長的引述句。在這個句子里，主語帶了一個同位語，因而比較長，如果按照正常語序就會造成語意連接不緊密地情況。says的賓語是families… “autopilot”，其中families還帶有一個that引導的定語從句。
句子譯文：那些將價格和質量劃等號的家庭其實默許了一流大學學費“隨行就市”的情況，威廉姆斯學院的一位經濟學家戈登·溫斯頓說。
題目分析：
1. 答案為A，屬事實細節(jié)題。從第一段第一句話 “the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them”可以看出，高校學費已經令很多家中等收入家庭不堪重負。
2. 答案為C，屬推理判斷題。在文章第一段末寫道：But that may be changing.第二段接著舉例說明高校如何采取措施平抑學費。第三段第一句又說這些抑制學費的措施也許是最近幾年學費暴漲的形勢turnaround的跡象，由此可見學校正積極尋找資金來源控制學費，學費問題正在發(fā)生變化。
3. 答案為B，屬事實細節(jié)題。文中第四段引用Shapiro的話說真正困難的學生并不會因為學費保持穩(wěn)定其境況就發(fā)生改變，因為學生的學費都是足額支付的。也就是說這些學生不會從中受益。
4. 答案為C，屬推理判斷題?！癵orilla”本意為“大猩猩”，根據上下文，中等收入家庭的收入增幅遠遠小于學費的增幅，因而各大高校都面臨著如何使中等收入家庭付得起學費這樣一個“800-1b gorilla”，下文又介紹了各高校如何采取措施平抑學費，可見這里“800-1b gorilla”是一個暗喻，指“棘手的問題”。
5. 答案為D，屬推理判斷題。文章最后一段解釋了高校平抑學費的原因之一就是想要吸引更多來自中等收入家庭的孩子。最末一具有說“現在要是有人能夠解決以下校園停車問題就好了”，暗示校園有可能會有很多學生。不難理解，如果學費能夠被平抑，會有更多來自中等收入家庭的孩子。
參考譯文：
對于國內許多一流大學來說，現在是的時候；而對于那些收入中等，勉強付得起學費的家庭來說，情況已經糟得不能再糟了。幸虧股市上揚，學校獲得的資助也水漲船高?？墒菂s沒有多少學校能夠遏制住不斷上漲的學費。不過這種情況也許正在發(fā)生變化。
馬薩諸塞州的文科大學威廉姆斯學院上個月宣布其學費將維持在31,520美元的水平上，這開了46六年來的先例。普林斯頓大學的學生上周得知他們每年31,599美元的學費，食宿費將只上漲3.3%，是30年來增幅最小的一次。
這些抑制學費的措施也許是最近幾年學費暴漲的形勢發(fā)生逆轉的跡象，因為一些學校目前已經開始考慮用所獲得的資助來控制價格上漲。從1980年開始，由于通貨膨脹而調整價格后，大學費用增加了一倍多，而供孩子上大學的家庭平均收入只增加了12%.去年學費平均漲幅是4.6%，雖然是12年里增幅最低的一次，但仍然是通貨膨脹指數的兩倍多。“各大高校都面臨如何讓中產階級家庭支付得起學費這樣一個棘手的問題，”華盛頓美國教育委員會高級副總裁特里·哈特爾說道。
威廉姆斯學院平抑學費的措施就是利用從其11億美元捐贈款所得的投資利潤和該校校友會的捐款來支付大部分的賬單。但反對利用捐贈款來防止學費增長的大學官員認為這些措施對于那些受到學費增長打擊的學生并無實質性的幫助?！氨３謱W費不變難道會讓那些身處逆境的學生的境況發(fā)生改變嗎？”普林斯頓大學校長哈羅德·夏皮羅質疑道?！安?，因為他們的學費已經全都支付了?！痹撔Ｓ媱澖衲杲o每位貧困學生的獎學金增加到2250美元。的確，上得起一流大學的家庭并不在少數。雖然哈佛大學每年學費都會增加，但申請入學的人數還是從1992年的13029人增加到了去年的18167人?！澳切r格和質量劃等號的家庭其實默許了一流大學學費”隨行就市“的情況，”威廉姆斯學院的一位經濟學家戈登·溫斯頓說。最富裕的家庭負擔得起學費，貧困家庭能得到財政資助，而中等收入家庭卻陷入困境，甚至無力負擔學費。
各高校紛紛開始控制學費增長的一個原因就是要吸引中等收入家庭的學生。休斯敦萊斯大學動用了30億美元的捐贈基金以確保大二，大三和大四學生的學費不會超過消費者物價指數。另一個控制學費增長的原因就是擔心公眾的憤怒會導致政府干預。國會已經開始在本周連續(xù)兩天的聽證會上處理這個問題，克林頓總統(tǒng)最近也提出了一個310億美元的一攬子計劃來減輕高等教育的學費負擔?，F在要是有人能解決一下校園停車問題就好了。