For many students in the UK today, deciding whether or not to go to university can be as much about affordability as it is about ambition and aspiration.
In the past, students in the UK could apply to a university or college. They were sure that even if they came from a low income family, their tuition fees and some of their living (or maintenance) costs would be covered by a local authority grant(撥款). A university education was, in a financial sense, open to all and the number of students attending university grew yearly.
Sadly, it seems, those days are long gone. The turning point came in 1998, when the Labour Government introduced tuition fees of £1,000 a year and, instead of giving students a maintenance grant, asked them to cover their own living expenses with a repayable student loan. Only students on the lowest incomes were entitled to a grant.
The flood gates had been opened. As time passed, the ceiling on tuition fees rose, and although applicants from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales still qualified for varying levels of subsidy(補貼), by 2009/10 students in England often found themselves facing tuition fees over£3,000 a year.
In 2011 the Government announced that, from 2012, universities could charge fees of up to £9,000 a year. Although the Government sweetened the pill by stating that postgraduates did not have to begin repaying their student loans until they were earning more than £21,000 a year, the news created over-dissatisfaction. Many students argued that it was unfair that students should have to begin their work life loaded with huge debt, while others complained that the changes would bring back a class divide to university education. These views were reflected in the number of students applying for a university place, which by January 2012 fell by more than 22,000. The Universities Minister, David Willetts, stood by the decision to increase tuition fees, saying that they would not “put universities’ finance on a bearable footing” and that they would accelerate “a stronger focus on high quality teaching.”
【小題1】From the first paragraph, we can infer that _____ in attending university.

A.a(chǎn)ffordability plays more important roles than ambition and aspiration
B.a(chǎn)mbition and aspiration are more important than affordability
C.a(chǎn)ffordability is as important as ambition and aspiration
D.a(chǎn)mbition and aspiration make a greater difference
【小題2】We can put the sentence “But the biggest change was still to come” at the beginning of Paragraph _____.
A.2 B.3 C.4 D.5
【小題3】The underlined part “sweetened the pill” in the last paragraph possibly means_____.
A.made a sweet pill B.made the change appear good
C.increased the pill D.reduced the pill
【小題4】The writer _____ the change about university education fees.
A.is in favor of B.is opposed to
C.takes no notice of D.is neither for nor against


【小題1】C
【小題2】D
【小題3】B
【小題4】B

解析試題分析:文章介紹英國高校學(xué)費和資助制度影響入學(xué)率。很多學(xué)校提高了學(xué)費,這讓很多學(xué)生和家庭背負(fù)沉重的負(fù)擔(dān),此舉也引起公眾的不滿。
【小題1】細節(jié)題:從文章的第一段的句子:For many students in the UK today, deciding whether or not to go to university can be as much about affordability as it is about ambition and aspiration.可知在上大學(xué)的時候,經(jīng)濟可承受性和抱負(fù)愿望一樣重要,選C
【小題2】推理題:從第五段的句子:In 2011 the Government announced that, from 2012, universities could charge fees of up to £9,000 a year.可知這段講的是政府宣布從2012年大學(xué)的學(xué)費可以要每年9000英鎊,這也是最大的改變,選 D
【小題3】猜詞題:從文章最后一段的句子:Although the Government sweetened the pill by stating that postgraduates did not have to begin repaying their student loans until they were earning more than £21,000 a year, the news created over-dissatisfaction.雖然政府說畢業(yè)生到每年21,000英鎊的時候,才需要還貸款,但是這個改變還是引起人們的不滿,可知“sweetened the pill” 是“讓這個改變看起來好一些”的意思,選B
【小題4】作者態(tài)度題:從文章第三段的句子:Sadly, it seems, those days are long gone.可知作者對于大學(xué)學(xué)費的改變是反對的,選B
考點:考查教育類短文

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If you do not use your arm or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong. If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault(過錯). But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame(受責(zé)備), and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised. So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: Practice remembering.
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