When next year’s crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall of 2009, they’ll be joined by a new face: Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost (教务长) of Yale, who’ll become Oxford’s vice-chancellor—a position equal to university president in America.
Hamilton isn’t the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, Singapore, etc. have also recently made top-level hires from abroad. Higher education has become a big and competitive business nowadays, and like so many businesses, it’s gone global. Yet the talent flow isn’t universal. High-level personnel (人员) tend to head in only one direction: outward from America.
The chief reason is that American schools don’t tend to seriously consider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado searched for a new president, it wanted a leader familiar with the state government, a major source of the university’s budget. “We didn’t do any global consideration,” says Patricia Hayes, the board’s chair. The board finally picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist (活动家) who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising. Fund-raising is a distinctively American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.
Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding. But government support has failed to keep pace with rising student numbers. The decline in government support has made fund-raising an increasingly necessary ability among administrators (管理人员), and has hiring committees hungry for Americans.
In the past few years, well-known schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job she had overseen “a major strengthening of Yale’s financial position”.
Of course, fund-raising isn’t the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind to promote international programs and attract a global student body. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective (视角) on established practices.
1. What is the current trend in higher education discussed in the passage?
2. What is the chief consideration of American universities when hiring top-level administrators?
3. What do we learn about European universities from the passage?
4. Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard as its vice-chancellor chiefly because ________.
5. In what way do top-level administrators from abroad contribute to university development?
问题1选项
A.Institution worldwide are hiring administrators from the US.
B.A lot of activists are being hired as administrators.
C.American universities are enrolling more international students.
D.University presidents are paying more attention to funding-raising.
问题2选项
A.The political correctness.
B.Their ability to raise funds.
C.Their fame in academic circles.
D.Their administrative experience.
问题3选项
A.The tuitions (学费) they charge have been rising considerably.
B.Their operation is under strict government control.
C.They are strengthening their position by globalization.
D.Most of their money comes from the government.
问题4选项
A.she was known to be good at raising money
B.she could help strengthen its ties with Yale
C.she knew how to attract students overseas
D.she had boosted Yale’s academic status
问题5选项
A.They can enhance the university’s image.
B.They will bring with them more international faculty.
C.They will view a lot of things from a new perspective.
D.They can set up new academic disciplines.
第1题:A
第2题:B
第3题:D
第4题:A
第5题:C
1.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】事实细节题。根据第二段倒数一、二句Yet the talent flow isn’t universal. High-level personnel tend to head in only one direction: outward from America.(然而,人才流动并非是世界性的。高层管理人员的流动只倾向于一个方向:从美国向外。),可知当前高等教育倾向于从美国招聘管理人员,A选项“世界各地的机构都在从美国招聘管理人员”正确。B选项“许多积极分子被聘为管理员”,C选项“美国大学正在扩招国际学生”和D选项“大学校长更加注重筹款”文中没有提到。因此A选项正确。
2.【试题答案】B
【试题解析】推理判断题。根据第三段第四句The board finally picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising.(董事会最终聘用了布鲁斯•本森,一位69岁的科罗拉多商人和政治活动家,因为他很可能在现代大学校长的主要任务上做得很好:筹资。),可知美国大学在招聘高级管理人员时主要考虑筹资方面的能力,B选项“他们筹集资金的能力”正确;A选项“政治正确性”和C选项“他们在学术界的名声”不是主要考虑的内容。D选项“他们的管理经验”:根据第三段最后一句The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.(筹集资金的能力很大程度上是经验和需要的产物。),可知要求的是筹资方面的经验,而非管理经验。因此B选项正确。
3.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】事实细节题。根据第四段第一句Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding.(与此同时,许多欧洲大学仍主要依赖政府资助。),可知D选项“它们的大部分资金来自政府”正确。A选项“学费一直在上涨”,B选项“其运作受到政府的严格控制”和C选项“它们正在通过全球化加强他们的地位”:文中没有提到。因此D选项正确。
4.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】推理判断题。根据第五段第二句In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job she had overseen “a major strengthening of Yale’s financial position”.(2003年,剑桥大学任命另一位耶鲁大学前教务长艾莉森•理查德为副校长。剑桥大学公开强调,在她之前的工作中,她对“耶鲁大学的财务状况起到了重要的监督作用”。),可知艾莉森•理查德成为副校长的主要原因是在筹资方面做出的贡献,A选项“她很擅长筹款”正确;没有提到艾莉森•理查德让剑桥大学和耶鲁大学的联系加强,B选项“她可以帮助加强与耶鲁大学的联系”错误。C选项“她知道如何吸引海外学生”和D选项“她提高了耶鲁大学的学术地位”:文中没有提到。因此A选项正确。
5.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】推理判断题。根据文章最后一句Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices.(外国人可以为现有做法提供新的视角。),可知C选项“他们会从一个新的角度来看待很多事情。”正确。B选项“他们会吸引来更多的国际教员”:根据文章倒数第二句The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind to promote international programs and attract a global student body.(教育的全球化意味着,更多的大学将寻求具有某种国际经验的领导,以促进国际项目和吸引全球学生群体。),可知吸引的是国外的学生而非教员。A选项“他们可以提升大学的形象”和D选项“他们可以建立新的学科”:文中没有提到。因此C选项正确。