For years, studies have found that first-generation college students--those who do not have a parent with a college degree--lag other students on a range of education achievement factors. Their grades are lower and their dropout rates are higher. But since such students are most likely to advance economically if they succeed in higher education, colleges and universities have pushed for decades to recruit more of them. This has created “a paradox” in that recruiting first-generation students, but then watching many of them fail, means that higher education has “continued to reproduce and widen, rather than close” an achievement gap based on social class, according to the depressing beginning of a paper forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science.
But the article is actually quite optimistic, as it outlines a potential solution to this problem, suggesting that an approach (which involves a one-hour, next-to-no-cost program) can close 63 percent of the achievement gap (measured by such factors as grades) between first-generation and other students.
The authors of the paper are from different universities, and their findings are based on a study involving 147 students (who completed the project) at an unnamed private university. First generation was defined as not having a parent with a four-year college degree. Most of the first-generation students (59.1 percent) were recipients of Pell Grants, a federal grant for undergraduates with financial need, while this was true only for 8.6 percent of the students with at least one parent with a four-year degree.
Their thesis--that a relatively modest intervention could have a big impact--was based on the view that first-generation students may be most lacking not in potential but in practical knowledge about how to deal with the issues that face most college students. They cite past research by several authors to show that this is the gap that must be narrowed to close the achievement gap.
Many first-generation students “struggle to navigate the middle-class culture of higher education, learn the ‘rules of the game,’ and take advantage of college resources,” they write. And this becomes more of a problem when colleges don’t talk about the class advantages and disadvantages of different groups of students.” Because US colleges and universities seldom acknowledge how social class can affect students’ educational experiences, many first-generation students lack insight about why they are struggling and do not understand how students ‘like them’ can improve.”
1、Recruiting more first-generation students has _____.
2、The authors of the research article are optimistic because _____.
3、The study suggests that most first-generation students _____.
4、The authors of the paper believe that first-generation students _____.
5、We may infer from the last paragraph that _____.
问题1选项
A.reduced their dropout rates
B.narrowed the achievement gap
C.missed its original purpose
D.depressed college students
问题2选项
A.the problem is solvable
B.their approach is costless
C.the recruiting rate has increased
D.their findings appeal to students
问题3选项
A.study at private universities
B.are from single-parent families
C.are in need of financial support
D.have failed their collage
问题4选项
A.are actually indifferent to the achievement gap
B.can have a potential influence on other students
C.may lack opportunities to apply for research projects
D.are inexperienced in handling their issues at college
问题5选项
A.universities often reject the culture of the middle-class
B.students are usually to blame for their lack of resources
C.social class greatly helps enrich educational experiences
D.colleges are partly responsible for the problem in question
第1题:C
第2题:A
第3题:C
第4题:D
第5题:D
第1题:
【解析】文章一开始将第一代大学生(也就是父母均无大学学位的大学生)描述为成绩低且辍学率高的低学术成就人群--他们如果在高等教育上取得成绩,则更容易获得经济上的成功。第四句说的是虽然招录更多的第一代大学生,但是带来的是更多的第一代大学生的失败。这也就意味着高等教育不仅没能达到其缩小学术成就差距的目的,反而适得其反。原文中的“a paradox”与C项的“missed its original purpose”是同义替换,paradox意为“自相矛盾,似是而非的观点”,故选C。
第2题:
【解析】第二段第一句“But the article is actually quite optimistic, as it outlines a potential solution to this problem”中的as引导原因状语从句,点明因果关系,说的是本书作者很乐观,因为有这一问题的解决方案,这跟A项意思相吻合,即“该问题是可以解决的”。原文没有提到论文作者的研究方法是无需付出代价的,排除B项。由原文第一段第四句话可知,院校的扩招会使矛盾恶化,这一现象明显不会使作者持乐观态度,排除C项。原文没有提到有关研究结果对学生的吸引力的话题,排除D项,故选A。
第3题:
【解析】第三段第三句“Most of the first-generation students...?”中将第一代大学生与非第一代大学生接受联邦补助的数据做了一个对比(59.1%:8.6%),从而说明C项“第一代大学生是需要经济支持的群体”。其中in need of与with...need对应,financial support与financial相对应,C项正确。原文第三段并未提到大多数第一代大学生在私立大学学习的相关信息,并且这并不属于研究结果范围,排除A项。原文第三段提到第一代大学生的父母都未上过大学,没有“单亲家庭”的信息,同样不属于研究结果范围,排除B项。第一段提到许多第一代大学生学业失败,但并不是大多数,与问题不符,排除D项,故选C。
第4题:
【解析】第四段第一句讲到“their thesis...that face most college students”,即明确说到第一代大学生缺乏处理一些问题的实际经验。第五段首句进一步阐释这一现实问题:Many first-generation students struggle to navigate the middle-class culture of higher education...即“那些需要经济资助的第一代大学生努力去适应高等教育中的中层阶级文化”。“struggle”与选项D中的“inexperienced”对应,且inexperienced与原文的lacking in practical knowledge对应,handling their issues与how to deal with the issues对应,at college与that face most college students对应,故选D。
第5题:
【解析】末段第一句和第二句是并列关系,均提出第一代学生中存在的与社会阶层有关的问题。其中第二句“And this becomes more of a problem when college don’t talk about the class advantages”指出由于大学本身没能直面不同学生群体间的阶级差异问题,导致第一代大学生在求学中的问题,也就是说大学本身对教育现状负有责任。第三句以一个because所引导的原因状语从句点明中心,明确该问题的来源是美国高校未承认社会阶层对学生教育经历的影响。因此,D项正确,说明出现了相应问题,高校应该承担一部分责任。