Pity those who aspire to put the initials PhD after their names. After 16 years of closely supervised education, prospective doctors of philosophy are left more or less alone to write the equivalent of a large book. Most social-science postgraduates have still not completed their theses by the time their grant runs out after three years. They must then get a job and finish in their spare time, which can often take a further three years. By then, most new doctors are sick to death of the narrowly defined subject, which has blighted their holidays and mined their evenings.
The Economic and Social Research Council, which gives grants to postgraduate social scientists, wants to get better value for money by cutting short this agony. It would like to see faster completion rates: until recently, only about 25% of PhD candidates were finishing within four years. The ESRC’s response has been to stop PhD grants to all institutions where the proportion taking less than four years is below 10%; in the first year of this policy the national average shot up to 39%. The ESRC feels vindicated in its toughness, and will progressively raise the threshold to 40% in two years. Unless completion rates improve further, this would exclude 55 out of 73 universities and polytechnics-including Oxford University, the London School of Economics and the London Business School.
Predictably, howls of protest have come from the universities, who view the blacklisting of whole institutions as arbitrary and negative. They point out that many of the best students go quickly into jobs where they can apply their research skills, but consequently take longer to finish their theses. Polytechnics with as few as two PhD candidates complain that they are penalized by random fluctuations in student performance. The colleges say there is no hard evidence to prove that faster completion rates result from greater efficiency rather than lower standards or less ambitious doctoral topics.
The ESRC thinks it might not be a bad thing if PhD students were more modest in their aims. It would prefer to see more systematic teaching of research skills and fewer unrealistic expectations placed on young men and women who are undertaking their first piece of serious research. So in future its grants will be given only where it is convinced that students are being trained as researchers, rather than carrying out purely knowledge-based studies.
The ESRC can not dictate the standard of thesis required by external examiners, or force departments to give graduates more teaching time. The most it can do is to try to persuade universities to change their ways. Recalcitrant professors should note that students want more research training and a less elaborate style, of thesis, too.
1.By the time new doctors get a job and try to finish their theses in spare time（ ）.
2.Oxford University would be excluded out of those universities that receive PhD grants from ESRC, because the completion rate of its PhD students’ theses within four years is lower than （ ）.
3.All the following statements are the arguments against ESRC’s policy except （ ）.
4.The ESRC would prefer （ ）.
5.What the ESRC can do is to（ ）.
问题1选项
A.most of them died of some sickness
B.their holidays and evenings have been ruined by their jobs.
C.most of them are completely tired of the narrowly defined subject
D.most of their grants run out.
问题2选项
A.25%
B.40%
C.39%
D.10%
问题3选项
A.all the institutions on the blacklist are arbitrary and negative.
B.there is no hard evidence to prove that faster completion rates result from greater efficiency rather than lower standards or less ambitious doctoral topics.
C.many of the best students go quickly into jobs where they can apply their research skills, but consequently take longer to finish their theses.
D.some polytechnics are penalized by random fluctuations in student performance.
问题4选项
A.that the students were carrying out purely knowledge-based studies rather than being trained as researchers.
B.to see higher standards of PhD students’ theses and more ambitious doctoral topics.
C.more systematic teaching of research skills to fewer unrealistic expectations placed on inexperienced young PhD students.
D.that PhD students were less modest in their aims.
问题5选项
A.force departments to give graduates more teaching time
B.try to persuade universities to change their ways
C.dictate the standard of thesis reacquired by external examiners
D.note that students want more research training and less elaborate style of thesis
第1题:C
第2题:B
第3题:D
第4题:C
第5题:B
1.细节事实题。根据题干关键词new doctors定位至第一段: By then, most new doctors are sick to death of the narrowly defined subject, which has blighted their holidays and mined their evenings (到那吋候，新一批将要毕业的博士生就会对狭隘的论文主题感到极其厌倦，并且这样的论文会毁掉他们的假期，占据他们的夜晚)。因此C项 “他们中的大部分都彻底厌倦了狭隘的论文主题”正确。
2.细节事实题。据题干关键词Oxford University定位至第二段: The ESRC feels vindicated in its toughness, and will progressively raise the threshold to 40% in two years. Unless completion rates improve further, this would exclude 55 out of 73 universities and polytechnics — including Oxford University...( 经济与社会研究委员会觉得自己的坚持被证明是正确的，于是准备在接下来的两年内将毕业率门槛提升至40%,如果不提升毕业率，那么73所大学和专科学院中有55所院校将不能获得补贴，其中包括牛津大学……)。由此可知如果牛津大学博士生的毕业率低于40%的话，将得不到补贴。故选B。
3.判断推理题。四个选项都能在第三段中找到原话,但是Polytechnics with as few as two PhD candidates complain that they are penalized by random fluctuations in student performance (只有两个在读 博士生的科技专科院校抱怨说学生成绩的不稳定性让他们很被动)这部分不针对ESRC政策。故选D。
4.细节事实题。第四段指出: It would prefer to see more systematic teaching of research skills and fewer unrealistic expectations placed on young men and women who are undertaking their first piece of serious research (更愿意看到对参与第一项严肃研究的青年男女进行更系统的研究技能教学，减少不切实际的期望), 因此C项 “更系统地教授研究技能，减少对缺乏经验的年轻博士生的不切实际的期望” 正确。根据第四段中的So in future its grants will be given only where it is convinced that students are being trained as researchers, rather than carrying out purely knowledge-based studies(因此，在未来，只有在确定学生接受研究人员培训，而不是进行纯粹的基于知识的研究时，才会发放助学金)可知选项A意思表示刚好与原文相反；根据文章第四段中的The ESRC thinks it might not be a bad thing if PhD students were more modest in their aims(ESRC认为，如果博士生在目标上更加谦虚，这可能不是一件坏事。)可知选项D与原文意思相反，并且根据原文关键词modest in their aims可知选项B也与原文意思相反。
5.细节事实题。文章最后一段指出: The ESRC can not dictate the standard of thesis required by external examiners , or force departments to give graduates more teaching time(ESRC不能规定外部考官要求的论文标准，也不能强迫各部门给毕业生更多的教学时间)，故A和C错误。根据The most it can do is to try to persuade universities to change their ways (它最能做到的就是试图说服大学改变他们的方式)可知选项B正确；而根据最后一句话Recalcitrant professors should note that students want more research training and a less elaborate style, of thesis, too (固执的教授应该意识到学生们也需要更多的研究培训和不那么复杂的论文风格)可知选项D是Recalcitrant professors “固执的教授”应该做的而不是ESRC，所以选项D也不对， 故答案选项为B。
