PassageTwoQuestions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Therearefewmoresoberingonlineactivitiesthanenteringdataintocollege-tuitioncalculatorsandgaspingastheWebspitsbackasix-figuresum.Buteconomistssayfamiliesabouttogointodebttofundfouryearsofpartying,aswellasstudying,canconsolethemselveswiththeknowledgethatcollegeisaninvestmentthat,unlikemanybankstocks,shouldyieldhugedividends.A2008studybytwoHarvardeconomistsnotesthatthe“labor-marketpremiumtoskill”—ortheamountcollegegraduatesearnedthat’sgreaterthanwhathigh-schoolgraduateearned—decreasedformuchofthe20thcentury,buthascomebackwithavengeance(报复性地)sincethe1980s.In2005,Thetypicalfull-timeyear-roundU.S.workerwithafour-yearcollegedegreeearned$50,900,62%morethanthe$31,500earnedbyaworkerwithonlyahigh-schooldiploma.There’snoquestionthatgoingtocollegeisasmarteconomicchoice.Butalookatthestrangevariationsintuitionrevealsthatthechoiceaboutwhichcollegetoattenddoesn’tcomedownmerelytodollarsandcents.DoesgoingtoColumbiaUniversity(tuition,roomandboard$49,260in2007-08)yielda40%greaterreturnthanattendingtheUniversityofColoradoatBoulderasanout-of-statestudent($35,542)?Probablynot.Doesbeinganout-of-statestudentattheUniversityofColoradoatBoulderyieldtwicetheamountofincomeasbeinganin-statestudent($17,380)there?Notlikely.No,inthisconsumeristage,mostbuyersaren’tevaluatingcollegeasaninvestment,butratherasaconsumerproduct—likeacarorclothesorahouse.Andwithsuchpurchases,priceisonlyoneofmanycrucialfactorstoconsider.Aswithautomobiles,consumersintoday’scollegemarketplacehavevastchoices,andpeoplesearchfortheonethatgivesthemthemostcomfortandsatisfactioninlinewiththeirbudgets.Thisaccountsforthewillingnessofpeopletopaymorefordifferenttypesofexperiences(suchasattendingaprivateliberal-artscollegeorgoingtoanout-of-statepublicschoolthathasagreatmarine-biologyprogram).Andjustastwoautopurchasersmightspendanequalamountofmoneyonverydifferentcars,collegestudents(or,moreaccurately,theirparents)oftenshowawillingnesstopayessentiallythesamepriceforvastlydifferentproducts.Sowhichisit?Iscollegeaninvestmentproductlikeastockoraconsumerproductlikeacar?Inkeepingwiththeautomotiveworld’shottestconsumertrend,maybeit’sbesttocharacterizeitasahybrid(混合动力汽车)anexpensiveconsumerproductthat,overtime,willpayrichdividends.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。第44题What’stheopinionofeconomistsaboutgoingtocollege? A: Hugeamountsofmoneyisbeingwastedoncampussocializing. B: Itdoesn’tpaytorunintodebttoreceiveacollegeeducation. C: Collegeeducationisrewardinginspiteofthestartlingcosts. D: Goingtocollegedoesn’tnecessarilybringtheexpectedreturns.

WhenIwasaseniorincollege,IcamehomeforChristmasvacationandanticipatedafun-filledfortnightwithmytwobrothers.Weweresoexcitedtobetogetherandwevolunteeredtowatchthestoresothatmymotherandfathercouldtaketheirfirstdayoffinyears.ThedaybeforemyparentswenttoBoston,myfathertookmequietlyasidetothelittledenbehindthestore.Hetookoutacigarbox,openeditandshowedmealittlepileofnewspaperarticles.“Whatarethey?”Iasked.Fatherrepliedseriously,“ThesearearticlesI’vewrittenandsomeletterstotheeditorthathavebeenpublished.”AsIbegantoread,IsawatthebottomofeachneatlyclippedarticlethenameWalterChapman.“Whydidn’tyoutellmeyou’ddonethat?”Iasked.“BecauseIdidn’twantyourmothertoknow.ShehasalwaystoldmethatsinceIdidn’thavemucheducation,Ishouldn’ttrytowrite.Iwantedtorunforsomepoliticalofficealso,butshetoldmeIshouldn’ttry.Iguessshewasafraidshe’dbeembarrassedifIlost.IfiguredIcouldwritewithoutherknowingit,andsoIdid.Wheneachitemwouldbeprinted,I’dcutitoutandhideitinthisbox.IknewsomedayI’dshowtheboxtosomeone,andit’syou.”HewatchedmeasIreadoverafewofthearticlesandwhenIlookedup,hisbigblueeyesweremoist.“IguessItriedforsomethingtoobigthislasttime,”headded.“Didyouwritesomethingelse?”“Yes,Isentsomesuggestionsintoourchurchmagazineonhowthenationalnominatingcommitteecouldbeselectedmorefairly.It’sbeenthreemonthssinceIsentitin.IguessItriedforsomethingtoobig.”Thiswassuchanewsidetomyfun-lovingfatherthatIdidn’tquiteknowwhattosay,soItried,“Maybeit’llstillcome.”“Maybe,butdon’tholdyourbreath.”fathergavemealittlesmileandawinkandthenclosedthecigarbox.ThenextmorningourparentsleftonthebustotherailwaystationwheretheytookatraintoBoston.WhenIranthestorewithmytwobrothers,Ithoughtaboutthebox.I’dneverknownmyfatherlikedtowrite.Ididn’ttellmybrothers.Itwasasecretbetweenfatherandme.EarlythateveningIlookedoutthestorewindowandsawmymothergetoffthebus—alone.“Where’sDad?”Weaskedtogether.“Yourfather’sdead,”shesaidwithoutatear.ShetoldustheyhadbeenwalkingthroughtheParkStreetSubwayStationinthemidstofcrowdsofpeoplewhenfatherhadfallentothefloor.Anursebentoverhim,lookedupatmotherandsaidsimply,“He’sdead.”Motherhadstoodbyfatherstunned,notknowingwhattodoaspeopletrippedoverhimintheirrushthroughthesubway.Mothertoldustheshockingtalewithoutsheddingatear.Notshowingemotionhadalwaysbeenamatterofdisciplineandprideforher.Wedidn’tcryeitherandwetookturnswaitingonthecustomers.Onesteadypatronasked,“Where’stheoldmantonight?”“He’sdead,”Ireplied.“Oh,toobad,”andheleft.I’dneverthoughtoffatherasanoldman.He’dalwaysbeenhealthyandhappyandhe’dcaredforfrailmotherwithoutcomplainingandnowhewasgone.Nomorewhistling,nomoresinginghymnswhilestockingshelves.“Theoldman”wasgone.Onthemorningofthefuneral,IsatatthetableinthestoreopeningsympathycardsandpastingtheminascrapbookwhenInoticedthechurchmagazineinthepile.NormallyIwouldneverhaveopenedit,butmaybethatsacredarticlemightbethere—anditwas.Itookthemagazinetothelittleden,shutthedoor,andburstintotears.Ihadbeenbrave,butseeingDad’sboldrecommendationsinprintwasmorethanIcouldbear.IreadandcriedandthenIreadagain.InthemagazineIalsofoundatwo-pagelettertomyfatherfromHenryCabotLodge,Sr.,thankinghimforthecampaignsuggestions.Itookouttheboxandputtheminit.Ididn’ttellanyoneaboutthebox.

长篇阅读Passage2IsCollegeaWorthyInvestment?A)Whyarewespendingsomuchmoneyoncollege?Andwhyarewesounhappyaboutit?Weallseemtoagreethatacollegeeducationiswonderful,andyetstrangelyweworrywhenweseefamiliesinvestingsomuchinthissupposedlyessentialgood.Maybeit’stimetoaskaquestionthatseemsalmostsacrilegious(大不敬的):isallthisinvestmentincollegeeducationreallyworthit?B)Theanswer,Ifear,isno.Foranincreasingnumberofkids,theextratimeandmoneyspentpursuingacollegediplomawillleavethemworseoffthantheywerebeforetheysetfootoncampus.C)Formyentireadultlife,agoodeducationhasbeenthemostimportantthingformiddle-classhouseholds.Myparentsspentmoreeducatingmysisterandmethantheyspentontheirhouse,andthey’renottheonlyones...and,ofcourse,foranincreasingnumberoffamilies,mostofthecostoftheirhouseisactuallythecostoflivinginagoodschooldistrict.Questioningthevalueofacollegeeducationseemsabitlikequestioningthevalueofhappiness,orfun.D)Theaveragepriceofallgoodsandserviceshasrisenabout50percent.Butthepriceofacollegeeducationhasnearlydoubledinthattime.Istheeducationthattoday’sstudentsaregettingtwiceasgood?Arenewworkerstwiceassmart?Havetheybecomesomehowmassivelymoreexpensivetoeducate?E)Perhapsabit.RichardVedder,anOhioUniversityeconomicsprofessor,says,“Ilookatthedata,andIseecollegecostsrisingfasterthaninflationuptothemid-1980sby1percentayear.NowIseethemrising3to4percentayearoverinflation.Whathashappened?Thefederalgovernmenthasstarteddroppingmoneyoutofairplanes.”Aidhasincreased,subsidized(补贴的)loanshavebecomeavailable,and“theuniversitieshavegottenthemoney.”EconomistBryanCaplan,whoiswritingabookabouteducation,agrees:“It’sagiantwasteofresourcesthatwillcontinueaslongasthesubsidiescontinue.”F)Promotionalliteratureforcollegesandstudentloansoftenspeaksofdebtasan“investmentinyourself.”Butaninvestmentissupposedtogenerateincometopayofftheloans.Morethanhalfofallrecentgraduatesareunemployedorinjobsthatdonotrequireadegree,andtheamountofstudent-loandebtcarriedbyhouseholdshasincreasedmorethanfivetimessince1999.Thesegraduatesweretoldthatadiplomawasalltheyneededtosucceed,butitwon’tevengetthemoutofthesparebedroomatMomandDad’s.Formany,themostvisibleresultoftheirfouryearsistheloanpayments,whichnowaveragehundredsofdollarsamonthonloanbalancesinthetensofthousands.G)It’strueaboutthemoney—sortof.Collegegraduatesnowmake80percentmorethanpeoplewhohaveonlyahigh-schooldiploma,andthoughtherearenopreciseestimates,thewagepremium(高出的部分)foranoutstandingschoolseemstobeevenhigher.Butthat’snottrueofeverystudent.It’sveryeasytospendfouryearsmajoringinEnglishliteratureandcomeoutnomoreemployablethanyouwerebeforeyouwentin.Conversely,chemicalengineersstraightoutofschoolcaneasilymakealmostfourtimesthewagesofanentry-levelhigh-schoolgraduate.H)JamesHeckman,theNobelPrize-winningeconomist,hasexaminedhowthereturnsoneducationbreakdownforindividualswithdifferentbackgroundsandlevelsofability.“Evenwiththesehighprices,you’restillfindingahighreturnforindividualswhoarebrightandmotivated,”hesays.Ontheotherhand,“ifyou’renotcollegeready,thentheanswerisno,it’snotworthit.”Expertstendtoagreethatfortheaveragestudent,collegeisstillworthittoday,buttheyalsoagreethattherapidincreaseinpriceiseatingupmoreandmoreofthepotentialreturn.Forborderlinestudents,tuition(学费)risecanpushthosereturnsintonegativeterritory.I)Everyoneseemstoagreethatthegovernment,andparents,shouldberethinkinghowweinvestinhighereducation—andthatemployersneedtorethinktheincreasinguseofcollegedegreesascrudescreeningtoolsforjobsthatdon’treallyrequirecollegeskills.“Employersseeingasurplusofcollegegraduatesandlookingtofilljobsarejustaddingthatrequirement,”saysVedder.“Infact,acollegedegreebecomesajobrequirementforbecomingabar-tender.”J)Wehavestartedtoseesomechangeonthefinanceside.Alawpassedin2007allowsmanystudentstocaptheirloanpaymentat10percentoftheirincomeandforgivesanybalanceafter25years.Butofcourse,thatdoesn’tcontrolthecostofeducation;itjustshiftsittotaxpayers.Italsoencouragesgraduatestochooselower-payingcareers,whichreducesthefinancialreturntoeducationstillfurther.“You’resubsidizingpeopletobecomepriestsandpoetsandsoforth,”saysHeckman.“Youmaythinkthat’sagoodthing,oryoumaynot.”Eitherwayitwillbeexpensiveforthegovernment.K)Whatmightbealotcheaperisputtingmorekidstowork.Caplannotesthatworkalsobuildsvaluableskills—probablymorevaluableforkidswhodon’tnaturallylovesittinginaclassroom.Heckmanagreeswholeheartedly:“Peoplearedifferent,andthoseabilitiescanbeshaped.That’swhatwe’velearned,andpublicpolicyshouldrecognizethat.”L)Heckmanwouldliketoseemoreapprenticeship-style(学徒式)programs,wherekidscanlearnintheworkplace—learnnotjustspecificjobskills,butthekindof“softskills,”likegettingtoworkontimeandgettingalongwithateam,thatarecrucialforcareersuccess.“It’sabouthavingmentors(指导者)andhavingworkplace-basededucation,”hesays.“TimeandagainI’veseenexamplesofthiskindofprogramworking.”M)Ah,buthowdowegettherefromhere?Withbetterpublicpolicy,hopefully,butalsobymakingbetterindividualdecisions.“Historicallymarketshavebeenabletohandlethesethings,”saysVedder,“andIthinkeventuallymarketswillhandlethisone.Ifitdoesn’timprovesoon,peoplearegoingtowakeupandask,‘WhyamIgoingtocollege?’”1.Caplansuggeststhatkidswhodon’tloveschoolgotowork.2.Anincreasingnumberoffamiliesspendmoremoneyonhousesinagoodschooldistrict.3.Subsidizedloanstocollegestudentsareahugewasteofmoney,accordingtooneeconomist.4.Moreandmorekidsfindtheyfareworsewithacollegediploma.5.Forthosewhoarenotpreparedforhighereducation,goingtocollegeisnotworthit.6.Overtheyearsthecostofacollegeeducationhasincreasedalmostby100%.7.Alawpassedrecentlyallowsmanystudentstopaynomorethanonetenthoftheirincomefortheircollegeloans.8.Middle-classAmericanshavehighlyvaluedagoodeducation.9.Morekidsshouldbeencouragedtoparticipateinprogramswheretheycanlearnnotonlyjobskillsbutalsosocialskills.10.Overfiftypercentofrecentcollegegraduatesremainunemployedorunabletofindasuitablejob.