词汇注释


fraudulently /ˈfrɔːdjələntli/ adv. 欺骗地

manipulate /məˈnɪpjʊleɪt/ v. 操纵；操控；操作

superintendent /ˌsuːpərɪnˈtendənt/ n. 监督人；负责人

orchestrate/ˈɔːkɪstreɪt/ v. 策划；精心安排；编管弦乐曲

prosecutor /ˈprɒsɪkjuːtə(r)/ n. 检察官

elaborate/ɪˈlæbərət/ adj．精心制作的；煞费苦心的

inflate/ɪnˈfleɪt/ v. 使大幅增长；膨胀；充气；夸大

tenure /ˈtenjə(r)/ n. 任期；占有

truant /ˈtruːənt/ n. 旷课者；懒惰的人

eligible /ˈelɪdʒəbl/ adj. 合格的；符合条件的





难句突破


The scheme，elements of which were carried out for most of Mr．Garcia's nearly six-year tenure，centered on a state-mandated test taken by sophomores.

主体句式：The scheme centered on a test...

结构分析：该句结构并不复杂，但其修饰成分较多。主干部分为The scheme centered on a test...。分句elements of which...是插入语，也是the scheme的同位语，起补充说明的作用。分词短语taken by sophomores作后置定语用来修饰test。

句子译文：加西亚的计谋在他将近六年的任期中频频上演，主要运用在大二学生参加的一项国家规定的测试上。





题目分析


1．B 细节题。文章开门见山地指出学校行政人员在重大考试中舞弊，提高学生成绩，以达到州和联邦政府的标准。A、D项的说法与原文相反，C选项与原文不符，只有B选项正确。

2．D 细节题。A选项的说法文中并未提及。考试舞弊并不是为了使学校出名，而是使学校达标，故B项错误。C选项扩大了时间范围，可排除。D选项符合文意，为正确答案。

3．C 语义题。discourage意为“阻止；使气馁”，文中指出：表现不佳的学生被转到特许学校，或在报名时被劝阻，或者训导员会登门造访并要求他们考试当天不要去学校。A、B、D均与题意不符，只有C选项正确。

4．B 推理题。第五、六段指出，故意被留级的学生可以通过参加毕业前的“集中讲座”而赶上来，并举例指出学生的学分和年级被学校随意篡改。可知A、C项不正确，B项正确。文中沙普利先生呼吁地区领导人的帮助，但并未进行指责，因此D项错误。故答案为B。

5．C 情感态度题。从对整个事件的描述到文章最后对沙普利先生呼吁的引用，作者全篇都使用了比较客观的口吻。作者虽然措辞上对该舞弊丑闻表示不满，但对该丑闻的处理办法立足点比较客观。故答案为C。





参考译文



这乍听起来似乎是一则常见的新闻：学校行政人员在重大考试中舞弊，提高学生成绩，以达到州和联邦政府的标准。但是，这个舞弊丑闻震惊了边境城市拥有64000名学生的学区，在这一舞弊丑闻中行政人员操控的不仅仅是数字。他们被指控驱逐低分学生，通过不恰当地让一些学生留级，让另一些学生快速升入高年级，以及阻止许多学生参加考试或根本不让其入学等手段来达到目的。

这个月，这一事件导致了联邦法院备受关注的一幕：前学校督学洛伦佐·加西亚由于策划了这起考试丑闻而锒铛入狱。但对于学生和家长来说，此事并未结束。一项联邦调查仍在继续，更多协助过加西亚的管理人员或将入狱。联邦检察官指控57岁的加西亚先生煞费苦心的经营策划，“提高”考试成绩，来帮助那些其实达不到《不落下一个学生》法案要求的学校达标，且他可因达到学区目标而获得年度奖金。

加西亚的计谋在他将近六年的任期中频频上演，主要运用在大二学生参加的一项国家规定的测试上。该测试叫做得克萨斯知识技能评估，考查学生在阅读、数学和其他一些科目上的表现。根据检察官、前校长和学校代讼人的说法，该计谋的目的是不允许差生进入课堂，这样他们就不用参加考试，拉低平均分。

表现不佳的学生被转到特许学校，或在报名时被劝阻，或者训导员会登门造访并要求他们考试当天不要去学校。某些学生的学分从成绩单上删除了，或者分数从合格改为不合格或者从不合格改为合格，这样他们就可以被重新归类到大一新生或大三学生中。

其他故意被留级的学生可以通过参加毕业前的“集中讲座”而赶上来。在此期间，学生通过几个小时的电脑作业就可以获得一个学期的学分。一位前任高中校长在接受采访时以及在法庭上都指出，一个学生在毕业前最后一天的三个小时内就获得了两个学期的学分。还有一些从墨西哥转到该校区的学生被自动归入了9年级，以避免他们参加该考试，尽管他们已经获得了10年级的学分。该项目被称为“鲍伊模式”，加西亚先生曾吹嘘自己在提高考试成绩上的成就，特别是在2008年，该地区所有的合格学校都获得了国家“学术认可”等级或者更好的成绩。但家长和学生对这样的情况有另外一种说法，即“失踪的学生”或消失的学生。

国家教育数据表明，381名学生于2007年秋天在鲍伊入学成为大一新生。但到第二年的秋天，大二班里只剩下170名学生。埃利奥特·沙普利说，很多失踪的学生都是在加西亚先生的项目中“消失”的。沙普利先生是一位律师，也是前州参议员，是他最先着手调查这项考试的渎职行为并将其公布于众的。沙普利先生说，他相信很多学生都受到了影响，但是地区领导人却没有给予他们足够的关心和帮助。





Unit 21


As colleges and universities send another wave of graduates out into the world this spring，thousands of other job seekers with liberal-arts degrees like Martin's find themselves in a similar bind．True enough，this is an era of record-breaking lows in unemployment．But technology companies，which are contributing the lion's share of new jobs，are simultaneously declaring a shortage of qualified workers．The emphasis is on the word qualified.

It's no surprise that high-tech companies rarely hire liberal-arts graduates．“Our p.r．people，our marketers，even our attorneys have technical talent,” says Tracy Koon，director of corporate affairs at Intel．The need for technical expertise is so pervasive that even retailers are demanding such skills．“Company-wide，we’re looking for students with specific information-systems skills,” says David McDearmon，director of field human resources at Dollar Tree Stores．“Typically we shy away from independent-college students who don’t have them.”

Fortunately for Martin，some invaluable help was at hand when he needed it．The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges，a network of 15 liberal-arts colleges in the state，has teamed up with local companies to bridge the learning gap faced by its members’ graduates．VFIC invited 30 companies，including First Union and Electronic Data Systems，to link the needs of businesses with the skills being taught in college classrooms．With grants from corporate sponsors like AT&T，VFIC asked 20 information-technology managers to help its members create an exam，based on the work students will be expected to do in the real world，to test and certify their technological proficiency.

The result，Tek.Xam，is an eight-part test that requires students to design a website，build and analyze spreadsheets，research problems on the Internet and demonstrate understanding of legal and ethical issues．Says Linda Dalch，president of VFIC:“If an art-history major wants a job at a bank，he needs to prove he has the skills．That's where this credential can help.” This year 245 students at VFIC's member colleges have gone through the program．The long-term hope is that Tek.Xam will win the same kind of acceptance as the LSAT or CPA for law or accounting students．“To know a student has taken the initiative and passed could mean that less training is needed,” explains John Rudin，chief information officer at Reynolds Metals，one of the corporations that helped create the test.

All this begs an important question: Has the traditional liberal-arts curriculum become obsolete? College presidents naturally argue that the skills their schools provide are invaluable．A B.A．degree，says Mary Brown Bullock of Atlanta's Agnes Scott College，“gives graduates the ability to reinvent themselves time and time again...and the knowledge and thinking skills that transcend a particular discipline or time frame.”

Martin is finding that to be the truth．“It would be nice to have computer classes on my transcript,” he says，but Tek.Xam has armed him with the power to learn those skills on his own—and a credential to show he has done so．He's now waiting to hear when his job as a network-support assistant for a large Boston firm will start.


注（1）：文选自Time；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2002年真题Text 3。



1．The main problem many liberal-arts students face in job seeking is ______.

A) too much competition in the job market

B) their lack of technical expertise

C) some companies’ discrimination against liberal-arts students

D) the recording-breaking unemployment rate

2．It can be inferred from the text that ______.

A) in the modern era，technical talent means everything in securing a job

B) independent colleges are not giving their students proper education

C) retailers are following the fashion only to promote sales

D) there is a big demand for students with technical skills

3．Tek.Xam is designed to ______.

A) offer VFIC members’ graduates more job opportunities

B) compete with LSAT and CPA

C) help students cope with real world problems

D) test students’ technical skills

4．We can draw a conclusion from the text that ______.

A) liberal arts education still proves valuable to students

B) Tek.Xam is gaining wide acceptance among employers and students alike

C) technology companies are eager to promote Tek.Xam

D) computer classes will be excluded from the curriculum of liberal-arts students

5．From the text we can see that the writer's attitude to Tek.Xam seems ______.

A) positive

B) suspicious

C) pessimistic

D) disapproving





篇章剖析


本篇文章是说明文，主要介绍当前就业市场对技术知识的巨大需求以及为应对这种需求而设立的“技术考试”。文章第一段介绍了用人单位所面临的问题，即缺少合格的员工；第二段说明文科生在就业市场不受青睐的原因：他们缺少技术知识；第三段交代了“技术考试”设立的背景；第四段介绍了“技术考试”的内容，设立考试的目的，考试举办情况以及考试前景；第五段提出文科教育是否过时的问题；最后一段以一个具体例子说明二者结合的好处。





词汇注释


bind /baɪnd/ n. 困扰；困境

lion's share 最大或最好的部分

pervasive /pɜːˈveɪsɪv/ adj. 遍布的；普遍的

shy /ʃaɪ/ v.（常与away from连用）躲避，避免

proficiency /prəˈfɪʃənsi/ n．熟练，精通

spreadsheet /ˈspredʃiːt/ n. 【计】 电子制表软件，电子数据表

credential /krɪˈdenʃəl/ n.文凭；凭证；证书

initiative /ɪˈnɪʃɪətɪv/ n. 主动

obsolete /ˈɒbsəliːt/ adj．废弃的；过时的

discipline /ˈdɪsɪplɪn/ n. 学科

transcript /ˈtrænskrɪpt/ n. 成绩单





难句突破


But technology companies，which are contributing the lion's share of new jobs，are simultaneously declaring a shortage of qualified workers.

主体句式：But technology companies are declaring a shortage.

结构分析：本句结构并不算复杂，只包含一个非限定性定语从句，但其中用到的表达“the lion's share”可能不太容易理解，“the lion's share”意为“最大或最好的部分”。

句子译文：但同时招聘新岗位最多的技术公司仍然宣称缺少合格的员工。





题目分析


1．B 细节题。从文章第一段和第二段的内容可知，技术公司的用人需求最大，但却缺少合格的员工。在市场上，the need for technical expertise is pervasive。而很多公司不愿意要文科生的原因是they don't have them，他们因缺少技能而难以找到工作。

2．D 推理题。文章第二段提到对技术知识的需求如此普遍，连零售商都需要这种技能。由此可见，D是正确答案。

3．D 细节题。文章第三段最后一行提到设立这一考试的目的是to test and certify their technological proficiency，所以应选择D。

4．A 推理题。从文章第五段引用大学校长的话，以及第六段提到马丁也赞同校长的话可以推知，文科教育仍然很有价值。

5．A 情感态度题。作者的态度可以从作者的选材角度判断出来。本文提到了Tek.Xam这种考试设立的背景、考试的前景以及带给考生的积极变化。由此可见，作者对这种考试是持肯定态度的。





参考译文



今年春天又有一批毕业生从大学步入社会，与此同时，成千上万名像马丁那样具有文科学历的求职者发现他们面临了一个同样的问题。的确，现在的失业率比以往任何时候都低。但同时招聘岗位最多的技术公司仍然宣称缺少合格的员工。关键就在这个词：合格。

高技术公司很少雇用文科毕业生这不足为奇。“我们的公关人员、市场营销人员，甚至律师都有技术才能，”英特尔公司企业事务部主管特雷茜·库恩说。对于技术专长的需求非常普遍，连零售商都需要具有这种技能。“我们公司各个部门都需要掌握一定信息系统技术的毕业生，” Dollar Tree 商店的人力资源总监大卫·麦克德蒙说。“一般我们都不会聘用那些没有这些技能的独立学院毕业生。”

马丁算是比较幸运的，他需要帮助的时候，宝贵的帮助就来了。弗吉尼亚独立学院基金会（VFIC）是该州15所文科大学的网络组织。它同当地公司合作，一起帮助其成员学校的毕业生弥补知识的不足。VFIC邀请了30家公司，包括第一联合国家银行和电子数据系统公司，将企业需求和大学课堂教授的技巧结合起来。在美国电话电报公司（AT&T）等企业的资助下，VFIC邀请了20位信息技术经理来帮助其成员学校举办一个考试，考试内容基于学生在现实世界中所需要做的工作，目的是测试和证明他们对技术的熟练程度。

“技术考试”（Tek.Xam）由此诞生。它分为八个部分，要求学生设计网站，建立和分析电子数据表，在互联网上调查和研究问题以及证明自己对法律和伦理问题的理解等。VFIC的负责人琳达·戴奇说：“如果一个艺术史专业的学生想得到一份银行的工作，他就要证明自己有这方面的技能。这个证书就是要在这方面帮助他。”今年VFIC成员学校的245名学生参加了这一考试。今后“技术考试”也许能够像法律专业学生参加的“法学院入学考试”（LSAT）和会计专业学生参加的“注册会计师考试”（CPA）一样受到广泛认可。“如果某个学生主动参加并且通过了这个考试，那么也就意味着他需要接受的培训相应减少了，”雷诺兹金属公司的信息总监约翰·鲁丁说道。雷诺兹金属公司也参与了创立这一考试的工作。

所有这一切都避开了一个重要问题：传统的文科课程过时了吗？大学校长们自然认为学校所传授的技能是无价的。亚特兰大艾格尼丝·斯考特学院的玛丽·布朗·布洛克说，本科学历“让毕业生有能力不断重新塑造自己…而他们所学的知识和思维技巧超越了任何一个特定的学科或者时期。”

马丁也有同感。“成绩单上有电脑课当然好，”他说，但“技术考试”让他有能力自学这些技能——而且一张证书可以证明他所付出的努力。现在他已经受聘成为波士顿一家大公司的网络支持助理，正在等待上班通知。





Unit 22


The idea that shopping is the new politics is certainly seductive．You probably go shopping several times a month，providing yourself with lots of opportunities to express your opinions．If you are worried about the environment，you might buy organic food; if you want to help poor farmers，you can do your bit by buying Fairtrade products; or you can express a dislike of evil multinational companies and rampant globalisation by buying only local produce．Sadly，it's not that easy．There are good reasons to doubt the claims made about three of the most popular varieties of“ethical” food: organic food，Fairtrade food and local food．People who want to make the world a better place cannot do so by shifting their shopping habits: transforming the planet requires duller disciplines，like politics.

Organic food，which is grown without man-made pesticides and fertilisers，is generally assumed to be more environmentally friendly than conventional intensive farming．However，farming is inherently bad for the environment: since humans took it up around 11,000 years ago，the result has been deforestation on a massive scale．But following the“green revolution” of the 1960s greater use of chemical fertiliser has tripled grain yields with very little increase in the area of land under cultivation．Organic methods，which rely on crop rotation，manure and compost in place of fertiliser，are far less intensive．So producing the world's current agricultural output organically would require several times as much land as is currently cultivated．There wouldn’t be much room left for the rainforest.

Fairtrade food is designed to raise poor farmers’ incomes．It is sold at a higher price than ordinary food，with a subsidy passed back to the farmer．But prices of agricultural commodities are low because of overproduction．By propping up the price，the Fairtrade system encourages farmers to produce more of these commodities rather than diversifying into other crops and so depresses prices—thus achieving，for most farmers，exactly the opposite of what the initiative is intended to do. And since only a small fraction of the mark-up on Fairtrade foods actually goes to the farmer—most goes to the retailer—the system gives rich consumers an inflated impression of their largesse and makes alleviating poverty seem too easy.

Surely the case for local food，produced as close as possible to the consumer in order to minimise“food miles” and，by extension，carbon emissions，is clear? Surprisingly，it is not．A study of Britain's food system found that nearly half of food-vehicle miles（ie，miles travelled by vehicles carrying food）were driven by cars going to and from the shops．Most people live closer to a supermarket than a farmer's market，so more local food could mean more food-vehicle miles．Moving food around in big，carefully packed lorries，as supermarkets do，may in fact be the most efficient way to transport the stuff.

What's more，once the energy used in production as well as transport is taken into account，local food may turn out to be even less green．Producing lamb in New Zealand and shipping it to Britain uses less energy than producing British lamb，because farming in New Zealand is less energy-intensive．And since the local-food movement looks suspiciously like old-fashioned protectionism masquerading as concern for the environment，helping poor countries is presumably not the point.


注（1）：本文选自Economist；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象：第1题模仿2006年真题Text 1第5题；第2题模仿2011年真题Text 2第2题；第3题模仿2010年真题Text 2第2题；第4～5题分别模仿2013年真题Text 2第5题和2015年真题Text 4第2题。



1．In the author's eyes，the view of seeing shopping as a political event is _______.

A) very helpful

B) not practical

C) sheer nonsense

D) quite harmful

2．According to the author，what may be the chief reason for the disadvantage of organic food?

A) It cannot yield enough food.

B) It is involved with some kind of political event.

C) It is directly responsible for the global deforestation.

D) It is not necessarily environment-friendly.

3．Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?