What is the difference between a college and a university? This is a good question for students who want to attend a college or a university in the United States.

Colleges and universities have many things in common. Both provide a greater understanding of the world and its past. Both provide education in the arts and sciences. And both can help prepare young people to earn a living.

Students who complete their undergraduate studies either at a four-year college or a university receive a bachelor’s degree. One difference is that many colleges do not offer graduate studies.

Universities are generally bigger, offer more programs and do more research. Modern universities developed from those of the Middle Ages in Europe. The word “university” comes from the Latin “universitas”. This described a group of people organized for a common purpose. The word “college” comes from a Latin word with a similar meaning, “collegium”. In England, colleges were formed to provide students with places to live in. Usually each group of students was studying the same thing. So college came to mean an area of study. But a college can also be a part of a university. The first American universities divided their studies into a number of areas and called each one a college. This is still true.

Programs in higher learning may also be called schools. The University of Arizona in Tucson, for example, has 18 colleges and 10 schools. They include the colleges of pharmacy (制药学), education, engineering and law. They also include the schools of architecture, dance and public administration.

College is also used as a general term for higher education. A news report might talk about “college students” even if they include students at universities. Or someone might ask, “Where do you go to college?”

Today, most American colleges offer an area of study called liberal arts. These are subjects first developed and taught in ancient Greece. They include language, philosophy and mathematics. The purpose is to train a person’s mind instead of teaching job skills.

1.The passage is probably written to _________.

A．persuade students to go to college instead of schools

B．tell students the differences between colleges and universities

C．help students make a better choice of what kind of colleges they should go to

D．inform students about how much they are going to spend in going to college

2.When the term “college students” appears in a newspaper, it may refer to ________.

A．only students studying in colleges

B．students studying in colleges in the USA

C．only students studying in universities

D．students receiving higher education

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Both universities and colleges include different schools.

B．The purpose of liberal arts is to train a person’s job skill.

C．Both universities and colleges can help prepare students to make a living.

D．Most American universities have 18 colleges and 10 schools.

4.The area of study called liberal arts is designed to _______.

A．get students ready to earn a living

B．teach students subjects from engineering to philosophy

C．help students achieve a stronger and clearer mind

D．encourage more students to begin the study of arts

 

 

三．阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．

Several agencies have sprung up(涌现)offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The

first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．

Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai-which means “I want to cheer you up” -charge around £100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．

The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制)a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．

When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．

Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．

Hiroshi Mizutani, the company’s founder, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．

1．Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?

A．Because of social and economic changes       B．Because of lifetime employment

C．Because of normal social life                       D．Because of work pressure

2．Pretend friends will be present at the following occasions except ________．

A．weddings                B．funerals                C．work                     D．family gathering

3．The agents make sure that ________．

A．fake friends have done their housework

B．fake friends have good jobs

C．fake friends must look happy and be well dressed

D．fake friends feel uncomfortable

4．What is the best title of this passage?

A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married

B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan

C．Japanese couples’ social life

D．Japanese couples rely on fake friends

 

Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble (气泡) and main sadness. Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply. According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator (赤道) to Australia to find the priciest homes.

The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines. An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase. At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category. And a “seriously unaffordable” home needed five times a family’s income. In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9.5 times the average income. Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under this figure.

Australian officials offered little comment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings. These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable. Land rationing (配给制) and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government.

Some American cities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California. America is still involved in a mortgage（抵押）crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes. Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas. Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes.

The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under.

1.To buy an affordable house, you should pay _____.

A．3 times or less of the average family’s income

B．4 times or less of the average family’s income

C．5 times or less of the average family’s income

D．9.5 times or less of the average family’s income

2.What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?

A．The rising family’s income.

B．The demand over supply.

C．The excessive development charges.

D．The decrease of land.

3.The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean _____.

A．cheerful

B．satisfactory

C．difficult

D．gloomy

4.What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．Affordable Houses

B．A House is a Dream First

C．Housing Bubble

D．Homes Too Expensive

 

Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble （气泡） and main sadness． Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply． According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator （赤道） to Australia to find the priciest homes．

The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines． An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase． At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category． And a “seriously unaffordable” home needed five times a family’s income． In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9．5 times the average income． Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under this figure．

Australian officials offered little comment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings． These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable． Land rationing （配给制） and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government．

Some American cities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California． America is still involved in a mortgage（抵押）crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes． Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas． Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes．

The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under．

1. To buy an affordable house, you should pay _____．

   A． 3 times or less of the average family’s income

    B． 4 times or less of the average family’s income

    C． 5 times or less of the average family’s income

    D． 9．5 times or less of the average family’s income

2. What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?

   A． The rising family’s income．                     B． The demand over supply．

   C． The excessive development charges． D． The decrease of land．

3. The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean _____．

   A． cheerful                        B． satisfactory

   C． difficult                       D． gloomy 

4. What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

    A． Affordable Houses               B． A House is a Dream First

    C． Housing Bubble      D． Homes Too Expensive

 

Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble （气泡） and main sadness． Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply． According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator （赤道） to Australia to find the priciest homes．

The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines． An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase． At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category． And a “seriously unaffordable” home needed five times a family’s income． In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9．5 times the average income． Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under this figure．

Australian officials offered little comment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings． These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable． Land rationing （配给制） and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government．

Some American cities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California． America is still involved in a mortgage（抵押）crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes． Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas． Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes．

The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under．

To buy an affordable house, you should pay _____．

   A． 3 times or less of the average family’s income

    B． 4 times or less of the average family’s income

    C． 5 times or less of the average family’s income

    D． 9．5 times or less of the average family’s income

What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?

   A． The rising family’s income．       B． The demand over supply．

   C． The excessive development charges． D． The decrease of land．

The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean _____．

   A． cheerful       B． satisfactory

   C． difficult           D． gloomy 

What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

    A． Affordable Houses   B． A House is a Dream First

    C． Housing Bubble      D． Homes Too Expensive