Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For question 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid
　　Good grades and high tests scores still matter—a lot—to many colleges as they award financial aid.
　　But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as “merit aid”, is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars.
　　George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients(接受者), pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago.
　　Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008.
　　Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don’t meet need eligibility(资格)have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school.
　　For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running.
　　But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. “They’re trying to buy students,” says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum.
　　Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it.
　　“As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid,” says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarships for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Report’s ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17.
　　Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $ 1 million a year, “served us well,” Inzer says, but “to be discounting the price for families that don’t need financial aid doesn’t feel right any more.”
　　Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at the institutional level.
　　Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state’s public institutions.
　　But in recent years, a growing chorus(异口同声)of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be “a sign that people are starting to realize that there’s this destructive competition going on,” says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of institutional aid not based on need.
　　David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors.
　　“No one can take one-sided action,” says Laird, who is exploring whether to seek an exemption(豁免)from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid, “This is a merry-go-round that’s going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves.”
　　A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don’t qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs.
　　That’s one reason Allegheny College doesn’t plan to drop merit aid entirely.
　　“We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship,” says Scott Friedhoff, Allegheny’s vice president for enrollment.
　　Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment(捐赠), meanwhile, is taking another approach. This year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program.
　　“Yeah, we’re playing the merit game,” acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong point, too, he says. “The fact of the matter is, it’s not just about the lowest-income people. It’s the average American middle-class family who’s being priced out of the market.”
　　*A few words about merit-based aid:
　　Merit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships.
　　Academic merit scholarships are based on students’ grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholarships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a teacher as part of the qualification process.
　　Athletic merit scholarships are meant for students that excel(突出)in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee(裁判). Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance.
　　Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usually requires that students submit a portfolio(选辑)of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing.
　　1. With more and more low-income students pursuing higher education, a number of colleges are ________.
　　A) offering students more merit-based aid B) revising their financial aid policies
　　C) increasing the amount of financial aid D) changing their admission processes
　　2. What did Allegheny College in Meadville do three years ago?
　　A) It tried to implement a novel financial aid program.
　　B) It added $ 2.5 million to its need-based aid program.
　　C) It phased out its merit-based scholarships altogether.
　　D) It cuts its merit-based aid to help the needy students.
　　3. The chief purpose of rankings-conscious colleges in offering merit aid is to ______.
　　A) improve teaching quality B) boost their enrollments
　　C) attract good students D) increase their revenues
　　4. Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, believes ______.
　　A) it doesn’t pay to spend $ 1 million a year to raise its ranking
　　B) it gives students motivation to award academic achievements
　　C) it’s illogical to use so much money on only 4% of its students
　　D) it’s not right to give aid to those who can afford the tuition
　　5. In recent years, merit-based aid has increased much faster than need-based aid due to ______.
　　A) more government funding to colleges B) fierce competition among institutions
　　C) the increasing number of top students D) schools’ improved financial situations
　　6. What is the attitude of many private colleges toward merit aid, according to David Laird?
　　A) They would like to see it reduced.
　　B) They regard it as a necessary evil.
　　C) They think it does more harm than good.
　　D) They consider it unfair to middle-class families.
　　7. Why doesn’t Allegheny College plan to drop merit aid entirely?
　　A) Raising tuitions have made college unaffordable for middle-class families.
　　B) With rising incomes, fewer students are applying for need-based aid.
　　C) Many students from middle-income families have come to rely on it.
　　D) Rising incomes have disqualified many students for need-based aid.
　　8. Annual renewal of academic merit scholarships depends on whether the recipients remain ______.
　　9. Applicants for athletic merit scholarships need a recommendation from a coach or a referee who ______ their exceptional athletic performance.
　　10. Applicants for artistic merit scholarships must produce evidence to show their ______ in a particular artistic field

        答案见第二页 

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　1. 【原题译文】随着越来越多的低收入学生追求高等教育，一些学院__。

　　  B【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是more and more，low-income students和pursuing higher education。由此即可定位到原文第二段，全文的主旨段。

　　   【篇章分析】原文第二段指出：“But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as merit aid, is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars.”原文中with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population和题干中with more and more low-income students pursuing higher education意思一致;原文中re-examining和B选项中revise意思相同。所以答案为B。

　　2. 【原题译文】位于米德维尔的阿勒格尼学院三年前做了什么?

　　 D【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是大学名称Allegheny College in Meadville和do，由此定位到原文第三段。

　　   【篇章分析】原文第三段指出：“George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients (接受者), pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago.”题目中的D项It cut its merit-based aid help the needy students与原文cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients, pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid意思相同，所以答案为D。

　　3.  【原题译文】有排名意识的大学提供奖学金的主要目的是__。

　　  C【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是rankings-conscious和purpose，由此可定位到原文第七段。

　　   【篇章分析】原文第七段指出：“But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profiles.”原文中的recruit表示“招收”，和答案C中的attract意思相似，所以答案为C。

　　4. 【原题译文】汉密尔顿的入学和助学金办公室主任莫尼卡•英泽相信__。

　　 D【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hanilton，由此可定位到原文第十段。

　　   【篇章分析】原文第十段指出：“to be discounting the price for families that don’t need financial aid doesn’t feel right any more.”原文与D项it’s not right to give aid to those who can afford the tuition意思相同，所以答案为D。

　　5. 【原题译文】近年来，奖学金的增长比助学金快得多，是因为__。

　　  B【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是merit-based aid和increased，由此即可定位到原文第十二段第二句。

　　    【篇章分析】原文第十二段第二句指出：“typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state’s public institutions.” in a bid to 可以理解为“为了……，力求……”。enroll top students in the state’s public institutions符合原题意思，所以答案为B

6. 【原题译文】依大卫•莱尔德来看，许多私立学院对奖学金的态度是什么?

　　 A【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是David Laird，attitude，private colleges和merit aid，由此即可定位到原文第十四段。

　　  【篇章分析】原文第十四段指出：“David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid”。原文和答案A项They would like to see it reduced意思一致，所以答案为A。

　　7. 【原题译文】为什么阿勒格尼学院不打算完全取消奖学金?

　　 C【快速解题】本题的题干是Allegheny College和drop merit aid。由此即可定位到原文第十六段。

　　   【篇章分析】原文第十六段指出：“A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don’t qualify for need-based aid, that many have to depend on it.”。原文中depend on和答案C选项中的rely on意思相同，所以答案为C。

　　8. qualified

　　   【原题译文】每年是否可以继续享受学术奖学金取决于奖学金得主是否继续________。

　　  【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是annual renewal，academic，merit scholarships和recipient，由此即可定位到原文A few words about merit-based aid这一部分。

　　 【篇章分析】原文A few words about merit-based aid部分第四句指出：“These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify”。 这些奖学金通常帮助学生交纳学费，只要他们继续符合条件，每年都可以继续享受。原文中的each year在本题中被换成了annual，原文中的renewed在本题中被换成了名词renewal，原文中的continue被转换成了remain，所以本题应该填形容词qualified。

　　9. recognizes

　　  【原题译文】体育奖学金申请者要求有______其在运动方面有杰出表现的教练或裁判的推荐。

　　  【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是athletic和a coach or a referee，由此即可定位到原文A few words about merit-based aid这一部分第三段。

　　 【篇章分析】原文A few words about merit-based aid这一部分第三段：“Recommendation for this scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee (裁判).”本奖学金必须有人推荐，因为杰出的运动表现必须得到教练或裁判的认可。题目把原文的被动结构变成了主动，而a coach or a referee是第三人称单数，所以本题应该填的答案是recognizes。

　　10. excellence

　　   【原题译文】艺术奖学金要求申请者必须提交能表明其在某一领域______的证明。

　    【快速解题】本题的题干关键词是applicants，artistic merit scholarships，produce evidence和show，由此可定位到原文A few words about merit-based aid这一部分第四段。

　　   【篇章分析】原文A few words about merit-based aid这一部分第四段指出：“Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area”。艺术奖学金要求申请者在一定艺术领域有突出表现。原文中的in a given artistic field和题目中的in a particular artistic field同义，题目中需要填的是动词show的宾语，即一个名词，而原句中对应的excel却是动词词性，需要变成名词形式，所以答案就是excel的名词形式excellence。