39. IsEducationARobbery?
Oneofourexpectationsabouteducationisthatitwillpayoff1 intermsofupwardmobility. Historically, thecorrelationbetweeneducationandincomehasbeenstrong. Butintheearly 1970 sacontradictiondevelopedbetweeneducationandtheeconomy. Ourvalueofeducationandouraverageeducationalattainmentoutstrippedthecapacityoftheeconomytoabsorbthegraduates. Sincethe 1970s, high-schoolgraduateshaveexperiencedastrikingdecreaseinearnings, makingthemthefirstgenerationsinceWorldWarⅡ tofacealowerstandardoflivingthantheirparentshad.
Expertshavearguedthatthiscontradictionisattheheartoftheproblemofpubliceducationtoday. Itisnot, asbusinessleadersclaim, thattheschoolsarefailingtoproperlyeducatestudents, thattheyareturningout2 youngpeoplewhoareinadequatelypreparedtofunctionintheworkplace. Therealproblemisadearthofeconomicopportunitiesforstudentswhoarenotcontinuingontocollege.
Collegegraduatesalsoarehavingdifficultyfindingjobs. Evenwhentheydo, thejobsmaynotbecommensuratewith3 theirtrainingandexpectations. PartoftheproblemisthattoomanyyoungAmericansaspiretohaveprofessionaljobs, makingdisappointmentandfrustrationinevitableforsome. Manystudentsassumedthatwhatwastrueofanindividu-al — thatthehighertheeducation, thebetterthejobopportunities —wouldalsobetrueforanentiresociety4. Butwhenthenumbersofbetter-educatedyoungpeoplebecametoogreat, theeconomycouldnolongerabsorbthem
Anotherpartoftheproblemistheassumptionthatgreatereducationalattainmentguaranteescareeradvancement. Infact, employersdonotroutinelyrewardeducationalattainment; rather, theyrewarditonlywhentheybelieveitwillcontributetotheemployee'sproductivity.
Weshouldnotoverlookthefactthatthereisstillastrongcorrelationbetweeneducation, occupation, andincome. Collegegraduateshaveastrongadvantageoverthosewithlesseducation. Butthepayoffisneitheraslargenorascertainasitoncewas.
Unfortunately, Americanshavefocusedsostronglyontheeconomicpayoffthatmanyconsidertheircollegeeducationuselessifitdoesnotyieldadesirable, well-payingjob. Onlyinthissensecanwespeakofan "oversupply" ofcollegegraduates. 5 WecouldarguethatalloratleastthemajorityofAmericanswouldprofitbysomedegreebecausehighereducationcanenabletheindividualtothinkmoredeeply, exploremorewidely, andenjoyagreaterrangeofexperiences.
阅读自测
Ⅰ. Choosethebestanswertofillintheblanks :
1. Intheeyesofthepublic , highereducationcan_______ intermsofobtainingadecentjob.
A. paybackB. payoffC. payoutD. payup
2. Things_______ tobeexactlyastheprofessorhadforeseen.
A. turnedupB. turnedonC. turnedoutD. turnedover
3. Hewassatisfiedwiththesalarythatwas_________ withhisabilities.
A. familiarB. proportionalC. contentD. commensurate
Ⅱ. Writethesesentencesininvertedorderbeginningeachonewiththewordsinitalics :
1. Irealizedwhatwashappeningonlythen. 2. Therewerepilesofbooks, magazinesandnewspapersonthefloor.
3. Ihaveneverheardsuchnonsenseinallmylife . 参考答案 Ⅰ. 1. B 2. C 3 . D Ⅱ. 1. OnlythendidIrealizewhatwashappening. 2. Onthefloorwerepilesofbooks, magazinesandnewspapers. 3. NeverinallmylifehaveIheardsuchnonsense.