高級口譯閱讀文章解析
British Aerospace is planning to set up its own university because it cannot recruit the skilled graduates it needs from existing institutions.
BAe has a team drafting a range of options for the university, which would award its own degrees. Work on the scheme is expected to start in the next few months.
Sir Richard Evans, chief executive of British Aerospace, has already launched a recruiting drive for engineers on the Continent because of a shortage of high-calibre domestic candidates. Advertising campaigns in France, Germany and other European countries will seek to attract students expecting to graduate in the summer.
Other engineering employers are expected to follow suit. The move to take on overseas graduates comes after BAe left one in five of its graduate places unfilled last year, blaming shortcomings in the education system.
If the scheme is approved, BAe will either build a full university or incorporate sites at its main research and manufacturing centres at Famborough, Surrey, and Warton, Lancashire. The company would have to convince the education authorities that the university had sufficient teaching capacity and autonomy for it to be allowed to award degrees. BAe said it was setting up its own education system and recruiting staff abroad because "there is a shortage of engineering graduates, both in terms of quantity and quality".
The Engineering Employers' Federation said that skill shortages were an urgent problem. Rolls- Royce, another large engineering employer, said there was a general skill shortage, although it had filled its graduate quota. Rolls will soon recruit internationally to reflect its expanding international operations.
Engineering's failure to attract students has been attributed to poor pay and long-term prospects, given the decline in British manufacturing. BAe would not reveal how much it pays graduates, but Lucas Variety, a large engineering employer, paid a starting salary of ~ 14,200 last year. That compares with an average graduate starting salary of ~ 15, 300, according to Income Data Services.
British universities have found it increasingly difficult to recruit well-qualified undergraduates. Even Oxford and Cambridge fail to meet their quotas in many engineering subjects.
Alan Smithers, whose Centre for Education and Employment Research, at Bmnel University, produced a report on the supply of science and engineering graduates early this year, said that the discipline had been over expanded. "There is now a lack of quality to withstand competition in an increasingly international sphere. Companies go where they can find the best candidates."
Engineering docs not enjoy the high status in Britain that it occupies in other parts of the world. Courses in other parts of Europe and the Far East command among the highest entry requirements of all degree subjects and take five years, rather than the norm of three in Britain.
1. British Aerospace is recruiting engineers on the Continent __
( A ) as the pay for them can be much lower
( B ) as there are not enough well, qualified candidates at home
( C ) to compete with France, Germany and other European countries
( D ) to set up a university of its own
2. In the passage, the expression "to follow suit" in the sentence "Other engineering employers are expected to follow suit" (para. 4) can best be paraphrased as __
( A ) to join BAe in its recruiting scheme
( B ) to take the unanimous action
( C ) to recruit graduates overseas
( D ) to establish universities
3. Which of the following is NOT the reason that engineering courses fail to attract British students?
( A ) The decline of British manufacturing industry.
( B ) The recruitment of engineers abroad.
( C ) The lower pay for engineering graduates.
( D ) The long and slow process of success and promotion after graduation.
4. "Oxford" and "Cambridge" are mentioned in the passage to show that __
( A ) they are the world famous universities
( B ) they are not cooperating with British Aerospace
( C ) they are reforming the engineering education
( D ) they can not fulfil their recruitment quotas in engineering
5. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
( A ) There should be further cooperation between British Aerospace and Higher Institutions.
( B ) Shortage of engineers leads BAe to plan its own university.
( C ) British Higher Education has recently been reevaluated.
( D ) British Engineering education is severely criticized for its lack of quality.
精析：
1．原題所問的是英國航空航天局正在歐洲大陸招工程師是因為什么?從原文中有關(guān)部分"Sir Richard Evans，chief executive of British Aerospace，has already launched a recruiting drive for engineers on the Continent because of a shortage of high-calibre domestic candidates．”，可以看出，是因為國內(nèi)缺乏有資格的人員。(A)項是說對他們所付的工資可以更低，?項為可以同法國、德國以及其他歐洲國家競爭，(D)項為設(shè)立自己的大學(xué)，這些選項均不符合題意，因此只有B因為國內(nèi)沒有足夠的具有資格的候選人”是正確的。正確答案為( B )。
2．該句為具體短語和句子理解題。要求考生理解“to follow suit'’這一短語在句子“Other engineering employers are expected to follow suit"中的含意；但要理解這一含意，又必須根據(jù)上文和下句(para．4)的含意才能作出判斷。上文是說由于英國國內(nèi)缺乏具有資格的工程師，因此要在海外(歐洲大陸)招聘畢業(yè)生，下旬又說“The move to take on overseas graduates comes after BAe left one in five of its graduate places unfilled last year，blaming shortcomings in the education system．”，所以"to follow suit'’意為“to recruit graduates overseas,”。( C )項為正確答案。
3．英國工程學(xué)課程不能吸引英國學(xué)生有各種各樣的原因。題目所問為否定項，哪一個不是這一原因。其中，(A)項為英國制造業(yè)的衰落，?項為工程畢業(yè)生薪水更低，(D)為畢業(yè)后加官晉級、獲得成功是一個漫長的過程，這些都符合篇章中提到的原因，而只有(B)項從國外招收工程師是由此產(chǎn)生的結(jié)果。所以，只有(B)項正確。
4．該題所問的是：篇章中提到牛津和劍橋兩所大學(xué)是想表明什么?從篇章中的 para．8，“British universities have found it increasingly difficult to recruit well-qualified undergraduates．Even Oxford and Cambridge failt on meet their quotas in many engineering subjects．”，便可知選項(D)they can not fulfil their recruitment quotas in engineering．即：它們不能完成招收工程學(xué)學(xué)生的數(shù)額，符合題意。正確答案為(D)。
5．該題屬于概括題。要求考生能選擇出概括篇章的最佳句子。選項(A)There should be further cooperation between British Aerospace and Higher Institutions．英國航空航天局應(yīng)該與高等教育機構(gòu)進一步合作，選項（C）British Higher Education has recently been revaluated.近來已對英國高等教育進行了重新評估，選項 (D)British Engineering education is severely criticized for its lack of quality。即：英國工程教育由于質(zhì)量不佳受到嚴(yán)肅批評，這些概括句子都不符合篇章的主旨，只有（B）Shortage of engineers leads Bae to plan its own university.符合篇章要旨。所以正確答案為（B）。
考生做該部分試題的一般原則是：
略讀全文—領(lǐng)會大意—閱讀選項—尋讀對照—準(zhǔn)確判斷。
或：
閱讀選項—略讀全文—領(lǐng)會大意—尋讀對照—準(zhǔn)確判斷。