A) Why are we spending so much money on college? And why are we so unhappy about it? We all seem to agree that a college education is wonderful, and yet strangely we worry when we see families investing so much in this supposedly essential good. Maybe its time to ask a question that seems almost sacrilegious : is all this investment in college education really worth it?

　　B) The answer, I fear, is no. For an increasing number of kids, the extra time and money spent pursuing a college diploma will leave them worse off than they were before they set foot on campus.

　　C) For my entire adult life, a good education has been the most important thing for middle-class households. My parents spent more educating my sister and me than they spent on their house, and theyre not the only ones... and, of course, for an increasing number of families, most of the cost of their house is actually the cost of living in a good school district. Questioning the value of a college education seems a bit like questioning the value of happiness, or fun.

　　D) The average price of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a college education has nearly doubled in that time. Is the education that todays students are getting twice as good? Are new workers twice as smart? Have they become somehow massively more expensive to educate?

　　E) Perhaps a bit. Richard Vedder, an Ohio University economics professor, says, I look at the data, and I see college costs rising faster than inflation up to the mid-1980s by 1 percent a year. Now I see them rising 3 to 4 percent a year over inflation. What has happened? The federal government has started dropping money out of airplanes. Aid has increased, subsidized loans have become available, and the universities have gotten the money. Economist Bryan Caplan, who is writing a book about education, agrees: Its a giant waste of resources that will continue as long as the subsidies continue.

　　F) Promotional literature for colleges and student loans often speaks of debt as an investment in yourself. But an investment is supposed to generate income to pay off the loans. More than half of all recent graduates are unemployed or in jobs that do not require a degree, and the amount of student-loan debt carried by households has increased more than five times since 1999. These graduates were told that a diploma was all they needed to succeed, but it wont even get them out of the spare bedroom at Mom and Dads. For many, the most visible result of their four years is the loan payments, which now average hundreds of dollars a month on loan balances in the tens of thousands.

　　G) Its true about the money-sort of. College graduates now make 80 percent more than people who have only a high-school diploma, and though there are no precise estimates, the wage premium for an outstanding school seems to be even higher. But thats not true of every student. Its very easy to spend four years majoring in English literature and come out no more employable than you were before you went in. Conversely, chemical engineers straight out of school can easily make almost four times the wages of an entry-level high-school graduate.

　　H) James Heckman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, has examined how the returns on education break down for individuals with different backgrounds and levels of ability. Even with these high prices, youre still finding a high return for individuals who are bright and motivated, he says. On the other hand, if youre not college ready, then the answer is no, its not worth it. Experts tend to agree that for the average student, college is still worth it today, but they also agree that the rapid increase in price is eating up more and more of the potential return. For borderline students, tuition rise can push those returns into negative territory.

　　I) Everyone seems to agree that the government, and parents, should be rethinking how we invest in higher education and that employers need to rethink the increasing use of college degrees as crude screening tools for jobs that dont really require college skills. Employers seeing a surplus of college graduates and looking to fill jobs are just adding that requirement. says Vedder. In fact, a college degree becomes a job requirement for becoming a bar-tender.

　　J) We have started to see some change on the finance side. A law passed in 2007 allows many students to cap their loan payment at 10 percent of their income and forgives any balance after 25 years. But of course, that doesnt control the cost of education! it just shifts it to taxpayers. It also encourages graduates to choose lower-paying careers, which reduces the financial return to education still further. Youre subsidizing people to become priests and poets and so forth, says Heckman. You may think thats a good thing, or you may not. Either way it will be expensive for the government.

　　K) What might be a lot cheaper is putting more kids to work. Caplan notes that work also builds valuable skills- probably more valuable for kids who dont naturally love sitting in a classroom. Heckman agrees wholeheartedly: People are different, and those abilities can be shaped. Thats what weve learned, and public policy should recognize that.

　　L) Heckman would like to see more apprenticeship-style programs, where kids can learn in the workplace-learn not just specific job skills, but the kind of soft skills, like getting to work on time and getting along with a team- that are crucial for career success. Its about having mentors and having workplace-based education, he says. Time and again Ive seen examples of this kind of program working.

　　M) Ah, but how do we get there from here? With better public policy, hopefully, but also by making better individual decisions. Historically markets have been able to handle these things, says Vedder. and I think eventually markets will handle this one. If it doesnt improve soon, people are going to wake up and ask, Why am I going to college?

　　注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

　　46. Caplan suggests that kids who dont love school go to work.

　　47. An increasing number of families spend more money on houses in a good school district.

　　48. Subsidized loans to college students are a huge waste of money, according to one economist.

　　49. More and more kids find they fare worse with a college diploma.

　　50. For those who are not prepared for higher education, going to college is not worth it.

　　51. Over the years the cost of a college education has increased almost by 100%.

　　52. A law passed recently allows many students to pay no more than one tenth of their income for their college loans.

　　53. Middle-class Americans have highly valued a good education.

　　54. More kids should be encouraged to participate in programs where they can learn not only job skills but also social skills.

　　55. Over fifty percent of recent college graduates remain unemployed or unable to find a suitable job.

　　46.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節歸納題。由題干中的kids who don t love school go to work定位到K段第二句。K段第一句指出年輕人選擇工作的原因，第二句Caplan指出，工作同樣培養有價值的技能對于那些天生不愛坐在教室里學習的年輕人來說,或許更有價值。題干是對原文中Caplan的觀點的總結,因此答案為K。

　　47.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：同義轉述題。由題干中的An increasing number of families 和 good school district 定位到C段第二句。C段介紹了作者自己家的 情況。定位句提到,對于越來越多的家庭來說,大部分的家庭開支實際上也就是住在一個好學區的成本。由此可知，題干是對原文中for an increasing number of... a good school district 的 同義轉述,因此答案為C。

　　48.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的a huge waste of money定位 到E段最后一句。E段主要描述大學教育成本 的增長速度之快及助學貸款。定位句中Caplan指出,只要補貼繼續發放,資源的巨大浪費就將一直持續下去，題干中a huge waste of money與原文中的a giant waste of resources 相對應,因此答案為E。

　　49.B

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的fare worse和college diploma 定位到B段最后一句。定位句指出，越來越多的孩子把額外的時間和金錢花在追求大學文憑上.這樣導致他們比剛進人校園時更拮據。題干中的 fare worse 對應原文中的 leave them worse off than they were,因此答案為B。

　　50.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的not prepared for higher education和not worth it定位到H段第三句。H段主要分析了教育所帶來的回報，提到了適合上大學和不適合上大學的兩類人。定位句指出，對沒有準備好上大學的人來，所帶來的回報并不多,所以上大學對于這類人來說是不值得，題干中not prepared for higher education對應原文中的 not college ready，因此答案為H。

　　51.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的the cost of a college education 和100%定位到D段第二句。D段作者主要分析大學教育成本的增長問題,開頭提出商品和服務的平均價格上漲了50%,接著指出，大學教育成本卻增加了近一倍。題干中的 increased almost by 100%與原文中的nearly doubled相對應,因此答案為D。

　　52.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節辨認題。由題干中的A law passed和one tenth of their income定位到J段第二句。由定位句可知,2007年通過的一項法律允許學生將他們的貸款償還額控制在他們收人的10%以內,并且在25年后免除所有余款。題干中 no more than one tenth of their income對應原文中的 at 10 percent of their income,因此 答案為J。

　　53.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的Middle-class, highly valued和a good education定位到C段第一句和最后一句。C段主要分析了美國中產階層對教育的態度，即他們將教育擺在特別重要的位置,質疑大學教育的價值似乎有點像質疑幸 福或樂趣的價值。題干是對定位段的總結，因此答案為C。

　　54.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的programs, job skills和social skills定位到L段第一句。定位句指出，學徒式項目可以讓年輕人在工作中學習不只是學習專業工作技能,同時也學到 軟技能 的東西，比如準時上班、與團隊相處融洽等,這些對事業成功是至關重要的。題干中 not only job skills but also social skills 對應原文中的 learn not just specific job skills, but the kind of soft skills, 因此答案為L。

　　55.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　2023年12月四級閱讀長篇閱讀解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的fifty percent和unemployed 定位到F段第三句。F段主要分析了學生的就業情況。定位句提到，現在一半以上的畢業生處于待業狀態或者從事一些并不需要大學學歷的工作,題干中Over fifty percent of recent college graduates 對應原文中 More than half of all recent graduates,因此答案為F。

　　Section C

　　Passage One

　　Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

　　A recent global survey of 2000 high-net-worth individuals found that 60% were not planning on a traditional retirement. Among US participants, 75% expected to continue working in some capacity even after stepping away from full-time jobs. Many of these people made their wealth by doing something theyre passionate about. says Daniel Egan, head of behavioral finance for Barclays Wealth Americas. Given the choice, they prefer to continue working. Barclays calls these people nevertirees.

　　Unlike many Americans compelled into early retirement by company restrictions, the average nevertiree often has no one forcing his hand. If 106-year-old investor Irving Kahn, head of his own family firm, wants to keep coming to work every day. whos going to stop him? Seventy-eight-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs job security is guaranteed in the Constitution.

　　It may seem that these elderly people are trying to cheat death. In fact, they are. And its working. Howard Friedman, a professor at UC Riverside, found in his research that those who work hardest and are successful in their careers often live the longest lives. People are generally being given bad advice to slow down, take it easy, stop worrying, and retire to Florida, he says. He described one study participant, still working at the age of 100, who was recently disappointed to see his son retire.

　　Were beginning to see a change in how people view retirement, says George Leeson, co-director of the Institute of Population Ageing at Oxford. Where once retirement was seen as a brief reward after a long struggle through some miserable job, it is now akin to being cast aside. What Leeson terms the Warren Buffett effect is becoming more broadly appealing as individuals come to view retirement as not simply being linked to economic productivity but also about contribution.

　　Observers are split on whether this is a wholly good thing. On the one hand, companies and financial firms can benefit from the wisdom of a resilient chief. On the other, the new generation can find it more difficult to advance-an argument that typically holds little sway to a nevertiree.

　　56. What do we learn about the so-called nevertirees ?

　　A) They are passionate about making a fortune.

　　B) They have no choice but to continue working.

　　C) They love what they do and choose not to retire.

　　D) They will not retire unless they are compelled to.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　57. What do Irving Kahn and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have in common?

　　A) Neither of them is subject to forced retirement.

　　B) Neither of them desires reward for their work.

　　C) Both cling to their positions despite opposition.

　　D) Both are capable of coping with heavy workloads.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　58. What is the finding of Howard Friedmans research?

　　A) The harder you work, the bigger your fortune will be.

　　B) The earlier you retire, the healthier you will be.

　　C) Elderly people have to slow down to live longer.

　　D) Working at an advanced age lengthens peoples life.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　59. What is the traditional view of retirement according to the passage?

　　A) It means a burden to the younger generation.

　　B) It is a symbol of a mature and civilized society.

　　C) It is a compensation for ones life-long hard work.

　　D) It helps increase a nations economic productivity.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　60. What do critics say about nevertirees ?

　　A) They are an obstacle to a companys development.

　　B) They lack the creativity of the younger generation.

　　C) They cannot work as efficiently as they used to.

　　D) They prevent young people from getting ahead.

　　ANSWER 答案

　　56.2023年12月英語四級仔細閱讀試題解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的so-called nevertirees 定位到第一段第三至五句。由定位句可知，有些人是通過做自己感興趣的事情來獲取財富的，如果能自由選擇，他們更愿意繼續工作下去。巴克萊把這些人稱為 永不退休者 。由此可見，永不退休者喜歡他們的工作。選擇不退休，故答案為C。

　　57.2023年12月英語四級仔細閱讀試題解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的Irving Kahn和Ruth Bader Ginsburg定位到第二段第二、三句。第二段首句提到，沒有人能 強迫 永不退休者 退休，接著定位句指出，沒有人會阻止Irving Kahn去上班，《美國憲法》保證法官 Ruth Bader Ginsburg的工作安全。換言之，他們的共同點就是沒有人強迫他們退休，故答案為A。

　　58.2023年12月英語四級仔細閱讀試題解析：細節推斷題。由題干中的Howard Friedmans research 定位到第三段第四至六句。由定位句可知，Howard Friedman的研究發現，工作最努力和事業上有所成就的人通常活得最長。也就是說，老年人工作能夠延長壽命，故答案為D。