2016年电大 -开放教育高级时事英语模拟试题.docVIP

“开放教育”高级时事英语试题English in Current AffairsPart 1. Read the following passage and answer Questions 1-10.Passage 1Changes in Australian Education　　 Haralambos and his colleagues (1996) have summarised the major changes in Australian education over the past two hundred years. The major issues driving their analysis are the questions:　　 -of the effects that education has had on society; and　　 -why some social groups tend to enjoy more educational success than others. They are not the only social scientists concerned with these issues. However their book contains a recent and comprehensive summary of Australian educational research. Here are some of the major points they make. There are five basic components to the Australian education system:(ⅰ) primary school ( age 5-12 years of age)(ⅱ) compulsory secondary school (12-15 years of age)　　 (or 12-16 years in the State of Tasmania)(ⅲ) post-compulsory secondary school (15-17)(ⅳ) technical and further education (17 years and older)(ⅴ) higher education or university ( 17 years and older)Before the second world war nearly haft of Australian children did not attend secondary school. In the second half of the twentieth century education expanded and changed form dramatically. Between 1956 and 1966 the number of universities grew from nine to 14, then rose to 19 in 1975. In addition, there has been a significant growth in non university post secondary education. In the 1990s the percentage of women with post secondary school qualifications was 37%. The percentage of men was 47 per cent.Haralambos and his colleagues summarise the evidence about the impact of education on the creation of a more equal society. They say both material and cultural factors affect the length of stay in education. Family wealth still exerts a powerful influence on access to university education. However the expansion of education has meant an expansion of educational opportunities for people from social groups earlier denied a higher educa