2015考研英阅读理解精读P7—教育学.docVIP

2015考研英语阅读理解精读P7—教育学 　Passage 7 　　As colleges and universities send another wave of graduates out into the world this spring, thousands of other job seekers with liberal-arts degrees like Martins find themselves in a similar bind. True enough, this is an era of record-breaking lows in unemployment. But technology companies, which are contributing the lions share of new jobs, are simultaneously declaring a shortage of qualified workers. The emphasis is on the word qualified. 　　Its no surprise that high-tech companies rarely hire liberal-arts graduates. Our p.r. people, our marketers, even our attorneys have technical talent, says Tracy Koon, director of corporate affairs at Intel. The need for technical expertise is so pervasive that even retailers are demanding such skills. Company-wide, were looking for students with specific information-systems skills, says David McDearmon, director of field human resources at Dollar Tree Stores. Typically we shy away from independent-college students who dont have them. 　　Fortunately for Martin, some invaluable help was at hand when he needed it. The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, a network of 15 liberal-arts colleges in the state, has teamed up with local companies to bridge the learning gap faced by its members graduates. VFIC invited 30 companies, including First Union and Electronic Data Systems, to link the needs of businesses with the skills being taught in college classrooms. With grants from corporate sponsors like ATT, VFIC asked 20 information-technology managers to help its members create an exam, based on the work students will be expected to do in the real world, to test and certify their technological proficiency. 　　The result, Tek.Xam, is an eight-part test that requires students to design a website, build and analyze spreadsheets, research problems on the Internet and demonstrate understanding of legal and ethical issues. Says Linda Dalch, president of VFIC: If an art-history major wants a job at