Experts have argued that this contradiction is at the heart of the problem of public education today. It is not, as business leaders claim, that the schools are failing to properly educate students, that they are turning out2 young people who are inadequately prepared to function in the workplace . The real problem is a dearth of economic opportunities for students who are not continuing on to college .

　　College graduates also are having difficulty finding jobs. Even when they do, the jobs may not be commensurate with3 their training and expectations. Part of the problem is that too many young Americans aspire to have professional jobs, making disappointment and frustration inevitable for some. Many students assumed that what was true of an individu-al — that the higher the education, the better the job opportunities —would also be true for an entire society4. But when the numbers of better-educated young people became too great, the economy could no longer absorb them

　　Another part of the problem is the assumption that greater educational attainment guarantees career advancement. In fact, employers do not routinely reward educational attainment; rather, they reward it only when they believe it will contribute to the employee ’s productivity.

　　We should not overlook the fact that there is still a strong correlation between education, occupation , and income . College graduates have a strong advantage over those with less education . But the payoff is neither as large nor as certain as it once was.

　　Unfortunately, Americans have focused so strongly on the economic payoff that many consider their college education useless if it does not yield a desirable, well-paying job. Only in this sense can we speak of an“ oversupply”of college graduates. 5 We could argue that all or at least the majority of Americans would profit by some degree because higher education can enable the individual to think more deeply, explore more widely, and enjoy a greater range of experiences.

　　閱讀自測

　　Ⅰ. Choose the be st answer to fill in the blanks :

　　1. In the eyes of the public , higher education can_______ in terms of obtaining a decent job.

　　A. pay back B. pay off C. pay out D. pay up

　　2. Things_______ to be exactly as the professor had foreseen.

　　A. turned up B. turned on C. turned out D. turned over

　　3. He was satisfied with the salary that was_________ with his abilities.

　　A. familiar B. proportional C. content D. commensurate

　　Ⅱ. Write these sentences in inverted order beginning ea ch one with the words in italics :

　　1. I realized what was happening only then. 2. There were piles of books, magazines and newspapers on the floor.

　　3. I have never heard such nonsense in all my life . 參考答案 Ⅰ. 1. B 2. C 3 . D Ⅱ. 1. Only then did I realize what was happening. 2. On the floor were piles of books, magazines and newspapers. 3. Never in all my life have I heard such nonsense .

　　參考譯文

　　教育是搶劫嗎?

　　我 們對教育的一個期望是它能幫我們在工作中獲得晉升。歷史上, 教育與收入的關系 十分密切。然而, 在20 世紀70 年代早期, 教育和經濟之間產生了矛盾。我們對教育的重 視和平均受教育水平超過社會經濟吸納畢業生的能力水平。自20 世紀70 年代開始, 高中 畢業生的收入大幅度下降, 致使他們成為自二戰以來生活水平比父輩低的第一代人。

　　專家們宣稱, 這種矛盾是當今大眾教育的核心問題所在。一些商界要人聲稱: 學校沒 能教育好學生, 學校培養的年輕人對工作還沒做好充分準備, 但事實并不是這樣。真正的 問題是: 對那些沒能繼續到大學里深造的學生來說, 他們缺少工作機會。大學畢業生找工作也有困難。即使他們找到工作, 這份工作也可能與他們接受的培訓 和工作期望值不相符。問題部分出在有太多的美國年輕人渴望獲得一份專門職業, 這使許多 人不可避免地會產生失落感和挫敗感。許多學生認為適用于個人的道理( 教育程度越 高, 工作機會就越好) 同樣也適用于整個社會。但是, 如果獲得良好教育的年輕人的數量過 于龐大的話, 國家經濟就不能吸納這么多人。

　　問題的另一方面是, 人們總是認為較高的教育程度能保證事業上的先進。事實上, 雇 主不會總是對高學歷給予特殊關照。相反, 只有當雇主認為雇員所受的教育能幫助雇員提 高生產力的時候, 他們才會給予特別關照, 增加薪水。

　　我們不能忽視這樣一個事實: 教育、職業和薪水之間仍然存在著密切的關系。大學畢 業生比起那些教育程度低的人還是有很強的競爭優勢, 但回報既不會像從前那樣豐厚, 也 不會像從前那樣確定無疑。

　　不幸的是, 美國人特別注重經濟回報, 以至于如果教育沒能使人得到一份令人滿意、薪 水豐厚的工作的話, 許多人就會認為大學教育毫無用處。也只有從這個意義上看, 我們才 能說大學畢業生“ 供過于求”。我們有理由認為, 所有美國人或至少大部分美國人都能或 多或少從大學教育中獲益, 因為高等教育能使人更深入地思考, 進行更廣泛的探索, 獲得更 全面的體驗。