Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree,In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester. A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks;while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester. Normally a student. Would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year. It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period. It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course,though this is not in fact done as a regular practice.

　　For very course that the follows a student is given a grade,which is recorded, and the record is availablefor the student to show to prospective employers.All this imposes a constant pressure and strain of work,but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs.Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm.The effective work of maintaining discipline is usually performed by students who advise the academic authorities.Any student who is thought to have broken therules,for example,by cheating his to appear before a student court.With the enormous numbers of students, the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity.A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career.

　　练习题：

　　Choose correct answers to the question:

　　1.Normally a student would at least attend ______ classes each week.

　　A. 36

　　B. 20

　　C. 12

　　D. 15

　　2.According to the first paragraph an American student is allowed ______.

　　A. to live in a different university

　　B. to live at home and drive to classes

　　C. to take a particular course in a different university

　　D. to get two degrees from two different universities

　　3.America university students are usually under pressure of work because__________

　　A. they have to observe university discipline

　　B. they are heavily involved in student affairs

　　C. their academic performance will affect their future careers

　　D. they want to run for positions of authority

　　4.Some students are enthusiastic for positions in student organizations probably because______

　　A. such positions help them get better jobs

　　B. they hate the constant pressure and strain of their study

　　C. they will then be able to stay longer in the university

　　D. such positions are usually well paid

　　5.The student organizations seem to be effective in ___________

　　A. ensuring that the students observe university regulations

　　B. dealing with the academic affairs of the university

　　C. evaluating students’ performance by bringing them before a court

　　D. keeping up the students’ enthusiasm for social activities

　　答案：

　　1.[C] 由文章第1段可知，每个学生每学期要上4到5门课，每门课每周有3节，由此可知学生每周要上12-15节课，因此一个学生每个星期至少要上12节课,故选C。

　　2.[C] 文章首段最后一句提到，学生在攻读学位期间可以在两所不同的学校上课，C与之相符。A、B在原文中未提及，D错在two degrees，原文只是说在不同的学校上课，并非在不同的学校获得学位。

　　3.[C] 文章第2段第2句的all this指的是前一句提到的学生所修的每一门课的成绩都会记录下来给未来的雇主看，即这将影响他们将来的就业，C与之相符。A“遵守校方纪律”文中有提及，但跟所问的问题无关;B说的对象是有些学生，且也跟问题无关;D文中并未提及。

　　4.[A] 文章最后一段末句明确指出，担任过领导职位的学生很受人尊敬，对他将来的事业也很有利，A与之相符。

　　5.[A] 本题的解题关键是第2段第4句，该句中的the effective work of maintaining discipline可知A正确。A中的observe university regulations与文中的maintain discipline对应，故正确。