(The Guardian): More UK universities should be profiting from ideas
A repeated criticism of the UK's university sector is its noticeable weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.
Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured, despite an annual £40m spent by the Department of Health on all kinds of research.
However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialization activity.
When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions (interference) of the past decade have helped transformed the performances of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders.
This type of uneven distribution is not strange to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities are receiving 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and license income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialization work creates differences between universities.
The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximize the impact of their research efforts. Their purpose is not to generate funds to add to the bottom line of the university or to substitute other income streams. Rather, these universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise (expert knowledge or skill) in order to build greater confidence in the sector.
Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialization spilling out of our universities. On the evidence presented in my report, there are three dozen universities in the UK which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialization work.
If there was a greater coordination(协调)of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous (happening at the same time) investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle.
What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialization?
A.They have lost their leading position in many ways. |
B.They still have a place among the world leaders. |
C.They do not regard it as their responsibility. |
D.They fail to change knowledge into money. |
What does the author say about the national data on UK universities’ performance in commercialization?
A.It masks the fatal weaknesses of government policy. |
B.It indicates their ineffective use of government resources. |
C.It does not rank UK universities in a scientific way. |
D.It does not reflect the differences among universities. |
We can infer from Paragraph 5 that “policy interventions (in Paragraph 4)” refers to _____.
A.concentration of resources in a limited number of universities |
B.compulsory cooperation between universities and industries |
C.government aid to non-research-oriented universities |
D.fair distribution of funding for universities and research institutions |
What dose the author suggest research-led universities do?
A.Fully use their research to benefit all sectors of society. |
B.Generously share their facilities with those short of funds. |
C.Advertise their research to win international recognition. |
D.Spread their influence among top research institutions. |
Foresters are people who work with trees and know a lot about them. Occasionally, foresters have problems, and the foresters in southern Indiana have had many problems.
The foresters were doing an experiment. They wanted to grow walnut (胡桃) trees by planting walnuts in the ground. If they succeeded, the foresters would be able to control the location of the trees. Also, this method would be much cheaper than transplanting or moving nut trees that were grown in plant nurseries (苗圃) . So the foresters planted their walnuts, and that’s when the squirrels (松鼠) started causing trouble. Shortly after the nuts were planted, the squirrels dug them up for tasty snacks (快餐) .
The foresters tried to keep the squirrels away from the walnuts. Mothballs (卫生球) were used as a warning, but they didn’t work. Then, the foresters tried dipping the walnuts in kerosene (煤油) , but that didn’t stop the squirrels either. The foresters continue to search for a method that will really work. But until they find one, the squirrels can continue to have their walnut snacks and the foresters will have to transplant trees!Foresters are people who .
A.look after the forest and work with trees |
B.feed squirrels in the forest |
C.catch squirrels that steal walnuts |
D.transplant trees |
What were the foresters trying to do with the walnuts?
A.Plant food for squirrels. | B.Control the location of the trees. |
C.Move the trees closer to the squirrels. | D.Get squirrels to eat them. |
The underlined word “transplanting” probably means “”.
A.planting | B.moving | C.growing | D.buying |
What did the squirrels do to the walnuts that were dipped in kerosene?
A.Left them alone. | B.Continued to eat them. |
C.Hid them in trees![]() |
D.Put them into the earth. |
According to the story, which of the following is not true?
A.Mothballs didn’t prove to be a good method of stopping the squirrels from eating the walnuts. |
B.The squirrels found the walnuts tasty. |
C.The squirrels started eating mothballs instead of walnuts. |
D.The forester haven’t fou![]() |
Mr. Jackson lived in the center of London but he had a hotel near the airport. There a lot of foreigners stayed for night. He didn’t know any other language but English and he found it difficult for him to understand the foreign visitors. Sometimes he had to use the gesture to talk with them, and tried his best to make himself understood. But he was often misunderstood (误解) and it brought him a lot of trouble. A friend of his who taught a few foreign languages in a university would teach him. He was happy and studied hard. At first he learned some, but soon he found it wasn’t very easy to remember the words and expressions. His friend advised him to write down the useful expressions in his notebook so that he could use them when necessary. He did as he was told. He found it helpful for him to do so.
One evening there were plenty of people in the dining-room. They were all busy eating something except a Japanese. He was wandering (徘徊) there and waiting for his wife who was dressing herself up upstairs. Mr. Jackson thought to himself, “ The man wants to eat something but he doesn’t know any English. Let me help him.”
As he knew only a little Japanese, he had to bring out his notebook and showed it to the man, pointing to the sentence “I’m hungry.”
The Japanese had a look at it and gave him two pounds and left.Mr. Jackson knew only English because .
A.he was an English student |
B.he had never been abroad |
C.he couldn’t learn by himself |
D.he hadn’t studied any foreign languages |
Mr. Jackson had to use the gesture because .
A.he wanted the foreign visitors to understand him |
B.he wanted to learn the foreign languages from the visitors |
C.he hoped to know the foreign visitors’ custom |
D.he hoped more foreign visitors would stay for night in his hotel |
As not all foreign visitors understand his gesture, sometimes Mr. Jackson to communicate with them.
A.succeeded | B.lost heart | C.failed | D.gave up |
, so he decided to help the man.
A.Mr. Jackson thought the Japanese wanted to stay for night |
B.Mr. Jackson thought the Japanese was not hungry |
C.Mr. Jackson knew the Japanese was waiting for his wife. |
D.Mr. Jackson was sure the Japanese couldn’t speak English |
The Japanese thought , so he gave him two pounds.
A.Mr. Jackson was a beggar. | B.Mr. Jackson was a translator. |
C.Mr. Jackson could help him. | D.Mr. Jackson could ring his wife up. |
Changsha,
Hunan Province
May 6, 2010
Dear editor,
Under China’s current educational system, there are those who do nothing but study. They of course are thought to be model students.
But I feel that there is another type of student who, perhaps not as diligent (勤奋的) as the first type, uses his time more efficiently and achieves a lot academically.
Last year, a classmate of mine was accepted by a top university. It surprised all of us. It was because, unlike most of us, he didn’t spend too much of his time studying.
When I asked him the secret of his success, he said that the key was properly and scientifically arranging his time.
“ I spent a lot of time keeping fit and as a result, I was able to better concentrate (集中) on my class work.”
The moral of the story is: it isn’t necessary to sit at your desk all day long to get high academic (学术) grades.
Yours,
Zhang ZishuWhat does the letter-writer (a reader) think leads to the fact that many students do nothing but study?
A.The present educational system. | B. People’s old ideas. |
C.The teaching methods. | D.The parents of these students. |
It seems that this reader thinks .
A.the first type of student is our model |
B.the second type of students is our model |
C.both types of students are worth learning from |
D.neither of the two types of students are good |
The secret of his classmate’s success was .
A.properly and scientifically arranging his time |
B.spending a lot of time studying |
C.doing nothing but studying |
D.playing all the time |
The reader wrote the letter in order to .
A.call on us to work even harder |
B.cause people to think about how to study more efficiently |
C.advise people to do research into his classmate’s success |
D.criticize (批评) China’s educational system |
What would be the best to stand for the letter-writer’s opinion?
A.Secret of success. |
B.China’s educational system needs changing. |
C.Work while you work and play while you play. |
D.Keep fit first. |
Want to find a job? Now read the following advertisement.
FAIRMONT HOTEL Five Waiters and Ten Waitresses -Aged under 22 -At least high school graduate -Good-looking; men at least 1.72 meters tall and women at least 1.65 meters -Those knowing foreign languages favored -Paid 1, 600-2,200 dollars per month One Secretary -Aged under 30 -Female favored -Good at w ![]() If interested, call 465-4768 or write to: Mr. Jack Hundris Room 0825, Fairmont Hotel 567 Wood Street, San Markers, 78003 Fax:6954828 |
WILSON BOOKSTORE Accountant(会计) -Aged between 25 and 40 -With an experience of at least two years -With a degree and an accountant certificate(证书) -Paid 3, 000-4,000 dollars monthly -With a practical knowledge of computer Salesclerk -Basic education of 12 years or more -Good at computer -Paid 1, 800-2,2000 dollars monthly Tel:447-4398 Fax:3485269 |
If you don’t know how to use a computer, you can just apply for the position as_____.
A.a secretary | B.a waiteror a waitress | C.an accountant![]() |
D.a salesclerk |
If you want to get the position of accountant in Wilson Bookstore, you have to satisfy the following conditions EXCEPT_____.
A.being a woman |
B.knowing well how to use a computer |
C.having been an accountant |
D.having an accountant certificate |
If you want to try for a job in Fairmont Hotel
, you_____.
A.have to be a woman and know foreign languages |
B.should be a university graduate |
C.have to be taller than 1.72 meters |
D.should be younger than 22 years old |
Honeybees
Honeybees can do three kinds of jobs.
It is one of the most unusual insects in the world. Bees are special because they divide up their honeybee work. Each bee has a certain job to do.
The busiest bee is the worker. Workers build the nest, called a hive. Inside the hive, workers make a honeycomb from wax(蜂蜡). They store honey there for food. Workers are always cleaning and fixing the hive. They even stand at the opening and fan their wings to cool the hive. Worker bees will attack anything—even people—to keep their hive safe.
Another kind of bee is the drone(雄蜂). Drones are male bees, and their job is to fly with the queen bee and mate with her. After the queen mates, the worker bees drive the drones away. The drones then starve to death.
The third kind of bee is the queen. Each hive needs only one queen, and her job is laying eggs. She can lay as many as 2, 000 eggs a day. The bee’s nest is called a _______.
A.hive | B.honeycomb | C.drone | D.wax |
Which jobs do workers do?
A.They lay 2, 000 eggs each day and build a nest. |
B.They mate with the queen bee and then starve. |
C.They clean the hive and keep it cool. |
D.They attack the queen bee. |
According to the story, bees _______.
A.are very dangerous insects |
B.will attack anything or anyone to protect the hive, if necessary |
C.are like any other insect that flies |
D.eat each other as food |
The drone is driven away when its job is finished, because _______.
A.it attacked the workers | B.it is no longer needed in the hive |
C.the queen bee has died![]() |
D.it ate the queen bee |