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Directions: Please read the following passage within the limited time, and then do the exercise.
Length of Text: 342 words Time Allowed: 4.5 minutes
7. Adapt Yourself to University Life in America
1
Student life at American universities is chaotic during the first week of each quarter or semester. Registering for classes, becoming familiar with the buildings on campus, buying books, adding and dropping classes, and paying fees are confusing for everyone. During this busy period there is little time for students to expect what they will later find in the classroom.
2 International students, accustomed to their countries' educational expectations, must adapt to new classroom norms in a foreign college or university. Whereas in one country prayer may be acceptable in a classroom, in another it may be forbidden. In some classrooms around the world students must obey their teacher's commands and remain absolutely silent during a class period. In others, students may talk, eat, and smoke during lectures as well as criticize a teacher's methods or question his or her statements. It is not always easy to understand a new educational system.
3 There is considerable variety in university classrooms in the United States. Because of different teaching methods and non-standardized curricula, no two courses are the same. Undergraduate courses are considerably different from graduate courses. The classroom atmosphere in expensive private universities may differ from that in community colleges which are free and open to everyone. State-funded universities have different requirements and expectations than do parochial colleges. Nevertheless, there are shared features in American college and university classrooms despite the difference of educational institutions of higher learning.
4 Participation in the classroom is not only accepted but also expected of the student in many courses. Some professors base part of the final grade on the student oral participation. Although there are formal lectures during which the student has a passive role (i.e. listening and taking notes), many courses are organized around classroom discussions, student questions, and informal lectures.
5 A professor's teaching style is another factor that determines the degree and type of student participation. Some professors prefer to control discussion while others prefer to guide the class without dominating it. Many professors encourage students to question and challenge their ideas.
Comprehension Exercise