快速阅读练习.docx

快速阅读练习.docx

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快速阅读练习

ScientistsFearVisaTroubleWillDriveForeignStudentsAway

AlenaShkumatava,apostdoctoralresearcherfromBelarus,studiesthezebrafishinherquesttounraveloneoftheknottiestproblemsmbiology:

howtheactingofgenesisencouragedorinhibitedincells.Thework,focusingongeneticmaterialcalledmicra-RNAs,isripewithpromise.ButDr.ShkumatavawillnotpursueitintheUnitedStates,partlybecauseofwhathappenedlastyear,whenshetriedtorenewhervisa.

WhatshouldhavebeenashortvisitwithherfamilyinBelaruspunctuatedbyaroutinetriptoanAmericanconsulate（领事馆）turnedintoathree-monthnightmareofbureaucraticsnafus（大混乱），lostdocumentsandfrustratingencounterswithembassyemployees."Ifyouwriteane-mail,thereisnoonereplyingtoyou,”shesaid.“Unfortunately,thisisverycommon.”

Dr.Shkumatava,whoendeduptravelingtoMoscowforavisa,isamongtheseveralhundredthousandstudentswhoneedavisatostudyintheUnitedStates.Peopleatuniversitiesandscientificorganizationswhostudytheissuesaytheyhaveheardincreasingcomplaintsofvisadelayssincelast-fall,particularlyforstudentsinscienceengineeringandothertechnicalfields.

AStateDepartmentofficial,whospokeontheconditionofanonymity,saidthatdelaysoftwoorthreemonthswerecommonandattributedtheproblemto“anunfortunatestaffingshortage".

TheissuemattersbecauseAmericanuniversitiesrelyonforeignstudentstofillslotsingraduateandpostdoctoralscienceandengineeringprograms.ForeigntalentalsofuelsscientificandtechnicalinnovationinAmericanlabs.AndtheUnitedStatescannolongerassumethatthiscountryiseveryone'sfirstchoiceforundergraduate,graduateorpostgraduatework.

AlbertH.Teich,thedirectorofscienceandpolicyprogramsattheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience,organizedameetingonthesubjectinJanuarywithrepresentativesfromtheNationalAcademyofSciencesandseveraldozenotherscientificandacademicorganizations.Amongotherthings,hesaid,hisgroupwilltrytobringtheissuetotheattentionofthenewadministration.

ItwouldbehardtoargueagainstsecuritychecksforforeignerscomingtotheUnitedStatestopursuehigh-levelscientificorengineeringwork.Andsomeexpertsarguethatpeoplefromcertaincountries-India,PakistanandMiddleEasterncountriesaremostoftenmentioned-shouldbesubjecttoadditionalscrutiny.

ResearchersandstudentsseekingtoentertheUnitedStatesroutinelyencountereddifficultiesinthemonthsaftertheSept.11attacks,butassecuritychecksbecamefasterandmoreefficient,mostcouldcountonreceivingavisaoravisarenewalinabouttwoweeks.Thatappearstonolongerbethecase.

"IstartedhearingthisbackinearlyNovember,”saidAmyScott,assistantvicepresidentforfederalrelationsattheAssociationofAmericanUniversities."Weareveryconcernedthatwearelosinggroundhere,thatpeoplearemissingtheopportunitiestocometotheU.S.,toteach,conductresearchorjustparticipateinaconference.

JohnMarburger,ascienceadviser,saidinaninterviewintheFebruaryissueofthemagazineSeedthat"itshouldbeeasiertogetintotheU.S.asastudent,”adding,“Wereallyneedtobecarefulaboutouropennesstotheworld.”

Accordingto"Beyond'FortressAmerica''',areportinJanuarybytheNationalAcademyofSciences,universitiesaroundtheworldnowhavetheresearchequipmentandinfrastructuretocompetewiththeirAmericancounterparts.WhentheUnitedStatesputsupbarriers,thereportsaid,“foreignuniversitiesarewellpositionedtoextendcompetingoffers.”

OrasDanielleGuichard-AshbrookoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyputit:

"Thereareothercountriesthatwantthesefolks.Theyarethebestofthebest.Theyhaveotheroptions."

Ms.Guichard-AshbrookdirectstheInternationalStudentsOfficeatM.I.T.Foreignstudentseventuallymakeittocampus,shesaid,althoughthepathmaybeslowandbumpyandtheydonotnecessarilyarriveontime.ProblemstypicallyoccuriftheyleavetheUnitedStates-forfamilyvisitsorscientificmeetingsabroad-andthenfindtheyneedanewvisatoreturn.ShetoldofonestudentfromtheMiddleEastwhoagonizedwhenhewascalledhometothebedsideofhisdyingfatherforfearhewouldnotbeallowedbacktohisclasses.Hemadethetrip,shesaid,andhisreturnwasdelayed.

Visarequirementsvaryfromcountrytocountry,Ms.Guichard-Ashbrooksaid,butbecausesomestudentsmustrenewtheirvisasoftenandcannotpredicthowlongitwilltakefortheirdocumentstocomethrough,someofthemspendalotoftimecalculatingwhentheycantravelandwhentheymuststartthepaperworkdanceagain.

Sheandotherssaidthatstudentsfromallover-eventheEuropeanUnionandAustralia-hadhadproblems,butthattheyseemedmostacuteforpeoplefromIndia,theMiddleEastandRussia.BelaruswaspartoftheformerSovietUnion,whichmightexplainsomeofDr.Shkumatava'sdifficulties,saidKathieBaileyMathae,directoroftheBoardonInternationalScientificOrganizations,partoftheNationalAcademyofSciences.

"Youarenevergoingtohaveasystemthatis100percentguaranteedtogetpeoplein,inthetimetheyneedtobein,”shesaid."Butwhenyouseeproblemsrecurringandthesamesortofproblemsoverandover-that'swhenyouknowyouhaveaproblem.”

ShesaidresearcherswereincreasinglyunwillingtoscheduleconferencesorotherscientificmeetingsintheUnitedStates.Althoughtheproblemisparticularlyacuteformeetingsorganizedonshortnotice,shesaid,somegroupsarelookingforsitesoutsidetheUnitedStatesevenformeetingsscheduledtwoyearsormoreinadvance.

"That'sunfortunate,”theStateDepartmentofficialsaid."Wewantpeopletothinkthisisthebestplacetoholdtheirmeetings.”

Theofficialsaidthattimelimitsforvisaswereordinarilyamatterofreciprocalagreementsbetweennations.Dr.,Shkumatava'scase,hesaid,mayhavebeenfurthercomplicatedbecauseBelarusseverelylimitsthenumberofforeignserviceofficerstheUnitedStatescanhavethereatanygiventime.

Dr.Shkumatavasaidherexperiencewasparticularlynerve-rackingbecauseshewaskeptfromherlabforthreemonths,justasshewasstrugglingtopublishnewfindingsbeforehercompetitors.WhenshewasrequiredtohandinherpassportinMoscow,employeesattheembassylostit,strandingherthereforninedayswithnodocuments.WhenshereturnedtotheUnitedStates,shefoundthattwocolleagueshadalsobeenstrandedbyvisaproblems,oneinIndiaandtheotherinPeru.

Dr.ShkumatavasaidshewillprobablyreturntoEurope.Herhusband,acomputationalbiologistfromGermany,lefttheUnitedStateslastfallforajobinVienna.Shemighthavetriedtostayon,shesaid,ifenteringandleavingthecountrywerenotsucha"discouraging"process.

1.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutAlenaShkumatava'swork?

[A]Itmustbestoppedforlackoffinancialsupport.[B]Ithasgreatchancetosucceed.

[C]ItgetssupportsfromBelarus.[D]Itsresultcannotbepredicted.

2.What,tosomeextent,discontinuesAlenaShkumatava'sresearch,accordingtothepassage?

[A]Thedifficultyinvisarenewal.[B]Thelossofhervisa

[C]Theinefficiencyofembassyemployees.[D]Thecomplexityofsecuritychecks.

3.Whatshouldberesponsiblefortheproblemsforeignersmetinrenewingtheirvisas,accordingtoaStateDepartmentofficial?

[A]Thebureaucratismprevailingintheembassy.

[B]ThehighstandardoftheUnitedStates'requirementforimmigrants.

[C]TheUnitedStatesharshforeignpolicy.

[D]Thelackofstaff.

4.WhatcontributiondoforeignstudentsmaketotheUnitedStatesaccordingtothepassage?

[A]Theystimulateitsdomesticdemand.

[B]Theydirectthedevelopmenttendencyofitsscienceandengineeringprograms.

[C]TheyaddstrengthtothescientificandtechnicalinnovationinAmericanlabs.

[D]TheygreatlyenrichAmericanculture.

5.WhatdidAlbertH.Teichpromisehisgroupwilldoabouttheproblemofvisadelays?

[A]MakeiteasierforforeigntalentstogetaccesstotheUnitedStates.

[B]Getthenewadministrationtopayattentiontoit.

[C]Makesecuritychecksfasterandmoreefficient.

[D]Proposetosimplifysecuritychecks.

6.Whatcommentsdoesthereport"Beyond'FortressAmerica'''makeuponuniversitiesaroundtheworld?

[A]TheystilllagbehindtheirAmericancounterpartsinresearchequipmentandinfrastructure.[B]TheyareAmericanuniversities'strongrivalsinattractingforeigntalents.

[C]TheywillovertakeAmericanuniversitiesasthefirst-classeducationorganizations.

[D]Theywillofferbetterresearchconditionsforforeigntalents.

7.WhycannotthestudentfromtheMiddleEastreturnbacktotheUnitedStatesontime?

[A]Hemuststayathometotakecareofhisfather.

[B]Heneedsmoretimetodealwithsomethingathome.

[C]Heisforbiddentoleavebyhisfamily.

[D]Heneedstimetoapplyanewvisa

8.TheStateDepartmentofficialsaid,itisunfortunatethatresearcherswouldnotliketoarrangeintheUnitedStates.

9.Dr.ShkumatavacouldnothandinhispassportinMoscowjustbecauseofthemistakeof.

10.Dr.Shkumatava'shusbandreturnedtoEuropelastfallfor.

BoomersinaPost-BoomEconomy

ToryJohnson,theownerofWomenforHire,hasbeenrunningjobfairsin10ofAmerica'slargestcitiesforthelastdecade,andduringthattimeshehasneverhadmorethan2,000peoplecometotheevents.LastTuesday,atalittleafter3pm,afterthelastpersonhadcheckedinatherlatestjobfairattheSheratonManhattan,sheshowedmethecountersheusestokeeptrackofattend