工程英语.docx

1、工程英语5 Forces Driving Educational Change Educational institutions do not exist in a vacuum. They are influenced by the social events constantly occurring around them. Recently several developments in the workplace, changes in student demographics, and the economic trends are forcing educational insti

2、tutions to change.Developments in the Workplace Employers are seeking employees who are technology and information literate. The education of new knowledge workers requires emphasis on information access, problem solving, analysis, evaluation, and decision making. Rapid change and uncertainty in the

3、 workplace encourages employers to seek individuals who already have the required skills. Learners need frequent short-term updating as required skills change. The increasing number of part-time workers requires more flexible access to education. The growth of knowledge in any field is rapidly outst

4、ripping any individuals ability to remain current. Knowing how to access information rather than memorizing information is central to coping with this rapid change.Demographics Trends show decreasing numbers of younger students and increasing numbers of older students. Older students have more outsi

5、de-school obligations that need to be considered in academic delivery. Growing numbers of students are working part-time while enrolled in full-time programs. Current educational delivery systems do not meet their unique needs.Economic Pressures Each year enrollment and operating costs increase, whi

6、le funding decreases. Classroom space within colleges is fully utilized despite the fact that enrollments are expected to increase. There is little or no money for expansion. The faculty are already working as hard as they can. Trying to get the faculty to work harder will not produce greater effici

7、ency. There is a limit to how high tuition can be raised before students begin to seek less expensive alternatives.Competition Private business has begun to see profit potential in offering short, inexpensive market-specific training that appears to be highly relevant to students. This training dire

8、ctly competes with traditional college programs. Access to the Internet allows learners to take courses virtually anywhere in the world. There are currently hundreds of courses available from accredited North American colleges in all academic disciplines. Geographic location is no longer relevant. W

9、e are in global competition with all other educational providers on the Net.Conclusions Educational institutions must recognize that the world has changed. Employers and students have needs that our current delivery system is not meeting. We face financial constraints that will not quickly disappear

10、, as well as both global and private competition. Doing more of what we are currently doing will not solve these problems. To survive these challenges, we must find new ways to deliver education to our students. Over the next five years the use of technology combined with other measures will dramati

11、cally change the nature of the teaching/learning process.demographicsn.n. statistical study of populations 人口统计数据literateadjskilled, proficient 熟练的；通晓的updatev.to give someone the most recent information 提供某人最新信息outstripv.to exceed, surpass 超过accessv.to obtain or retrieve from a storage device; as of

12、 information on a computer 取得workplacen.place of work 工作场所uncertaintyn.the quality of being changeable 难以预料；无常；易变currentadjbelonging to the present time 随时了解最新状况deliverv.to carry out or perform 进行deliveryn.delivering, handing over, producing what is expected 传送；运载；递交01This is when an organization in

13、 charge of sport turns a blind eye to drug taking and there is a resulting _ in the use of illegal drugs.Wrong! (A)A. explosion B. exposure C. exploration D. expression02The Online Learning Program at Temple University is designed to give students more _ in when and how they attend classes.Right! (D

14、)A. choices B. opportunities C. chances D. flexibility03There are many significant advantages to _ your degree online. First and foremost is the opportunity for working adults to pursue further education.Wrong! (B)A. get B. getting C. be getting D. be gotten04)Learning is required throughout our liv

15、es - not only to remain competitive in job markets, but also to _ our individual participation in culture and society.Wrong! (B)A. increase B. enhance C. develop D. keep05)Earning your degree is becoming an even more critical _ of success in most fields these days.Wrong! (D)A. reason B. causes C. co

16、urse D. component06)Even in a profession where a degree is not necessary, earning your degree gives you skills and a competitive _ that will open doors to your future.Wrong! (D)A. opportunity B. strength C. character D. advantage07)Sometimes the courses are _ entirely at a distance, targeted mainly

17、at students who cannot access a conventional university or college campus.Wrong! (B)A. taken B. offered C. offering D. attended08)Your keyboarding speed should allow you to participate _ “real-time” chat or question and answer sessions.Wrong! (B)A. on B. in C. for D. to09)Nationwide, the number of C

18、hinese students who applied to _ American graduate schools this fall dropped 45 percent compared with the fall of 2003.Right! (C)A. take B. join C. attend D. admit10)People who choose long-distance learning are often attracted by the variety of choices _ to them.Wrong! (D)A. attractive B. flexible C

19、. skeptical D. availableonlineadj.connected to and under the control of a central processor 联机的；在线的pointv.to move an on-screen cursor using a mouse or arrow keys 移动光标clickv.to press a key or button on a keyboard or the mouse 按；击accreditedadjofficially recognized 经鉴定合格的cyberadj.involving, using or re

20、lating to computers, especially the Internet 网络的；涉及计算机的scramblev.to struggle or compete with others eagerly or against difficulty 争夺；抢夺profilen.a short description of someones life, work, character, etc. 人物简况academiciann.a member of an art, literary, or scientific academy or society 学者；院士；学会会员champi

21、onv.to fight for, support strongly or defend (a principle, a movement, person etc.) 拥护；支持enhancev.to improve the quality, amount or strength of something 提高；增强；增进duplicatev.to make an exact copy of 复制；重复brainstormingn.method of solving problems in which all the members of a group suggest ideas which

22、 are then discussed 群策群力（大家献计献策；通过集体讨论解决问题）sessionn.the part of a day during which a school holds classes 上课时间in-depthadj.done carefully and in great detail, or discovering the real reasons which cause something 深入的；彻底的；全面的listserven.service on the Internet that sends a newsletter or articles to a l

23、ist of registered users 专题通信服务器程序bandwagonn.a current trend 浪潮；时尚Schneider and twenty-three other students participated in Pepperdines distance education program, a point-and-click method of learning that utilizes internet technology in place of traditional teaching methods.1) 西内德尔和其他23个学生参加了皮朴丁大学的远

24、程教育, 这是一种“点击”的学习方式,它利用了因特网技术而不是传统的教学方式。Everyone from Ivy League institutions to newly-accredited “cyber universities” are scrambling to meet the needs for “anytime, anywhere” education.2) 无论是长青藤大学联盟，还是刚鉴定合格的“网络大学”，它们都争先恐后地力图满足人们对“随时随地”教育的需要。Vorndam teaches computer-based introductory chemistry class

25、es to non-science majors, and insists that students pu Vorndamrsuing careers in science would be better served by the traditional on-site course.。3) 伍恩达穆给非理科专业的学生讲授以计算机为基础的化学基础课，他坚持认为最好采用传统的课程教学方式教那些将来从事理科职业的学生。If theres one thing everyone seems to agree on its that online teaching methods are not a

26、 short cut. 4) 如果真有一个似乎大家都同意的观点的话，那就是在线教学方式并不是捷径。 The AAUP has taken a guarded, if not altogether skeptical, approach to online teaching. Burgan admits that single courses in limited numbers can benefit students and working professionals, but she doesnt think whole degrees should be earned online AA

27、UP5) 对于网络教学，美国大学教授协会持一种即便不完全是怀疑也是一种谨慎的态度。贝盖承认通过网络修一定量的课程有益于学生和在职人员，但完全靠网络攻读学位则不可取。 3 Introduction to the Scientific Method The scientific method is the process by which scientists, collectively and over time, endeavor to construct an accurate representation of the world. Recognizing that personal an

28、d cultural beliefs influence both our perceptions and our interpretations of natural phenomena, we aim through the use of standard procedures and criteria to minimize those influences when developing a theory. As a famous scientist once said, “Smart people can come up with very good explanations for

29、 mistaken points of view.” In summary, the scientific method attempts to minimize the influence of bias or prejudice in the experimenter when testing a hypothesis or a theory.1. Testing Hypotheses If the experiments bear out a hypothesis it may come to be regarded as a theory or law of nature. What

30、is key in the description of the scientific method is the predictive power of the hypothesis or theory. It is often said in science that theories can never be proved, only disproved. There is always the possibility that a new observation or a new experiment will conflict with a long-standing theory.

31、 Experimental tests may lead either to the confirmation or to the ruling out of the hypothesis. The scientific method requires that a hypothesis be ruled out or modified if its predictions are clearly and repeatedly incompatible with experimental tests. Further, no matter how elegant a theory is, it

32、s predictions must agree with experimental results if we are to believe that it is a valid description of nature.We are all familiar with theories which had to be discarded in the face of experimental evidence. In the field of astronomy, the earth-centered description of the planetary orbits was overthrown by the Copernican system, in wh