Like a lawyer arguing a case, Rodriguez introduced the applicant to fellow admissions officers seated as a court of gatekeepers for the university. The student came from a suburban public high school. She had strong grades but so-so SAT marks. Rodriguez liked her essay and extracurricular(课外的) activity records, and saw a “pretty good upward trend” in performance. “She’s eye-catching,” agreed Nixon, leader of the committee. But another officer, skimming evidence from the file on his laptop, raised objections. He said he worried about the student’s class rank and course selection. Debate on the 18-member committee lasted 22 minutes until Nixon called for a vote. Only Rodriguez raised his hand for admission; others voted to deny. With that decision, one case was settled among more than 30,000 to be decided.
The scene gave a glimpse(一瞥)of how a U.S university tries to fulfill its promise that every applicant will get a fair chance. It also showed the complex and subjective interplay (相互作用) of factors determining who gets in and who does not. Most anxious college-bound students can only guess at what gets said about applications they worked hard to complete. But this time the university allowed journalists into the room to show how decisions unfold. “People believe it’s formulaic(刻板的),” said Professor Gundy, director of undergraduate admissions. “That’s just not true.” Data shows the 50 state flagship universities across U.S. received 1.3 million applications in 2016, up 79 percent compared with ten years before.
The university employs about 60 “readers,” including year-round admissions staff as well as graduate students and retired admissions officers who work part-time job in the high season. On average, a good reader can rate (评估)an application in about seven to eight minutes. It would be cheaper and more efficient to screen applicants primarily on grade-point averages and test scores——which was, in fact, standard practice until 2006. But a by-the-numbers approach would be totally destructive. Which applicant is stronger, a student with a 3.8 GPA (grade-point average) or one with a 3.5? Most people will say it depends, and that’s exactly right.
【小题1】Where is the scene described in Para.1 likely to be taking place?
| A．A lawyer’s office. | B．A stage for debate. |
| C．A local courthouse. | D．A university meeting room. |
【小题2】What does Gundy think of people’s common belief about the decision-making?
| A．It’s mistaken. | B．It’s remarkable. |
| C．It benefits the process. | D．It misleads the journalists. |
【小题3】What is said about the admissions procedure?
| A．Both full-time and part-time employees are hired to screen the applications. |
| B．Absolute agreement among committee members on each case is necessary. |
| C．Applicants with higher GPAs get admitted before those with lower GPAs. |
| D．For students, it was more competitive ten years ago than it is now. |
【小题4】What is the best title for the text?
| A．Unfolding the secrets of a court trial |
| B．Keys to successful college application |
| C．Winning cases through debating skills |
| D．Inside the black box of college admission |
