College costs vary quite a bit, depending upon the type of school attended. For example, at many of the more expensive private schools, annual costs (including tuition, room, board, books, travel to and from home, and other expenses) may ex ceed $20,000. Of course, public universities are much cheaper. At these schools, tuition is significantly higher for out of state students than it is for thos e whose permanent residence is within that state. Tuition at community colleges av erages about half the in state cost of public, four year colleges and universi ties.
For those that cannot afford the cost of a college education, financial aid is t he answer. Students in the U.S.A. receive about $20 billion per year in financia l aid. In recent years, nearly 75% of students in postsecondary programs have be en receiving some form of financial aid. There are three main types of financial aid: (a) scholarships(grants), which are gifts that students do not repay; (b) loans to students and/or their parents; and (c) student employment(work/study), a parttime job which the school gives the student for the academic year. Most financial aid is needbased; that is, only students who need the money receive i t . Financial assistance to outstanding students who do not need the money (common ly called meritbased aid) is limited.
The funds for all of this aid come from three main sourcesthe federal governme n t, state governments, and private contributions. Every American college and univ ersity has a financial aid office to help students find out what kind of aid the y might be qualified to get and to assist them in completing the complicated app lication forms. Aliens who are permanent residents in the U.S.A. are qualified t o receive government assistance, but foreign students (I-20 visa students) are n ot.
1. A student may pay the least tuition if he studies ___ ___.
A. at a community college within his own state
B. at a public university
C. within his own state
D. at a four year college
2. Financial aid is largely given to those who ______ .
A. study well B. need money
C. cannot repay D. lose their jobs
3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Foreign students, if they are permanent residents in the U.S. can rec eive government assistance.
B. Foreign students with I-20 visa cannot receive government assistance.
C. More students can receive scholarships than other types of financial aid.
D. Students in financial difficulty can receive assistance.
4. The main theme of the passage is ______.
A. the high college costs in the U.S.
B. how to get financial aid in a college
C. American higher education
D. college costs and financial aid
1. A) 此题为细节题。根据第一段可知公立学校和community college比f ouryear college和university学费要少，本州的学生所要交的学费又比外州学生所交学 费要少，故A为正确答案。
2. B) 根据课文可知奖学金是有限的，无力支付学费的人应设法得到经济 上的帮助，但必须做到借钱还钱，或找一份工作再去上学，因此选项B为正确答案。
3. C) 此题为推断题。通过阅读全文可知选项C为正确答案。
4. D) 这是一道主旨题。阅读全文后，我们便可知道该文主要是讲述美国 大学的收费情况及奖学金的获得等情况。故D为正确答案。