Several recent studies have found that being randomly assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood of conflict.
Recent reports found that lodging with a student of a different race may decrease prejudice and compel students to engage in more ethnically diverse friendships.
An Ohio State University study also found that black students living with a white roommate saw higher academic success throughout their college careers. Researchers believe this may be caused by social pressure.
In a New York Times article, Sam Boakye – the only black student on his freshman year floor -said that "if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove."
Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences.
According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out.
An Indiana University study found that interracial roommates were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together by the end of the semester.
Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. "This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race," she said.
At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing.
"One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly," said Undergraduate Assembly chairman Alec Webley. "This is the definition of integration."
"I've experienced roommate conflicts between interracial students that have both broken down stereotypes and reinforced stereotypes," said one Penn resident advisor (RA). The RA of two years added that while some conflicts "provided more multicultural acceptance and melding (融合)," there were also "jarring cultural confrontations."
The RA said that these conflicts have also occurred among roommates of the same race.
Kao said she cautions against forming any generalizations based on any one of the studies, noting that more background characteristics of the students need to be studied and explained.
注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57. What can we learn from some recent studies?
A) Conflicts between students of different races are unavoidable.
B) Students of different races are prejudiced against each other.
C) Interracial lodging does more harm than good.
D) Interracial lodging may have diverse outcomes.
58. What does Sam Boakye's remark mean?
A) White students tend to look down upon their black peers.
B) Black students can compete with their white peers academically.
C) Black students feel somewhat embarrassed among white peers during the freshman year.
D) Being surrounded by white peers motivates a black student to work harder to succeed.
59. What does the Indiana University study show?
A) Interracial roommates are more likely to fall out.
B) Few white students like sharing a room with a black peer.
C) Roommates of different races just don't get along.
D) Assigning students' lodging randomly is not a good policy.
60. What does Alec Webley consider to be the "definition of integration"?
A) Students of different races are required to share a room.
B) Interracial lodging is arranged by the school for freshmen.
C) Lodging is assigned to students of different races without exception.
D) The school randomly assigns roommates without regard to race.
61. What does Grace Kao say about interracial lodging?
A) It is unscientific to make generalizations about it without further study.
B) Schools should be cautious when making decisions about student lodging.
C) Students' racial background should be considered before lodging is assigned.
D) Experienced resident advisors should be assigned to handle the problems.
57. What can we learn from some recent studies?
答案:D. Interracial lodging may have diverse outcomes.
关键词:recent studies, but also
定位:题干中some recent studies提示答案定位在第一段第一句话。
解析:问题提问从最近的研究中我们可以了解到什么?第一段第一句中Several recent studies found that…与题干对应,由此可知that后的就是recent studies的内容,即being randomly assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood of conflict。其中“being randomly assigned to a roommate of another race”对应了选项D中的“interracial lodging”,“can… but also…”说明了interracial lodging是有利有弊的。因此D选项符合文意。而C选项“弊大于利”不符合文意, A“不同种族学生之间的争执是不可避免的”选项与B“不同种族的学生相互存在偏见”原文中没有明确提及
58. What does Sam Boakye's remark mean?
答案:D. Being surrounded by white peers motivates a black student to work harder to succeed.
关键词:surrounded, something to prove
定位:题干中出现的人名Sam Boakye提示答案定位在第四段第一句话。
解析:问题提问Sam Boakye的话是什么意思?通过定位可以找到Sam Boakye的那段话,即if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove. 这句话前面的插入语-the only black student on his freshman year floor- 介绍了Sam Boakye作为黑人学生的背景,帮助我们理解之前那句话:如果你的周围都是白人,那么一定会去证明些什么,言下之意就是选项D“白人同伴的存在会激励黑人学生更加努力地去取得成功”。而选项A, B, C在文中没有明确提及。本题选项C有个干扰信息“the freshman year”,在原文中出现。某些考生看到这个词,不假思索就选择了这个选项,但没有搞懂原文的意思,导致错误选择。请考生留意。
59. What does the Indian University study show?
答案:A. Interracial roommates are more likely to fall out.
关键词:Indian University, more likely,
定位:题干中出现的机构名称Indian University提示答案定位在第七段第一句话。
解析:问题提问Indian University的研究显示了什么?通过定位可以发现研究结果显示Interracial roommate were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together,与选项A中的more likely to fall out 对应,因此选择D。此处,fall out 应该理解为“散伙,分开”有些考生可能因为不理解意思而产生歧义,请考生留意。
60. What does Alec Webley consider to be the “definition of integration”?
答案:D. The school randomly assigns roommates without regard to race.
关键词:Alec Webley, definition of integration
定位:题干出现的人名Alec Webley提示答案定位在第十段第一句。
解析:通过定位找到人名,人名后出现“This is the definition of integration”,由“this”可知人名前就是我们要找的答案,即the process throws you together randomly,“throw you together randomly”与“randomly assign”对应。意思与选项D符合。因此,此处选择D。
61. What does Grace Kao say about interracial lodging?
答案:A. It is unscientific to make generalizations about it without further study.
关键词:Grace Kao, generalizations
定位:题干中出现的人名Grace Kao以及generalizations提示答案定位在文章最后一段。根据最后一段意思:要得出Interracial lodging的一般规律,需要对学生的背景特征有更多的研究,与选项D的意思相同。而选项ABC在文中没有明确提及。