2010年6月英語四級考試真題

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.For

questions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Forquestions8-10,completethesentenceswiththe

informationgiveninthepassage.

CaughtintheWeb

Alewmonthsago,itwasn'tunusualfor47-year-oldCarlaToebetospend15hoursperdayonline.She'dwakeupearly,turnonher

laptopandchatonInternetdatingsitesandinstant-messagingprograms-leavingherbedforonlybriefintervals.Herhouseholdbillspiled

up,alongwiththedishesanddirtylaundry,butittooknear-constantcomplaintsfromherfourdaughtersbeforesherealizedshehada

problem.

"Iwasstartingtofeellikemywholeworldwasfallingapart-kindofslippingintoadepression,"saidCarla."IknewthatifIdidn't

getoffthedatingsites,I'djustkeepgoing,"detaching(使脫離)herselffurtherfromtheoutsideworld.

Toebe'sconclusion:Shefeltlikeshewas"addicted"totheInternet.She'snotalone.

ConcernaboutexcessiveInternetuseisn'tnew.Asfarbackas1995,articlesinmedicaljournalsandtheestablishmentofa

Pennsylvaniatreatmentcenterforoverusersgeneratedinterestinthesubject.There'sstillnoconsensusonhowmuchtimeonline

constitutestoomuchorwhetheraddictionispossible.

ButasrelianceontheWebgrows,therearesignsthatthequestionisgettingmoreseriousattention:Lastmonth,astudypublishedin

CNSSpectrumsclaimedtobethefirstlarge-scalelookatexcessiveInternetuse.TheAmericanPsychiatricAssociationmayconsider

listingInternetaddictioninthenexteditionofitsdiagnosticmanual.Andscoresofonlinediscussionboardshavepoppeduponwhich

peoplediscussnegativeexperiencestiedtotoomuchtimeontheWeb.

"There'snoquestionthatthere'repeoplewho'reseriouslyintroublebecausethey'reoverdoingtheirInternetinvolvement,*'said

psychiatrist(精神科醫生)IvanGoldberg.Goldbergcallstheproblemadisorderratherthanatrueaddiction.

JonathanBishop,aresearcherinWalesspecializinginonlinecommunities,ismoreskeptical."TheInternetisanenvironment/'he

said."Youcan'tbeaddictedtotheenvironment."Bishopdescribestheproblemassimplyamatterofpriorities,whichcanbesolvedby

encouragingpeopletoprioritizeotherlifegoalsandplansinplaceoftimespentonline.

ThenewCNSSpectrumsstudywasbasedonresultsofanationwidetelephonesurveyofmorethan2.500adults.Likethe2005survey,

thisonewasconductedbyStanfordUniversityresearchers.About6%ofrespondentsreportedthat"theirrelationshipssufferedbecauseof

excessiveInternetuse."About9%attemptedtoconceal"nonesscntialInternetuse,"andnearly4%reportedfeeling"preoccupiedbythe

Internetwhenoffline."

About8%saidtheyusedtheInternetasawaytoescapeproblems,andalmost14%reportedthey"foundithardtostayawayfromthe

Internetforseveraldaysatatime."

"TheInternetproblemisstillinitsinfancy,"saidEliasAboujaoudc,aStanfordprofessor.Nosingleonlineactivityistoblamefor

excessiveuse,hesaid."They'reonlineinchatrooms,checkinge-mail,orwritingblogs.[Theproblemis]notlimitedtopom(色情)or

gambling"websites.

ExcessiveInternetuseshouldbedefinednotbythenumberofhoursspentonlinebut"intermsoflosses,°saidMaressaOrzack,a

HarvardUniversityprofessor."Ifit'saloss[where]you'renotgettingtowork,andfamilyrelationshipsarebreakingdownasaresult,then

it'stoomuch.”

Sincetheearly1990s,severalclinicshavebeenestablishedintheU.S.totreatheavyInternetusers.TheyincludetheCenterfor

InternetAddictionRecoveryandtheCenterforInternetBehavior.

ThewebsiteforOrzack'scenterliststhefollowingamongthepsychologicalsymptomsofcomputeraddiction:

?Havingasenseofwell-being(幸福)orexcitementwhileatthecomputer.

?Longingfbrmoreandmoretimeatthecomputer.

?Neglectoffamilyandfriends.

?Feelingempty,depressedorirritablewhennotatthecomputer.

?Lyingtoemployersandfamilyaboutactivities.

?Inabilitytostoptheactivity.

?Problemswithschoolorjob.

Physicalsymptomslistedincludedryeyes,backaches,skippingmeals,poorpersonalhygiene(衛生)andsleepdisturbances.

PeoplewhostrugglewithexcessiveInternetusemaybedepressedorhaveothermooddisorders,Orzacksaid.Whenshediscusses

Internethabitswithherpatients,theyoftenreportthatbeingonlineoffersa"senseofbelonging,andescape,excitement[and]fun,“she

said."Somepeoplesayrelief...becausetheyfindthemselvessorelaxed."

SomepartsoftheInternetseemtodrawpeopleinmorethanothers.Internetgamersspendcountlesshourscompetingingames

againstpeoplefromallovertheworld.Onesuchgame,calledWorldofWarcraft,iscitedonmanysitesbyposterscomplainingofa

"gamingaddiction."

AndrewHeidrich,aneducationnetworkadministratorfromSacramento,playsWorldofWarcraftforabouttwotofourhoursevery

othernight,butthat'snothingcomparedwiththe40to60hoursaweekhespentplayingonlinegameswhenhewasincollege.Hecutback

onlyafterafull-scalefamilyintervention(干預)，inwhichrelativestoldhimhe'dgainedweight.

"There'sthiswholecultureofcompetitionthatsuckspeoplein"withonlinegaming,saidHeidrich,nowafatheroftwo."Peopledoit

attheexpenseofeverythingthatwasaconstantintheirlives."Heidrichnowvisitswebsitesthatdiscussgamingaddictionregularly"to

remindmyselftokeepmyloveforonlinegamesincheck."

ToebealsoregulailyvisitsasitewherepostersdiscussInternetoveruse.InAugust,whenshefirstrealizedshehadaproblem,she

postedamessageonaYahooInternetaddictiongroupwiththesubjectline:"IhaveanInternetAddiction."

"I'mself-employedandneedtheInternetformywork,butI'mfailingtoaccomplishmywork,totakecareofmyhome,togive

attentiontomychildren,"shewroteinamessagesenttothegroup."Ihavenomoneyorinsurancetogetprofessionalhelp;Ican'tevenpay

mymortgage(抵押貸款)andfacelosingeverything."

Sincethen,Tocbcsaid,shehaskeptherpromisetoherselftocutbackonherInternetuse.nIhaveaboyfriendnow,andI'mnot

interestedinonlinedating,"shesaidbyphonelastweek."It'salotbetternow."

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答。

1.WhateventuallymadeCarlaToeberealizeshewasspendingtoomuchtimeontheInternet?

A)Herdaughter'srepeatedcomplaints.B)Fatigueresultingfromlackofsleep.

C)Thepoorlymanagedstateofherhouse.D)Thehighfinancialcostsaddingup.

2.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutexcessiveInternetuse?

A)Peopleshouldbewarnedofitsharmfulconsequences.B)Ithasbecomevirtuallyinevitable.

C)Ithasbeensomewhatexaggerated.D)Peoplehaven'tyetreachedagreementonitsdefinition.

3.JonathanBishopbelievesthattheInternetoveruseproblemcanbesolvedifpeople.

A)trytoimprovetheInternetenvironmcntB)becomeawareofitsseriousconsequences

C)canrealizewhatisimportantinlifeD)canreachaconsensusonitsdefinition

4.AccordingtoProfessorMarcssaOrzack,Internetusewouldbeconsideredexcessiveif.

A)itseriouslyaffectedfamilyrelationshipsB)onevisitedpornwebsitesfrequently

C)toomuchtimewasspentinchatroomsD)peoplegotinvolvedinonlinegambling

5.AccordingtoOrzack,peoplewhostrugglewithheavyrelianceontheInternetmayfeel.

A)discouragedB)pressuredC)dcprcsscdD)puzzled

6.WhydidAndreHeidrichcutbackonlinegaining?

A)Hehadlostalotofmoney.B)Hisfamilyhadintervened.

C)Hehadoffendedhisrelatives.D)Hiscareerhadbeenruined.

7.AndrewHeidrichnowvisitswebsitesthatdiscussonlinegamingaddictionto.

A)improvehisonlinegamingskillsB)curbhisdesireforonlinegaming

C)showhowgoodheisatonlinegamingD)exchangeonlinegamingexperience

8.Inoneofthemessagesshepostedonawebsite,Toebeadmittedthatshe.

9.ExcessiveInternetusehadrenderedToebesopoorthatshecouldn'taffordtoseek.

10.Nowthatshe'sgotaboyfriend,Toebeisnolongercrazyabout.

PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoices

giveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankis

identifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmay

notuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Questions47to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Whenwethinkofgreenbuildings,wetendtothinkofnewones-thekindofhigh-tech,solar-paneledmasterpiecesthatmakethe

coversofarchitecturemagazines.ButtheU.S.hasmorethan100millionexistinghomes,anditwouldbe_47—wastefultotearthemall

downand_48_themwithgreenerversions.Anenormousamountofenergyandresourceswentintotheconstructionofthosehouses.

Anditwouldtakeanaverageof65yearsforthe_49—carbonemissionsfromanewenergy-efficienthometomakeupfortheresources

lostbydestroyinganoldone.Sointhebroadest_50_,thegreenesthomeistheonethathasalreadybeenbuilt.Butatthesametime,

nearlyhalfofU.S.carbonemissionscomefromheating,coolingand_51—ourhomes,officesandotherbuildings."Youcan'tdealwith

climatechangewithoutdealingwithexistingbuildings/'saysRichardMoe,thepresidentoftheNationalTrust.

Withsome_52_,theoldesthomestendtobetheleastenergy-efficient.Housesbuiltbefore1939useabout50%moreenergyper

squarefootthanthosebuiltafter2000,mainlyduetothetinycracksandgapsthat_53_overtimeandletinmoreoutsideair.

Fortunately,therearea_54—numberofrelativelysimplechangesthatcangreenolderhomes,from_55_oneslikeLincoln's

Cottagetoyourownpostwarhome.Andefficiencyupgrades(升級)cansavemorethanjusttheearth;theycanhelp_56_property

ownersfromrisingpowercosts.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

A)accommodationsB)clumsyC)doubtfulD)exceptionsE)expandF)historicG)incrediblyH)

poweringI)protectJ)reducedK)replaceL)senseM)shiftedN)supplyingO)vast

SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.Foreachof

themtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer

Sheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Youneverseehim,butthey'rewithyoueverytimeyoufly.Theyrecordwhereyouaregoing,howfastyouYetravelingandwhether

everythingonyourairplaneisfunctioningnormally.Theirabilitytowithstandalmostanydisastermakesthemseemlikesomethingoutof

acomicbook.They'reknownastheblackbox.

Whenplanesfallfromthesky,asaYemeniairlinerdidonitswaytoComorosIslandsintheIndiaoceanJune30,2009,theblackbox

isthebestbetforidentifyingwhatwentwrong.SowhenaFrenchsubmarine(潛水艇)detectedthedevice'shomingsignalfivedayslater,

thediscoverymarkedahugesteptowarddeterminingthecauseofatragedyinwhich152passengerswerekilled.

In1958,AustralianscientistDavidWarrendevelopedaflight-memoryrecorderthatwouldtrackbasicinformationlikealtitudeand

direction.Thatwasthefirstmodeforablackbox,whichbecamearequirementonallU.S.commercialflightsby1960.Earlymodelsoften

failedtowithstandcrashes,however,soin1965thedevicewascompletelyredesignedandmovedtotherearoftheplane-thearealeast

subjecttoimpact-fromitsoriginalpositioninthelandingwells(起落架艙).Thesameyear,theFederalAviationAuthorityrequiredthat

theboxes,whichwereneveractuallyblack,bepaintedorangeoryellowtoaidvisibility.

Modernairplaneshavetwoblackboxes:avoicerecorder,whichtrackspilots'conversations,andaflight-datarecorder,whichmonitors

fuellevels,enginenoisesandotheroperatingfunctionsthathelpinvestigatorsreconstructtheaircraft'sfinalmoments.Placedinan

insulated(隔絕的)caseandsurroundedbyaquarter-inch-thickpanelsofstainlesssteel,theboxescanwithstandmassiveforceand

temperaturesupto2,000T.Whensubmerged,they'realsoabletoemitsignalsfromdepthsof20,000ft.ExpertsbelievetheboxesfromAir

FranceFlight447,whichcrashednearBrazilonJune1,2009,areinwaternearlythatdeep,butstatisticssaythey'restilllikelytoturnlip.In

theapproximately20deep-seacrashesoverthepast30years,onlyoneplane'sblackboxeswereneverrecovered.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

57.Whatdoestheauthorsayabouttheblackbox?

A)Itensuresthenormalfunctioningofanairplane.B)Theideaforitsdesigncomesfromacomicbook.

C)Itsabilitytowardoffdisastersisincredible.D)Itisanindispensabledeviceonanairplane.

58.WhatinformationcouldbefoundfromtheblackboxontheYemeniairliner?

A)Dataforanalyzingthecauseofthecrash.B)Thetotalnumberofpassengersonboard.

C)Thesceneofthecrashandextentofthedamage.D)Homingsignalssentbythepilotbeforethecrash.

59.Whywastheblackboxredesignedin1965?

A)Newmaterialsbecameavailablebythattime.B)Toomuchspacewasneededforitsinstallation.

C)Theearlymodelsoftengotdamagedinthecrash.D)Theearlymodelsdidn'tprovidetheneededdata.

60.WhydidtheFederalAviationAuthorityrequiretheblackboxesbepaintedorangeoryellow?

A)Todistinguishthemfromthecolouroftheplane.B)Tocautionpeopletohandlethemwithcare.

C)Tomakethemeasilyidentifiable.D)Toconformtointernationalstandards.

61.WhatdoweknowabouttheblackboxesfromAirFranceFlight447?

A)Thereisstillagoodchanceoftheirbeingrecovered.B)Thereisanurgentneedforthemtobereconstructed.

C)Theyhavestoppedsendinghomingsignals.D)TheyweredestroyedsomewherenearBrazil.

PassageTwo

Questions62to66arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

The$11billionself-helpindustryisbuiltontheideathatyoushouldturnnegativethoughtslike"Ineverdoanythingright"into

positiveoneslike"Icansucceed."ButwaspositivethinkingadvocateNormanVincentPealeright?Istherepowerinpositivethinking?

ResearchersinCanadajustpublishedastudyinthejournalPsychologicalSciencethatsaystryingtogetpeopletothinkmore

positivelycanactuallyhavetheoppositeeffect:itcansimplyhighlighthowunhappytheyare.

Thestudy'sauthors,JoanneWoodandJohnLeeoftheUniversityofWaterlooandElainePerunovicoftheUniversityofNew

Brunswick,beginbycitingolderresearchshowingthatwhenpeoplegetfeedbackwhichtheybelieveisoverlypositive,theyactuallyfeel

worse,notbetter.IfyoutellyourdimfriendthathehasthepotentialofanEinstein,you'rejustunderlininghisfaults.Inone1990s

experiment,ateamincludingpsychologistJoelCooperofPrincetonaskedparticipantstowriteessaysopposingfundingforthedisabled.

Whentheessayistswerelaterpraisedfortheirsympathy,theyfeltevenworseaboutwhattheyhadwritten.

Inthisexperiment,Wood,LeeandPerunovicmeasured68students'self-esteem.Theparticipantswerethenaskedtowritedowntheir

thoughtsandfeelingsforfourminutes.Every15seconds,onegroupofstudentsheardabell.Whenitrang,theyweresupposedtotell

themselves,"Iamlovable."

Thosewithlowself-esteemdidn'tfeelbetteraftertheforcedself-affirmation.Infact,theirmoodsturnedsignificantlydarkerthan

thoseofmembersofthecontrolgroup,whoweren'turgedtothinkpositivethoughts.

Thepaperprovidessupportfornewerformsofpsychotherapy(心理治療)thaturgepeopletoaccepttheirnegativethoughtsand

feelingsratherthanfightthem.Inthefighting,wenotonlyoftenfailbutcanmakethingsworse.Meditation(i卸,里、)techniques,incontrast,

canteachpeopletoputtheirshortcomingsintoalarger,morerealisticperspective.Callitthepowerofnegativethinking.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

62.Whatdowelearnfromthefirstparagraphabouttheself-helpindustry?

A)Itisahighlyprofitableindustry.B)Itisbasedontheconceptofpositivethinking.

C)ItwasestablishedbyNormanVincentPeale.D)Ithasyieldedpositiveresults.

63.WhatisthefindingoftheCanadianresearchers?

A)Encouragingpositivethinkingmanydomoreharmthangood.B)Therecanbenosimpletherapyforpsychologicalproblems.

C)Unhappypeoplecannotthinkpositively.D)Thepowerofpositivethinkingislimited.

64.Whatdoestheauthormeanby"...youYejustunderlininghisfaults'*(Line4,Para.3)?

A)YouarenottakinghismistakesseriouslyenoughB)Youarepointingouttheerrorshehascommitted.

C)Youareemphasizingthefactthatheisnotintelligent.D)Youaretryingtomakehimfeelbetterabouthisfaults.

65.WhatdowelearnfromtheexperimentofWood,LeeandPcrunovic?

A)Itisimportantforpeopletocontinuallyboosttheirself-esteem.B)Self-affirmationcanbringapositivechangetoone'smood.

C)Forcingapersontothinkpositivethoughtsmaylowertheirself-esteem.

D)Peoplewithlowself-esteemseldomwritedowntheirtruefeelings.

66.Whatdowelearnfromthelastparagraph?

A)Theeffectsofpositivethinkingvaryfrompersontoperson.B)Meditationmayprovetobeagoodformofpsychotherapy.

C)Differentpeopletendtohavedifferentwaysofthinking.D)Peoplecanavoidmakingmistakesthroughmeditation.

PartVCloze(15minutes)

Directions:Thereare20blanksinthefollowingpassage.ForeachblanktherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD)ontheright

sideofthepaper.YoushouldchoosetheONEthatbestfitsintothepassage.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

Theterme-commerccreferstoallcommercialtransactionsconductedovertheInternet,includingtransactionsbyconsumersand

business-to-businesstransactions.Conceptually,e-commercedoesnot_67_fromwell-knowncommercialofferingssuchasbankingby

phone,"mailorder"catalogs,orsendingapurchaseordertosupplier_68—fax.E-commercefollowsthesamemodel_69—inother

businesstransactions;thedifference_70_inthedetails.

Toaconsumer,themostvisibleformofe-commcrceconsists_71—onlineordering.Acustomerbeginswithacatalogofpossible

items,_72_anitem,arrangesaformofpayment,and_73_anorder.Insteadofaphysicalcatalog,e-commercearrangesforcatalogs

tobe_74—ontheInternet.Insteadofsendinganorderonpaperorbytelephone,e-commcrcearrangesfororderstobesent_75_a

computernetwork.Finally,insteadofsendingapaperrepresentationofpaymentsuchasacheck,e-commerce_76_onetosendpayment

informationelectronically.

Inthedecade_77_1993,e-commercegrewfroman_78_novelty(新奇事物)toamainstreambusinessinfluence.In1993,few

_79—hadawebpage,and—80—ahandfulallowedonetoorderproductsorservicesonline.Tenyears_81—,bothlargeandsmall

businesseshadwebpages,andmost_82_userswiththeopportunitytoplaceanorder._83_,manybanksaddedonlineaccess,_84_

onlinebankingandbillpayingbecame_85_.Moreimportantly,thevalueofgoodsandservices_86—overtheInternetgrew

dramaticallyafter1997.

67.A)distractB)descendC)differD)derive77.A)afterB)behindC)untilD)toward

68.A)withB)viaC)fromD)off78.A)optionalB)invalidC)occasionalD)insignificant

69.A)appearedB)usedC)resortedD)served79.A)communitiesB)corpsC)corporationsD)compounds

70.A)situatesB)liesC)rootsD)locates80.A)largelyB)slightlyC)solelyD)only

7LA)onB)ofC)forD)to8LA)latelyB)laterC)lateD)latter

72.A)reflectsB)detectsC)protectsD)selects82.A)offeredB)convincedC)equippedD)provided

73.A)sendsinB)putsoutC)standsforD)carriesaway83.A)InsteadB)NeverthelessC)HoweverD)Besides

74.A)visibleB)responsibleC)feasibleD)sensible84.A)andB)orC)butD)though

75.A)besideB)overC)beyondD)up85.A)differentB)flexibleC)widespreadD)productive

76.A)appealsB)admitsC)advocatesD)allows86.A)acquiredB)adaptedC)practicedD)proceeded

PartVITranslation（5minutes）

Directions:CompletethesentencesbytranslatingintoEnglishtheChinesegiveninbrackets.PleasewriteyoutranslationonAnswer

Sheet2.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答，只需寫出譯文部分。

87.Becauseofthenoiseoutside,Nancyhadgreatdifficulty（集中注意力在實驗上）.

88.Themanagerneverlaughed;neither（她也從來沒有發過脾氣）.

89.Welookforwardto（被邀請出席開幕式）.

90.Itissuggestedthattheairconditioner（要安裝在窗戶旁）.

91.The16-year-oldgirldecidedtotravelabroadonherowndespite（她父母的強烈反對）.

（2）2009年12月大學英語四級考試真題及答案

PartIIReadingComprehension（SkimmingandScanning）（15minutes）

Collegestakinganotherlookatvalueofmerit-basedaid

Goodgradesandhightestsscoresstillmatter一alot一tomanycollegesastheyawardfinancialaid.

Butwithlow-incomestudentsprojectedtomakeupanever-largershareofthecollege-boundpopulationincomingyears,some

schoolsarcre-examiningwhetherthataid,typicallyknownas“meritaid"，isthemosteffectiveuseofpreciousinstitutionaldollars.

GeorgeWashingtonUniversityinWashington,D.C.,forexample,saidlastweekthatitwouldcutthevalueofitsaveragemerit

scholarshipsbyaboutone-thirdandreducethenumberofrecipients（接受者），pouringthesavings,about$2.5million,intoneed-basedaid.

AlleghenyCollegeinMeadville,Pa.,madeasimilardecisionthreeyearsago.

Now,HamiltonCollegeinClinton,N.Y.,saysitwillphaseoutmeritscholarshipsaltogether.Nocurrentmerit-aidrecipientswilllose

theirscholarships,butneed-basedaidalonewillbeawardedbeginningwithstudentsenteringinfall2008.

Notallcollegesoffermeritaid;generally,themoreselectiveaschool,thelesslikelyitistodoso.HarvardandPrinceton,forexample,

offergenerousneed-basedpackages,butmanyfamilieswhodon'tmeetneedeligibility（資格）havebeenwillingtopaywhatevertheymust

forabig-nameschool.

Forsmallregionalcollegesthatstrugglejusttofillseats,meritaidcanbeanimportantrevenue-builderbecausemanyrecipientsstill

payenoughtuitiondollarsoverandabovethescholarshipamounttokeeptheinstitutionrunning.

Butforrankings-consciousschoolsinbetween,meritaidhasservedprimarilyasatooltorecruittopstudentsandtoimprovetheir

academicprofits."They'retryingtobuystudents,“saysSkidmoreCollegeeconomistSandyBaum.

Studiesshowmeritaidalsotendstobenefitdisproportionatelystudentswhocouldaffordtoenrollwithoutit.

“Aswelooktothefuture,weseeamorepressingneedtoinvestinneed-basedaid,“saysMonicaInzer,deanofadmissionand

financialaidatHamilton,whichhasofferedmeritscholarshipsfor10years.Duringthattime,itroseinUSNews&WorldReport's

rankingofthebestliberalartscolleges,from25to17.

Meritaid,whichbenefitedabout75studentsayear,orabout4%ofitsstudentbody,atacostofabout$1millionayear,“servedus

well,“Inzersays,but“tobediscountingthepriceforfamiliesthatdon'tneedfinancialaiddoesn'tfecirightanymorc.^^

Need-basedaidremainsbyfarthelargestshareofallstudentaid,whichincludesstate,federalandinstitutionalgrants.Butmeritaid,

offeredprimarilybyschoolsandstates,isgrowingfaster,bothoverallandattheinstitutionallevel.

Between1995-96and2003-04,institutionalmeritaidaloneincreased212%,comparedwith47%forneed-basedgrants.Atleast15

statesalsooffermeritaid,typicallyinabidtoenrolltopstudentsinthestate'spublicinstitutions.

Butinrecentyears,agrowingchorus（異口同聲）ofcriticshasbegunpressuringschoolstodropthepractice.Recentdecisionsby

Hamiltonandothersmaybe“asignthatpeoplearestartingtorealizethattherersthisdestructivecompetitiongoingon,“saysBaum,

co-authorofarecentCollegeReportthatraisesconcernsabouttheroleofinstitutionalaidnotbasedonneed.

DavidLaird,presidentoftheMinnesotaPrivateCollegeCouncil,saysmanyofhisschoolswouldliketoreducetheirmeritaidbut

fearthatindoingso,theywouldlosetopstudentstotheircompetitors.

“Noonecantakeone-sidedaction,“saysLaird,whoisexploringwhethertoseekanexemption（豁免）fromfederalanti-trustlawsso

membercollegescandiscusshowtheycouldjointlyreducemeritaid,“Thisisamerry-go-roundihat'sgoingveryfast,andnoneofthe

institutionsbelievetheycansustaintherisksoftryingtobreakawaybythemselves.^^

Acomplicatingfactoristhatmeritaidhasbecomesopopularwithmiddle-incomefamilies,whodon'tqualifyforneed-basedaid,that

manyhavecometodependonit.And,astuitionscontinuetoincrease,thelinebetweenmeritandneedblurs.

That'sonereasonAlleghenyCollegedoesn'tplantodropmeritaidentirely.

“Westillbelieveinrewardingsuperiorachievementsandknowthatthesetop