In Vermont, small colleges are closing 日暮途窮的佛蒙特州小型大學

高輝

海詞積累

1. pastoral adj. 田園的

2. commencement n. 畢業典禮

3. brace v. （為困難或壞事）使做準備;使防備

4. accreditation n. 官方認證

As Green Mountain College is closing its doors after 185 years， students are enjoying their final spring days on the pastoral campus. The school， along with two other small colleges in Vermont， will hold its final commencement this weekend. Green Mountain's president Bob Allen is mourning his college's last days as well as its impact on an aging state that is struggling to hold on to young people.

“A lot of these students will probably never come back to Vermont，” said Mr Allen about Green Mountain's students， noting that over 80% of them are from out of the state. “They want to stay，（and）they work very hard to find jobs in the state.”

Small private colleges are struggling across the country. The typically slow closure rate for non-profit， private colleges will triple in the next few years. Colleges nationwide are fighting over a shrinking pool of high-school seniors. Students are also increasingly seeking schools in big cities. Non-elite liberal arts programs are ing the ing the most as students question the value of degrees that require taking on a lot of debt， especially in a fierce job market. The problem is most acute in New England， which is bracing for an 11% decline in high-school graduates between now and 2032. This far outpaces the 3.2% decline projected nationally. College of St.oseph， with about 200 students and 90 employees， is losing its accreditation due to its financial problems since it can no longer qualify for federal student loans or grants. Southern Vermont College， in Bennington， is also shutting down.

Vermont has been grasping for ways to draw people， including a new program this year that provides up to $10，000 for people who move there and work remotely.

Losing Green Mountain is a blow for Poultney， a town in a historic slate-mining（板巖開采） region along the New York state border.

Junior Megan Kuhn will head for Prescott. Like many students， she was drawn to Green Mountain College's relaxing atmosphere.

“I'm heartbroken to leave this school，” said Ms Kuhn， who is from Raleigh， N.C.

-From The Wall Street Journal

Reading Check

1. Which word can best describe Bob Allen's mood according to paragraph 1？

A. Upset.? ? ? ? ? ?B. Calm.? ? ? ? ? ?C. Regretful.? ? ? ? ? ?D. Confused.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about？

A. A dark future for the graduates.

B. Big challenges for small colleges.

C. Unfair treatment from the government.

D. A shrinking pool of high-school seniors.

3. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “blow” in paragraph 5？

A. Process.? ? ? ? ?B. Factor.? ? ? ? ? C. Motivation.? ? ? ? ?D. Setback.

4. What can be inferred about Green Mountain College according to the text？

A. It has a history of about 100 years.

B. It takes in less than 20% native students.

C. It gets the name from its relaxing atmosphere.

D. It faces an 11% decline in high-school graduates.

Language Study

Complete the following phrases according to the text.

1. 保?。▋瀯荩? ? ?   ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? hold on? ?___________

2. 承擔大量的債務? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? take? ?___________? ?a lot of debt

3. 前往? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?head? ?___________