第四部分 阅读理解（共六篇）
第二篇
Outside-the-classroom Learning Makes a Big Difference
Putting a bunch of college students in charge of a $300,000 Dance Marathon, fundraiser surely sounds a bit risky.1 When you consider the fact that the money is supposed to be given to. Children in need of medical care, you might call the idea crazy.
Most student leaders don't want to spend a large amount of time on something they care little about, said 22-year-old University of Florida student Darren Heitner. He was the Dance Marathon's operations officer for two years.
Yvonne Fangmeyer, director of the student organization office at the University of Wisconsin, conducted a survey in February of students involved in campus organizations.2 She said the desire for friendship was the most frequently cited reason for joining.
At large universities like Fangmeyer's, which has more than 40,000 students, the students first of all want to find a way to "belong in their own comer of campus".
Katie Rowley, a Wisconsin senior, confirms the survey's findings. "I wanted to make the campus feel smaller by joining an organization where I could not only get involved on campus but also find a group of friends."
All of this talk of friendship, however, does not mean that students aren't thinking about their resumes. "I think that a lot of people do join to ‘fatten up their resume’," said Heitner. "At the beginning of my college career, I joined a few of these organizations, hoping to get a start in my leadership roles."
But without passion student leaders can have a difficult time trying to weather the storms that come. For example, in April, several student organizations at Wisconsin teamed up3 for an event designed to educate students about homelessness and poverty. Student leaders had to face the problem of solving disagreements, moving the event because of rainy weather, and dealing with the university's complicated bureaucracy.
"Outside-of the classroom learning really makes a big difference," Fangmeyer said.
词汇：
Bunch n. 群
Marathon n. 马立松；耐力活动
fundraiser n. 募捐
weather v. 经受风雨
bureaucracy n. 官僚机构
注释：
1．Putting a bunch of college students in charge of a$300，000 Dance Marathon，fundraiser surely sounds a bit risky．让一群大学生去负责募集30万美元的马拉松式的跳舞活动，这种募捐听起来肯定有点儿冒险。“putting．．．in charge of．．．”是“让……负责”。
2．Yvonne Fangmeyer, director of the student organization office at the University of Wisconsin, conducted a survey in February of students involved in campus organizations．Yvonne Fangmeyer是威斯康星大学学生组织办公室主任，在二月组织了一次学生参加校园组织的调查。“a survey of students involved in campus organizations”太长了，所以“in February”插到了中间。
3.“teamup”是“参加”。
练习：
1. An extracurricular activity like raising a fund of $300,000 is risky because most student leaders
A) are lazy.
B) are stupid.
C) are not rich enough.
D) wilt not take an interest in it.
2. American students join campus organizations mostly for
A) making a difference.
B) gaining experience.
C) building friendship.
D) improving their resumes.
3. Who is Katie Rowley?
A) She's a senior professor.
B) She's a senior student.
C) She's a senior official.
D) She's a senior citizen
4. What do student leaders need to carry an activity through to a successful end?
A) Passion.
B) Money.
C) Power.
D) Fame.
5. The phrasal verb fatten up in paragraph 6 could be best replaced by
A) invent.
B) rewrite.
C) polish.
D) complete.
答案与题解：
1．D 问题问的是：像募集30万美元的的课外活动有点冒险是为什么?答案可以从第二段的第一句话中找到。第一句话是这么说的：大多数学生头头并不想在它们不感兴趣的事上花大量的时间。
2．C 问题问的是：美国学生参加校园组织的主要目的是什么?答案可以从第三段找到。第三段是这么说的：威斯康星大学学生组织办公室主任Yvonne Fangmeyer在二月组织了一次学生参加校园组织的调查。她说，寻求友谊是最经常列举的理由。
3．B问题问的是：Katie Rowley是谁?文章提到了好几个人，Katie Rowley是其中的一个。第五段讲到了Katie Rowley。“a Wisconsin senior”是“威斯康星四年级学生”。
4．A 问题问的是：为了把一项活动顺利地贯彻到底学生头头需要什么?答案可以从倒数第二段找到。第一句话是这么说的：但是，如果没有激情(passion)，学生头头试图经受急风暴雨的考验是会有困难的。
5．C 问题问的是：哪个词替换第6段中的“fatten up”最合适？“fatten up”原义是“使
人或动物变肥”，在这里可以解释为使一个人的履历更充实一些，因此也好看一些。因此意思上最接近的是“polish”(润色)。
