短文一

16. What does the speaker say characterizes American campuses?
答案：(A) The cozy communal life.
【点评】：细节题。本篇文章开头即指出 'Few foreign universities put much emphasis on the cozy communal life that characterizes American campuses from clubs and sports teams to student publications and drama societies.'此可知美国校园的特点就在于集体生活，比如俱乐部、运动队、学生刊物以及戏剧社团。

17. What does Brown University president Vartan Gregorian say about students' daily life?
答案：(C) It is as important as their learning experience.
【点评】：细节题。布朗大学校长在说到学生日常生活时说“In America it is assumed that a student’s daily life is as important as his learning experience. . .” 可见在美国学生平日生活和他们的学习经历同等重要。

18. In what way is the United States unrivaled according to the speaker?
答案：(C) It provides numerous options for students.
【点评】：细节题。听力原文中说到America’s menu of options—research universities, state institutions, private liberal-arts schools, community colleges, religious institutions, military academies—is unrivaled.其实归根结底就是America's menu of options is unrivaled.美国各类学校应有尽有任你选。

19. What does the speaker say about universities in Europe and Japan?
答案：(B) They are responsible merely to their Ministry of Education.
【点评】：细节题。说到欧洲和日本大学时，原文"In Europe and Japan, universities are answerable only to a ministry of education, which sets academic standards and distributes money."中的"answerable only to…"意思和"be responsible merely to"相同，即“只对……负责，只听从……的”。