Section B
Passage One
For a very long time America has led the world in higher education, quantitatively at least. [26]In 1825 England still had only two universities: Oxford and Cambridge. However at the same time, the United States already had over fifty colleges for a smaller population. By now, in addition to hundreds of junior colleges, teachers' colleges and special schools, there are over 2,000 universities, colleges or other such institutions in America. They may be big or small, public or private, famous or obscure. Rapid development of higher education, a common feature in contemporary societies, is continuing at such a rate that [27]America looks like being far ahead of Europe for a very long time. At that time, the overwhelming demand for higher education among American people contributed a lot to its rapid development. [28]The growing demand for highly qualified people in an ever-more-complex modern society and the declining opportunities for the less-well-qualified, together with the growth in the total numbers of young people caused by the high birth-rate around 1950 to 1960, brought the total number of students to ten million by the 1970s. By 1972 almost half of all people aged 18 and 19 were in full-time education, though only one-sixth of the people then aged 25 to 29 had completed four years at "college". However, future growth is likely to be slower.

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. What is the difference in higher education between America and England in 1825?
正确答案：D
解析：细节题。1825年英国只有2所大学，美国已经有50多所，故D正确。
27. Which is character of higher education in America according to the passage?
正确答案：C
解析：细节题。短文主要就是讲美国的higher education，可以听到这样一个评价：“看起来美国一直远远领先于欧洲。”故C正确。
28. What's the reason for the rise in student numbers in the 1970s?
正确答案：C
解析：细节题。短文列举了20世纪70年代美国大学生人数增加的多个原因，其中一个就是“The growing demand for highly qualified people...对高素质人才需求的增长”。因此C正确。