When times get tough，we all look for ways to cut back.When we're hungry，we eat at home instead of going out.We take buses instead of taxis.And we wear our old designer jeans just a few months longer.With college expenses at alltime highs，high school students are eager to do anything to cut the cost of a university education.
One costcutting proposal is to allow college students to get a bachelor's degree in three years instead of four.Educational institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning process more efficient.But there's a question：Would the quality of undergraduate(本科生)education suffer？ Few US universities have formally approved a “threeyear degree”model.
I doubt that mainstream North American colleges will carry out a threeyear curriculum(课程)any time soon.For one thing，most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits(学分)．In addition，at famous universities，the committee who determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are unlikely to suddenly “throw out”one quarter of the required credits.Professors will resist “diluting(稀释)”the quality of the education they offer.
In my opinion，a quality fouryear education is always superior to a quality threeyear education.A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major.It is not a good idea to water down education，any more than it's not a good idea to water down medicine.If we want to help students find their way through university，we should help them understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon graduation.We should allow students to test out of as many courses as possible.We should give them a chance to earn money as interns(实习生)in meaningful parttime jobs that relate to their university studies，such as the fiveyear coop program at Northeastern University.
小题1:The first paragraph serves as a(n) ________.
A．explanation
B．definition
C．introduction
D．comment小题2:In most US universities，________.
A．college students are offered the coop program
B．electives' credits make up one quarter of the required credits
C．all students are required to finish fouryear education before graduation
D．some excellent students can graduate ahead of time小题3:We can infer that ________.
A．the author is a college professor
B．the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high for people to afford
C．the author considers the university education quality very important
D．the author pays special attention to the allround development of college students小题4:Which of the following can be the best title?
A．It's time to shorten the learning process
B．Best learning takes place over time
C．University education should be watered down
D．College education calls for reform
