[originaltext] For a very long time America has led the world in higher educ

For a very long time America has led the world in higher education, quantitatively at least. 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 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 contribut ed a lot to its rapid development.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.
16. What is the difference in higher education between America and England in 1825?
17. Which is character of higher education in America according to the passage?
18. What’s the reason for the rise in student numbers in the 1970s?