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  3. When Oxford University raised the idea of establishing a business school si

When Oxford University raised the idea of establishing a business school si

游客2024-05-06  2
问题      When Oxford University raised the idea of establishing a business school six years ago, outraged Ionians unleashed (发起，释放) volleys of Ciceronian oratory, arguing that the groves of academe should be out of bounds to commerce. How times have changed. Frustrated by the British government’s reluctance to let the university charge red-world tuition fees, demoralized by mounting charges of elitism, with research and teaching stifled by inadequate state subsidies, the dons are realizing that capitalism might just be the key to their future. At the traditional 800-year-old institution, increasing numbers of them are calling for their university to be privatized.
     That’s a hugely controversial proposal in a country that still clings fiercely to the ideal of providing a free, state-funded education to anyone who merits it. Prime Minister Tony Blair wants 50 percent of Britain’s under-30s in full-time education by 2000, and given his no new-taxes style, universities suspect they’ll be responsible for finding a large proportion of the $ 15 million that will cost. Already Oxford is having trouble paying salaries sufficient to attract top teachers; a full-time Professor gets $ 68 400--roughly half the salaries of their U. S. counterparts. For Oxford, long the global epitome(缩影) of top-drawer education, the question is whether the university’s days as a bastion(堡垒) of world-class excellence might be over.
     Lately the issue seems to have taken on a new urgency. Newspapers reported mini-scandal just last week that a 19-year: old deaf student, Anastasia Fedotova, failed to win place despite high exam scores. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown criticized the admissions system as "more reminiscent of the old-boy network.., than genuine justice in our society". This highlighted just how vulnerable Oxford remains to charges of elitism.
     "More and more people are saying the only solution is independence," says classics professor Richard Jenkyns. In the end, Oxford may be hoping for some in-between solution. Since 1998 it has been pumping funds into a private company called ISIS Innovation, set up to commercialize researchers’ discoveries. Of a total of 28 fledging spin-offs, all are still in business. While big payoffs are still a long way off, "that could quickly change", says managing director Tim Cook," if one of them hits the jackpot." More immediately, Oxford bigwigs report that permission to charge the full cost of tuition will almost certainly be given in government report due this November. Oxford still isn’t likely to let business interests run wild over its hallowed greensward. But it is learning that the academic freedom it so prizes can be preserved only at a price.  [br] The phrase "hits the jackpot" (Line 6, Para. 4) probably means"______".
选项 A、get out of business suddenly
B、be discovered accidentally by foresighted businessman
C、make a lot of money unexpectedly
D、prove to be very useful in daily life by chance
答案 C
解析 语义题。该短语出现在最后一段，其含义可以通过上文来加以理解。前文说，牛津大学创办了一家公司，这样研究者的成果可以商业化，从而解决费用问题。接着本短语所在的句子说，虽然要解决巨额的工资问题还要很长时间，但是如果其中的一个项目hits the jackpot，那么这种状况很快就会有改观，(即工资问题可以得到一定的解决，这就说明有了一笔资金，hit the jackpot在此处的意思应该和钱有关，所以答案C项“意外获得一大笔钱”是正确答案。
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