Question

It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial (商業(yè)的) world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (學(xué)術(shù)界) outweigh any financial (金錢的) considerations.

Helen Lee took a 70％cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects (前景) of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.

The influence of a salary cut is probably less serious for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a medicine company before returning to university as a post doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual chances.

Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more important, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the change to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential (潛力) in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”

1.By “a one-way street” in Paragraph 1, the author means ______.

A．university researchers know little about the commercial world

B．few university professors are willing to do industrial research

C．few industrial scientists would leave to work in a university

D．there is little exchange between industry and academia

2.The underlined word “deterrent” most probably refers to “something that ______”.

A．helps to move the traffic	B．a(chǎn)ttracts people’s attention
C．brings someone a financial burden	D．keeps someone from taking action

3.What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?

A．Less work hours.

B．More freedom to choose research fields.

C．Better prospects of a commercial return.

D．Her preference for the lifestyle on campus.

4.What can industrial scientists do when they come to teach in a university?

A．Make its research more practical.

B．Develop its students’ potential in research.

C．Help it to obtain financial support from industry.

D．Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】略