Higher education in the US: What does it cost?

The first thing to know is that the costs of undergraduate study in the United States are different from school to school. Private colleges and universities generally cost more than public ones. Another thing to keep in mind is that not all students pay a school's "published price." Financial aid and scholarships may reduce the cost. Here are a few numbers for this school year from the College Board organization. The average published price for undergraduate study at a four-year public college is about seven thousand dollars. That is for students from "in state." Students from other states and international students often have to pay the highest prices. They pay an average of more than eighteen thousand dollars. And these prices are only for tuition and fees. Food, housing, books and supplies can add from ten to twelve thousand dollars a year.

American students often have to take out a loan to help pay for their education, so they try to save money by starting their education at a two-year public college, also known as a community college, where the average tuition this year is about two thousand five hundred dollars. A few American colleges provide free education, and others pay all first-year costs for their foreign students, but they are expected to pay one thousand dollars a year after that.

(Adapted from http://www.voanews.com)

READING COMPREHENSION

Add TRUE or FALSE and copy the evidence from the text to support your answer. NO marks are given for only true or false.

1- Scholarships are intended to help students pay educational expenses.

• TRUE: "Financial aid and scholarships may reduce the cost."

2- The prices that appear in the text have been provided by colleges.

• FALSE: Here are a few numbers for this school year from the College Board organization. 

3- Foreign students have to pay about 7,000 dollars at a four-year public college.

• FALSE: (...) international students often have to pay the highest prices. They pay an average of more than eighteen thousand dollars.

4- Some undergraduates need financial aid to fund their education.

• TRUE: "American students often have to take out a loan to help pay for their education."

LEXICON
Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as these given.

1. A student who is studying for their first degree at college or university: An undergraduate
2. To take into account: To keep in mind
3. Accommodation: Housing
4. Credit: Loan

USE OF ENGLISH
Rewrite the following sentences starting with the words given.

1- Jennifer Egan is an American novelist. She has won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

• Jennifer Egan, who has won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, is an American novelist. 

2- Ethan: "Don't play football in the garden, Billy!" 

• Ethan ordered Billy not to play football in the garden. 

3- If you don’t study harder, you won't get a scholarship.

• Unless you study harder, you won't get a scholarship. 

4- When did the technician service your air conditioning?

• When did you have your air conditioning serviced?

5- According to the smoking ban, it is illegal to smoke in enclosed public places.

• According to the smoking ban, you mustn't smoke in enclosed public places.

6- Write the correct question for the underlined words:
I took some books and a DVD from the library yesterday.                                     

• What did you take from the library yesterday?

+EXÁMENES RESUELTOS