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  3. 　　Below are a graph on tuition increase in the US and an excerpt arguing against free university education. Read them carefully

　　Below are a graph on tuition increase in the US and an excerpt arguing against free university education. Read them carefully

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问题 　　Below are a graph on tuition increase in the US and an excerpt arguing against free university education. Read them carefully and write an essay of no less than 300 words, in which you should:
　　1.   summarize the ideas in both materials, and then
　　2.   explain if you agree to the excerpt or not.
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答案　　 Should University Education Be Free? Tejvan Pettinger March 3, 2014 　　In recent years, the government has sought to increase the amount students pay for studying at university. In the UK, the government has phased out grants and introduced top-up fees. With tuition fees and rising living costs, students could end up paying ￡50,000 for a three-year degree, and leave university with significant debts. 　　Some argue this is a mistake. Charging for university education will deter students and leave the UK with a shortfall of skilled labour, and increase inequality of opportunity as students with low-income parents will be more likely to be deterred from going to university. There are, however, also people who argue against free university education. Below are some of their major arguments. 　　1. Opportunity Cost. If we spend billions on free university education, there is an opportunity cost of higher taxes or less spending elsewhere. Arguably, there is a greater social benefit from providing vocational training — e.g. so people could become plumbers, electricians, etc. There is often a real shortage of these skills in an economy. Generally, the problem is not a shortage of graduates with art degrees, but lower level of vocational skills. Therefore, there is a case for charging for university, but greater public spending to tackle this lower-level skill shortages. 　　2. Do we have too many graduates? In recent decades, there has been a rapid rise in the number of graduates. However, many graduates are leaving university to take jobs which don’t require a degree. A study by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) found that nearly 50% of workers who left university in the past five years are doing jobs which don’t require a degree. Therefore, it is a mistake to continue to fund the public expansion of university education because the economy doesn’t need more graduates as much as other skills. 　　3. Higher quality of education. The rapid rise in university numbers means that greater pressure is being put on university resources. Since the government is struggling to maintain public spending, let alone increase spending, there is a danger that university education and research may suffer, causing the UK education to lag behind other countries. If universities can charge students, it will help maintain standards and quality of teaching and the reputation of the UK universities. 　　4. Signaling function of higher education. Arguably, higher education acts as a signal to employers that graduates have greater capacity. As a consequence, people who gain a degree end up with a relatively higher salary. Therefore, if they financially gain from studying at university, it is perhaps fair they pay part of the cost. This is especially important for middle-class families, who send a higher proportion of people to higher education.
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