If spending is a measure of what matters, then the people of the developing world place a high value on brains. While private spending on education has not changed much in the rich world in the past ten years, in China and India it has more than doubled. Since brainpower is the primary generator of progress, this burst of enthusiasm for investing in private education is excellent news for the world. But not everybody is delighted. Because private education increases inequality, some governments are trying to stop its advance. That’s wrong: they should welcome it, and spread its benefits more widely.
①Education used to be provided by religious institutions or entrepreneurs. But when governments, starting in Prussia in the 18th century, got into the business of nation-building, they realized they could use education to shape young minds. As state systems grew, private schooling was left to the elite and the pious(虔诚的). Now it is enjoying popularity again, for several reasons. Incomes are rising, especially among the better off, at the same time as birth rates are falling. In China the former one-child policy means that six people—two parents and four grandparents—can pour money into educating a single child.
②All over the developing world, people want more or better education than governments provide. Where cities are growing at unmanageable speed, the private education is taking up the slack. In India the private education now educates nearly half of all children, in Pakistan more than a third, and in both countries the state education is shrinking. Even where the state does pretty well, as in East Asia, richer people still want better schooling for their children than the masses get. Thus, Vietnam, which has an outstanding state-school system for a poor country, measured by its performance in the OECD’s PISA test, also has the fastest-growing private education.
③In most ways, this is an excellent thing, because the world is getting more and better schooling.
In rich countries, once the background and ability of the children who attend private schools are taken into account, their exams results are about the same as those in the state education. But in developing countries private schools are better—and much more efficient. A study of eight Indian states found that, in terms of learning outcomes per rupee, private schools were between 1.5 times and 29 times more cost-effective than state schools.
④They tend to sort children by income, herding richer ones towards better schools that will enhance their already superior life chances. That is one reason why many governments are troubled by their rise.
Governments are right to worry about private education’s contribution to inequality, but they are wrong to discourage its growth. Governments should instead focus on improving the public education by mimicking(模仿)the private education’s virtues. Freedom from independent management is at the root of its superior performance and greater efficiency. Governments should therefore do their best to give school principals more freedom to innovate and to fire underperforming teachers.
To spread the benefit of private schools more widely, governments should work with them, paying for education through vouchers(代金券)which children can spend in private schools. And vouchers should be limited to students in non-selective schools that do not charge top-up fees; otherwise governments will find themselves helping the better off and increasing inequality.
The world faces plenty of problems. Governments should stop behaving as though private education were one of them. It will, rather, increase the chances of finding solutions.
【语篇解读】本文是一篇议论文。私人教育在发达国家不重视但是发展中国家大受欢迎，有些人对私人教育的发展不高兴，他们认为私人教育加剧了不公平性，有些政府甚至阻止其发展，针对这个现象，作者提出了看法：这种做法是错误的。人们应该欢迎私人教育，并广泛地传播它的好处。
65. What do we know about private education?
A. More developed countries enjoy it. B. It attracts more and more investment.
C. Public education will replace it in the future. D. It has helped governments to remove inequality
【答案】B
【解析】细节理解题。文中原文“this burst of enthusiasm for investing in private education is excellent news for the world.”因此答案选择B。私人教育吸引了越来越多的投资。但是私立教育加剧了不平等，因此D选项错误。私人教育与公立教育并存，所以答案C错误。更多的发展中国家出现了正在受益，所以A也错误。故选B。
66. What does the underlined phrase “taking up the slack” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Filling the gap. B. Setting the place.
C. Breaking the balance. D. Avoiding the risk.
【答案】A
【解析】词义猜测题。对划线单词进行三句读，“Where cities are growing at unmanageable speed, the private education is taking up the slack. In India the private education now educates nearly half of all children, in Pakistan more than a third, and in both countries the state education is shrinking.”印度，私人教育现在教育了将近一半的儿童，在巴基斯坦超过三分之一。公立教育萎缩，私立教育填补空白。因此答案选择A。
67. Why has private education been developing rapidly in Vietnam?
A. The population in Vietnam is shrinking dramatically.
B. Its state education is worse than other developing countries.
C. Some people want better education for their children than others.
D. The government intends private education to shape young minds.
【答案】C
【解析】细节理解题。通过定位词Vietnam找到文中richer people still want better schooling for their children than the masses get. Thus Vietnam, which has an outstanding state-school system for a poor country, measured by its performance in the OECD’s PISA test also has the fastest-growing private education.因此原因是富裕的人们想让孩子们获得更好的教育，故答案选择C。
68. The sentence “But private schools also increase inequality.” can be put in _______.
A. ① B. ② C. ③ D. ④
【答案】D
【解析】推理判断题。句子意思是：但是私人学校也会导致不平等。所以加入的段落应该更多会讨论私人学校引发的不平等。所以我们找到只有第四处符合要求。They tend to sort children by income, herding richer ones towards better schools that will enhance their already superior life chances.因此选择D。
69. What does the author advise governments to do?
A Train school principals. B. Sell vouchers to children.
C. learn from private education. D. Fire underperforming teachers.
【答案】C
【解析】细节理解题。根据文中，建议写在了最后三段Governments should instead focus on improving the public education by mimicking(模仿)the private education’s virtues.作者认为政府应该让公立学校模仿私立学校的好处，故选择C选项。
70. What’s the author’s opinion about private education?
A. Private education should be based on state education.
B. Private education should be targeted at well-off families.
C. Governments should prevent the spread of private education.
D. Governments should celebrate the popularity of private education.
【答案】D
【解析】推理判断题。最后一段作者说了Governments should stop behaving as though private education were one of them. It will, rather, increase the chances of finding solutions.因此作者的观点是，政府应该支持私立学校的发展以找到解决问题的办法。所以答案选择D。