Study finds local students lack global perspective

The global perspective of Taiwanese university students was found sorely lacking according to a survey released yesterday, with only 38 percent of the students identifying Lebanon as the country that was recently at war with Israel.

The students also identified business tycoons rather than political figures as the best leaders. The top three leaders they chose were Formosa Plastics Group Chairman Wang Yung-ching, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Chairman Terry Gou and Microsoft's Bill Gates, with opposition KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou ranked fourth.

The World Leadership Education Foundation asked 1,200 university students across the nation several questions pertaining to significant recent world news events.

One of the few multiple choice questions answered successfully by the students was naming Wang Chien-ming as the New York Yankees' Taiwan-born pitcher. Some 97.5 percent of respondents got the answer right.

But the students did poorly on other questions related to world affairs. In one multiple choice question, only 49.6 percent of respondents picked Angela Merkel as female chancellor of Germany. Over one-fourth of the respondents chose Thaksin Shinawatra (Thailand's ousted prime minister) while another 14 percent identified British Prime Minister Tony Blair as Germany's chancellor, the survey said.

Lin Tsai-chen, the deputy director of the foundation's politics and economics department, suspected that university students' lack of interest in watching the news and the local media's bias in favor of domestic news reports accounted in part for the survey's results.

Lin stressed that in addition to learning foreign languages, university students should enhance their competitiveness in the global village by making themselves familiar with international affairs.

Ⅰ. vocabulary

1. Sorely

adv.

In a sore manner, very.

Ex: I was sorely tempted to report him.

2. Identify

vt.

to recognize or establish as being a particular person or thing

Ex: I cannot identify this signature

3.Pertain

vi

To belong as an adjunct, part, holding, or quality.

Ex: We own the house and the land pertain to it.

4. Significant

adj.

important, of consequence.

Ex: This is one of the most significant studies of the subject.

5. Multiple choice

ph.

offering several alternative answers from which the correct one is to be chosen.

Ex: A multiple choice test.

6. pitcher

n.

One who pitches anything, as hay, quoits, a ball, etc.

Ex: He is the best pitcher I've ever seen.

7. Chancellor

n.

the person who is head of state or titular head of a university.

Ex: Our Chancellor is totaged

8. Survey

n.

To determine the form, extent, position, etc.

Ex: A recent survey of public opinion showed that most people were worried about the increasing crimes.

9. deputy

n.

person given power to act for another

Ex: You can talk with my deputy during my absence.

10. bias

n.

fixed unfair opinion.

Ex: Some people have a bias against foreigners.

11. enhance

vt.

increase something good.

Ex: Beautiful colored illustrations enhanced the book.

12. affairs

n.

event, set of event.

Ex: How are your affairs going?

Ⅱ. cloze

Sorely identify pertains significant multiple

pitcher Chancellor survey affairs bias

1. I was ______ vexed.

2. She ______ him as her attacker

3. This lesson ______ to marine animals

4. This is one of the most ______ studies of the subject

5. We use the hall for ______ purposes.

6. Chien-Ming Wang is the best ______ I've ever seen.

7. ______ of the Exchequer.

8. From the top of the hill you can ______ the whole city.

9. The premier deals with important ______ of state.

10. The pianist has a ______ in favour of Chopin.

Ⅲ. Multiple choice

(1) The delegation was headed by a ______ mayor.

(a) adjunctive (b) deputy (c) assistant

(2) My mother have a ______ in favor of my younger brother.

(a) bias (b) partiality (c) hobby

(3) Explore more on how to ______ your luck and fate!

(a) improve (b) abate (c) enhance

(4) An acquaintance of world history is helpful to the study of current _____ .

(a) matter (b) affairs (c) anecdote

(5) We use the hall for ______ purposes.

(a) multiple (b) compound (c) manifold

(6) We own the house and the land ______ to it.

(a) pertained (b) pertained (c) pertaining

(7) A ______ of world history is one of the courses offered this semester.

(a) survey (b) surveys (c) surveyed

(8) Wang Chien-ming as the ______ Taiwan-born pitcher.

(a) New York Yankees (b) Red Stockings (c) Dodgers

(9) It was ______ missed at the reunion.

(a) sorely (b) sore (c) soreness

(10) Chien-ming Wang as the New York Yankees' Taiwan-born ______ .

(a) Catcher (b) Pitcher (c) infielder

(11) Their change of plan is strange but I don’t think it’s _____.

(a) significance (b) significant (c) signification

(12) Can you ______ your umbrella among this lot ?

(a) identity (b) identification (c) identify