填空题
For more than two centuries, America’s colleges and universities have been the backbone of the country’s progress. They have educated the technical, (1) work force, and provided generation after generation of national leaders. Today educators from around the country are apt to find many reasons for the (2) , but four historic acts stand out as watersheds.
First, (3) : In 1862 Congress enacted the Land-Grant College Act, which essentially extended the opportunity of higher education to all Americans, including (4) . Each state was permitted to sell large tracts of federal land and use the proceeds to endow at least (5) .
Second, competition breeds success: Over the years, the (6) of the America’s colleges and universities have promoted (7) . Competitive pressure first arose during the Civil War, when President Lincoln created (8) to advise Congress on "any subject of science and art". The academy’s impact really grew after World War II, when a landmark report (9) the then President argued that it was the federal government’s responsibility to (10) for basic research. Instead of being centralized in government laboratories, (11) in American universities and generated increasing investment. It also (12) and helped spread scientific discoveries far and wide, (13) , medicine and society as a whole.
Thirdly, (14) : The end of World War II saw the passage of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. The law, which provided for college or vocational education (15) , made the higher-education system accessible in ways that (16) , opening the doors of the best universities to men and women who had (17) .
Finally, promoting diversity. The creation of federal (18) , as well as outright grants for college students, brought much-needed diversity to higher education and further (19) . Since its founding in 1965, the Federal Family Education Loan Program has funded more than 74 million student loans worth (20) .