[填空题]For more than two centuries, American’s colleges and universities have been the backbone of the country’s progress. They have educated the technical, managerial, (1) and provided generation after generation of national leaders. Today educators from around the globe are turning to U. S. institutions of higher learning (2) . They are apt to find many reasons for the excellence of American universities, but (3) stand out as watersheds:
Education (4) : In 1862 Congress enacted the Land-Grant College Act, which essentially extended the opportunity of higher education (5) , including such disenfranchised groups as women and minorities. Each state was permitted to sell large tracts of (6) and use the proceeds to endow at least one public college.
(7) : Over the years, the decentralization and diversity of the America’s colleges and universities have promoted competition for students and resources. Competit