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“The Heart of the Matter,” the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), deserves praise for affirming the importance of the humanities and social sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America. Regrettably, however, the report's failure to address the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause more harm than good.
In 2010, leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS asking that it identify actions that could be taken by “federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others” to “maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education.” In response, the American Academy formed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. Among the commission's 51 members are top-tier-university presidents, scholars, lawyers, judges, and business executives, as well as prominent figures from diplomacy, filmmaking, music and journalism.
The goals identified in the report are generally admirable. Because representative government presupposes an informed citizenry, the report supports full literacy; stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government; and encourages the use of new digital technologies. To encourage innovation and competition, the report calls for increased investment in research, the crafting of coherent curricula that improve students' ability to solve problems and communicate effectively in the 21st century, increased funding for teachers and the encouragement of scholars to bring their learning to bear on the great challenges of the day. The report also advocates greater study of foreign languages, international affairs and the expansion of study abroad programs.
Unfortunately, despite 2% years in the making, “The Heart of the Matter” never gets to the heart of the matter: the illiberal nature of liberal education at our leading colleges and universities. The commission ignores that for several decades America's colleges and universities have produced graduates who don't know the content and character of liberal education and are thus deprived of its benefits. Sadly, the spirit of inquiry once at home on campus has been replaced by the use of the humanities and social sciences as vehicles for publicizing “progressive,” or left-liberal propaganda.
Today, professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas—such as free markets and self-reliance—as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.
The AAAS displays great enthusiasm for liberal education. Yet its report may well set back reform by obscuring the depth and breadth of the challenge that Congress asked it to illuminate.
1.According to Paragraph 1, what is the author's attitude toward the AAAS's report?
2.Influential figures in the Congress required that the AAAS report on how to(  ).
3.According to Paragraph 3, the report suggests (  ).  
4.The author implies in Paragraph 5 that professors are (  ).  
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the text? 

第 1 问

A. Critical.

B. Appreciative.

C. Contemptuous.

D. Tolerant.

第 2 问

A. safeguard individuals' rights to education

B. define the government's role in education

C. retain people's interest in liberal education

D. keep a leading position in liberal education

第 3 问

A. an exclusive study of American history

B. a greater emphasis on theoretical subjects

C. the application of emerging technologies

D. funding for the study of foreign languages

第 4 问

A. supportive of free markets

B. biased against classical liberal ideas

C. cautious about intellectual investigation

D. conservative about public policy

第 5 问

A. Illiberal Education and “The Heart of the Matter”.

B. The AAAS's Contribution to Liberal Education.

C. Ways to Grasp “The Heart of the Matter”.

D. Progressive Policy vs. Liberal Education.

参考答案: A D C B A

详细解析:

1.应选[A]。考查考生把握作者态度的能力。
【试题解析】(1)可定位在第一段。篇首第一句提到认为报告“值得称道”(deserves praise),但是“however”转折之后才是作者的评论:“没有解决危机的本质”(failure)以及“弊大于利”(more harm than good)。(2)此外,第四段(Unfortunately)、第五段(routinely)以及第六段(obscuring)都流露出作者的批评态度。鉴于此,选项[A]最佳。

2.应选[D]。考查考生把握文章重要细节信息的能力。
【试题解析】(1)定位在第二段,题干中“influential figures”与原文“leading congressional Democrats and Republicans”对应,题干中的“required”照应原文的“asking”。当然,上一题出处在第一段,而下一题出处在第三段,那么本题很可能出处在第二段。(2)原文提到要求“AAAS明确美国可能采取的行动”(identify actions),以“保证美国在文科教育方面的领先地位”(to "maintain national excellence...")。(3)此外,“liberal education”是本文作者谈论的关键词。鉴于此,选项[D]最佳。

3.应选[C]。考查考生把握文章重要细节信息的能力。
【试题解析】(1)根据题干和选项判断,题干中“suggests”应该理解为“建议”,而不是“暗示”。本题可定位在第三段。(2)根据原文,报告支持“全民教育”(full literacy),“强调历史和政体研究”(stresses),“鼓励使用新技术”(new digital technologies)。(3)此外,所设计的课程应提高学生的能力,“有效沟通”(effectively),以“解决当今的问题”(challenges of the day)。这些内容也影射了当今社会通信科技手段的作用。鉴于此,选项[C]最佳。

4.应选[B]。考查考生理解言外之意的能力。
【试题解析】(1)本题可定位在第五段(只包含一个长句)。原文提到教授们一方面“把某些领域看成是适合的研究对象”(the proper subject of study),另一方面“把保守的或者是古典的自由主义思想排除在研究领域之外”(outside the boundaries of routine),“甚至还认为这些研究不合法”(legitimate, investigation)。这种做法显然出于某种偏见。(2)作者写作第五段的目的是利用教授作为例子来阐释第四段末提及的“宣扬左派思想”(left-liberal propaganda)这一狭隘的观点。(3)其实,篇首就已经提出报告“没能处理本质”(address),而篇末呼应“搅浑了问题的深度和广度”,这些信息同样暗示出教授的做法不妥。综合这些信息,选项[B]是最合理的推断。

5.应选[A]。考查考生把握文章中心大意的能力。
【试题解析】作者首先褒扬AAAS的报告(The Heart of the Matter)对文科教育的重视,并马上指出了它的缺陷——未能解决危机的本质(the true nature of the crisis)。第二段介绍报告出台的背景。第四、五段分析了报告存在的问题:未能触及本质(never gets to the heart of the matter)。第六段评论性总结。综合这些信息,[A]最佳。

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