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　　“The Heart of the Matter,” the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 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 American Academy of Arts and Sciences 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, with Duke University President Richard Brodhead and retired Exelon CEO John Rowe as co-chairmen. 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.

　　One of the more novel ideas in the report is the creation of a "Culture Corps" in cities and town across America to "transmit humanistic and social scientific expertise from one generation to the next."

　　Unfortunately, despite 2½ 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 disseminating "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, self-reliance and a distrust of central planning—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.

　　36. According to Paragraph 1, what is the author’s attitude toward the AAAS’s report?

　　[A] Critical

　　[B] Appreciative

　　[C] Contemptuous

　　[D] Tolerant

　　本篇文章選自華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)。主要講的是非自由教育以及”問題核心”這個(gè)報(bào)告。

　　答案解析：

　　36.選A，該題是細(xì)節(jié)態(tài)度題。并非考察全文的態(tài)度，也就是說要細(xì)節(jié)定位。根據(jù)題干定位原則，定位第一段AAAS出現(xiàn)之處，并且一定要找到表示評(píng)價(jià)的部分。該題迷惑性很強(qiáng)，因?yàn)槲恼略贏AAS后面就又”praise”所以容易誤導(dǎo)大家選擇答案B “appreciative(欣賞的)”，但是我們應(yīng)該看到有however，我們知道如果第一段出現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)折，那此轉(zhuǎn)折一定跟主旨有關(guān)。同時(shí)各個(gè)題都與主旨相關(guān)，所以這道題應(yīng)該于主旨相關(guān)，后文中的“may cause more harm than good.”讓我們知道它的還多余利，所以答案選擇A，批判性的。

　　37. Influential figures in the Congress required that the AAAS report on how to

　　[A] retain people’s interest in liberal education

　　[B] define the government’s role in education

　　[C] keep a leading position in liberal education

　　[D] safeguard individuals rights to education

　　37，選C，細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)自然段定位原則，36題在第一段出題，38題在第三段出題，那37題在第二段出題的可能性就很大。同時(shí)題干定位”Influential figures in the Congress”與“l(fā)eading congressional Democrats and Republicans”同義替換。定位的答案是asking that it identify actions that could be taken by "federal, state and ….., individual benefactors and others" to "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 humanities and social scientific scholarship and education. “也就是說答案重點(diǎn)在maintain national excellence 剛好與選項(xiàng)C 中的leading position 進(jìn)行同義替換。ABD與文章不符合。

　　38. According to Paragraph 3, the report suggests

　　[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

　　38，選C，推理題。Suggest 是推理題的標(biāo)志。先化選項(xiàng)關(guān)鍵詞，發(fā)現(xiàn)選項(xiàng)A是講American history選項(xiàng)B; 是講theoretical subjects;選項(xiàng)C]emerging technologies;選項(xiàng)Dfunding foreign languages。返回原文定位的時(shí)候，A 選項(xiàng)中的“exclusive 排外”并沒有在“stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government;”這句話中體現(xiàn)。B選項(xiàng)中的理論學(xué)科沒有定位點(diǎn)。D選項(xiàng)與原文“increased funding for teachers”以及“greater study of foreign languages,”不符。屬于張冠李戴。“encourages the use of new digital technologies.”與選項(xiàng)C 同義替換。

　　39. The author implies in Paragraph S that professors are

　　[A] supportive of free markets

　　[B] cautious about intellectual investigation

　　[C] conservative about public policy

　　[D] biased against classical liberal ideas

　　39題選B，屬于推理題。Implies是推理題的標(biāo)志。同時(shí)根據(jù)提題干定位第五段，找professor. “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, self-reliance —as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.”A 選項(xiàng)中的free markets前面的修飾詞語是conservative or liberal ideas 沒有體現(xiàn)A 選項(xiàng)中的supportive。C選項(xiàng)中的conservative 與文中progressive public policy 不符合。D選項(xiàng)中biased 沒有體現(xiàn)，故排除。所以選B。

　　40. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

　　[A] Ways to Grasp “The Heart of the Matter”

　　[B] Illiberal Education and “The Heart of the Matter”

　　[C] The AAAS’s Contribution to Liberal Education

　　[D] Progressive Policy vs. Liberal Education

　　40.題選擇B。主旨大意題。先看其他題題干，我們鎖定關(guān)鍵詞是report ，而report 就是“the heart of the matter “ 故排除C和D.而我們看A 發(fā)現(xiàn)文章并沒有講如何抓住“問題核心”的各個(gè)方法。排除A，選擇B

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