阅读理解
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
It’s possible to admire Oprah Winfrey and still wish Harvard hadn’t awarded her an honorary doctor of law degree and the commencement (毕业典礼）speaker spot at yesterday’s graduation. There’s no question Oprah's achievements place her in the temple of American success stories. Talent, charm, and an exceptional work ethic have rarely hurled anyone as far as they have this former abused teenage mother from rural Mississippi who became one of the world's most successful entertainment icons and the first African-American female billionaire.
Honorary degrees are often conferred on non-academic leaders in the arts, business, and politics. Harvard’s list in recent years has included Kofi Annan, Bill Gates. Meryl Streep, and David Souter. But Oprah’s particular brand of celebrity is not a good fit for the values of a university whose motto (座右铭）, Veritas, means truth. Oprah's passionate advocacy extends, unfortunately, to a hearty embrace of fake science. Most notoriously, Oprah’s validation of Jenny McCarthy’s claim that vaccines cause autism（自闭症）has no doubt contributed to much harm through the foolish avoidance of vaccines.
Famous people are entitled to a few failings, like the rest of us, and the choice of commencement speakers often reflects a balance of institutional priorities and aspirations. Judging from our conversations with many students* Oprah was a widely popular choice.
But this vote of confidence in Oprah sends a troubling message at precisely the time when American universities need to do more to advance the cause of reason. As former Dean of Harvard College, Harry Lewis, noted in a blog post about his objections, “It seems very odd for Harvard to honor such a high profile popularize of the irrational… at a time when political and religious nonsense so jeopardize the rule of reason in this allegedly enlightened democracy and around the world.”
As America's oldest and most visible university, Harvard has a special opportunity to convey its respect for science not only through its research and teaching programs but also in its public affirmation of evidence-based inquiry.
Unfortunately, many American universities seem awfully busy protecting their brand name and not nearly busy enough protecting the pursuit of knowledge. A recent article in The Harvard Crimson noted the shocking growth of Harvard’s public relations arm in the last five years and it questioned whether a focus on risk management and avoiding controversy was really the best outward-looking face of this great institution.
As American research universities begin to resemble profit centers and entertainment complexes, it’s easy to lose sight of their primary mission: to produce and spread knowledge. This mission depends on traditions of rational discourse and vigorous defense of the scientific method. Oprah Winfrey's honorary doctorate was a step in the wrong direction.
单选题
what do we learn about Oprah Winfrey from the passage?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析： 文章首段介绍了关于Oprah Winfrey的信息。 首段末提到她为one of the world’s most successful entertainment icons(世界上最著名的娱乐偶像之一)，这对应的就是 B选项。其它几个选项，A 称其为“哈佛大学法学院”的著名毕业生(a distinguished graduate of Harvard School of Law)，但首段首句明确提出哈佛只是给她办法荣誉博士学位(honorary doctor of law degree)，可知她本人并非哈佛毕业。C 说她曾“虐待自己的小孩”(abuse her children)，但首段末句只是提到她本人曾被虐待、且曾是一位年轻的母亲(this former abused teenage mother)。D 称她通过长期支持伪科学而有名(achieved her fame through advocacy of fake science)。第二段第四句确实提及 Opera 支持伪科学理论，但这并非她成名之道;她是由娱乐界的身份而成名的。
单选题
Why does the author deem it inappropriate for Harvard to confer an honorary degree on Oprah winfrey?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析： 题干问到作者认为哈佛不应该给 Oprah 颁发荣誉学位的原因， 作者在第二段第三句中提到了这个观点(Oprah’s particular brand of celebrity is not a good fit)。 原因出现在第四句， 作者提出 Oprah 一致相当拥护伪科学理论(Oprah’s passionate advocacy extends to a hearty embrace of fake science)。这对应的即是 B 选项。
单选题
How did Harry Lewis react to Harvard’s decision in his blong post ?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：题干问到的 Harry Lewis 在 Blog spot 中对哈佛行为的评价出现在文章第四段第二句，这里明确说道 Harry 表示了他对此行为的反对(objection)，并举他具体的话强调了他认为哈佛决定的不妥以及不合时宜。 这对应的是 A 选项。 其它选项都无法体现 Harry 的强烈负面态度。
单选题
What is the author’s regret about many American universities?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析： 题干问到作者对许多美国大学的遗憾， 这直接对应第六段段首的 unfortunately，其后面的内容应该就是令作者感到遗憾的事。这里作者提到许多美国大学只忙于维护品牌，对追求知识的保护则不足够(not busy enough protecting the pursuit of knowledge)。这里的 not enough 即对应 inadequate。考虑到上段末作者曾提到哈佛这类大学应该要公开肯定基于证据的质询(public affirmation of evidence-based inquiry)，而 affirmation应 respect。结合上述信息与本段首的 unfortunately，可知这里作者想表达的也就应该是这些大学对于 evidence-based inquiry 的肯定做得不够。