单选题
The U．S．Supreme Court has forbidden prayers in
public schools，but many Americans cling to the idea that their educational
system has a moral purpose．It is an idea common to both the Greeks and the
medieval Church．In today’s world， the moral purpose of education takes
non-religious forms，racial integration，sex education，good citizenship．At the
college level，the ambiguities become more complex．Should a morally objectionable
person be allowed to teach？Should a morally objectionable doctrine be
permitted？ Many people are understandably dismayed by such
inspection．But would they prefer moral neutrality？Should engineers be trained to
build highways without being taught any concern for the homes they
displace？Should prospective corporate managers learn how to increase profits
regardless of pollution or unemployment？Just the opposite，according to Beyond
the Ivory Tower，a new book by Harvard’s Bok，which calls for increased emphasis
on“applied ethics”．(Writes Bok．“A university that refuses to take moral dilemmas
seriously violates its basic obligations to society．”)
Religious colleges have always practiced a similar preaching．But some 500
schools now offer courses in the field．The Government supports such studies with
a program known as EVIST，which stands for Ethics and Values in Science and
Technology (and which sounds as though a computer had already taken charge of
the matter)．“The modern university is rooted in the scientific method，having
essentially turned its back on religion，”says Steven Muller，president of John
Hopkins．“The scientific method is a marvelous means of inquiry，but it
really doesn’t provide a value system．The biggest failing in higher
education today is that we fall short in exposing students to values．”
Charles Muscatine，a professor of English at Berkeley and member of a
committee that is analyzing liberal arts curriculums for the Association of
American Colleges，is even harsher．He calls today’s education programs“a
marvelous convenience for low-quality society．”The key goal of education，says
Muscatine，should be“informed decision making that recognizes there is a moral
component to life．”Instead，he says，most universities are“spreading the dangerous
myth that technical skills are more important than moral reasoning．”
单选题
The first paragraph implies that______．
A. there is a conflict between laws and public opinions on the purpose of
education．
B. the moral purpose of education varies in form with the social
situation．
C. Greeks and the medieval Church had the same moral purpose in
education．
D. the moral purpose of education is to advocate religious
beliefs．
单选题
Steven Muller believes that higher education fails to______．
A. inform the students of what is right or wrong．
B. tell the students which scientific method is valuable．
C. present valuable religious ideas to students．
D. familiarize students with means of inquiry．
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题，参见文章第3段最后一句话：The biggest failing in higher education today is that we fall short in exposing students to values．其大意是：今天高等教育的最大失败在于不能向学生展示什么才是价值，这里的价值指的是道德价值，即是与非的问题。由此可知，Steven Muller相信，高等教育无法做到告知学生什么是正确的，什么是错误的。故A为正确答案。
单选题
According to Charles Muscatine，most universities in the U．S．______．
A. place less emphasis on technology．
B. are ready to make informed moral decisions．
C. attend to society’s need for technology．
D. are the right places for students with high moral standards．
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题，参见文章最后一段最后两句：The key goal of education，says Muscatine，should be“informed decision making that recognizes there is a moral component to life．”Instead，he says，most universities are“spreading the dange rous myth that technical skills are more important than moral reasoning．”其大意是：马斯凯汀说，教育的主要目的应该是“使人们在决策时认识到道德是生命的组成部分。”他说事实正好相反，多数大学在“散布危险的神话，即技术比道德推理更重要。”由此可见，根据马斯凯汀的看法，美国的大多数的大学强调的是社会对技术的需要，所以正确答案为C。
单选题
In the author’s opinion，education should______．