单选题 Ironically, the intellectual tools currently being used by the political right to such harmful effect originated on the academic left. In the 1960s and 1970s a philosophical movement called postmodernism developed among humanities professors (26) being deposed by science, which they regarded as right-leaning. Postmodernism (27) ideas from cultural anthropology and relativity theory to argue that truth is (28) and subject to the assumptions and prejudices of the observer. Science is just one of many ways of knowing, they argued, neither more nor less (29) than others, like those of Aborigines, Native Americans or women. (30) , they defined science as the way of knowing among Western white men and a tool of cultural (31) . This argument (32) with many feminists and civil-rights activists and became widely adopted, leading to the "political correctness" justifiably (33) by Rush Limbaugh and the "mental masturbation" lampooned by Woody Allen.
Acceptance of this relativistic worldview (34) democracy and leads not to tolerance but to authoritarianism. John Locke, one of Jefferson's "trinity of three greatest men," showed (35) almost three centuries ago. Locke watched the arguing factions of Protestantism, each claiming to be the one true religion, and asked. How do we know something to be true? What is the basis of knowledge? In 1689 he (36) what knowledge is and how it is grounded in observations of the physical world in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Any claim that fails this test is "but faith, or opinion, but not knowledge. " It was this idea—that the world is knowable and that objective, empirical knowledge is the most (37) basis for public policy that stood as Jefferson's foundational argument for democracy.
By falsely (38) knowledge with opinion, postmodernists and antiscience conservatives alike collapse our thinking back to a pre-Enlightenment era, leaving no common basis for public policy. Public discourse is (39) to endless warring opinions, none seen as more valid than another. Policy is determined by the loudest voices, reducing us to a world in which might (40) right—the classic definition of authoritarianism.

单选题 A. satisfied with B. angry with C. displeased at D. proud of
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 文章要表达的意思是人文学科的教授对被科学驱之门外不悦,他们认为科学是右倾学术。satisfied“满意地”;angry“愤怒地,生气地”;displeased“不高兴地”;proud“自豪地”。因此本题选C。
单选题 A. discounted B. doubted C. adopted D. shared
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 这句话的意思是后现代主义采纳了文化人类学和相对论的某些观点。discount“打折,贴现”;doubt“怀疑”;adopt“采纳”;share“共享”。因此本题选C。
单选题 A. objective B. subjective C. cultural D. relative
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 这句话的意思是,真相是相对的,受制于观察者的假设和偏见。objective“客观的”;subjective“主观的”;cultural“文化的”;relative“相对的”。因此本题选D。
单选题 A. variable B. valid C. valuable D. various
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 这句话的意思是,科学只是认知的众多方式中的一种,并不比其他方式更有效。variable“可变的,不定的”;valid“正确的,有效的”;valuable“重要的,有价值的”;various“不同的,多方面的”。因此本题选B。
单选题 A. However B. Therefore C. Otherwise D. Furthermore
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 此空格的前文说科学只是认知的众多方式中的一种。这句话接着说他们对科学的定义,由此可知前后文为递进关系。四个选项中只有D选项表示递进关系,因此本题选D。
单选题 A. assimilation B. inhibition C. representation D. oppression
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 这句话说,他们将科学定义为白种人的认知方式,而且是文化压迫的一种工具。assimilation“同化”;inhibition“禁止,压抑”;representation“表示,表现”;oppression“压迫”。因此本题选D。
单选题 A. resonated B. agreed C. appealed D. responded
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 由这个句子中的“广泛采用”可推知,这一观点受到许多女权主义者和民权活动家的认同。B选项agree应与by搭配,表示受到某人认同。只有A选项与with搭配符合上下文意思,表示“得到回应”。因此本题选A。
单选题 A. liked B. approved C. verified D. hated
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 这句话中后半部分的and分句表示这一运动受到Woody Allen的讽刺,由此可以推出,空格处也是否定的意思。四个选项中只有D选项表示否定,因此本题选D。
单选题 A. offsets B. produces C. undermines D. strengthens
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] offset“抵消”;produce“产生”;undermine“逐渐削弱,暗暗破坏”;strengthen“加强,强化”。此句后面说到这会导致独裁主义,由此可知这会破坏民主。因此本题选C。
单选题 A. when B. what C. why D. which
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 前文说接受这种相对主义的世界观会破坏民主,导致独裁主义。这句话说大约三个世纪前,John Locke展示了出现这种情况的原因。因此本题选C。
单选题 A. found B. defined C. dictated D. claimed
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] find“发现”;define“下定义”;dictate“命令,规定”;claim“声称”。句意是,1689年,他给知识是什么以及它的依据何在进行了定义,因此本题选B。
单选题 A. practical B. equal C. useful D. equitable
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] practical“实际的”;equal“平等的”;useful“有用的”;equitable“公平的,公正的”。句子的意思是,世界是可知的、客观的,以经验为依据的知识是公共政策最……基础。前文一直在说民主,由此可推出,这一观点认为以经验为依据的知识是制定公共政策最公正的基础。因此本题选D。
单选题 A. identifying B. equipping C. equating D. confusing
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] identify“识别,辨认”;equip“使(人)配备(必需品)”;equate“把……视为,把……等同于”;confuse“混淆”。句子的意思是错误地将知识等同于观点,因此本题选C。
单选题 A. deduced B. introduced C. conduced D. reduced
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] deduce“推论,演绎出”,后面接from;introduce“介绍,引进”;conduce“有助于,有益于”;reduce“使……沦落为”。句子意思是,公众话语权……无止境的敌对观点,没有哪一观点比其他观点更为有效。根据句意可知,这句话含有否定的意思,四个选项中D选项最符合上下文意思,因此本题选D。
单选题 A. decides B. causes C. makes D. creates
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 这句话后半句的意思是,权势即代表正确的世界。decide“决定”;cause“导致,引起”;make意为“成为……之原因”;create意为“创造”。因此本题选C。