单选题 Traditionally, universities have carried out two main activities: research and teaching. Many experts would argue that both these activities play a critical role in serving the community. The fundamental question, however, is how does the community want or need to be served?
In recent years universities have been coming under increasing pressure from both the governments and the public to ensure that they do not remain "ivory towers(象牙塔)" of study separated from the realities of everyday life. University teachers have been encouraged, and in some cases constrained (强迫), to provide more courses which produce graduates with the technical skills required for the commercial use. If Aristotle wanted to work in a university in the UK today, he would have a good chance of teaching computer science but would not be so readily employable as a philosopher.
A post-industrial society requires large numbers of computer programmers, engineers, managers and technicians to maintain and develop its economic growth but "man", as the Bible says, "does not live by bread alone." Apart from requiring medical and social services, which do not directly contribute to economic growth, the society should also value and enjoy literature, music and the arts. Because they can also promote economic growth. A successful musical play, for instance, can contribute as much to the Gross National Product through tourist dollars as any other things.
单选题 The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 推理判断题。第一段提到研究和教学这两个大学里的主要活动为服务社会起关键作用,其实就是说,大学应该适应社会的需要。因此答案为B。
单选题 We can infer from the second paragraph that ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 推理判断题。第二段是说政府和社会对现在的大学教育不是很满意,因为大学成为脱离社会的“象牙塔”,为此老师们正在采取一些改变的措施;B、C、D都是对文中意思的错误理解,所以选A。
单选题 The Aristotle example is used to make the point that ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 推理判断题。我们知道亚里士多德是著名的哲学家,他注重教授理论知识,而现在的大学教育注重教授实用性的技能,像哲学这种抽象、纯理论的学科不再有用了。所以选B。
单选题 According to the passage, literature, music and the arts ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。最后一段提到,除了需要医疗和社会服务,社会还需要重视和欣赏文学、音乐和艺术,它们都是间接为经济增长做出贡献的。
单选题 The author believes that ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 推理判断题。文中第二段讲述实用性技能的重要性,第三段讲述此外社会还需要医疗、社会服务、文学艺术等,所以它们都是社会不可或缺的,因此选D。