单选题   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 popularizer 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】由题干中的Oprah Winfrey并结合选项定位到文章首段。 事实细节题。该段最后一句指出，Oprah Winfrey从受虐的未成年母亲成为世界上最成功的娱乐界偶像之一，也就是说她是在娱乐界取得了成功，故答案为B。 [参考译文] 欣赏Oprah Winfrey，但是仍然希望哈佛没有在昨天授予她荣誉法学博士学位以及毕业典礼上的发言人身份。这种情况是可能的。毫无疑问，Oprah的成就把她安置在了美国成功故事的庙堂里。人们已经极少像形容这个来自密西西比农村的女人一样用天才、魅力和出色的职业道德来猛烈地形容一个人了，她从受虐的未成年母亲转变成世界上最成功的娱乐界偶像之一以及第一位非洲裔美国女性亿万富翁。 荣誉学位往往授予在艺术、商业和政治领域的非学术领袖。近年来，哈佛大学的这个名单包括Kofi Annan、Bill Gates、Meryl Streep和David Souter。但是Oprah的特定成名品牌并不适合一个以真理为座右铭的大学的价值观。oprah很不幸地热烈拥护伪科学。最臭名昭著的是，Oprah认可了Jenny McCarthy关于疫苗导致自闭症的说法，这让大家愚蠢地逃避疫苗，也毫无疑问地造成了很多危害。 名人都有一些缺点，就像其余的人一样，而毕业典礼演讲者的选择往往反映出了学校的当务之急和办学志向的一种平衡。从我们与很多学生的对话中可以看出，Oprah是一个广受欢迎的选择。 但是对Oprah这一信任投票恰恰是在美国大学需要做更多的工作来推进理性进程的时候，这就释放了一条令人不安的信息。哈佛学院前院长Harry Lewis在一篇博客帖子中表达了他的反对意见：“当政治和宗教谬论在这个据说开明的民主国家以及整个世界范围内开始危及理性的法则时，哈佛大学将这样高的荣誉授予一位以不理性出名的名人……这看上去很奇怪。” 作为美国最古老的和最引人注目的大学，哈佛大学有一个特殊的机会表达其对科学的尊重：不仅通过其研究和教学项目，也可以通过公开肯定基于证据的调查。 不幸的是，许多美国大学似乎都忙于保护他们的品牌，而一点都没有忙于保护对知识的追求。《哈佛深红报》最近发表的一篇文章指出，哈佛大学的公共关系部门在过去五年的增长令人震惊。该文章还质疑，专注于风险管理以及避免争议是否是这个伟大的大学向外展示的最好面目。 当美国的研究型大学开始越来越像利润中心和娱乐中心时，它们很容易迷失自己最初的使命：创造和传播知识。这个使命取决于理性话语传统和对科学方法的积极防御。授予Oprah Winfrey荣誉博士学位就是在错误的方向上迈出的一步。
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】由题干中的inappropriate和honorary degree定位到文章第二段。 推理判断题。该段第三句指出，Oprah的特定成名品牌并不适合一个以真理为座右铭的大学的价值观。第四句给出了“不适合”的原因和例证：Oprah很不幸地热烈拥护伪科学。综上可知，作者认为哈佛不应授予她荣誉学位是因为她拥护伪科学，故答案为B。
单选题     How did Harry Lewis react to Harvard's decision in his blog post?______
 
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】根据题干中的Harry Lewis定位到文章第四段第二句。 语义理解题。定位句指出，哈佛学院前院长Harry Lewis在一篇博客帖子中表达了他的反对意见，故答案为A。
单选题     What is the author's regret about many American universities?______
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】由题干中的regret和American universities 定位到文章第六段。 事实细节题。该段第一句指出，不幸的是，许多美国大学似乎都忙于保护他们的品牌，而一点都没有忙于保护对知识的追求。第二句指出，哈佛大学的公共关系部门在过去五年的增长令人震惊。综上可知，作者对美国的许多大学过于重视公共关系而感到遗憾，故答案为C。
单选题     What does the author think a prestigious university like Harvard should focus on?______
 
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】由题干中的prestigious university和focus on定位到文章最后两段。 观点态度题。倒数第二段第一句提到，不幸的是，美国的许多大学一点都没有忙于保护对知识的追求。最后一段第一句指出，当美国的研究型大学开始越来越像利润中心和娱乐中心时，它们很容易迷失自己最初的使命：创造和传播知识。也就是说，作者认为像哈佛这样有威望的大学应该专注于追求知识与真理，故答案为D。