单选题
Although "naming rights" have proliferated in American higher education for the past several decades, the phenomenon has recently expanded to extraordinary lengths. Anything to get an extra dollar out of donors is fair game. I know colleges and universities sorely need to raise funds in these times of fiscal
constraints
, but things have gotten a bit out of hand.
Universities and colleges have long been named after donors-think of Harvard, Yale, Brown, and many others. John Harvard would hardly get a bench named after him today, given the modesty of his gift of books for the library back in the seventeenth century. Now it takes much more to get one"s name on a college. One institution, Rowan University of New Jersey, changed its name (from Glassboro State College) not long ago when a large donation was made. Buildings, too, have been affected. Traditionally, they were named after people such as distinguished scholars or
visionary
academic leaders; now they"re often named after big donors.
Why is all of this happening now? The main motivation for the naming
frenzy
is, of course, to raise money. Donors love to see their names, or the names of their parents or other relatives, on buildings, schools, institutions, professorships, and the like. Increasingly, corporations and other businesses also seek to benefit from having their names on educational facilities. Today, no limits seem to exist on what can be named. If something does not have a name, it is up for grabs—a staircase, a pond, or a parking garage. Once all the major facilities have titles, lesser things go on the naming auction block. Colleges and universities, public and private, are all under increased pressure to raise money, and naming brings in cash.
It is unproductive. Separate branding weakens the focus and mission of an institution and perhaps even its broader reputation. It confuses the public, including potential students, and feeds the idea that the twenty-first-century university is simply a confederation of independent entrepreneurial domains.
The trends we see now in the United States, and perhaps tomorrow in other countries, will inevitably weaken the concept of the university as an institution that is devoted to the search for truth and the
transmission
of knowledge. All this naming distracts from the mission of an institution that has almost a millennium of history and cheapens its image. It is a sad symbol indeed of the commercialization and entrepreneurialism of the contemporary university.
单选题
The word "constraints" underlined in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文中第一段的内容“I know colleges and universities sorely need to raise funds in these times of fiscal constraints, but things have gotten a bit out of hand”可知，高等院校需要在财政限制时期筹集资金。选项中的A项为“限制”符合文意。B项“限定”，C项“限制，监禁”，D项“拉力，拉紧”，这三项均不符合题意。
单选题
From the 2nd paragraph, we can learn that John Harvard ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第二段的内容“John Harvard would hardly get a bench named after him today, given the modesty of his gift of books for the library back in the seventeenth century.”可知，在17世纪，约翰·哈佛捐赠书籍给学校图书馆，于是学校就以他的名字命名了，所以A项“因为捐赠书籍，让一所大学以他的名字命名”符合题意。B项“如今只能让一个条凳以他的名字命名”，这在文中只是一种假设情况；C项“在17世纪是第一个高教机构捐赠人”，D项“是哈佛大学的创立者”，C、D两项在文中没有出现。
单选题
The word "visionary" underlined in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文中第二段的内容“Traditionally, they were named after people such as distinguished scholars or visionary academic leaders”可知，他们根据人的名字命名，如著名学者，或者有远见的学术领导。选项中的A项为“有远见的，向前看的”符合文意。B项“节俭的”，C项“著名的”，D项“杰出的，卓越的”，这三项均不符合题意。
单选题
In the past, the buildings in universities were named after ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第二段的内容“Traditionally, they were named after people such as distinguished scholars or visionary academic leaders; now they"re often named after big donors.”传统上，大学的建筑一般以著名学者或有远见的学术带头人的名字来命名。所以C项符合题意。A项“政治领导人”，B项“有钱的老校友”，D项“著名的捐赠者”，这三项和文中第二段内容不符。
单选题
The word "frenzy" underlined in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文中第二段的内容“The main motivation for the naming frenzy is, of course, to raise money”可知，当然，热衷于命名的主要动机是筹集资金。选项中的A项为“极度的激动，狂乱”符合文意。B项“精神错乱”，C项“迷惑，难题”，D项“兴奋”，这三项均不符合题意。
单选题
The main purpose for corporations to donate money to universities is ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第三段的内容“Increasingly, corporations and other businesses also seek to benefit from having their names on educational facilities.”可知，越来越多的公司和企业也寻求以他们名字来给教育设施命名，以求获得经济利益。所以B项“得到利益和名誉”符合题意。A项“为了筹集到更多的钱”，C项“为他们培训更多有技能的学生”，D项“提高教育设施”，这三项和文中第三段内容不符合。
单选题
In the 4th paragraph, the word "unproductive" probably means ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] unproductive的本意为“非生产性的；徒劳的；不毛的；不生产的”，根据第四段的内容“Separate branding weakens the focus and mission of an institution and perhaps even its broader reputation.”可知，一些与商业利益联系的研究机构的命名形式，削弱了研究机构本身的重心和使命，甚至削弱其广泛的声誉。所以C项“无法控制的命名趋势消弱了高等教育的目标”符合题意。A项“命名不能给捐献企业带来好处”，B项“单独的命名为一所大学产生广泛的声誉”，D项“命名不能给一所大学的发展筹集到足够的资金”，这三项和文意不符。
单选题
The word "transmission" underlined in Paragraph 5 refers to ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文中第二段的内容“that is devoted to the search for truth and the transmission of knowledge”可知，致力于寻求真理和知识的传播。选项中的A项为“传播，散布”符合文意。B项“灌输”，C项“培养，教化”，D项“发展，开发”，这三项均不符合题意。
单选题
According to the author, a university should be a place ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第四段的内容“The trends we see now in the United States, and perhaps tomorrow in other countries, will inevitably weaken the concept of the university as an institution that is devoted to the search for truth and the transmission of knowledge.”可知，大学作为一种机构的观念就是致力于对真理的追求和知识的传播上。所以A项符合题意。B项“被命名潮流商业化的地方”，C项“吸引有潜力学生的地方”，D项“只应专注于科研的地方”，这三项在文中都没有提到。
单选题
From this passage, we can learn that the author holds a (n) ______ attitude towards the current naming phenomenon in American higher education.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文章最后一段的内容“All this naming distracts from the mission of an institution that has almost a millennium of history and cheapens its image. It is a sad symbol indeed of the commercialization and entrepreneurialism of the contemporary university.”可知，作者认为这种命名形式贬低了高校的形象，是商业化和企业化悲哀的象征，所以作者对这种命名方式是持批判态度的，所以B项“批判的”符合题意。A项“支持的”，C项“中立的”，D项“讽刺”，这三项都不是作者对命名方式的态度。