C
Recently, a survey was done among 288,000
students, which shows that today’s traditional-age college freshmen are “more
materialistic and less altruistic (利他主義的)” than at any time in the 19 years of the poll (民意調(diào)查).
Not surprisingly, in these hard times, the
students’ major purpose “is to be financially well off. Developing a meaningful
philosophy of life is less important than ever.” It follows then that today the
most popular course is not literature or history but accounting.
Interest in teaching, social service and
the “altruistic” fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business
programs, engineering and computer science is way up.
That’s no surprise either. A friend of mine
(a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of
her college instructors in her first year on the job---even before she
completed her two-year associate degree.
Though it’s true that we all need a career,
it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount
of knowledge in fields far beyond our own and that it will be better for our
understanding of these other contributions—either scientific or artistic.
Similarly, it is true that, in studying the
diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More importantly, perhaps,
education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see
beyond our immediate needs.
Weekly we read of unions who went on strike
for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company; No
job. How shortsighted in the long run!
But the most important argument for a broad
education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve
our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen
looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking
on the intercom (對(duì)講機(jī)) : “Miss Baxter,” he says, “could you please send in someone who
can distinguish right from wrong?”
From the long-term point of view, that’s
what education really ought to be about.
51. According to the result of the survey,
college students _______________.
A. take developing a meaningful philosophy
of life more seriously
B. have a wide range of knowledge in many
aspects
C. pay more attention to the study of
literature
D. have never been so materialistic as
today
52. The students’ criteria (標(biāo)準(zhǔn)) for choosing their majors
today are largely based on _________.
A. their own understanding of the courses
B. the financial goals they seek in life
C. the influence of their instructors
D. the vast potential for the future
educational development
53. What does the fifth paragraph imply?
A. Knowledge in other fields has nothing to
do with one’s career.
B. Business management should be included
in educational programs
C. The importance of a broad education should
not be ignored
D. A good understanding of the civilization
will make students rich.
54. The author’s attitude to the effect of
studying the diverse wisdom of others is ______________.
A.
positive B.
indifferent
C. doubtful D.
negative
55. The writer wrote the passage in order
to indicate that ______________.
A. college students today are not a
diligent generation
B. people engaged in technical jobs lead a
more meaningful life
C. career seekers shouldn’t focus on
immediate interests only
D. working experience outside college
counts a lot to one’s future career
