According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today’s traditional-agecollege freshmen are ”more materialistic and less altruistic (利他主义的)” than at any time in the 17 years of the poll.
Not surprising in these hard times, the student’s major objective “is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life.” 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 her first year on the job-even before she completed her two-yearassociate degree.
While 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 removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions m be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying thediverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, 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 (对讲机): “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.
练习题：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1. According to the author’s observation, college students _______.
A. have never been so materialistic as today
B. have never been so interested in the arts
C. have never been so financially well off as today
D. have never attached so much importance to moral sense
2. The students’ criteria for selecting majors today have much to do with _______.
A. the influences of their instructors
B. the financial goals they seek in life
C. their own interpretations of the courses
D. their understanding of the contributions of others
3. By saying “While it’s true that ... be they scientific or artistic” (Lines 1-3, Para. 5), the author means that _______.
A. business management should be included in educational programs
B. human wisdom has accumulated at an extraordinarily high speed
C. human intellectual development has reached new heights
D. the importance of a broad education should not be overlooked
4. Studying the diverse wisdom of others can ________.
A. create varying artistic interests
B. help people see things in their right perspective
C. help improve connections among people
D. regulate the behavior of modern people
5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Businessmen absorbed in their career are narrow-minded.
B. Managers often find it hard to tell right from wrong.
C. People engaged in technical jobs lead a more rewarding life.
D. Career seekers should not focus on immediate interests only.
1.[A]事实细节题。根据第1段可知，根据调査，当今处于传统年龄的大学一年级的学生在17年来的民意测验中是“最追求物质享受、最自私的”，这与A所述相一致。
2.[B]事实细节题。根据第2段第1句指出现在大学生选择专业的目的是为了经济上的富裕，B中的financial goals对应文中的financial well off，故正确。
3.[D]句意理解题。本句首 选强调Career职业的重要性，之后强啁我们也必须理解其他领域的知识，所以这句目的是强调全面教育的重要性，故D正确。
4.[B]事实细节题。根据第5段第2句：同样毋庸置疑的还有，学习他人的各种智慧时，我们也学会怎样去思考。句中how to think与B中的see things in…right perspective意思最为相反，故B正确。
5.[D]事实细节题。根据文章的第5至6段可知，作者认为罢工要求加薪等一些追求眼前利益的行为是目光短浅的，故D正确。
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