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Section AThe humanities: Out of date?Background information1the humanitiesThe humanities are a group of academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative. The humanities, called social sciences, include history, anthropology, communication studies, cultural studies, law, language, literature, philosophy,religion,music and theater,etc.Through exploration of the humanities,students learn how to think creatively and critically,to reason,and to ask questions.Because these skills allow students to gain new insights into everything from poetry and paintings to business models and politics,humanistic subjects have been at the heart of a liberal arts education.Today,humanistic knowledge continues to provide the ideal foundation for exploring and understanding the human experience.However,with the economic downtrend,many colleges and universities intend to cut liberal arts courses to save money,and students also try to take natural science courses to help them seek job opportunities.Whether or not studying courses in the humanities has thus become a controversial question.2 self-awarenessSelf-awareness isnt a quality that you demonstrate by telling a story,but rather it has to do with how you tell the story and your ability to communicate what you learned.Being able to explain to the admissions committee why you value one accomplishment above others,what you learned from a setback,or the deeper meaning of your career goals,is evidence of self-awareness.Furthermore,the self-aware individual has knowledge of both his strengths and weaknesses.3 James CameronWorld-famous director of the movie,Titanic.The film received 14 Academy Award nominations and was awarded 11 Oscars（奥斯卡奖).4 Sally RideAn American physicist and former NASA(m美国国家航空航天局) astronaut.In 1983,at age 32,she became the first American woman and then youngest American to enter space.5 Bruce LeeA Chinese-American actor,martial arts instructor,philosopher,film director,film producer,and screenwriter.He was considered the most influential martial artist and a cultural icon.Born in San Francisco,he was raised in Hong Kong until his late teens.He moved back to the United States at 18 and studied philosophy at Washington University.6 Gwyneth PaltrowAn American actress and singer.She gained worldwide recognition through her performance in Shakesperar in Love(1998),for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.7 Renee ZellwegerAn American actress and producer.She received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.8 Matt DamonAn American actor and screenwriter.He and his friend Ben Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award（金球奖） for Best Screenplay for their workGood Will Hunting(1997).He also got multiple Best Actor nominations.9 Harold Varmus An American Nobel Prize-winning scientist and the 14th and current Director of the National Cancer Institute.He was a co-recipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on the origins of cancer.10 Michael EisnerAn American businessman.He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.Detailed study of the text1 when the going gets tough,the tough take accounting.(Para.1)Meaning:When conditions or situations become difficult,determined people choose to study the subject of accounting,hoping they can more easily find a job in the future.when the going gets tough:when the situation becomes difficult当形势变得严峻时When the going gets tough,women can get as tough as men.当形势变得严峻时，女人可以变得跟男人一样坚强。NOTE A more common saying in the similar strcture is”When the going gets tough,the tough get going “.this is an informal expression and an old motto meaning”When the situation becomes difficult,strong people take the necessary action to deal with it(艰难之路唯勇者行)”.Now people often creative use the motto,by only quoting the first part”When the going gets tough”.The author is very witty to use”take accounting”here to be humorous and sarcastic.accounting:n.U the work if accounting or the methods they use 会计；会计学Studentsmajor objective is to be financially well off.Accordingly,today the most popular course is not literature ir history but accounting.学生的主要目的是在经济上富裕。因此，当今最流行的课程不是文学或历史，而是会计。take accounting:choose to study the subject of accounting选择会计学2When the job market worsens,many students calculate they cant major in English or history(Para.1)Meaning:When there are fewer iob openings,many college students make a judgment from the situation and think they cant study English or history as their major.Meaning beyond words :Many students will not take the classes that wont help them locate a decent job later.calculate:vt.1) make a judgment about what is likely to happen using the available information估计；预测；推测Its difficult to calculate the long-term effects of these changes in the law.这些法律上的变化带来的长期影响是难以预测的。2）find out how much sth. will cost, how long sth. will take, etc. by using numbers 计算，核算Nowadays the accountants in enterprise use computers to calculate the cost of production with accuracy. 如今，企业财会人员利用电脑来计算准确的生产成本。Major in: (AmE)study sth. as your main subject at college or university 主修（某一）科目The high demand for persons with knowledge about computers is why chose to major in computer science at the university.对具有电脑知识人才的高需求是我选择在大学主修计算机科学的原因。3They have study something that boosts their prospects of landing a job.(Para.1)Meaning:They have to study something that improves their chances of success in finding a job.Boost:vt. increase or improve sth. to make it more successful 促进；推动；使兴旺Some countries hope that warmer weather and more rain will boost their farm output.一些国家希望更温暖的天气和更多的降雨能提高他们的农业产量。Prospect：n. sth. that is possible or likely to happen in the future, or the possibility itself 可能的事情；很可能发生的事情；前景Career prospects in science and technology are virtually unlimited.科技类职业的前景几乎是无可限量的。4The data show that as students have increasingly shouldered the ever-rising cost of tuition, they have defected from the study of the humanities and toward applied science and “hard” skills that they bet will lead to employment. (Para.2)Meaning: The facts and information show that as students have spent increasingly more money on tuition, they have turned away from the humanities to some practical courses that they believe will enable them to get a job more easily.Defect:Vt. leave a country, political party, or organization to go to another one 背叛；叛逃He defected from the party in the late 1970s.他在20世纪70年代后期背叛了该党。N a fault in sb. or sth. 缺点；欠缺；不足之处Stammering is probably an inherited defect. 口吃可能是一种遗传缺陷。Defect deficiency1在表示“人的缺点，设计制造方面的缺点或缺陷”时，名词defect和deficiency的词义相近。Physiological defect/deficiency生理缺陷The new car had to be withdrawn from the market because of a mechanical defect.这款新汽车因有机械缺陷，必须被撤出市场。The deficiency of this plan is very clear, so it cant possibly succeed.这项计划的缺陷是很明显的，所以它不可能成功2但表示“缺少，不足”（shortage）时，只可用deficiencyThere are serious deficiencies in the number of suitable aircraft符合要求的飞机数量严重不足During the war children suffered from a deficiency of food.战争期间孩子们遭受了缺乏食物之苦。Applied： a. used forDescribing educational subjects when they are studied for their practical uses （学科）应用的，实用的Industry leaders want scientists to engage in basic research, not applied research.产业领导者们希望科学家们从事基础研究，而不是应用研究。Bet：vt. be fairly sure that sth. is true, that sth. will happen,ect., although you cant prove this 肯定I bet the train will be late. 我敢打赌，列车会晚点V. risk money on the result of a race, game, competition or other future event 下赌注；与打赌I bet my life that he will take my money and life. 我敢用我的命打赌，他将拿着我的钱离开。5In other words, a college education is more and more seen as a means for economic betterment rather than a means for human betterment. (Para.2)Meaning: In other words, a college education is more considered as a method to improve students future economic status rather than improve human nature or behavior.Meaning beyond words: The quality of a college education is increasingly questionable because the trend among many colleges is to become more like a business and less like an academic setting.6This is trend that is likely to persist and even accelerate.Meaning: Very likely, the trend will continue to exist and even go faster than ever.Persist: vt.1) continue to exist 继续存在；持续If the bad weather persists, the farmers will suffer great losses this year.如果恶劣天气持续，农民今年将遭受巨大的损失。2) Continue to do sth., although this is difficult, or other people oppose it坚持；执意Students must persist in their efforts if they wish to do well.学生如果想取得好成绩就必须坚持努力Persist insist1 persist可用来表示“继续存在；持续”，尤其用于不好的事情，而insist没有此意。Contact your doctor if the cough persists.如果咳嗽持续，请联系您的医生。2 persist和insist容易混淆主要是当两者均表示“坚持”时。Persist用于表示“坚持”时，表示“坚持反复做同一件事”，后接介词In,多用于褒义，指“坚持继续做某事”，有时用于贬义，指“不听劝告；顽固坚持”。Her mother tried to persuade her to go to bed early, but she persisted in working until the small hours.她的母亲劝她早点睡，但她坚持工作到凌晨。He persisted in drinking even though the doctor had told him that it did harm to his body.即使医生告诉他饮酒伤身，他仍坚持饮酒。Insist用于表示“坚持”时，表示“坚持做某件事（尤指麻烦或令人讨厌的事）”，后接介词on。She insisted on washing her hair just when I wanted to have a bath.当我想泡个澡的时候，她还在那洗头。3 insist还可用于表示“对意见、主张等的坚持”。Insist用于此意时，后可接介词On，也可以接that引导的从句（是否用虚拟语气，视情况而定，即看从句的内容是否为事实），而persist无此意。They insist on having a job done well no matter how much time is required.他们坚持无论需要多少时间都要将工作做好。The doctor insisted that she (should) take the medicine, but she insisted that she was not ill.医生坚持让她服此药，但她坚持自己没病。Accelerate: v. happen or make sth. happen at a faster rate （使）加快；促进Human activities can cause or accelerate permanent changes in natural systems.人类活动可能导致或加速自然系统的永久变化。7Over the next few years, as labor markets struggle, the humanities will probably continue their long slide in succession.Meaning: For the next few years, as the going gets tough with labor markets, the subjects of the humanities will continue to shrink and worsen for a long time each year.NOTE Students have learned the world slide before but it might be worthwhile to have a review of the word used as either a noun or a verb:n.usu.sing.a situation in which sth. gradually gets worse or sb. develops a problem（情况）变糟，恶化；（人）出现问题School administrators were unable to explain the slide in students performance.学校管理人员无法解释学生成绩下降的原因。v. gradually become worse, or begin to have a problem 逐渐败坏；开始出现问题Studentstest scores started to slide in the mid-1990s.20世纪90年代中期，学生们的考分开始下降。Succession：n.sing.a series of people or things of the same type 一连串，一系列（同类型的人或物）After graduation, he took a succession of low-paid jobs.毕业后他干了一连串报酬低廉的工作。In succession: happening one after the other without anything different happening in between 连续发生地，接连发生地She is an accomplished athlete and won the championship four times in succession.她是一名成功的运动员，连续四次获得冠军。8There already has been a nearly 50 percent decline in the portion of liberal arts majors over the past generation, and it is logical to think that the trend is bound to continue or even accelerate.(Para.3)Meaning: Based on the fact that there already has been about 50 percent decrease in the number of students majoring in liberal arts over the past years, it is reasonable to think that the trend will surely continue or even speed up.Liberal: a.1） (arts)school or college subjects that give students a general education and teach them to think rather than those subjects that develop practical skills 文科The liberal arts are college or university subjects such as history,languages and literature but not sciences.文科是学院或大学的如史，语言和文学之类的学习科目，而不是理科学科。2）Accepting different opinions and ways of behaving and tending to be sympathetic to other people心胸宽广的；开明的She is known to have liberal views on divorce.人们知道她对离婚持有开明的观点Logical：a. connecting ideas or reasons in a sensible way合乎逻辑的；合理的It is logical to think that when people are deprived of their familiar surroundings they will feel disoriented. 脱离熟悉的环境时，人们会感到迷失方向，这样想是符合逻辑的。Bound： n.(to)sth. that is bound to happen will almost certainly happen 一定的；几乎肯定的The weather is bound to get better tomorrow.明天的天气肯定会更好。9 Once the dominant pillars of university life, the humanities now play little roles when students take their college tours. These days, labs are more vivid and compelling than libraries. (Para.3)Meaning: The humanities that once dominated university now play a trivial role when students have their college visits; nowadays, labs are more eye-catching and fascinating than libraries.Meaning beyond words: Libraries were once the only place where students spent much time reading materials, doing research and writing papers. However, as more students are taking science courses, labs where students do scientific experiments play a more important role for learning than traditional libraries.NOTE A “college tour” is series of campus visits to a number of colleges or university by a prospective student. College tours may be taken individually or by school groups and educational programs as a way for a large number of people to visit several schools over a short period of time. In addition, many colleges now offer virtual tours on the Internet.Dominant: a. more important, powerful, or successful than the other people or things of the same type有优势的；占统治地位的Unemployment rate will be the dominant issue at the next president election.失业率将是下次总统选举中的主要话题。Pillar： n.C1） a very important part of a system of beliefs or ideas（信仰或思想）非常重要的部分Equality is one of the pillars of a stable society. 平等是一个稳定社会的支柱之一。2） a thick strong upright post that supports part of a building 柱子；支柱Eight massive stone pillars supported the roof. 八根巨大的石柱支撑起房顶。vivid ：having or producing very clear and detailed images in the mind 清晰的，生动的He gave a very vivid and often shocking account of his time in prison .他描述了他在监狱的往事，非常生动，也非常让人震惊。compel ：for sb to do sth .强迫；迫使As a school boy . he was compelled to wear shorts even in winter .当他还是一个小男孩时，即使在冬天他也被迫穿短裤。Usage NOTEcompel , oblige , force 这三个词都有“强迫”之意，但程度不同。1Compel 表示“强迫；迫使”，指“运用权力、力量迫使对方做某事”，尤其在被动语态中含“别无他法，不得不做”之意，compel的意义比force弱。He illness compelled him to stay in bed .他的病迫使他卧床休息。2Oblige表示“强制，不得不”，指“因法律、道义、习俗或许诺的约束而必须去做某事”，多用被动语态，语气相对较弱。We are oliged to stop the car at a red light .我们遇到红灯时必须停车。3Force表示“强迫，迫使，逼迫”，指“以暴力威胁，武力强迫对方做某事”，后面跟的动作常是不情愿做的事，force的语气比compel和oblige强。The poor peasant was forced to sell his daughter to the landlord .那位贫穷的农民被迫将自己的女儿卖给地主。compelling ：interesting or exciting enough to keep your attention completely 有强吸引力的，引人入胜的Steve Jobs life makes a compelling story .史蒂夫乔布斯的一生是一个引人入胜的故事。10Here , please allow me to stand up for and promote the true value that the humanities add to peoples lives .(Para.4)Meaning：I here ask for your permission to let me defend and advertise the true value that the humanities bring to peoples lives. stand up for: support or defend a person or an idea when they are being attacked 支持；保卫；维护Mary stood up for me at the meeting, sparing me some embarrassment. 玛丽在会议上支持了我，使我免受了一些尴尬。promote: vt. Support or encourage sth. 支持；鼓励；提倡To acknowledge other cultures will promote good will among people of different background. 承认别人的文化会促进不同背景的人之间的友好亲善。11since ancient times, people have speculated about the mystery of those inner forces that drive some people to greatness and others to self-destruction.(para.4)Meaning: Ever since ancient times, people have thought carefully and seriously why the mysterious forces coming from their inner world could be so powerful that it could make some people great while others morally deteriorate.speculate; v. consider or discuss why sth. has happened 思索；沉思；推测；猜测Archeologists speculate that people first reached the island over 1,000 years ago. 考古学家们推测人类第一次到达这些岛屿是在一千多年前。Speculate about / on: make guesses about the possible causes or effects of sth. without knowing all the facts or details 猜测；推测It is too early to speculate about the outcome of the negotiations between the workers union and the companys leadership. 要推测工会和公司管理层之间的谈判结果，还为时过早。mystery; n. c, usu. sing. sth. That you are not able to understand, explain, or get information about 不可思议的事物；无法解释的事物；谜No one had ever been able to explain the mystery of the Burmuda Triangle. 从来没有人能够解释百慕大三角之谜。destruction; n. U damage that is so severe that sth. stops existing or can never return to its normal state 毁灭；摧毁；破坏The destruction caused by too many wars and the death of millions of people shook the foundation of Western idealism. 太多的战争所造成的破坏和数以百万计人的死亡动摇了西方理想主义的基础。12 This inner drive has been called many things over the centuries. (para.4)Meaning: Over the past centuries, many different names have been used to describe this inner force of human beings. 13The famous psychologist, Sigmund Freud, called it the “unconscious mind” or, more familiarly, “instinct”. (para.4)Meaning: Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, named it the unintentional mind or, more familiarly to us, natural ability to know something.unconscious: a. relating to or coming from the part of your mind in which there are thoughts and feelings that you do not realize you have 潜意识的；下意识的；无意识的I dont know if he noticed my unconscious desire. 我不知道他是否注意到我潜意识的愿望。14From the beginning of time, this inner aspect of our being, this drive that can be constructive or destructive, has captured our imagination. (para.5)Meaning：Since ancient times, it is this very inner force of our being, either constructive or destructive, that has stimulated our imagination.destructive: a. causing severe damage or harm 破坏性的；毁灭性的Lack of trust is very destructive in a relationship. 缺乏信任在人际关系中是很具有破坏性的。15The stories of this amazing struggle have formed the basis of cultures the world over. (Para .5)Meaning: It is these stories about this fascinating inner struggle of human beings that have laid the foundation of the world cultures.16Historians, architects, authors, philosophers and artists have captured the words, images and meanings of this inner struggle in the form of story, music, myth, painting, architecture, sculpture, landscape and traditions. (Para. 5)Meaning: Our historians, architects, authors, philosophers and artists have successfully caught the words, images and meanings of this mysterious inner force by way of story, music, myth, painting, architecture, sculpture, landscape and traditions.architect: n. C sb. whose job is to design buildings 建筑师 He is the architect of this building, and hes always on the construction site. 他是这个大楼的建筑师，他总出现在施工现场。philosophers：n. C1) a photograph or painting showing an area of countryside or land 风景照；风景画Adams is well-known for his landscapes of Yosemite National Park. 亚当斯以他所作的优胜美地国家公园风景画而闻名。2) an area of land that is beautiful to look at or has a particular type of appearance(陆上的)风景，景致，景色The landscape is dotted with the tents of campers. 露营者的帐篷点缀了风景。17These men and women developed artistic“languages”that help us understand these aspirations and also educate generations.(Para. 5)Meaning: The artistic works and masterpieces created by these men and women help us understand the strong desires and beautiful dreams of human beings and also help educate future generations.Meaning beyond words: “languages”is in the quotation marks because the word doesnt just refer to the regular meaning but to all the things mentioned earlier: story, music, myth, painting, architecture, sculpture, landscape and traditions.18 This fertile body of work from ancient times, the very foundation of civilization, forms the basis of study of the humanities. (Para. 5)Meaning: The large amount of work filled with rich ideas and imagination from ancient timesthe fun
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