A
I started teaching freshmen (大一新生) a required humanities (人文学科) course at Stevens Institute of Technology a decade ago. The course included Shakespeare, Descartes, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, William James, Freud, Mead—you know, Western civilization's greatest minds.
I love teaching the course, but I don't assume students love taking it. So on the first day I asked, “How many of you would skip this course if it weren't required？” After I explained to them that they wouldn't hurt my feelings, almost all raised their hands.
They said they came to Stevens for engineering computer science, math, physics, finance, digital music production, etc. They didn't see the point of reading all these old impractical things that have nothing to do with their future professions. When I asked them to guess why Stevens arranged these courses, someone said, smirking (假笑), “To make us wellrounded.”
Hearing the response, I really have to do something to make_my_pitch_for_the_course. We live in a world increasingly ruled by science. And that's fine. But it is exactly because science is so powerful that we need the humanities now more than ever. In your science, mathematics and engineering classes, you're given facts, answers, knowledge and truth. Your professors say, “This is how things work.” They give you certainty. The humanities, at least the way I teach them, give you uncertainty, doubt and skepticism.
The humanities are subversive (颠覆性的). They weaken the statements of all authorities, whether political, religious or scientific. This skepticism is especially important when it comes to statements about humanity, about what we are, where we came from, and even what we can be and should be.
If I do my job by the end of this course, you'll question all authorities, including me. You'll question what you've been told about the nature of reality, about the purpose of life, about what it means to be a good person. That, for me, is the point of the humanities: they keep us from being trapped by our own desire for certainty.
本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者在文章中论述了为什么学生要学习人文学科。
1．Why did the author ask students the question in his first class?
A．To win students' admiration.
B．To form a good relationship with students.
C．To check students' attitude towards his course.
D．To encourage students to be active in his class.
答案：C
解析：细节理解题。根据第二段中的I love teaching the course, but I don't assume students love taking it.可知，作者是为了确定学生们是否喜欢学习人文学科。
2．What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean?
A．Persuade his students to attach importance to humanities.
B．Reflect on his experience of learning humanities.
C．Assess his ability of teaching humanities.
D．Design his teaching plan carefully.
答案：A
解析：词义猜测题。根据第四段中的We live in a world increasingly ruled by science...we need the humanities now more than ever.可猜测，作者认为学习人文学科很重要，故画线部分含义是说服他的学生们重视人文学科。
3．What may students learn to do after taking the humanities course?
A．Express their desires clearly.
B．Give up their previous ideas.
C．Stick to scientific findings firmly.
D．Get out of set patterns of thought.
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段中的．..you'll question all authorities, including me...they keep us from being trapped by our own desire for certainty.可知，通过作者的人文学科课程，学生们可能会摆脱自己对确定性的渴望，学会质疑，走出自己固定的、习惯性的思维模式。
