The following two selections are from the campus newspaper column "Humanities Studies". Complete them with appropriate collocations from the texts. You are provided with the first letter(s) for each of the collocations in brackets as hints. Remember to write a complete word in each blank.
The situation of humanities studies
State tax dollars support science and high-tech studies, but they don't educate more people who, for example, can't get a job in psychology. Science graduates are provided with 1) (pr) jobs in a time when the job market 2) (wo). There is no question that more graduates in the science and technology fields are essential, especially in a 3) (shr) job market. Science and technology have become, more than ever before, 4) (do)pillars of university life. It is hard for graduates of the humanities to 5) (la) a job. This leaves humanities studies and the humanities graduates in an awkward position.
– Laura Davies
The value of humanities studies
It is clear that the ultimate goal of education is to cultivate 6) (g) insight into passions and dreams common to all humanity. The humanities are the integrative arts that help young people grow to be 7) (w … -r …) human beings. Humanities studies invest us with creative talent, thus releasing our 8) (cr)energy. We have to have engineers who can communicate efficiently with the ability of 9) (el) analysis, who can appreciate and respect cultural and individual differences containing complex ideas, and who can work with other people effectively to develop their potential in a 10) (con) manner. If we double-major in both science and the humanities, we can apply our critical thinking 11) (s) to cope with urgent problems, 12) (m) breakthroughs on many barriers and eventually have a bright career.
The situation of humanities studies
State tax dollars support science and high-tech studies, but they don't educate more people who, for example, can't get a job in psychology. Science graduates are provided with 1) (pr) jobs in a time when the job market 2) (wo). There is no question that more graduates in the science and technology fields are essential, especially in a 3) (shr) job market. Science and technology have become, more than ever before, 4) (do)pillars of university life. It is hard for graduates of the humanities to 5) (la) a job. This leaves humanities studies and the humanities graduates in an awkward position.
– Laura Davies
The value of humanities studies
It is clear that the ultimate goal of education is to cultivate 6) (g) insight into passions and dreams common to all humanity. The humanities are the integrative arts that help young people grow to be 7) (w … -r …) human beings. Humanities studies invest us with creative talent, thus releasing our 8) (cr)energy. We have to have engineers who can communicate efficiently with the ability of 9) (el) analysis, who can appreciate and respect cultural and individual differences containing complex ideas, and who can work with other people effectively to develop their potential in a 10) (con) manner. If we double-major in both science and the humanities, we can apply our critical thinking 11) (s) to cope with urgent problems, 12) (m) breakthroughs on many barriers and eventually have a bright career.
举一反三
- Why does the author say “Famous people who studies the humanities make a long list indeed”? A: Because the author wants to tell us that there are many people studying humanities. B: Because the author’s aim is to inform that famous people who studies the humanities is brilliant. C: Because the author wants more people to study humanities D: Because the author wants to prove the advantages of humanities.
- According to the speaker, what is the society's attitude toward the humanities? A: The humanities are as important as STEM. B: The humanities can widen people's horizons. C: The humanities are less important than STEM. D: The humanities are more important than STEM.
- What is the value of the humanities? Why should we study the humanities given the current economic recession? In this new era of continuous unemployment slides and shrinking university funds, questions about the importance of the humanities in a complex and technologically demanding world have taken on new urgency. While the humanities may not seem as important as engineering, chemistry, or any of the other “hard” sciences, it still plays a significant role in the world. There is a great misunderstanding of what the humanities are and what they can do. People often assume that the humanities are just about reading the great literary and philosophical works and understanding the question of what living is for. I would argue that humanities – at least from a Cultural Studies perspective – is much more than reading the classic works and speculating about the meaning of life. In Cultural Studies, we apply theory to practice. Thinking and acting outside of the ivory tower, Cultural Studies attempts to produce research that engages with the public. As a cultural researcher, I am constantly asking myself the “So what?” question. Why does this topic matter? Why should people care? This continuous self-questioning helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. While I am learning for the sake of learning, I believe scholars have the responsibility to think about the ways in which their research relates to the larger picture. What is the point of research if it doesn't affect the way people think about and act in the world? One thing I think Cultural Studies does effectively is rethinking the way we have traditionally thought about things. In Cultural Studies, few things – if anything – are taken for granted. Our research is largely driven by the question of what it means to be human. Through critical and creative engagement, we attempt to speculate on a question in a way that inspires people to imagine what might be instead of what is. This critical and creative engagement is especially important given the worsening state of the economy and the need for creative ways of being in the world.
- Studying the humanities improves your ability to read and write. No (1) (1) what we do in life, we will have a huge (2)(2) if we can read complex ideas and understand their meaning. We will have a bri
- 作业一： Reading comprehension Understanding the text Answer the following questions： 1. Why do many students calculate they can’t major in English or history? 2. Why does the author say that a college education is more and more seen as a means for economic betterment rather than a means for human betterment? 3. How do you understand “These days, labs are more vivid and compelling than libraries” (Para. 3)? 4. Why does the author say that the inner aspect of our being has captured our imagination from the very beginning? 5. According to the author, what are the advantages of studying the humanities? 6. How do you understand the statement that we are liable to miss many opportunities if we study the humanities alone? 7. What are “well-rounded human beings” (Para. 10) according to the author? 8. Why does the author say “Who knows how famous YOU might become!” at the end of the text? 参考答案： Unit 2 Text A Reading Comprehension 1. because English or history majors are considered less competitive when the job market is shrinking, and they have to study something that can help them more easily locate their future jobs. 2. because as the tuition is climbing higher and higher, many students have run away from studying the humanities and toward “hard” skills that they think will lead to employment. 3. since more students are now taking job-oriented courses, libraries, where students of liberal arts used to study, are getting less popular than before; in contrast, labs are getting more eye-catching because students of science and engineering do experiments and research there. 4. because this inner drive that can be either constructive or destructive is so mysterious and powerful that it has attracted many people to speculate on it. From ancient times, these men and women developed artistic “languages” in the form of story, music, myth, painting, architecture, sculpture, landscape and traditions, which from the very foundation of civilization. 5. Studying the humanities improves your ability to read and write, makes you familiar with the language of emotion and the creative process, and, more importantly, provides you with a wide scope of possibilities that are open to you. 6. Because in modern life, an ideal capacity for establishing one’s career is to have both technical knowledge and inner insight, not just one without the other. 7. “Well-rounded human beings” are those who have insight and understand the passions, hopes and dreams common to all humanity. 8. Since many people who once studied the humanities became famous in their career, the author implies that if students spend more time studying the humanities, they could surely become successful in the future as well.