一本教會(huì)你“做對(duì)”題的6級(jí)閱讀書 day12 passage6

[00:01]In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, massive immigration, [00:07]and chaotic urban growth, science and technology seemed to offer solutions [00:13]to almost every problem. Many Americans came to believe [00:18]that scientific certainty could solve not only scientific problems, [00:24]but could also reform politics, government, and business. [00:29]Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people [00:35]that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. [00:42]In the aftermath of World War II, the academic world turned [00:46]with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, [00:50]which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of [00:55]democracy and to resist tyranny. [00:59]Behind every statistic, there's a good story: facts and figures [01:05]can add up to something greater than themselves. [01:09]In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge [01:14]has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known [01:19]as the STEM disciplines. There is considerable and justified concern [01:25]that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of [01:30]the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, [01:37]and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership. [01:42]At the same time, the humanities have experienced a significant decline. [01:49]Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government [01:54]and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. [01:59]Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members [02:04]at most institutions and are often lightly regarded [02:08]because they do not generate grant income [02:12]and because they provide no obvious credentials for most nonacademic careers. [02:18]There is no doubt that American education should be training more scientists [02:25]and engineers and should be teaching scientific literacy to everyone else. [02:31]Much of the hand-wringing among politicians [02:34]is focused on the absence of "real world" education. [02:39]But the idea that institutions [02:42]or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. [02:49]The humanities are not simply vehicles of aesthetic reward [02:54]and intellectual inspiration, as valuable as those purposes are. [02:59]Science and technology aspire to clean, clear answers to problems. [03:05]The humanities address ambiguity, doubt, [03:09]and skepticism-essential underpinnings in a complex and diverse society [03:14]and a turbulent world. [03:17]It is not surprising that many of our greatest scientists [03:21]are also deeply committed to humanistic knowledge and values. [03:26]Nor should it be surprising [03:28]that many humanistic fields find scientific tools essential [03:33]to their work. Many liberal-arts institutions [03:37]have developed similar curricular goals. Among academics, [03:43]scientists and humanists not only coexist, but often collaborate. [03:49]It is impossible to imagine our society without thinking of [03:52]the extraordinary achievements of scientists [03:55]and engineers in building our complicated world. [03:59]But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works [04:04]that have defined our culture and values

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Passage 6 Half a Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste
人文學(xué)科不可或缺 《新聞周刊》

[00:01]In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, massive immigration,
[00:07]and chaotic urban growth, science and technology seemed to offer solutions
[00:13]to almost every problem. Many Americans came to believe
[00:18]that scientific certainty could solve not only scientific problems,
[00:24]but could also reform politics, government, and business.
[00:29]Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people
[00:35]that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world.
[00:42]In the aftermath of World War II, the academic world turned
[00:46]with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies,
[00:50]which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of
[00:55]democracy and to resist tyranny.
[00:59]Behind every statistic, there's a good story: facts and figures
[01:05]can add up to something greater than themselves.
[01:09]In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge
[01:14]has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known
[01:19]as the STEM disciplines. There is considerable and justified concern
[01:25]that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of
[01:30]the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan,
[01:37]and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
[01:42]At the same time, the humanities have experienced a significant decline.
[01:49]Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government
[01:54]and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves.
[01:59]Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members
[02:04]at most institutions and are often lightly regarded
[02:08]because they do not generate grant income
[02:12]and because they provide no obvious credentials for most nonacademic careers.
[02:18]There is no doubt that American education should be training more scientists
[02:25]and engineers and should be teaching scientific literacy to everyone else.
[02:31]Much of the hand-wringing among politicians
[02:34]is focused on the absence of "real world" education.
[02:39]But the idea that institutions
[02:42]or their students must decide between humanities and science is false.
[02:49]The humanities are not simply vehicles of aesthetic reward
[02:54]and intellectual inspiration, as valuable as those purposes are.
[02:59]Science and technology aspire to clean, clear answers to problems.
[03:05]The humanities address ambiguity, doubt,
[03:09]and skepticism-essential underpinnings in a complex and diverse society
[03:14]and a turbulent world.
[03:17]It is not surprising that many of our greatest scientists
[03:21]are also deeply committed to humanistic knowledge and values.
[03:26]Nor should it be surprising
[03:28]that many humanistic fields find scientific tools essential
[03:33]to their work. Many liberal-arts institutions
[03:37]have developed similar curricular goals. Among academics,
[03:43]scientists and humanists not only coexist, but often collaborate.
[03:49]It is impossible to imagine our society without thinking of
[03:52]the extraordinary achievements of scientists
[03:55]and engineers in building our complicated world.
[03:59]But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works
[04:04]that have defined our culture and values