Questions 1 to 5 are based on the same passage or dialog.
What is the value of the humanities? Why should we study the humanities given the current
新视野视听说教程第二册quiz
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.
1. Why has the question of studying the humanities taken on new urgency?
A. More people have realized its importance.
B. It has become a more interesting topic.
C. It's driven by the current economic downturn.
D. It's compelled by today's complex world.
2. According to the author, what's the assumption of the general public?
A. "Hard" sciences are more important than the humanities.
B. Most people don't know who they are and what they can do.
C. People don't really understand the meaning of life.
D. The humanities are only to do with literatures and philosophies.
3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
新视野视听说教程第二册quiz
A. It asks "So what?" question.
B. It argues to support the humanities.
C. It produces research to get involved with people.
D. It tries to think and act outside of the ivory tower.
4. What is the author's point in Paragraph 4?
A. Do the research that will impact on people.
B. Bridge the gap between theory and practice.
C. Learn things for the sake of learning.
D. Lake the responsibility to do research.
5. According to the author, "rethinking" means ________.
A. to think what it means to be human
B. to believe nothing is certain
C. to question the traditional way of thinking
D. to use a unique way of thinking
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the same passage or dialog.
Today, colleges and universities are under strong attack. Teachers are not doing a good job of teaching, and students are not doing a good job of learning. College graduates lack both basic skills and general knowledge.
One aspect of college education, too seldom challenged, is the lecture system. One problem with lectures is that listening intelligently is hard work. Reading the same material in a textbook is a more efficient way to learn because students can adjust the speed as they need to until the subject matter becomes clear to them. Even simply paying attention is very difficult: people can listen at a rate of 400 to 600 words a minute, while the most enthusiastic professor talks at a much faster speed.
Worse still, attending lectures is passive learning, at least for inexperienced listeners. Active learning, in which students write essays or perform experiments and then have their work evaluated by an instructor, is far more beneficial for those who have not yet fully learned how to learn. While it's true that techniques of active listening can enhance the value of a lecture, few students possess such skills at the beginning of their college careers. What they do is usually write everything down.