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  3. Why does the Foundation concentrate its support on basic rather than applied research? Basic research is the very heart of scien

Why does the Foundation concentrate its support on basic rather than applied research? Basic research is the very heart of scien

admin2009-04-23  77
问题     Why does the Foundation concentrate its support on basic rather than applied research? Basic research is the very heart of science, and its cumulative product is the capital of scientific progress, a capital that must be constantly increased as the demands upon it rise. The goal of basic research is understanding, for its own sake. Understanding of the structure of the atom or the nerve cell, the explosion of a spiral nebula(旋涡星云) or the distribution of cosmic dust, the causes of earth quakes and droughts, or of man as a behaving creature and of the social forces that are created whenever two or more human beings come into contact with one another—the scope is staggering, but the commitment to truth is the same. If the commitment were to a particular result, conflicting evidence might be overlooked or, with the best will in the world, simply not appreciated. Moreover, the practical applications of basic research frequently cannot be anticipated. When Roentgen, the physicist, discovered X-rays, he had no idea of their usefulness of medicine.
    Applied research, undertaken to solve specific practical problems, has an immediate attractiveness because the results can be seen and enjoyed. For practical reasons, the sums spent on applied research in any country always far exceed those for basic research, and the proportions are more unequal in the less developed countries. Leaving aside the funds devoted to research by industry which is naturally far more concerned with applied aspects because these increase profits quickly. The funds the U.S. Government al lots to basic research currently amount to about 7 percent of its overall research and development funds. Unless adequate safeguards are provided, applied research invariably tends to drive out basic. Then, as Dr. Waterman has pointed out, "Development will inevitably be undertaken prematurely, career incentives will gravitate strongly toward applied science, and the opportunities for making major scientific discoveries will be lost. Unfortunately, pressures to emphasize new developments, without corresponding emphasize upon pure science...tend to degrade the quality of the nations technology in the long run, rather than to improve it."
选项 A、Foundation Funds
B、The importance of Basic Research
C、The Attractiveness of Applied Research
D、Basic Research vs. Applied Research
答案D
解析 主旨大意题。在第一段中作者介绍了基础研究的重要性，基础研究的范畴和目的。在第二段中作者介绍了什么是应用研究，指出了应用研究的好处，并且介绍了各国政府过分重视应用研究而忽视基础研究的现状及这种情况的危害。由此可见，本文主要把基础研究和应用研究进行了比较，并且指明了二者的关系。选项D意为“基础研究与应用研究”，指二者主要内容及其关系，故D项作为本文标题最合适。A显然不合文意，B只是一个例子，C仅提到了应用研究，以偏概全。
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