On 21st-century campuses, is there room still for traditional literature such as Shakespeare? A declining number of students thi

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问题     On 21st-century campuses, is there room still for traditional literature such as Shakespeare? A declining number of students think so in the US—a trend that worries leaders at many top universities, where engineers often outnumber humanity students. Seeking to reignite(重新燃起)interest in the liberal arts, Stanford University last month welcomed the class of 2015 with a rich opening volley of literature and philosophy. They are designed to elevate freshmen dreams beyond cool jobs, such as working at Google.     The 1 718 incoming students—nearly half of whom arrive intending to major in the sciences or engineering—listened to a lecture organized by the College of Humanities and Arts, where Abraham Verghese praised the meaning, and opportunities, of a liberal arts education. "We’re trying to break the idea that college is just something to get through on your way to a career," said Debra Satz, associate dean for Humanities and Arts. "It is a gift. " In the humanities’ heyday(鼎盛时期)of the mid-60s, more than one in three Stanford students majored in languages, literature, the arts, history, cultural studies and philosophy. By 1995, only about one in ten did—a figure that hasn’t changed much in a decade. Meanwhile, interest in engineering, math and computer science has climbed.
    This trend is echoed in five decades of data from other schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Brown and Yale. At a Stanford appearance last year, Geoffrey Harpham, director of the National Humanities Center, said the humanities must be reinvigorated and are critical to the future of US. "The genius of this country," he said, "is a program of education for all its citizens." But for students who came of age in the Great Recession, the tempt of science can be difficult to resist. And as tuition costs rise, fewer seem willing to explore the question: How do I live a life of true meaning?
In Debra Satz’s opinion, what are Stanford teachers trying to do?

选项 A、To break students’ dea that college is something to get through on their way to a career.
B、To persuade the incoming students to major in engineering, math and computer science.
C、To praise the students majoring in engineering for they have made a reasonable choice.
D、To tell all the 1 71s freshmen that they are lucky to be accepted by Stanford University.

答案A

解析 由题干中的Debra Satz定位到第二段第二句。该句指出,“我们试图去打破这一观点,即大学只是你通往事业道路上的一个中转站”,由此可知,他们进行尝试的目的就是打破学生的陈旧观点。
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