The remarkable progress of science and technology in the 20th century has brought enormous benefits to humankind. Long and healt

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问题     The remarkable progress of science and technology in the 20th century has brought enormous benefits to humankind. Long and healthy lives, economic prosperity and a pleasant and convenient living environment have resulted from technological progress based on advances in scientific knowledge. This progress will continue or may even accelerate in the future, because both the number of scientists and their activities are expanding throughout the world. We may expect, therefore, that science and technology will continue to contribute to the development of human society.
    At the same time, rapid scientific advances may raise some difficult problems. First of all, the disparity in scientific knowledge between those in scientific and technical professions and those in other areas will continuously expand. This may create a communications gap between the two groups that could affect obtaining public consent on important issues, such as the use of genetically engineered plants or human embryonic stem cells. Secondly, the 21st century will be characterized by a knowledge-based society and a knowledge of science will be required for many professions. Those who lack scientific knowledge will have fewer opportunities for good jobs. Thirdly, the enormous increase in scientific information will become a burden for children who must study science. Already young people seem to be losing interest in science, and this trend may increase in the future. Over the past several years, enrollment in high-school physics courses in Japan has been decreasing, which suggests that many young people are losing interest in physics or avoiding subjects that require diligent study. Finally, scientific research in the next century will require increasing levels of public investment because sophisticated research is usually expensive. If the public loses interest in science or does not understand the importance of research, it will become difficult for scientists to obtain sufficient financial support.
    Because of these considerations, I think that we need to carefully review present science education at different levels and to improve it in order to meet the expected rapid progress of science in the 21st century. At the level of primary education, the most important task is to stimulate children’s interest in nature. Naive surprise at the wonders of nature will hopefully lead to a later interest in science. During their secondary education, students must learn logic and the principles of natural phenomena. They will gradually separate into groups of those who like and those who dislike science. It will be difficult to provide the latter students with the scientific basics that would be useful throughout their lives. This is also the case in university education.
    It is becoming a goal of general university education to give students who are not majoring in natural science and engineering some level of scientific literacy. In the future, all citizens, especially those expected to lead diverse areas of society should have a sound basis for understanding the progress of science. Because the pace of progress will accelerate further, continuing science education for the public is also of great importance.
Which of the following statements is NOT a viewpoint held by the author?

选项 A、It’s sheer waste of time and money to force those who dislike science to learn science.
B、Stimulating children’s interest in nature is the top priority for primary and secondary school authorities.
C、A knowledge of science will be required for many professionals in the 21st century.
D、Secondary school students should learn logic and the principles of natural phenomena.

答案A

解析 这是一道细节题。文章第三段第二、三句话说“在小学教育阶段,最重要的工作是激发学生对自然的兴趣:对自然奇观的本能好奇将有望激发学生将来对科学的兴趣”,这说明B是作者的观点。文章第二段第四句话说“21世纪的特征是社会以知识为基础,许多行业都将要求掌握科学知识”,这说明C是作者的观点。文章第三段第四句话说“中学教育中,学生必须学习逻辑及自然现象的法则”,这说明D也是作者的观点。只有A在文中没有提到。
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