2014年考研英语一阅读 Text 4 原文翻译及答案解析

"The Heart of the Matter," the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), deserves praise for affirming the importance of the humanities and social sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America. Regrettably, however, the report's failure to address the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause more harm than good.

《问题核心》这份刚刚发布的报告，由美国艺术与科学院（AAAS）发布，值得赞扬，因为它肯定了人文和社会科学对美国自由民主的繁荣与安全的重要性。然而，遗憾的是，该报告未能解决自由教育所面临危机的真正本质，可能会弊大于利。

In 2010, leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS asking that it identify actions that could be taken by "federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others" to "maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education." In response, the American Academy formed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. Among the commission's 51 members are top-tier-university presidents, scholars, lawyers, judges, and business executives, as well as prominent figures from diplomacy, filmmaking, music and journalism.

2010年，国会中的主要民主党人和共和党人致信美国艺术与科学院，要求其识别'联邦、州和地方政府、大学、基金会、教育工作者、个人捐助者等'可以采取的行动，以'保持国家在人文和社会科学学术与教育领域的卓越性'。作为回应，美国艺术与科学院成立了人文与社会科学委员会。该委员会的51名成员包括顶尖大学校长、学者、律师、法官和商界领袖，以及来自外交、电影制作、音乐和新闻界的知名人士。

The goals identified in the report are generally admirable. Because representative government presupposes an informed citizenry, the report supports full literacy; stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government; and encourages the use of new digital technologies. To encourage innovation and competition, the report calls for increased investment in research, the crafting of coherent curricula that improve students' ability to solve problems and communicate effectively in the 21st century, increased funding for teachers and the encouragement of scholars to bring their learning to bear on the great challenges of the day. The report also advocates greater study of foreign languages, international affairs and the expansion of study abroad programs.

报告中确定的目标总体上是值得赞赏的。由于代议制政府以知情的公民为前提，报告支持全面识字；强调历史和政府的学习，特别是美国历史和美国政府；并鼓励使用新的数字技术。为了鼓励创新和竞争，报告呼吁增加研究投资，制定连贯的课程以提高学生在21世纪解决问题和有效沟通的能力，增加对教师的资助，并鼓励学者将他们的学识应用于应对当今的重大挑战。报告还提倡加强外语和国际事务的学习，并扩大留学项目。

Unfortunately, despite 2½ years in the making, "The Heart of the Matter" never gets to the heart of the matter: the illiberal nature of liberal education at our leading colleges and universities. The commission ignores that for several decades America's colleges and universities have produced graduates who don't know the content and character of liberal education and are thus deprived of its benefits. Sadly, the spirit of inquiry once at home on campus has been replaced by the use of the humanities and social sciences as vehicles for publicizing "progressive," or left liberal propaganda.

不幸的是，尽管历时两年半的编写，《问题核心》从未触及问题的核心：我国顶尖院校自由教育的反自由本质。该委员会忽略了这样一个事实：几十年来，美国的高等院校培养的毕业生不了解自由教育的内容和特征，因此被剥夺了其益处。可悲的是，曾经在校园中盛行的探究精神已被人文和社会科学用作宣传'进步主义'或左翼自由主义宣传的工具所取代。

Today, professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas - such as free markets and self-reliance - as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.

如今，教授们通常将进步的历史解释和进步的公共政策视为合适的研究主题，同时将保守或古典自由主义观念——如自由市场和自力更生——描绘为超出常规、有时甚至是合法的知识探究范围之外。

The AAAS displays great enthusiasm for liberal education. Yet its report may well set back reform by obscuring the depth and breadth of the challenge that Congress asked it to illuminate.

美国艺术与科学院对自由教育表现出极大的热情。然而，其报告可能反而会阻碍改革，因为它掩盖了国会要求其阐明的挑战的深度和广度。

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