According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today’s traditional-age college freshmen are "more materialistic and less altruistic (利他主义的)" than at any time in the 17 years of the poll. Not surprisingly in these hard times, the students’ major objective "is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life." It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting. Interest in teaching, social service and the "altruistic" fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. That’s no surprise, either. A friend of mine (a sales representative from a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors during her first year on the job even before she completed her two-year associate degree. While it’s true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions, be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More importantly, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs. Weekly we read of unions who go on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company; no job. How shortsighted in the long run! But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is ta]king on the intercom (对讲机): "Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong" From the long-term point of view, that’s what education really ought to be about. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage
A. Businessmen absorbed in their career are narrow-minded.
B. Managers often find it hard to tell right from wrong.
C. People engaged in technical jobs lead a more rewarding life.
D. Career seekers should not focus on immediate interests only.
In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events. They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful. Negative events like "serious illness of a family member" were high on the list, but so were some positive life-changing events, like marriage. When you take the Holmes-Rahe test you must remember that the score does not reflect how you deal with stress—it only shows how much you have to deal with. And we now know that the way you handle these events dramatically affects your chances of staying healthy. By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe’s. And millions of Americans who worked and lived under stress were worried over the reports. Somehow, the research got boiled down to a memorable message. Women’s magazines ran headlines like "Stress Causes Illness!" If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy, the articles said, avoid stressful events. But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow. Even if stressful events are dangerous, many like the death of a loved one are impossible to avoid. Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription (处方) for staying away from opportunities as well as trouble. Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move. The notion that all stress makes you sick also ignores a lot of what we know about people. It assumes we’re all vulnerable (脆弱的) and passive in the face of adversity (逆境). But what about human initiative and creativity Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental vigor than they had before. We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom, and physical and mental strain. The studies on stress in the early 1970s led to ______.
A. widespread concern over its harmful effects
B. great panic over the mental disorder it could cause
C. an intensive research into stress-related illnesses
D. popular avoidance of stressful jobs