Passage 1 Washington Irving was America’ s first man of letters to be known internationally. His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States. He was, in fact, one of the most successful writers of his time in the country, and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States. (76) The respect in which he was held partly owing to the man himself, with his warm friendliness, his good sense, his urbanity, his gay spirits, his artistic integrity, his love of both the Old World and the New. Thackeray described Irving as "a gentleman, who, though himself born in no very high sphere, was most finished, polished, witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans." (77) England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford—an unusual honor for a citizen of a young, uncultured nation—and he received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature. America made him ambassador to Spain. Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements. A gifted but delicate child, he had little schooling. He studied law, but without zeal, and never did practice seriously. He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment, frequenting both social gatherings and the theater. The main point of the first paragraph is that Washington Irving was ______
America’ s first man of letters
B. a writer who had great success both in and outside his own country
C. a man who was able to move from literature to politics
D. a man whose personal charm enabled him to get by with basically inferior work
Passage 2 Traditionally, universities have carried out two main activities: research and teaching. Many experts would argue that both these activities play a critical role in serving the community. The fundamental question, however, is how does the community want or need to be served In recent years universities have been coming under increasing pressure from. both the governments and the public to ensure that they do not remain "ivory towers(象牙塔)" of study separated from the realities of everyday life. University teachers have been encouraged, and in some cases constrained (强逼), to provide more courses which produce graduates with the technical skills required for the commercial use. (78) If Aristotle wanted to work in a university in the UK today, he would have a good chance of teaching computer science but would not be so readily employable as a philosopher. A post-industrial society requires large numbers of computer programmers, engineers, managers and technicians to maintain and develop its economic growth but "man", as the Bible says, "does not live by bread alone." (79) Apart from requiting medical and social services which do not directly contribute to economic growth, the society should also value and enjoy literature, music and the arts. Because they can also promote economic growth. A successful musical play, for instance, can contribute as much to the Gross National Product through tourist dollars as any other things. The Aristotle example is used to make the point that()
A. universities in the UK have produced too much good for graduates
B. such abstract subjects as philosophy is no longer useful
C. education should serve the social needs
D. it is advisable for today’ s philosophers to know computer science