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新视野三版读写B2U2TextAThehumanities:Outofdate?1Whenthegoinggetstough,thetoughtakeaccounting.Whenthejobmarketworsens,manystudentscalculatetheycan'tmajorinEnglishorhistory.Theyhavetostudysomethingthatbooststheirprospectsoflandingajob.2Thedatashowthatasstudentshaveincreasinglyshoulderedtheever-risingcostoftuition,theyhavedefectedfromthestudyofthehumanitiesandtowardappliedscienceandhardskillsthattheybetwillleadtoemployment.Inotherwords,acollegeeducationismoreandmoreseenasameansforeconomicbettermentratherthanameansforhumanbetterment.Thisisatrendthatislikelytopersistandevenaccelerate.3Overthenextfewyears,aslabormarketsstruggle,thehumanitieswillprobablycontinuetheirlongslideinsuccession.Therealreadyhasbeenanearly50percentdeclineintheportionofliberalartsmajorsoverthepastgeneration,anditislogicaltothinkthatthetrendisboundtocontinueorevenaccelerate.Oncethedominantpillarsofuniversitylife,thehumanitiesnowplaylittleroleswhenstudentstaketheircollegetours.Thesedays,labsaremorevividandcompellingthanlibraries.4Here,pleaseallowmetostandupforandpromotethetruevaluethatthehumanitiesaddtopeople'slives.Sinceancienttimes,peoplehavespeculatedaboutthemysteryofthoseinnerforcesthatdrivesomepeopletogreatnessandotherstoself-destruction.Thisinnerdrivehasbeencalledmanythingsoverthecenturies.Thefamouspsychologist,SigmundFreud,calledittheunconsciousmindor,morefamiliarly,instinct.5Fromthebeginningoftime,thisinneraspectofourbeing,thisdrivethatcanbeconstructiveordestructive,hascapturedourimagination.Thestoriesofthisamazingstrugglehaveformedthebasisofculturestheworldover.Historians,architects,authors,philosophersandartistshavecapturedthewords,imagesandmeaningsofthisinnerstruggleintheformofstory,music,myth,painting,architecture,sculpture,landscapeandtraditions.Thesemenandwomendevelopedartisticlanguagesthathelpusunderstandtheseaspirationsandalsoeducategenerations.Thisfertilebodyofworkfromancienttimes,theveryfoundationofcivilization,formsthebasisofstudyofthehumanities.6Studyingthehumanitiesimprovesourabilitytoreadandwrite.Nomatterwhatwedoinlife,wewillhaveahugeadvantageifwecanreadcomplexideasandunderstandtheirmeaning.Wewillhaveabrightcareerifwearethepersonintheofficewhocanwriteaclearandelegantanalysisofthoseideas!7Studyingthehumanitiesmakesusfamiliarwiththelanguageofemotionandthecreativeprocess.Inaninformationeconomy,manypeoplehavetheabilitytoproduceausefulproductsuchasanewMP3player.Yet,veryfewpeoplehavetheabilitytocreateaspectacularbrand:theiPod.Mostimportantly,studyingthehumanitiesinvestsuswithgreatinsightandself-awareness,therebyreleasingourcreativeenergyandtalentinapositiveandconstructivemanner.8Perhapsthebestargumentinfavorofthehumanitiesisthescopeofpossibilitiesthatarewidelyopentous.DidyouknowthatJamesCameron,world-famousdirectorofthemovie,Titanic,graduatedwithadegreeinthehumanities?SodidSallyRide,thefirstwomaninspace.SodidactorsBruceLee,GwynethPaltrow,ReneeZellwegerandMattDamon.Dr.HaroldVarmus,whowonaNobelPrizeforMedicine,studiedthehumanities.EvenMichaelEisner,ChairmanoftheDisneyCompany,majoredinthehumanities.Famouspeoplewhostudiedthehumanitiesmakealonglistindeed.It'seasytoseethatthehumanitiescanprepareusformanydifferentcareersandjobswecanundertake,whethermedicine,business,scienceorentertainment.Ifwestudyonlymathematics,it'slikelywewillbeacandidateonlyforjobsasamathematician.Ifweincludestudyingthehumanities,wecanmakebreakthroughsonmanybarriersandarelimitedonlybyoureffortandimagination.9Ofcourse,nowadays,ifwestudythehumanitiesalone,weareliabletomissmanyopportunities.Eachoneofusneedstobecomeastechnicallyandprofessionallyskilledaspossibletohelpmeettheneedsofmodernlife.Infact,increasinglyapairingoftechnicalknowledgeandinnerinsightisseenastheidealintheestablishmentofacareer.IfIweretheDeanofAdmissionsatamedicalschoolandtwopeopleappliedtoourschool,bothhavingtherequiredbasicscientificcourses,oneaphilosophymajorandtheothersolelyapre-medstudent,thephilosophyapplicantwouldbechosen.10Insummary,thehumanitieshelptocreatewell-roundedhumanbeingswithinsightandunderstandingofthepassions,hopesanddreamscommontoallhumanity.Thehumanities,theancienttimelessreservoirofknowledge,teachustoseethingsdifferentlyandbroadenourhorizons.Theyareasusefulandrelevantinourmodernageastheyhavealwaysbeen.Doesn'titmakesensetospendsometimeinthecompanyofthehumanities,ouroutstandingandremarkabletreasureofknowledge?WhoknowshowfamousYOUmightbecome!LanguagePoints:1Whenthegoinggetstough,thetoughtakeaccounting.(Para.1)Meaning:Whenconditionsorsituationsbecomedifficult,determinedpeoplechoosetostudythesubjectofaccounting,hopingtheycanmoreeasilyfindajobinthefuture.whenthegoinggetstough:whenthesituationbecomesdifficult当形式变得严峻时Whenthegoinggetstough,womencangetastoughasmen.当形势变得严峻时，女人可以变得跟男人一样坚强。Whenthegoinggetstoughthetoughgetgoing,andthat’sme.艰难之路唯勇者行，这就是我。Irunthefarmonmyownbutalocalboyhelpsmeoutwhenthegoinggetstough.我自己管理我的农场，但当局面变得困难时，一个当地的男孩会帮助我。Hehashersupporttofallbackonwhenthegoinggetstough.当形势变得严峻时，他可以依靠她的支持。Note:Amorecommonsayinginthesimilarstructureis“Whenthegoinggetstough,thetoughgetgoing”.T