Question

【题目】 What do the CEOs of famous companies such as Starbucks, Delta Airlines, Disney and YouTube all have in common, besides leading hugely successful global companies? They are all products of a liberal arts education(人文教育), graduating with degrees in literature, history, and communications. Likewise, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, Harold Varmus, was an English major, and former United States president Barack Obama studied political science.

A liberal arts education is so much more than many students realize. It is a kind of education with broad knowledge learning as well as in-depth study in a major. A liberal arts course challenges students to think creatively, develop strong detailed and logical thinking skills, and solve problems. You may understand a physics problem from an angle learned in an art class, or other liberal arts subjects. Commonly, students need to spend not less than 30 hours on the basic liberal arts courses, before they focus on a certain area of interest.

Today’s tech companies are not simply looking for a graduate who knows how to code computer programs. They are hiring the graduates who took courses in economics, markets, literature and art, along with computer science. And the education experience has made it easier for them to find out The Next Great Thing in the tech industry and how to design and market it. For example, an international company will choose the graduate who can understand a financial(财务的) report and has solutions for attracting new customers, along with the language skills to do business in different countries around the world. As a result, increasingly, more and more companies need more graduates with different kinds of skills that are taught in liberal arts courses.

Liberal arts majors exist in most private and public colleges and universities in the US. However, the US also has some colleges that teach a comprehensive liberal arts courses. These colleges tend to be highly strict about students’ academic performance. And they often offer off-campus learning opportunities. Students can then develop skills for a fast changing society.

Learn more about the value of a liberal arts education, and you may find that studying philosophy and computer science, French or biology could lead you on the path to a great career and The Next Big Thing.

【1】What is a liberal arts education?

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【2】How many hours do students have to spend on the basic liberal arts courses?

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【3】What kind of graduates do the tech companies need?

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【4】Why do some US colleges offer students off-campus learning opportunities?

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【5】What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

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Answer 1

【答案】

【1】It is a kind of education with broad knowledge learning as well as in-depth study in a major.

【2】Not less than 30 hours.

【3】The graduates who took courses in economics, markets, literature and art, along with computer science. /The graduates with different kinds of skills that are taught in liberal arts courses.

【4】Because students can develop skills for a fast changing society.

【5】To tell us the importance of liberal arts/liberal arts education.

【解析】

文章大意：文科教育比许多学生意识到的要多得多。它是一种既有广泛的知识学习又有深入的专业学习的教育。文科课程要求学生创造性地思考，培养较强的细致入微和逻辑思维能力，并解决问题。你可以从艺术课或其他文科的角度来理解物理问题。如今的科技公司不仅仅是在寻找一个懂得如何编写计算机程序的毕业生。他们正在招聘那些选修了经济学、市场学、文学和艺术以及计算机科学课程的毕业生。不过，美国也有一些大学开设综合文科课程。这些大学对学生的学习成绩往往要求很高。他们经常提供校外学习机会。学生们可以为快速变化的社会发展技能。进一步了解文科教育的价值，你可能会发现学习哲学和计算机科学、法语或生物学可以引导你走向一个伟大的职业和下一个伟大的事业。

【1】细节理解题。根据文中“A liberal arts education is so much more than many students realize. It is a kind of education with broad knowledge learning as well as in-depth study in a major.” 文科教育比许多学生意识到的要多得多。它是一种既有广泛的知识学习又有深入的专业学习的教育。可知，故答案为It is a kind of education with broad knowledge learning as well as in-depth study in a major.

【2】细节理解题。根据文中“Commonly, students need to spend not less than 30 hours on the basic liberal arts courses, before they focus on a certain area of interest. ” 一般来说，学生在专注于某个感兴趣的领域之前，需要花不少于30个小时学习文科基础课程。可知，故答案为Not less than 30 hours.

【3】细节理解题。根据文中“Today’s tech companies are not simply looking for a graduate who knows how to code computer programs. They are hiring the graduates who took courses in economics, markets, literature and art, along with computer science.” 如今的科技公司不仅仅是在寻找一个懂得如何编写计算机程序的毕业生。他们正在招聘那些选修了经济学、市场学、文学和艺术以及计算机科学课程的毕业生。可知，故答案为The graduates who took courses in economics, markets, literature and art, along with computer science. /The graduates with different kinds of skills that are taught in liberal arts courses.

【4】细节理解题。根据文中“These colleges tend to be highly strict about students’ academic performance. And they often offer off-campus learning opportunities. Students can then develop skills for a fast changing society.” 这些大学对学生的学习成绩往往要求很高。他们经常提供校外学习机会。学生们可以为快速变化的社会发展技能。可知，故答案为Because students can develop skills for a fast changing society.

【5】主旨大意题。根据文章内容可知，文科教育是一种既有广泛的知识学习又有深入的专业学习的教育。作者写这篇文章的目的是告诉我们文科教育的重要性。故答案为To tell us the importance of liberal arts/liberal arts education.