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  3. It’s possible to admire Oprah Winfrey and still wish Harvard hadn’t awarded

It’s possible to admire Oprah Winfrey and still wish Harvard hadn’t awarded

游客2023-08-16  62
问题     It’s possible to admire Oprah Winfrey and still wish Harvard hadn’t awarded her an honorary doctor of law degree and the commencement (毕业典礼) speaker spot at yesterday’s graduation. There’s no question Oprah’s achievements place her in the temple of American success stories. Talent, charm, and an exceptional work ethic have rarely hurled anyone as far as they have this former abused teenage mother from rural Mississippi who became one of the world’s most successful entertainment icons and the first African-American female billionaire.
    Honorary degrees are often conferred on non-academic leaders in the arts, business, and politics. Harvard’s list in recent years has included Kofi Annan, Bill Gates, Meryl Streep, and David Souter. But Oprah’s particular brand of celebrity is not a good fit for the values of a university whose motto (座右铭), Veritas, means truth. Oprah’s passionate advocacy extends, unfortunately, to a hearty embrace of fake science. Most notoriously, Oprah’s validation of Jenny McCarthy’s claim that vaccines cause autism(自闭症) has no doubt contributed to much harm through the foolish avoidance of vaccines.
    Famous people are entitled to a few failings, like the rest of us, and the choice of commencement speakers often reflects a balance of institutional priorities and aspirations. Judging from our conversations with many students, Oprah was a widely popular choice.
    But this vote of confidence in Oprah sends a troubling message at precisely the time when American universities need to do more to advance the cause of reason. As former Dean of Harvard College, Harry Lewis, noted in a blog post about his objections, "It seems very odd for Harvard to honor such a high profile popularizer of the irrational... at a time when political and religious nonsense so jeopardize the rule of reason in this allegedly enlightened democracy and around the world."
    As America’s oldest and most visible university, Harvard has a special opportunity to convey its respect for science not only through its research and teaching programs but also in its public affirmation of evidence-based inquiry.
    Unfortunately, many American universities seem awfully busy protecting their brand name and not nearly busy enough protecting the pursuit of knowledge. A recent article in The Harvard Crimson noted the shocking growth of Harvard’s public relations arm in the last five years and it questioned whether a focus on risk management and avoiding controversy was really the best outward-looking face of this great institution.
    As American research universities begin to resemble profit centers and entertainment complexes, it’s easy to lose sight of their primary mission: to produce and spread knowledge. This mission depends on traditions of rational discourse and vigorous defense of the scientific method. Oprah Winfrey’s honorary doctorate was a step in the wrong direction. [br] What does the author think a prestigious university like Harvard should focus on?
选项 A、Cultivation of student creativity.
B、Defense of the scientific method.
C、Liberation of the human mind.
D、Pursuit of knowledge and truth.
答案 D
解析 推断题。根据题干的意思，可定位到文章最后一段首句话后半部分：“it’s easy to lose sight of their primary mission： to produce and spread knowledge”，即作者认为大学的基本任务是生产和传播知识。由此可知D选项与原文内容相吻合，所以D是正确答案。
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