发布时间 : 星期六 文章大学英语Book2 Unit 2更新完毕开始阅读27c0363276eeaeaad0f3301a
for economic betterment rather than a means for human betterment. (Para.2) Meaning: In other words, a college education is more considered as a method to improve students’ future economic status rather than improve human nature or behavior.
Meaning beyond words: The quality of a college education is increasingly questionable because the trend among many colleges is to become more like a business and less like an academic setting.
6This is trend that is likely to persist and even accelerate.
Meaning: Very likely, the trend will continue to exist and even go faster than ever. Persist: vt.
1) continue to exist 继续存在；持续
If the bad weather persists, the farmers will suffer great losses this year.如果恶劣天气持续，农民今年将遭受巨大的损失。 2) Continue to do sth., although this is difficult, or other people oppose it坚持；执意
Students must persist in their efforts if they wish to do well.学生如果想取得好成绩就必须坚持努力 Persist insist
1 persist可用来表示“继续存在；持续”，尤其用于不好的事情，而insist没有此意。
Contact your doctor if the cough persists.如果咳嗽持续，请联系您的医生。
2 persist和insist容易混淆主要是当两者均表示“坚持”时。 Persist用于表示“坚持”时，表示“坚持反复做同一件事”，后接介词In,多用于褒义，指“坚持继续做某事”，有时用于贬义，指“不听劝告；顽固坚持”。
Her mother tried to persuade her to go to bed early, but she persisted in working until the small hours.她的母亲劝她早点睡，但她坚持工作到凌晨。
He persisted in drinking even though the doctor had told him that it did harm to his body.即使医生告诉他饮酒伤身，他仍坚持饮酒。
Insist用于表示“坚持”时，表示“坚持做某件事（尤指麻烦或令人讨厌的事）”，后接介词on。
She insisted on washing her hair just when I wanted to have a bath.当我想泡个澡的时候，她还在那洗头。
3 insist还可用于表示“对意见、主张等的坚持”。Insist用于此意时，后可接介词On，也可以接that引导的从句（是否用虚拟语气，视情况而定，即看从句的内容是否为事实），而persist无此意。
They insist on having a job done well no matter how much time is required.
他们坚持无论需要多少时间都要将工作做好。
The doctor insisted that she (should) take the medicine, but she insisted that she was not ill.医生坚持让她服此药，但她坚持自己没病。
Accelerate: v. happen or make sth. happen at a faster rate （使）加快；促进
Human activities can cause or accelerate permanent changes in natural systems.人类活动可能导致或加速自然系统的永久变化。
7Over the next few years, as labor markets struggle, the humanities will
probably continue their long slide in succession. Meaning: For the next few years, as the going gets tough with labor markets, the subjects of the humanities will continue to shrink and worsen for a long time each year.
NOTE Students have learned the world slide before but it might be
worthwhile to have a review of the word used as either a noun or a verb: n.[usu.sing.]a situation in which sth. gradually gets worse or sb. develops a problem（情况）变糟，恶化；（人）出现问题
School administrators were unable to explain the slide in student’s performance.学校管理人员无法解释学生成绩下降的原因。
v. gradually become worse, or begin to have a problem 逐渐败坏；开始出现问题
Students’test scores started to slide in the mid-1990s.20世纪90年代中期，学生们的考分开始下降。
Succession：n.[sing.]a series of people or things of the same type 一连串，一系列（同类型的人或物）
After graduation, he took a succession of low-paid jobs.毕业后他干了一连串报酬低廉的工作。
In succession: happening one after the other without anything different happening in between 连续发生地，接连发生地
She is an accomplished athlete and won the championship four times in succession.她是一名成功的运动员，连续四次获得冠军。
8There already has been a nearly 50 percent decline in the portion of
liberal arts majors over the past generation, and it is logical to think that the trend is bound to continue or even accelerate.(Para.3)
Meaning: Based on the fact that there already has been about 50 percent decrease in the number of students majoring in liberal arts over the past years, it is reasonable to think that the trend will surely continue or even speed up. Liberal: a.
1） (～arts)school or college subjects that give students a general
education and teach them to think rather than those subjects that develop practical skills 文科
The liberal arts are college or university subjects such as history, languages and literature but not sciences.文科是学院或大学的如史，语言和文学之类的学习科目，而不是理科学科。
2）Accepting different opinions and ways of behaving and tending to be sympathetic to other people心胸宽广的；开明的
She is known to have liberal views on divorce.人们知道她对离婚持有开明的观点
Logical：a. connecting ideas or reasons in a sensible way合乎逻辑的；合理的
It is logical to think that when people are deprived of their familiar surroundings they will feel disoriented. 脱离熟悉的环境时，人们会感到迷失方向，这样想是符合逻辑的。
Bound： n.(~to)sth. that is bound to happen will almost certainly happen 一定的；几乎肯定的
The weather is bound to get better tomorrow.明天的天气肯定会更好。
9 Once the dominant pillars of university life, the humanities now play
little roles when students take their college tours. These days, labs are more vivid and compelling than libraries. (Para.3)
Meaning: The humanities that once dominated university now play a trivial role when students have their college visits; nowadays, labs are more eye-catching and fascinating than libraries.
Meaning beyond words: Libraries were once the only place where students spent much time reading materials, doing research and writing papers. However, as more students are taking science courses, labs where students do scientific experiments play a more important role for learning than traditional libraries.
NOTE A “college tour” is series of campus visits to a number of colleges
or university by a prospective student. College tours may be taken individually or by school groups and educational programs as a way for a large number of people to visit several schools over a short period of time. In addition, many colleges now offer virtual tours on the Internet. Dominant: a. more important, powerful, or successful than the other people or things of the same type有优势的；占统治地位的
Unemployment rate will be the dominant issue at the next president election.失业率将是下次总统选举中的主要话题。 Pillar： n.[C]
1） a very important part of a system of beliefs or ideas（信仰或思想）
非常重要的部分
Equality is one of the pillars of a stable society. 平等是一个稳定社会的支柱之一。
2） a thick strong upright post that supports part of a building 柱子；支柱
Eight massive stone pillars supported the roof. 八根巨大的石柱支撑起房顶。
vivid ：having or producing very clear and detailed images in the mind 清晰的，生动的
He gave a very vivid and often shocking account of his time in prison .他描述了他在监狱的往事，非常生动，也非常让人震惊。 compel ：for sb to do sth .强迫；迫使
As a school boy . he was compelled to wear shorts even in winter .当他还是一个小男孩时，即使在冬天他也被迫穿短裤。
Usage NOTE
compel , oblige , force
这三个词都有“强迫”之意，但程度不同。
1Compel 表示“强迫；迫使”，指“运用权力、力量迫使对方做某事”，尤其在被动
语态
中含“别无他法，不得不做”之意，compel的意义比force弱。 He illness compelled him to stay in bed .他的病迫使他卧床休息。
2Oblige表示“强制，不得不”，指“因法律、道义、习俗或许诺的约束而必须去做
某事”，多用被动语态，语气相对较弱。
We are oliged to stop the car at a red light .我们遇到红灯时必须停车。
3Force表示“强迫，迫使，逼迫”，指“以暴力威胁，武力强迫对方做某事”，后面
跟的动作常是不情愿做的事，force的语气比compel和oblige强。
The poor peasant was forced to sell his daughter to the landlord .那位贫穷的农民被迫将自己的女儿卖给地主。
compelling ：interesting or exciting enough to keep your attention completely 有强吸引力的，引人入胜的
Steve Jobs’ life makes a compelling story .史蒂夫乔布斯的一生是一个引人入胜的故事。
10Here , please allow me to stand up for and promote the true value that the
humanities add to people’s lives .(Para.4)
Meaning：I here ask for your permission to let me defend and advertise the true value that the humanities bring to people’s lives.
stand up for: support or defend a person or an idea when they are being attacked 支持；保卫；维护
Mary stood up for me at the meeting, sparing me some embarrassment. 玛丽在会议上支持了我，使我免受了一些尴尬。
promote: vt. Support or encourage sth. 支持；鼓励；提倡
To acknowledge other cultures will promote good will among people of different background. 承认别人的文化会促进不同背景的人之间的友好亲善。
11since ancient times, people have speculated about the mystery of those inner
forces that drive some people to greatness and others to self-destruction.(para.4)