EveryoneknowsthatEnglishdepartmentsareintrouble,butyoucan'tappreciatejusthowmuchtroubleuntilyoureadthenewreportfromtheModernLanguageAssociation.ThereportisaboutPh. D.programs,whichhavebeenindeclinesince2008.Theseprogramshavegottenbothmoredifficultandlessrewarding:today,itcantakealmostadecadetogetadoctorate,and,attheendofyourprogram,you'reunlikelytofindatenure-trackjob. Thecoreoftheproblemis,ofcourse,thejobmarket.TheM.L. A.reportestimatesthatonlysixtypercentofnewly-mintedPh. D.swillfindtenure-trackjobsaftergraduation.Ifanything,that'swildlyoptimistic:theM.L. A.gottothatfigurebycomparingthenumberoftenure-trackjobsonitsjoblist(aroundsixhundred)withthenumberofnewgraduates(aboutathousand).Butthatleavesoutthethousandsofunemployedgraduatesfrompastyearswhoarestilljob-hunting--nottomentiontheolderprofessorswhodidn'treceivetenure,andwhonowfindthemselvescompetingwiththeirformerstudents.Inalllikelihood,thenumberofjobspercandidateismuchsmallerthanthereportsuggests.That'swhythemoodissodire--whyevenprofessorsarestartingtoask,inthecommittee'swords,"Whymaintaindoctoralstudyinthemodernlanguagesandliteratures--ortherestofthehumanities--atall?" Thosetrends,inturn,arepartofanevenlargerstoryhavingtodowiththeexpansionandtransformationofAmericaneducationaftertheSecondWorldWar.Essentially,collegesgrewlesse1iteandmorevocational.Beforethewar,relativelyfewpeoplewenttocollege.Then,inthenineteen-fifties,the G.I.Billand,later,theBabyBoompushedcollegestogrowrapidly.Whentheboomended,collegesfoundthemselvesoverextendedandcompetingforstudents.Bythemid-seventies,schoolswerecreatingnewprogramsdesignedtoattractabroaderrangeofstudents--forinstance,womenandminorities. Thosereformsworked:asNateSilverreportedintheTimeslastsummer,abouttwiceasmanypeopleattendcollegepercapitanowasdidfortyyearsago.Butallthatexpansionchangedcolleges.Inthepast,theyhadcateredtoelitestudentswhowerehappytomajorinthetraditionalliberalarts.Now,toattractmiddle-classstudents,collegeshadtooffermorecareer-focusedmajors,infieldslikebusiness,communications,andhealthcare.Asaresult,humanitiesdepartmentshavefoundthemselvesdriftingawayfromthecenteroftheuniversity.Today,theyareoftenregardedasakindofinstitutionalluxury,paidforbydynamic,cheap,andgrowingprogramsin,say,adult-education.Theselargedemographicfactsarecontributingtotoday'sjob-marketcrisis:they'rewhy,whileeducationasawholeisgrowing,thehumanitiesaren't. Givenallthis,whatcananEnglishdepartmentdo?TheM.L. A.reportcontainsanumberofsuggestions.Prideofplaceisgiventotheideathatgradschoolshouldbeshorter:"Departmentsshoulddesignprogramsthatcanbecompletedinfiveyears."Thatwillprobablyrequirechangingthedissertationfromadraftofanacademicbookintosomethingshorterandsimpler.Atthesametime,graduatestudentsareencouragedto"broaden"themselves:to"engagemoredeeplywithtechnology";topursueunusualandimaginativedissertationprojects;toworkinmorethanonediscipline;toacquireteachingskillsaimedatonlinewriting,whichmightbeofvalueoutsideofacademia.Graduateprograms,thecommitteesuggests,shouldacceptthefactthatmanyoftheirstudentswillhavenon-tenured,orevennon-academic,careers.Theyshouldkeeptrackofwhathappenstotheirgraduates,sothatstudentswhodecidetoleaveacademiahaveanon-academicalumninetworktodrawupon. Whatdoestheauthormeanbysaying"that'swildlyoptimistic"inParagraph2? A.Thejobopeningsfornewly-graduatedPh. D．sareincrediblypromising. B．Itseemsimpossiblefornewly-graduatedPh. D．stofindatenure-trackjo B． C．TheM.L. A.reporthasoverestimatedthenumberoftenure-trackjobsonthejoblist.
A.正确答案C
B.The M.L. C.report has exaggerated the difficulties to be encountered by newly-graduated Ph.
D.s.
