第一篇：
52) A solve virtually existing all problems
     细节题。抓住时间点“In the early 2oth century” 我们从第一句 “offer solutions to almost every problem” 便可知道答案。选择A选项。
53) D They realized that science and technology alone were no guarantee for a better world。
     推论题。 我们首先比较容易排除A和C项。B项具有迷惑性，关键是看“the stability of a society depended heavily on humanistic study”这个选项仔细看就会发现说得太绝对了，社会的问题主要是靠人文主义的研究？显然不是很恰当。我们从下面那句也可以推断出选D比较恰当。 “Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world。”
54) C America is lagging behind in the STEMS disciplines。
     细节题。主要在第二段里找答案。从段落后两句“There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines。” 我们可以推断出是选C选项。 A和D选项比较容易排除。不选B选项，因为文章中 “India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership。” seem to 表明这几个国家只是有种趋势，但还没有have overtaken。
55) A Insufficient funding。
     细节题。我们在第三段里可以找到答案。 从“…are seriously underfunded…” “Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members…” 这些信息中，可以很快知道是A选项。
56) C Humanistic thinking helps cultivate and define our culture and values。
     细节题。本题不难。作者为什么如此着重人文主义的研究，其他三项都是非常具体的，且都不是重点。只有C选项符合。且我们从最后这一句 “But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values。” 及作者的语气可以更加确定是C选项。