“The Heart of the Matter,” the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), deserves praise for affirming the importance of the humanities and social sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America. Regrettably, however, the report’s failure to address the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause  more harm than good.

     In 2010, leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS asking that it identify actions that could be taken by “federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others” to “maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education.” In response, the American Academy formed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. Among the commission’s 51 members are top-tier-university presidents, scholars, lawyers, judges, and business executives, as well as prominent figures from diplomacy, filmmaking, music and journalism.

     The goals identified in the report are generally admirable. Because representative government presupposes an informed citizenry, the report supports full literacy, stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government; and encourages the use of new digital technologies. To encourage innovation and competition, the report calls for increased investment in research, the crafting of coherent curricula that improve students’ ability to solve problems and communicate effectively in the 21st century, increased funding for teachers and the encouragement of scholars to bring their learning to bear on the great challenges of the day. The report also advocates greater study of foreign languages, international affairs and the expansion of study abroad programs.

     Unfortunately, despite 2½ years in the making, “The Heart of the Matter” never gets to the heart of the matter: the illiberal nature of liberal education at our leading colleges and universities. The commission ignores that for several decades America’s colleges and universities have produced graduates who don’t know the content and character of liberal education and are thus deprived of its benefits. Sadly, the spirit of inquiry once at home on campus has been replaced by the use of the humanities and social sciences as vehicles for publicizing “progressive,” or left-liberal propaganda.

     Today, professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas—such as free markets and self-reliance—as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.

     The AAAS displays great enthusiasm for liberal education. Yet its report may well set back reform by obscuring the depth and breadth of the challenge that Congress asked it to illuminate.

答案精析：根据题干中的Influential figures in the Congress可定位至第二段第一句，对应原文中的leading congressional Democrats and Republicans。该句表示，国会民主党和共和党的主要议员致函美国人文与科学院，要求其确定计划和行动来保持美国在人文和社会科学奖学金和教育方面的卓越表现。C项中的keep a leading position是对原文中maintain national excellence的同义替换，故正确答案为C。

错项排除：原文中并未提到有关保持人们对人文教育的兴趣的信息，故排除A项。原文中提到了政府（federal, states and local governments），但此处说的是政府应该采取什么样的行动，未说明政府在教育中的作用，故排除B。原文中也并未提及有关保障个人受教育的权利的信息，故排除D项。

长难句分析：In 2010, leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS asking that it identify actions that could be taken by “federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others” to “maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education.”

本句主干为…leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS，为主谓宾结构。句首的In 2010作时间状语。asking后的that引导宾语从句，该从句中it identify使用了should+动词原形，表示虚拟语气，其中情态动词should被省略。action后的that引导定语从句，修饰actions，用于解释actions。句末的to “maintain…education.”为不定式短语作目的状语。

句意为：2010年，美国国会民主党和共和党的主要议员致函美国人文与科学院，要求其确定“联邦、州和地方政府、大学、基金会、教育工作者、个人捐助者和其他群体”可以采取的行动，以“保持美国在人文和社会科学奖学金以及教育方面的卓越表现”。