Text 2For more than two decades, U.S. courts have been limiting affirmative－action program

Text2Formorethantwodecades,U.S.courtshavebeenlimitingaffirmative-actionprogramsinuniversitiesandotherareas.Thelegalrationaleisthatr acialpreferencesareunconstitutional,eventhoseintendedtocompensateforracismorintolerance.Formanycolleges,thismeansstudentscanbeadmittedonlyonmerit,notontheirraceorethnicity.IthasbeenadivisiveissueacrosstheU.S.,aseducatorsblametheprolongedreactiontoaffirmative-actionfordeclinesinminorityadmissions.Meanwhile,activistscontinuetobattleracepreferencesincourtsfromMichigantoNorthCarolina.

Now,chiefexecutivesofabouttwodozencompanieshavedecidedtoplungeheadfirstintothispoliticallyunsettleddebate.They,togetherwith36universitiesand7nonprofitable organizations,formedaforumthatsetforthanactionplanessentiallydesignedtohelpcollegescircumventcourt-imposedrestr ictionsonaffirmativeaction.TheCEOs’motive:“Ouraudienceisgrowingmorediverse,sothecommunitiesweservebenefitifouremployeesareraciallyandethnicallydiverseaswell”,saysoneCEOofacompangthatownsninetelevisionstations.

Amongthestepstheforumispushing:findingcreativeyetlegalwaystoboostminorityenrollmentthroughnewadmissionspolicies;promotingadmissionsdecisionsthatlookatmorethantestscores;andencouraginguniversitiestostepuptheirminorityoutr eachandfinancialaid.Andtocounteraccusationsbycriticstochallengethesetacticsincourt,thegroupsaysitwillgivelegalassistancetocollegessuedfortr yingthem.“Diversitydiminishedbythecourtmustbemadeupforinotherlegitimate,legalways,”says,aforummember.

Oneofthemorecontr oversialmethodsadvocatedistheso-called10%rule.Theideaisforpublicuniversities—whicheducatethree-quartersofallU.S.undergraduates—toadmitstudentswhoareinthetop10%oftheirhighschoolgraduatingclass.Doingsoallowscollegestotakeminoritieswhoexcelinaverageurbanschools,eveniftheywouldn’thavemadethecutunderthecurrentstatewiderankingmanyuniversitiesuse.

第26题：U.S.courtr estr ictionsonaffirmativeactionsignifiesthat______.

［A］minoritiesnolongerholdtheoncefavoredstatus

［B］thequalityofAmericancollegeshasimproved

［C］racialpreferenceshasreplacedracialprejudice

［D］theminorityisonanequalfootingwiththemajority

 本题考查推理引申。第一段首句提到美国法院对平等权利法案的限制。第二句指出其理论依据是种族照顾政策是违反宪法的。第三句指出这种做法意味着对学生的录取不再考虑其种族或民族背景。由此可推知，［A］是该做法的潜在含义。［B］文中未提，［C］明显错误，因为该举动恰恰是反对种族照顾政策。［D］表面上看似乎有点道理，但根据第一段的论述可知，“平等”并不是本文主要涉及的内容。