Unpopular Subjects

Is there a place in today’s society for the study of useless subjects in our universities Just over 100 years ago Fitzgerald argued in a well-written letter (1) Nature that "Universities must be allowed to study useless subjects— (2) they don’t, who will" He went on to use the (3) of Maxwell’s electrodynamics (电动力学) as one case where a "useless subject" has been transformed to a useful subject.
Nowadays this argument is again very much (4) in many universities. Indeed one suspects that it is one of those arguments that must be (5) anew (重新) by each generation. But now there is an added twist (歪曲)—subjects must not only be useful, they must also be (6) enough that students will flock (蜂拥) to do them, and even flock to pay to do them. A．choose B．strengthen C．eliminate D．identify

Astronomers now know that luminous (发光的) matter—stars, planets and hot gas—accounts (4) only about 0.4 percent of the universe. Non-luminous components, such as black holes and intergalactic (星系间的) gas, (5) up 3.6 percent. The rest is either dark matter, about 23 percent, or dark energy, about 73 percent.
Dark matter, sometimes (6) "cold dark matter." has been known for some time. Only recently have researchers come to understand the key role it (7) in the formation of stars, planets and even people.
"We (8) our very existence to dark matter, " said physicist Paul Steinhardt and a co-author of a review on dark matter which (9) not long ago in the journal Science.
"Dark matter dominated the structure (10) in the early universe," Steinhardt said. "For the first few billion years dark matter contained most of the mass of the universe. You can think of ordinary matter (11) a froth (泡沫) of an ocean of dark matter. The dark matter clumps (结成块) and the ordinary matter falls into it. That (12) to the formation of the stars and galaxies (星系)."
Without dark matter, "there would be virtually no structures in the universe. "
The nature of dark matter is (13) . It cannot be seen or detected directly. Astronomers know it is there because of its (14) on celestial (天体的) objects that can be seen and measured.
But the most dominating force of all in the universe is called dark energy, a recently (15) power that astronomers say is causing the galaxies in the universe to separate at a faster and faster speed.

As universities become commercial operations, the pressure to (7) subjects or departments that are less popular will become stronger and stronger. Perhaps this is most strongly (8) at the moment by physics. There has been much (9) in the press of universities that are closing down physics departments and incorporate them with mathematics or engineering departments.
Many scientists think otherwise. They see physics as a (10) science, which must be kept alive if only to (11) a base for other sciences and engineering. It is of their great personal concern that physics teaching and research is under (12) in many universities. How can it be preserved in the rush towards commercial competition A．major turnaround (转变) in student popularity may have to (13) until the industrial world discovers that it needs physicists and starts paying them well.
Physics is now not only unpopular: it is also "hard". We can do more about the latter by (14) teaching in our schools and universities. We can also (15) cooperative arrangements to ensure that physicists keep their research and teaching up to date.