seize on sth.困难

No disciplines have seized on professionalism with as much enthusiasm as the humanities. You can, Mr. Menand points out, become a lawyer in three years and a medical doctor in four. But the regular time it takes to get a doctoral degree in the humanities is nine years. Not surprisingly, up to half of all doctoral students in English drop out before getting their degrees.

没有哪个学科像人文学科这样热衷于专业化。梅南先生指出，你可以用三年成为律师，用四年成为医生。但在人文学科获得博士学位的正常时间却是九年。毫不奇怪，多达一半的英语专业博士生在获得学位前就退学了。