Lesson OneTwelve Things l Wish They Taught at SchoolCarl Sagan Learning Guide 俗话说：“活到老，学到老。”人的一生就是不断学习、不断丰富和充实自己的过程。青少年阶段，尤其是中学阶段，无疑是学习的最佳时期。中学教育的重点应放在什么地方？美国著名科学家和科普作家萨根批评中学只抓各个学科具体内容的做法，他认为中学要注重对青少年的宏观教育，使他们建立起唯物的世界观和宇宙观，使他们能够正确对待自己，关心周围的世界人类生存的环境和自己的地球同胞。 1 I attended junior and senior high school, public institutions in New York and New Jersey, just after the Second World War. It seems a long time ago. The facilities and the skills of the teachers were probably well above average for the United States at that time. Since then, Ive learned a great deal. One of the most important things Ive learned is how much there is to learn, and how much I dont yet know. Sometimes I think how grateful I would be today if I had learned more back then about what really matters. In some respects that education was terribly narrow; the only thing I ever heard in school about Napoleon was that the United States made the Louisiana Purchase from him. (On a planet where some 95% of the inhabitants are not Americans, the only history that was thought worth teaching was American history. ) In spelling, grammar, the fundamentals of math, and other vital subjects, my teachers did a pretty good job. But theres so much else I wish theyd taught us. The facilities and skills of the teachers were probably well above average for the United States at that time. 学校的设施、教师的水平在当时的美国大大高于一般的水平。 above/ average：高于或低于一般的标准水平。well：adv 相当地，大大地 The facilities and skills of the teachers were perhaps much better than those in most schools in. .how much I dont yet know. 我所学到的最重要的一点，就是要学的东西实在太多，而我还没有学到的东西也太多了。 how much I dont know up till now. Sometimes I think how grateful I would be today if I had learned more back then about what really matters. 有时候，我想那时要是能多学点真正的东西，今天我会多么地心存感激。 I would be grateful today if I had learned more at high school about things that are really important. On a planet where some 95% of the inhabitants are not Americans, the only history that was thought worth teaching was American history. 在一个约95%的居民不是美国人的星球上，学校当局认为只有美国历史才值得讲授（这里作者委婉地批评了美国教育部门的狭隘与偏见） where some 95% of the inhabitants are not Americans：是定语从句，修饰a planet that was thought worth teaching：也是定语从句，修饰the only history The population of the US accounts for only about 5% of that of the world. But in my high school days school taught American history only because it was thought that the history of other countries was not important for Americans to learn. 2 Perhaps all the deficiencies have since been rectified. It seems to me there are many things (often more a matter of attitude and perception than the simple memorization of facts) that the schools should teach things that truly would be useful in later life, useful in making a stronger country and a better world, but useful also in making people happier. Human beings enjoy learning. Thats one of the few things that we do better than the other species on our planet. Every student should regularly experience the Aha! when something you never understood, or something you never knew was a mystery, becomes clear.3 So heres my list: Perhaps all the deficiencies have since been rectified. 或许该教而没教的缺陷自那以后已经得以纠正。 deficiencies：缺乏，缺少，不足 Perhaps schools have overcome all the shortcomings and improved greatly since I left school. .often more a matter of attitude and perception than the simple memorization of facts. （该教的）主要是态度问题、认识问题，而不是简单的对事实记忆的问题。 matter：（讨论、考虑等问题） more + 名词+ than + 名词：与其说不如说是 Students should not merely be taught facts to memorize, but they should also be taught to cultivate their ability to judge what is happening around them and take the right attitude towards this. Thats one of the few things that we do better than the other species on our planet. 这是我们人类比这个地球上其他物种做得好得多的为数有限的几件事中的一件。 In most things mans fellow creatures on earth are better, but in learning man does better. Every student should regularly experience the Aha! -when something you never understood, or thing you never knew was a mystery, becomes clear. 每个学生都应该经常体验一下说出：“啊，原来是这么一回事！”时的感受也就是你以往不懂的或是不知道自己不懂的事情，一下子变得豁然开朗时的感受。 Students should be constantly learning new things so that they can experience the joy of learning and of discovering things they didnt know or understand before.Pick a difficult thing and learn it well. 4 The Greek philosopher Socrates said this was one of the greatest of human joys,and it is. While you learn a little bit about many subjects, make sure you learn a great deal about one or two. It hardly matters what the subject is, as long as it deeply interests you, and you place it in its broader human context. After you teach yourself one subject, you become much more confident about your ability to teach yourself another. You gradually find youve acquired a key skill. The worl