The Origin of Things

So much is certain: that we would have doctors and preachers, lawyers and defendants, marriages and births--but our spiritual outlook would be different. We would lay less stress on 'facts and figures' and more on a good memory, on applied psychology, and on the capacity of a man to get along with his fellow citizens. If our educational system were fashioned after its bookless past we would have the most democratic form of 'college' imaginable. Among the people whom we like to call savages all knowledge inherited by tradition is shared by all; it is taught to every member of the tribe so that in this respect everybody is, equally equipped for life.

It is the ideal condition of the 'equal start' which only our most progressive forms of modern education try to regain. In primitive cultures the obligation to seek and to receive the traditional instruction is binding to all. There are no 'illiterates '--if the term can be applied to peoples without a script--while our own compulsory school attendance became law in Germany in 1642, in France in 1806, and in England in 1876, and is still non-existent in a number of 'civilized' nations. This shows how long it was before we deemed it necessary to make sure that all our children could share in the knowledge accumulated by the 'happy few' during the past centuries.

Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means. All are entitled to an equal start. There is none of the hurry which, in our society, often hampers the full development of a growing personality. There, a child grows up under the ever-present attention of his parents, therefore the jungles and the savannahs know of no 'juvenile delinquency.' No necessity of making a living away from home results in neglect of children, and no father is confronted with his inability to 'buy' an education for his child.

New words and expressions

inherit vt.继承 disinherit v.剥夺继承权

illiterate n. 文盲  literary a. 文学的  literature n.文学

circum=surrounding 周围的

circus 马戏团，马戏场

circumspect a. 慎重的，周到的，小心谨慎的

environment n. (用单数)  circumstance n. (用复数)

deprive sb. of sth. 剥夺某人机会 rob: 抢 rob sb. of sth.

e.g. He deprived me of the opportunity of education. / He deprived me of freedom. / I'm deprived./downfallen.

possess: 拥有 dispossess sb. of sth.

invest: 投资 devest: 拿走

denude v. 使身无分文

convince sb. of sth.     e.g. He convinced me of his honesty.  (强调结果)

persuade sb. to do sth.   e.g. She persuade me to go shopping with her. （强调过程）

His speech is very convincing. (具有说服力)

enlightened: 受到启迪

Listen to both sides, you will be enlightened. (兼听则明)

the enlightenment 启蒙运动 We should base on understanding on reason. 理性认识世界

1. ancient philosopher (Aristotle)

2. Renaissance (文艺复兴)

3. scientific revolution

Religion always regarded human as vicious. (well-natured: 人性本善)

Famous figures: Bacon, Locke, Rousseau《The Confessions》

instruct: 指导 instructor 辅导员 cycle of instruction 教学周期

punctuate vt.加强，介入，加标点  acupuncture 针灸术

underline: 加强 fortify: 加强（工事） intensify: 强化

preach  sermon     missionary: 带着任务到国外传教

defendant n. 被告 (plaintiff: 原告 prosecutor: 原告（尤指刑事）

MA=master of arts: 硕士  PHD：博士 defendant: 论文的答辩者  defend my thesis

mental outlook: 精神面貌 world outlook: 世界观

vision/view/sight

capacity n. 能力  breath capacity: 肺活量

capability/caliber: high caliber

in the capacity of: 以什么身份

e.g. In the capacity of a chairman, I extend a warm welcome to all the delegates. 我以主席身份，热烈欢迎各位代表。

inherit vt.  inheritor: 继承人

people/folk: 民族 （highly civilized）

tribe: backward  Mongolian tribe 蒙古部落

clan: 氏族 maternal: 母系  paternal: 父系

illiterate n. 文盲   literate: 有文化的  antiilliteracy 扫盲

compulsory service system 义务服役制

compulsory course 必修科目

optional/selective course: 选修科目

deem=regard/think  I deem him right.

He hampers my progress.

block / thwart   shackle: 枷锁 impede: 阻止

jungle law: 丛林法则  the survival of the fittest 适者生存

savannah: 大草原（比较潮湿的湿地） in South America

delinquency  juvenile delinquency

crime/sin/guilt

crime 非常严重 commit

sin: 可以饶恕的罪行 Amitabha

guilt: (抽象)犯罪 I am guilty.

confront vt. 面对 （face的书面用语）

confront difficulty / be confronted with

There's a confrontation between the two nations.

convinced of: 被说服，相信=believing

As an apple is not an apple in any things until it is ripe, so a man without education is not a man in any things.

as…so…结构

states=nations=governments

'invest': 投资

institutions of learning 学术机构  institutions of higher learning: 高等教育

'interest': 利息

in the form of / in the shape of

enlightened: 有知识的 potential: 潜在=possible

elite: 精英

work out=design 设计

punctuate: 加强

wells: 源泉 wells of wisdom: 知识源泉

What would…(虚拟语气)

benefits: 裨益

without (虚拟语气的成分居多)=but for: 若不是，若没有if there were not its benefits…

The ideas that come to him so thick and fast, where are they now?名词+疑问句=感叹句

Women, who can live with them? who can live without them?

that we would have 虚拟

spiritual outlook: 精神面貌/世界

bare foot doctor: 赤脚医生

lay stress on: 强调，重视

'facts and figures': 数字和事实 （think, judge, reason）

more on a good memory

woman's wit 没有任何的解释

applied psychology: 应用心理学

capacity of a man to get along with his fellow citizens (nepotism: 裙带关系) / criterion: 标准

fashioned=designed=tailored

bookless: 没有书本 homeless / childless / treeless (a treeless mountain) 名词+less构成反义词

democratic: 民主的 / imaginable: 可以想象的 most+imaginable/possible (后置定语)

The most relax form possible is to go picnicking.

equality: 平等 / same footing: 同起点

inherited by tradition is shared by all (equality)

in this respect / regard / area: 在这一角度而言

equip (with knowledge) for life

ideal 不具有比较最高级

progressive: 进步的

regain: 重新获得

Education can be spread to every man possible.  (9 year compulsory educational system: 九年义务制)

primitive cultures=in ancient times

cultures: 国家, different cultures: 不同的国家

obligation: 义务

binding: 绑, bound (As one of the social members, you had to take responsibility to receive education. )

'illiterate' 文盲

script=word: 文字

compulsory: 强制的，义务的 attendance: 注册或到校报到=education (compulsory / forced / binding)

before we deemed it necessary

I went out before it rained. (before: (1)直译，之前 （2）之后 )

share in: 分享其中一份

"happy few": (Greece, Rome, China: private school)

wilderness: 荒野

be equal to+名词或动名词=be qualified for

none of the hurry （拔苗助长）: to spoil a child by excessive enthusiasm

full development: 全面发展 / growing personality: 正在生长的人性（人格）

there指wilderness

ever-present: 无处不在

Mother's employment prevents her from being home to greet their children when they return from school.

jungle: 丛林

know of: 了解，听说=hear of

'juvenile delinquency' 少年犯

No necessity of making a living away from home results in neglect of children, and no father is confronted with his inability to 'buy' an education for his child.

e.g. No man will marry her. (对整句man will marry her的否定)

be confronted with=face =confront

本文特点：radical: 激进的