靈魂也要一席之地

第21章 讀書使人充實 Reading Makes a Full Man

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"Reading makes a full man" is a saying of the famous English philo sopher Francis Bacon.It means that anyone who wants to be a full man must keep on reading.

A full man may be defined as one who has a mind filled with ideas,o r one who is stocked with knowledge.Certainly school education can fill the young minds with a certain amount of ideas and knowledge.But to thi nk that the ideas and knowledge thus taught make a full man is a mistake.Evidently,no one can say that he is a full man because he is a gradua te of a middle school or even a university.

Then can such ideas and knowledge be obtained through experience.In deed,from experience we get new ideas and knowledge.But to suppose tha t ideas and knowledge thus acquired make a full man is also a mistake.A carpenter's experience is different from a smith's and a smith's is d ifferent from a barber's.Obviously,the statement that experience can make a full man does not hold water,either.

Thus,we see that the real factor by which a full man is made includ es not only education and experience,but also reading.By reading scien tific books,we are informed of many facts;by reading geography,we kno w the earth's surface,forms,physical features,etc.;by reading histo ry,we are told of the growth of the nations.It is by reading that we c an learn many things without actually seeing or hearing them.

Therefore,no matter how high our education may be or how much exper ience we may have,we cannot become a full man unless we keep reading.

著名的英國哲學家弗蘭西斯·培根曾說過“讀書使人充實”。這就意味著任何人要想成就充實就要不斷地讀書。

充實之人或許可以這樣定義:一個頭腦充滿思想的人,或者是一個滿腹經綸的人。當然,學校的教育可以用一定數量的思想和知識充實年輕人的頭腦,但是如果認為,學校教授的那些思想和知識就能使一個人充實的話,那就大錯特錯了。顯然,沒有人能僅僅因為他中學或者大學畢業就說自己是個充實的人。

那麽,這些思想和知識可以通過實踐獲得嗎?當然,從實踐中我們能夠學到新的思想和知識。但是認為這樣獲得的思想和知識就能使人充實也是錯誤的。木匠的經驗與鐵匠的經驗不同,而鐵匠的經驗又與理發師的經驗不同。很顯然,實踐可以使人成為充實的人這種說法是站不住腳的。

所以,使人成為充實的人的真正因素,不僅包括教育與實踐,也需要讀書。閱讀科學書籍可以使我們了解很多事物;閱讀地理書籍,我們知道了地球的地表、構成和自然特點等;讀曆史書籍,我們知道了民族的成長曆程。讀書,使我們認識了許多沒有親眼所見、親耳所聽的事物。

因此,不管我們接受多高水平的教育,也不管我們有多麽豐富的閱曆,我們都不能成為充實之人,除非我們不斷地讀書。

1.A full man may be defined____one who has a mind filled with ideas,or one who is stocked with____.Certainly school education c an____the young minds with a certain amount of____and knowle dge.

2.Then can____ideas and knowledge be obtained through____.Indeed,from experience we get____ideas and knowledge.But to suppose that ideas and knowledge thus acquired____a full man is also a mistake.

3.Therefore,no matter how____our education may be or how much experience we may have,we cannot____a full man unless we keep read ing.

1.顯然,沒有人能僅僅因為他中學或者大學畢業就說自己是個充實的人。

2.很顯然,實踐可以使人成為充實的人這種說法是站不住腳的。

3.讀書,使我們認識了許多沒有親眼所見、親耳所聽的事物。