UNIT 4 Never too old to learn
Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. —Albert Einstein
智力发展应始于出生，终于死亡。——阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦
Reading(p 44-45)
Learning for life终身学习
The more I learn, the better I know how much there is still left to learn. As I journey through my life, I have become aware that acquiring knowledge is not only a means by which you can better understand the world, but also a way of appreciating how much. as an individual, you do not know. The ability to admit this should not be perceived as a weakness, but as a strength. I once had an art teacher, pointing out that it is not only what you can see that is important, but also what you cannot see. When I drew a still life, it was impressed upon me that the blank spaces between the objects were just as vital to the success of the composition as the actual objects themselves. Also, as the great educator Confucius stated, “
When you know a thing, to recognize that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to recognize that you do not know it—that is wisdom.”
我学的越多,就越清楚自己还有多少东西要学。在我的人生旅途中,我意识到获取知识不仅是一种更好地了解世界的方式,也是一种作为个体理解你有多少不知道的知识的方式。有能力承认这一点不应该被视为一个弱点,而是一个优点。我曾经的一位美术老师指出,不仅你所能看到的很重要,而且你看不到的也很重要。当我在画静物时,我意识到,成功的构图中,物体之间的留白和实际的物体本身一样关键。而且,正如伟大教育家孔子所言:“知之为知之,不知为不知,是知也。”
It is vital to remain lifelong learners in a rapidly changing world. As you progress through life, you may study and work in new environments. Consequently, you will be exposed to many new ideas, beliefs, practices and learning experiences. Furthermore, the production of knowledge is bound to grow rapidly. New knowledge is constantly being generated and what you already know is being revised all the time, to the extent that it can be difficult to keep pace with the latest developments. Indeed. you may one day do jobs that do not yet e
xist, use technologies that are not yet developed and resolve problems that are not yet problems! This is not to suggest that there is no need for you to study in school but to acknowledge that refreshing your knowledge through lifelong learning is both essential and beneficial.
在一个瞬息万变的世界里,终身学习是至关重要的。随着人生的不断前进,你可能会在新的环境中学习和工作,因此,你会接触到许多新的想法、信仰、做法和学习经验。此外,知识的生产一定会迅速增长,新知识不断产生,你既有的知识也在不断更新,以至于很难跟上最新的发展。的确,可能有一天你会从事目前还不存在的职业,使用现在还未开发的技术,解决当下还不是问题的问题!这并不是说你没有必要在学校学习,而是要承认通过终身学习来更新你的知识是必要和有益的。
So, how can you proceed? Firstly, lifelong learning is an attitude. Lifelong learners are those who have an open mind. Be objective and make yourself open to new knowledge and ideas. Do not criticize them or reject them simply because they differ from what you know or believe. At the same time, you need to develop critical thinking skills so that you do
not blindly accept new ideas, Instead, you should inquire further to assess the truth of what you are being told. Secondly, take advantage of opportunities for lifelong learning—for example, you could register online and subscribe to e-learning courses, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. You could also visit the local library, where resources are rich and diverse. Finally, understand that it is not sufficient to simply know something or to understand what you know. because for knowledge to have concrete value, it must be applied. Importantly, after its application, there must then follow a review process of analysis, evaluation and improvement so that your comprehension of the world becomes a continuous process.
那么,如何进行呢?首先,终身学习是一种态度。终身学习者是那些思想开放的(易于接受新事物的)人。要客观,对新知识和新想法保持开放的态度。不要仅仅因为它们与你所知道或相信的有差异而批评或拒绝它们。与此同时,你需要培养批判性思维技能,这样你就不会盲目接受新想法。相反,你应该进一步询问,以评估你被告知的真相。其次,利用终身学习的机会——例如,你可以在线注册,订阅在线学习课程,近年来这类课程越来越受欢迎。你也可以去当地的图书馆,那里的资源丰富多样。最后,要明白仅仅知道一些知识或理解你所知道的知识是不够的,
因为知识要有具体的价值,它必须得到应用。重要的是,在应用它之后,必须遵循一个分析、评估和改进的审查过程,这样你对世界的理解就会成为一个持续的过程。
In summary, in a world of constant change, one should never cease to learn. Lifelong learning will help you develop your skills and further your career, and will boost your sense of self-worth and keep your mind active. Therefore, know what you know and use it; know what you do not know and embrace it; know that you will never know all there is to know and wonder at it.
总之,在一个不断变化的世界里,人不应该停止学习。终身学习将有助于培养我能,延长职业生涯,而且可以提升自我价值意识,保持思维活跃。因此,知己所知,知其所用;知所不知,欣然接受;知永远不会穷尽所有知识,并对其惊叹不已。
Grammar and usage(p 48)
(1)Vocational education is not a new idea. (2)It generally prepares people to work in a specific occupation by teaching theory in the classroom and offering hands-on training in th
e workplace. (3)Vocational education is no less important than academic education because it can qualify applicants to work in a particular field. (4)In today’s rapidly developing society, vocational education is becoming more and more valuable and it gives applicants an advantage in the job market.
职业教育并不是一个新概念。它通常通过在课堂上教授理论和在工作场所提供实践培训来使人们在特定的职业工作中做好准备。职业教育和学术教有同等重要,因为它能使求职者有资格在某一特定领域工作。在当今飞速发展的社会中,职业教育变得越来越有价值,它为求职者在就业市场提供了优势。
sort of career翻译(5)Once a job has been secured, those with vocational qualifications often have better prospects of promotion within the company. (6)For example, motor repair is one field that allows for such career development. (7)Most motor repair companies have their own training programmes for specific jobs and workers can start off in training positions. (8)People who have been trained in schools often learn and adapt faster and are more likely to work their way up to senior management positions.