专八题目:
Should the Four Books Be Set in the University Curricula?
专八范文:
Under the influence of Western cultures, traditional classic books were expelled from school curricula in the New Culture Movement in the early 20th century. Since then, students in primary schools and high schools have been liberated from the claimed trash of feudalism. During the Cultural Revolution, traditional classic books were everely renounced again. As a result, students are taught to associate traditional classic books with backwardness of feudalism.
由于西方文化的影响,大学课程禁止学习传统典籍,这一时间段出现在20世纪早期的新文化运动上。自从这以后,中小学生摆脱了封建主义的束缚。在文化大革命期间,传统典籍又一次遭到了抨击。导致老师教授学生的是传统典籍与封建制度的结合。
With this background knowledge, we can easily understand why the adoption of the Four Books in some universities results in ongoing public controversy in an opener society in comparison with the past. Ironically,advocating the Four Books being taught in college or not, almost everyone is familiar with certain frequently cited sentences from traditional classic books. As for me, Adopting the Four Books in university curricula is feasible.
由于这样的文化背景,我们很容易理解为什么在大学引用四书会导致关于过去与现在更为激烈的公共热点。四书是否应该在大学教授,似乎每个人都熟悉典籍中那些耳熟能详的句子。对于我来说,在大学引用四书是非常可行的。
Firstly, it is unfair to associate the Four Books with the backwardness of feudal society and hence refuseto read them. Admittedly, those classic books were written in ancient times and inevitably could not transcend over temporal limitations. Some ideas conveyed in the Four Books even contradict contemporary thoughts. However, those classic books are records of ancient minds, without which we can not achieve today’s civilization. Some may argue that as ancient minds are outdated, it is useless to know that again. The truthis that ancient minds are also part of the ongoing process of our cultural development. If we are able to acquire a basic knowledge of traditional culture, we are likely to have a better chance to understand contemporary culture.
首先,把四书与落后的封建社会联系起来是不公平的,这导致我们不愿阅读四书。无可否认,这些典籍是古代人写下的,这让我们无法超越这些限制。许多四书中的思想甚至有悖于今天的思想。但是,这些典籍记录了古代人的思想,没有这些典籍,我们无法取得今天的文化成就。许多人会说古代人的思想是过时的,现在学习没什么用。事实上,古代人的思想也是我们文化发展的一部分。如果我们能够获得传统文化的基本理论知识,那么我们很有机会来了解当今文化。
Secondly, as college students should have the ability of critical thinking, they can figure out what is applicable and what is trash from the Four Books. Generally speaking, some educationalists worry college students will absorb outdated values and thoughts from those traditional classic books so they deny setting the Four Books in college curricula. While we admit that those books were written in ancient times and hence they are representative ideas of the ruling class (for ordinary people were denied opportunities to learn reading and writing), it is impossible to apply those ideas in our current society.
第二,大学生应该具备批判性的思想,他们应该知道四书当中什么可以运用,什么不可以运用。一般来说,许多教育学家会担心大学生会学习到一些过时的价值观,以及典籍中的一些过时思想,所以,他们不想把四书植入到大学的课程中来。不可否认的是,这些书籍是写于古代,所以,他们代表了统治阶级的思想(普通人是没有机会来读写的)。那么,要运用这些思想到当今的社会中是不现实的。
More important, college students are supposed to have the critical thinking ability and can tell the rightfrom the wrong. Once they realize why some ideas are feudalist trash by reading and critical thinking, it is more likely to eliminate the remaining feudalist trash in the mind than by teachers’ exhortations.
更重要的是,大学生应该拥有批判思考的能力,并能够区分对错。当他们通过阅读和批判思考时,他们就会发现有些是带有封建主义思想的,我们清楚我们思想当中的封建意识,而不是通过老师的讲述而传达的。
In sum, as college students, they are able to think critically so that they can tell the essence of traditional Chinese culture from the feudalist trashes. Besides, adopting the Four Books course helps preserve traditional culture. Therefore, adopting the Four Books in college curricula is both practical and beneficial.
总之,作为大学生,他们能够运用批判思维来思考,这样,他们就能够从封建思想中了解中国传统文化的精髓。而且,学习四书帮助我们保护传统文化。所以,大学期间学习四书既非常实用,又非常有益。
译文属可可英语原创,未经允许,不得转载。