英語范文背誦精華 15.3 Five Traits of the Educated Man

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Five Traits of Educated Man 有教養(yǎng)者的五大特點(diǎn)

A question often asked is：“What are the marks of an educated man?”It is that one may gain no inconsiderable body learning in some special field of knowledge without at the same time acquiring those habits and traits which are the marks of an educated gentlem.A reasonable amount of learning must of course accompany an education，but，after all，that amount need not be so very great in any one field. An education will make its mark and find its evidences in certain traits，characteristics，and capacities which have to be acquired by patient endeavor， by following g ood exam- ple，and by receiving wise discipline and sound instruction.

These traits or characteristics may be variously described and classified，but among them are five that should always stand out clearly enoug h to be seen by all men..

The first of these is correctness and precision in the use of the mother tong ue.The quite shocking slovenliness① and vulgarity of much of the spoke n English，as well as a little of the written English， which one hears and sees，proves beyond per adventure②that years of attendance upon schools and colleges that are thought to be respectable have produced no impression.When one hears English well spoken，w ith pure diction③，correct pronunciation，and an almost unconscious choice of the right word，he recognizes it at once .How much easier he finds it to imitate English of the other sort!

A second and indispensable trait of the educated man is refined and gentle manners，which are them selves the expression of fixed habits of thought and action.“Manners make the man，” wrote William of Wykeham over his gates at Winchester and at Oxford.He pointed to a great truth.When manners are superficial，artifi-cial， and forced，no matter what their form ，they are bad man-ners.When，however，they are the natural expression of fixed habits of thoug ht and action，and when they reveala refined and cultivated nature，they are g ood manners.There are certain thing s that gentlemen do not do，and they do not do them simply because they are bad manners. The gentlem an instinctively knows the difference between those things which he may and should do and those thing s which he may not and should notdo.

A third trait of the educated man is the power and habit of reflection.Human beings for the most part live wholly on the surface or far beyond the present moment and that part of the fu- ture which is quickly to follow it.They do not read those works of prose and poetry which have become classic because they reveal the powerful habit of reflection and induce that power and habit in others.When one reflects long enoug h to ask the question how，he is on the way to knowing som ething about science.When one reflects long enough to ask the question why，he may，if he persists， even become a philosopher.

A fourth trait of the educated man is the power of g rowth.He continues to grow and develop from birth to his dying day.His interests expand，his contacts multiply，his knowledg e increases，and his reflection becomes deeper and wider.It would appear to be true that not many human beings， even those who have had a col-

lege education， continue to g row after they are twenty-four or twenty-five years of age.By that time it is usual to settle down to life on a level of more or less contented intellectual interest and activity.The whole present-day movem ent for adult education is a system atic and definite attempt to keep human beings growing long after they have left schooland college， and ，therefore，to help educate them.

A fifth trait of the educated man is his possession of efficiency，or the power to do.The mere visionary dreamer，however charming or however wise，lacks something which an education re- quires.The power to do may be exercised in any one of a thousand ways，but when it clearly shows itself，that is evidence that the period of discipline， of study，and of companionship with parents and teachers has not been in vain.

Given these five characteristics，one has the outline of an educated man .That outline may be filled in by scholarship，by literary power ，by mechanical skills，by professional zeal④ and capacity， by busine ss competence ，or by social and political leadership.So long as the frame work or outline is there ，the content may be pretty much what you will，assuming，of course ，that the fundamental elements of the great tradition which is civilization， and its outstanding records and achievements in hum- an personality，in letters，in scie nce，in the fine arts，and in human institutions，are all present.

人們常問：“有教養(yǎng)者的標(biāo)志是什么?”顯然，一個(gè)人可以在某一知識(shí)領(lǐng)域修養(yǎng)很好、造詣?lì)H高，卻沒有獲得有教養(yǎng)之士的標(biāo)志———文明的習(xí)慣與特性。當(dāng)然，適量的學(xué)問必定伴隨著一種教育，但務(wù)必記住，適當(dāng)?shù)膶W(xué)問無需在任何一個(gè)領(lǐng)域都非常廣博。一種教育會(huì)在某些特性、特點(diǎn)和能力必須通過耐心努力、仿效榜樣、接受明智的訓(xùn)練和正確的指導(dǎo)下方可獲得。

這些特性或特點(diǎn)可以各種方式描述出來并加以分類，但其中有五大特點(diǎn)總是十分突出，顯而易見。

第一大特點(diǎn)是運(yùn)用母語的正確性和準(zhǔn)確性。英語中存在著許多令人震驚的臟話、鄙話，英語書面語中也不少。這是大家所見所聞的事實(shí)，這種現(xiàn)象毫無疑問地證明，多年在中小學(xué)和大學(xué)所受的那種被認(rèn)為是受人尊敬的教育沒有產(chǎn)生任何影響。如果一個(gè)人聽到說得很好的英語，措辭準(zhǔn)確，發(fā)音純正，恰如其分的詞脫口而出，他馬上就會(huì)識(shí)別出來。他會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)模仿另一種英語是多么容易。

有教養(yǎng)之士的另一個(gè)必不可少的

特點(diǎn)是舉止文雅、彬彬有禮。文雅的舉止本身就是固有的思維習(xí)慣和行為習(xí)慣的表現(xiàn)。威克姆的威廉在他居住的溫切斯特和牛津的大門上寫道：“舉止如其人。”他道出了一條偉大的真理。如果舉止不雅、態(tài)度做作、十分勉強(qiáng)，無論它以什么形式出現(xiàn)，都是粗俗無禮的。然而，當(dāng)它們自然的表現(xiàn)是固有的思維習(xí)慣和行為習(xí)慣時(shí)，當(dāng)它們顯示出文雅的有教養(yǎng)的特性時(shí)，它們便是文明禮貌的行為舉止。有些事情紳士不做，他們不做僅僅是因?yàn)槟切┦虑椴缓铣＠?。紳士本能地知道，哪些事情他可做而且?yīng)該做，哪些事情他不可做且不應(yīng)該做。

有教養(yǎng)的人的第三個(gè)特點(diǎn)是思考能力和思維能力。絕大多數(shù)人完全生活在生活的表層，或者他們的生活遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過目前和不遠(yuǎn)的將來。他們不閱讀經(jīng)典散文，不吟詠經(jīng)典詩歌。詩文之所以成為經(jīng)典之作，是因?yàn)樗鼈冋宫F(xiàn)作者的思維能力和思考習(xí)慣，并引發(fā)讀者的思維能力和思考習(xí)慣。當(dāng)一個(gè)人沉思良久，并提出“如何……”的問題時(shí)，那他就走在科學(xué)認(rèn)識(shí)的路途上了。如果他思考良久，提出“為什么……”的這類問題，要是堅(jiān)持下去，他甚至可能成為哲學(xué)家呢。

有教養(yǎng)者的第四個(gè)特點(diǎn)是自我發(fā)展的能力。有教養(yǎng)的人從出生到臨終都在不斷地成長(zhǎng)發(fā)展。他的興趣不斷擴(kuò)大，交往倍增，知識(shí)不斷增長(zhǎng)，思想變得深邃寬廣。滿了24歲或25歲之后還繼續(xù)發(fā)展自己的人為數(shù)不多，甚至那些受過高等教

育的堅(jiān)持這樣做的人也比較少，這似乎已成為事實(shí)了。人到了24歲或25歲，由于或多或少滿足于自己的智力興致和智力活動(dòng)而安頓下來舒舒服服過日子。當(dāng)代成人教育運(yùn)動(dòng)就是這么一種系統(tǒng)性強(qiáng)，目的明確的努力嘗試：讓人們遠(yuǎn)離學(xué)校之后能繼續(xù)完善自我，從而幫助他們繼續(xù)受教育。

有教養(yǎng)者的第五大特點(diǎn)是他們具有工作效率或辦事能力。富于幻想無論多么迷人，不管多么聰明，總是缺少教育所需要的某些東西。施展辦事能力的方式許許多多，其中任何一種方式都可以，但如果這種能力清清楚楚的表現(xiàn)出來了，那就足以證明，學(xué)習(xí)、培訓(xùn)階段及和父母相伴、和老師相處的時(shí)光沒有白白浪費(fèi)。

一個(gè)人如果具備上述五大特點(diǎn)，那他就擁有良好教養(yǎng)者的輪廓了。這輪廓可由學(xué)術(shù)成就、文學(xué)能力、機(jī)械技能、職業(yè)熱忱和專業(yè)能力、辦事能力或社會(huì)和政治的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力來加以充實(shí)。只要這個(gè)框架或輪廓存在，當(dāng)然啦，假如文明這個(gè)偉大的傳統(tǒng)的基本成分，及其在人格、文學(xué)、科學(xué)、藝術(shù)和習(xí)俗方面的杰出記錄和非凡成就都在其中的話，那么，內(nèi)容可能完全合乎你的意愿。