推薦三篇20180811期《經濟學人》值得看的好文章

來自專欄每周推薦三篇《經濟學人》值得讀的好文章

20180811這期TE推薦三篇文章：

• Leaders. School summer holidays should be shorter
• Bagehot. Britain, land of extremes
• Schools brief. De Tocqueville and the French exception

1

Leaders. School summer holidays should be shorter

難度指數

這篇文章通篇就講了一個觀點：學生的暑假時間應縮短。

為什麼選這篇文章？

因為這篇文章「正」：教育話題，不存在文化障礙，大家都能讀懂，甚至能讀出共鳴。而也正是因為教育話題正，它是不少考試作文試題的常客。如果你考試考到 「Should summer vacations for children be shortened?」 這個題目，而你恰好讀了這篇文章，那你真是撞大運啦！

從語言的角度來說，這篇文章也很正。亂碼直接給大家上句子：

和教育類相關的：

1. Many children will return from the long break having forgotten much of what they were taught the previous year. ... Poor children tend to be the worst affected, since rich ones typically live in homes full of books and are packed off to summer camp to learn robotics, Latin or the flute.

這兩句話都不難，但可圈可點的地方不少。第一句要注意語法，尤其是 having forgotten ... what they were taught；第二句里的辭彙很好，尤其是 ... are packed off to summer camp to learn robotics, Latin or the flute. 出去培優學啥？語數外琴棋書畫？下次寫作文的時候你也學著寫 robotics, Latin or the flute（當然，如果你覺得說中國人學拉丁文有點過，你也可以把拉丁換成其它外語）。

pack (someone or something) off to (some place): to send someone or something to a certain location, often (of a person) abruptly, hastily, or unceremoniously

• The kids were starting to drive us crazy, so we packed them off to a summer camp for a few weeks.
• Were excited to announce that well be packing the first copies of the book off to stores tomorrow!

2. Variations in summer loss might possibly account for two-thirds of theachievement gap between rich and poor children by the age of 14-15.

summer loss 指的就是上一句說的內容：放個假回來啥都忘了；全部都還給老師了（loss）！

variations 是「差別」或「差異」，有差異自然就有 「gap」。這句話寫得太妙了。

3. Although those barely rested South Korean pupils do superbly in exams, they are often miserable.

那些不停學學學的小孩考試成績是好（do superbly in exams），但他們會不會太痛苦（miserable）了？

4. It would be unwise to import South Korea』s pressure-cooker approach, in which a single exam determines every child』s future.

為什麼那些小孩會那麼痛苦？因為他們都是被逼的呀！韓國這教育制度，簡直就是壓力鍋（South Korea』s pressure-cooker approach）！高考沒考好，你就進不了好大學，進不了好大學，你就進不了像三星那樣的大財團。韓國高考才是真正的「考試決定命運」：In South Korea, one standardised test determines your entire future.

關於韓國高考，《經濟學人》曾在20131026這期做過專題報道，有興趣的同學可以把那期翻出來看看。

5. Many parents are obsessed with teacher-to-pupil ratios, but there is scant evidence that they make much difference.

are obsessed with 寫得太傳神了：if someone or something obsesses you, they are so important to you that you are always thinking about them, in a way that seems extreme to other people

應該沒有家長不在意師生比（teacher-to-pupil ratios）吧。但是真的是班級越小，教學效果就越好嗎？《經濟學人》表示鮮有證據（there is scant evidence）能支持這一結論。

6. Some extra drilling would be beneficial, particularly for those falling behind. But the summer could also be a time for different kinds of learning: critical thinking, practical skills, financial literacy, work placements with local firms—schools should be free to experiment.

drill 就是「練習」：to teach students, sports players etc by making them repeat the same lesson, exercise etc many times

• drill pupils in grammar
• The children were drilled to leave the classroom quickly when the fire bell rang.

drill (something) into (someone) 也是一個很好的表達: to force (something) to be learned very well by (someone) by repeating it again and again

• Our teacher drilled the lesson into our heads.
• The importance of saying 「please」 and 「thank you」 was drilled into us as children.

早些時候我們提到了 robotics, Latin or the flute，現在這一句為我們提供了更多的名詞： critical thinking, practical skills, financial literacy, work placements with local firms。

當然，還有金句：Schools should be free to experiment——學校是你大膽試錯的地方。

7. Well-off children often already use the summer to broaden their minds andburnish their college applications at pricey camps or doing summer jobs found through connections.

這句話又揭露了一個殘酷的事實：「富家子弟」早已通過暑假來「拓展思維」，「打磨申請（文書）」，並做那些「通過關係找到的工作」了。打引號的都是非常好的搭配，記得把它們偷走。

和論證相關的好句子：

• This is a more serious question than it sounds.
• Youngsters will hate the idea of a longer school year. Many grown-ups will object to it, too.
• Sceptics also note that ...
• Yes, it would cost money, but there are ways to pay for it.

這篇文章當然也不乏精彩描寫。

假想你是一位家長，大熱天下班回家後，發現自己的小孩打遊戲的打遊戲，刷朋友圈的刷朋友圈。你感嘆，為什麼暑假那麼長？

請問，上面這一段，你會怎麼寫？

《經濟學人》是這樣寫的：

YOU return from work on a muggy August evening. Your unwashed teenage son is on the sofa playing Fortnite, as he has been doing for the past eight hours. Your daughter,scrolling through Instagram, acknowledges your presence with a surly grunt. Not for the first time, you ask yourself: why are school summer holidays so insufferably long?

muggy: muggy weather is unpleasantly warm and the air seems wet

unwashed 可以理解為「蓬頭垢面的」。

「刷朋友圈」就是 scroll through Moments.

acknowledge: to show someone that you have noticed them or heard what they have said

• Tom acknowledged her presence by a brief glance.

surly: bad-tempered and unfriendly

grunt: （尤指因為煩惱或不感興趣）咕嚕，嘟噥著說 If you grunt, you make a low sound, especially because you are annoyed or not interested in something

insufferably 是這句話的點睛之筆，記得把它偷走。

其它性感表達包括：

1. Long holidays definitely strain the budgets of poor families, since free school meals stop and extra child care kicks in.

strain the budgets: 使預算緊張。

顯然，中文無法體現此處 strain 的美。

2. ... burnt-out workers are less productive.

burnt-out: someone who is burnt-out is very tired and has no energy, usually because of too much work or worry

3. Their [Schools』] responsibility to educate does not end when the mercury rises.

mercury 是水銀，此處相當於是換喻，指代溫度計。為什麼要這樣寫呢？沒為什麼，玩玩文字遊戲而已。

2

Bagehot. Britain, land of extremes

難度指數

這篇文章告訴我們，現在是時候重新思考英國的國民性格（national character）了：英國不僅沒有我們想像的那麼理智（sensible），反而還特愛走極端（extremes）。

為什麼選這篇文章？

一個字，深：觀點深，背景深，語言深。

背景就不說了，這篇文章里值得維基的名詞很多，比如 George VI, Clement Attlee, Blackpool。雖然不知道這些人或事或概念並不會阻礙你閱讀，但知曉這些名詞的內涵會讓你把文章理解得更透。

再來說觀點。這篇文章的觀點雖然深（或者說反常識），但並不難跟蹤：

英國人很自豪，他們很理智。

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但看看如今的局勢（如退歐），英國真的理智嗎？這讓人有點搞不懂噢。

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所以英國可能並沒有大家想得那麼理智：仔細觀察一下「理智」（sensibleness）的要素（continuity, moderation and pragmatism），你會發現「英國人理智」這說法根本站不住腳。

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我們不看女王和皇室，我們就看政府：

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英國歷史上不乏決裂和革命（rupture and revolution）：二十世紀就見證了三個政府，而每一次政權更替都充滿了動蕩（periods of turmoil）。

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1900年代的政府 → 1945年 Clement Attlee 政府 → 1980年代 Margaret Thatcher 政府

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為什麼會有這些激進的政權更替？因為英國人沒有他們想像中的那麼務實，卻遠比他們想像中的更重視意識形態。

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英國也並不是一個溫和或平均（moderate）的國家。

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這對我們今天有什麼啟示？第一，忘掉那些建立在「英國是一個理智國家」上的政治規則。

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別指望英國能馬上恢復常態。

最後再來說說語言深。以本文第一段為例：

MORE than most people the British pride themselves on being sensible. Others might go in for such silly things as revolutions and theories. Britons prefer pragmatism toideology, moderation to extremism, continuity to change. Walter Bagehot praised hisfellow-countrymen for their 「inconsistent moderation」. George Orwell thought that the essence of Englishness lay in continuity. ...

你覺得語言深嗎？估計很多同學會被大詞嚇到，比如 pragmatism, ideology, moderation, extremism, continuity... 但其實它們都不是重點。亂碼真正想強調的，是那些「你以為你認識但實際上你並不認識的詞」。再來看看這一段：

MORE than most people the British pride themselves on being sensible. Others mightgo in for such silly things as revolutions and theories. Britons prefer pragmatism toideology, moderation to extremism, continuity to change. Walter Bagehot praised his fellow-countrymen for their 「inconsistent moderation」. George Orwell thought that the essence of Englishness lay in continuity. ...

上面加粗標藍的詞，才是你真正需要關注的詞。

pride yourself on (doing) something: to be especially proud of something that you do well, or of a good quality that you have

• a restaurant that prides itself on speed of service
• She prides herself on being a good listener.

go in for 的用法很靈活：

• I don』t go in for golf much.
• His school had suggested he go in for the Young Musician of the Year competition.
• I think he』s planning to go in for politics.

prefer sth. to sth. 大家都很熟悉了，但是你真的會用嗎？

• Even today, most Americans prefer coffee to tea.
• He prefers sports to reading.
• He prefers a good book to a movie.

praise sb. for sth. 也是一個很好的結構：

• He praised the staff for encouraging the artistic talents of the prisoners.
• The Mayor praised the rescue teams for their courage.
• Local people were praised for their calm response to the crisis.

lie (exist) 是寫作老師非常喜歡看到的一個詞：

• The strength of the book lies in the fact that the material is from classroom experience.
• The immorality lies in the inherent wrongness of people deliberately killing other people.

類似的表達這篇文章特別多，如果你用心讀用心找，你會發現這篇文章簡直就是寶。

3

Schools brief. De Tocqueville and the French exception

難度指數

這篇文章介紹了法國著名的歷史學家、政治思想家 Alexis de Tocqueville（亞歷西斯·德·托克維爾），並站在他的角度，對當今的諸多社會現象進行了反思。

為什麼選這篇文章？

和上一期《薦三篇》推薦 Against the tyranny of the majority 這篇文章一樣，因為智慧智慧智慧。

可能很多人都聽過托克維爾的那兩本書，《論美國的民主》和《舊制度與大革命》。但大家對托克維爾本人和他的思想了解太少。一方面是大家不關注，另一方面是，網上本身就沒有太多關於托克維爾的資料。有些資料確實不錯，但一般的初學者很難讀懂或壓根就讀不進去。而《經濟學人》這次寫的這個 Briefing 系列通俗易懂。如果你想獲得這些政治哲學家的智慧或洞見，這是你最好的機會。

這篇文章語言不難，但為方便大家讀懂，亂碼還是來給大家科普一下一些必備的知識：

• 托克維爾生於1805年，當時大半個歐洲還處於拿破崙的獨裁統治下。但即便如此，托克維爾堅信民主就是未來。

• 托克維爾很不簡單。在那個年代，主要是中產階級推崇自由思想，而托克維爾是個貴族。

• 托克維爾帶給人們一個很重要的啟示，是自由和民主的關係。他認為沒有民主就一定沒有自由，但有時候即便有民主，也不見得會有自由。

• 托克維爾反思，為什麼美國革命成功了，而法國革命卻沒那麼成功？原因有三：美國有分權機制（checks and balances）；美國繼承了不少英國的好的習慣或規矩（manners）；美國宗教自由。

• 當然，托克維爾也批判了美國民主。大體來說，美國民主可能會有如下五個弊端：Democracy breeds materialism；Democracy breeds envy & shame；The tyranny of the majority；Democracy turns us against authority；Democracy undermines freedom of mind。

• 當然，托克維爾絕非反民主或反美國。只是，他說的這些「弊端」，確實值得我們關注。多的話我就不說了，大家自己去看吧。

亂碼一下

如果你想要這三篇文章的文檔和音頻，去公眾號菜單欄尋找我的二維碼，加我微信，說暗號「亂碼老師我一定好好學習」，我發你。當然，你也可以在《經濟學人》官網閱讀。每個賬號每周可以免費看三篇。

關於我的選文標準，請見：致TE愛好者：並不是每一篇《經濟學人》都值得你精讀。

「I had never learned English—until I met LM.」

http://weixin.qq.com/r/skyEnJLER884rdb-9xmg (二維碼自動識別)