According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today’s traditional-age college freshmen are “more materialistic and less altruistic” than at any time in the 17 years of the poll.
根据一项基于188000多名学生回答的调查，当今传统年龄的大学新生“更物质主义，少利他主义” 比17年以来任何时候都要多。
Not surprising in these hard times, the student’s major objective “is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life.” It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting.
在这些困难时期，学生的主要目标“是经济上富裕。发展有意义的人生哲学比以往任何时候都不重要。”这并不奇怪。因此，今天最受欢迎的课程不是文学或历史，而是会计。
Interest in teaching, social service and the “altruistic” fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up.
对教学、社会服务和“利他主义”领域的兴趣很低。另一方面，商业项目、工程和计算机科学的入学人数大幅增加。
That’s no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors her first year on the job—even before she completed her two-year associate degree.
这也不奇怪。我的一个朋友（一家化工公司的销售代表）在工作的第一年，甚至在她完成两年的副学士学位之前，她的工资就是大学讲师的两倍。
While it’s true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions—be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs.
虽然我们都需要一份职业，但同样真实的是，我们的文明在远离我们自己的领域积累了令人难以置信的知识，我们对这些其他贡献的理解也更好——无论是科学还是艺术。同样正确的是，在研究他人不同智慧的过程中，我们学会了如何思考。也许更重要的是，教育教会我们看到事物之间的联系，以及超越我们的直接需求。
Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company; no job. How shortsighted in the long run!
每周我们都会看到工会为了提高工资而罢工，结果却把雇主赶下台。没有公司；没有工作。从长远来看，多么短视啊！
But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom: “Miss Baxter,” he says, “could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?”
但是，对于广泛的教育来说，最重要的论点是，通过学习时代积累的智慧，我们可以提高我们的道德感。我最近看了一幅漫画，画的是一群商人坐在会议桌旁，看起来很困惑；其中一人正在对讲机里讲话：“巴克斯特小姐，你能请一个能明辨是非的人来吗？”
From the long-term point of view, that’s what education really ought to be about.
从长远来看，这才是教育真正应该做的。
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