第一篇  英语精读2.1| 一个移民美国的英国作家眼中的意大利

第二篇  英语精读2.2 | 美国式个人主义导致了破落不堪的公共设施

第三篇  英语精读2.3 | 美国——世界最大的消费者，也是最大的污染者

It would be unnecessary for me to list those areas in which thoughtful Americans feel that collapse is coming. It is enough for me to concentrate on education. America has always despised its teachers and, as a consequence, it has been granted the teachers it deserves. The quality of first-grade education that my son received, in a New Jersey town noted for the excellence of its public schools, could not, I suppose, be faulted on the level of dogged conscientiousness. The teachers worked rigidly from the approved rigidly programed primers.

1. despise  vt. 轻视，鄙视

例句:I despise anyone who is cruel to animals.  我鄙视那些虐待动物的人。

despise: 指由于卑鄙、软弱，渺小或无价值等而被轻视。

scorn: 语气较强，指极端的蔑视，常伴有愤怒或恼怒的情感。

look down upon: 指自视地位优越而蔑视他人或事。

2. dogged  adj. 顽强的；顽固的

3. The quality of first-grade education that my son received, (in a New Jersey town noted for the excellence of its public schools,) could not, (I suppose, ) be faulted on the level of dogged conscientiousness. 这一句可将插入从句和插入语抽掉，可以看出是在说他儿子接受的教育质量不能归罪于（老师的）态度。由此可见作者是要批评美国一年级的教育糟糕。翻译时可根据实际需要稍做补充。

4. rigidly adv. 严格地；

5. 翻译：由我来列出很有思想的美国人感到的处于崩溃边缘的领域真是不必要。我只要集中谈谈教育方面就足够了。美国向来轻视教师，其结果是，这个国家得到了它只配得到的教师。我认为，在新泽西州这样一个因其公立学校优秀而闻名的城市里，我儿子在一年级受到的教育的质量之差，不能归罪于教师没有执着的认真态度。教师按批准的规定得死死的初级读本教书，不敢越雷池半步。

图片来自网络

But there seemed to be no spark, no daring, no madness, no readiness to engage the individual child's mind as anything other than raw material for statistical reductions. The fear of being unorthodox is rooted in the American teacher's soul; you can be fired for treading the path of experimental enterprises.

6. unorthodox  adj. 非正统的, 非传统的, 非正规的

7. other than 除了

8. But there seemed to be （no spark, no daring, no madness, no readiness to engage the individual child's mind as anything  / other than raw material for statistical reductions）.

这是there be句型，后面括号里一长串可以看成一个名词。

9. 翻译：但是除了把每个孩子的头脑当作进行数字计算训练的原料之外，似乎不存在能使孩子开动脑筋的火花、胆识、激情与愿望。害怕离经叛道的思想在美国教师的灵魂中根深蒂固，踏上实验事业之路可能使你被解雇。

图片来自网络

I know that American technical genius, and most of all the moon landing, seems to give the lie to too summary a condemnation of the educational system, but there is more to education than the segmental equipping of the mind. There is that transmission of the value of the past as a force still miraculously fertile and moving ——mostly absent from American education at all levels.

10. I know that American technical genius, and most of all the moon landing, seems to give the lie to too summary a condemnation of the educational system.

①too summary a condemnation 太过于武断的谴责（主要讲“谴责”），后面又接着of the educational system是说“对教育太过武断的谴责”，再精简就是“对教育的谴责”

如：too arrogant a man 太武断的一个人（主要讲“人”）

②整句解剖下来就是：I know that XXX seems to give the lie to“对教育的谴责”。

11. transmission of the value of the past 过去的价值转化（A of B of C 句型一般翻译为“C的B的A”；transmission转化一般后面是跟as相连接的）

a force still (miraculously) fertile and moving  仍然（不可思议的）持续的且推动的力量

合起来就是：将”过去的价值转化成一种不可思议推动力量“

12.翻译：我知道美国的技术潜力，特别是登月行动，似乎证明对其教育制度过于武断地进行谴责是在说谎。但是教育的责任不仅在于把头脑分门别类武装起来，还应将过去的价值转化，使其成为不可思议的推动力量——这一点在美国各级教育中 一般都不存在。

图片来自网络

Of course, America was built on a rejection of the past. Even the basic Christianity which was brought to the continent in 1620 was of a novel and bizarre kind. And now America, filling in the vacuum left by the liquefied British Empire, has the task of showing the best thing to the rest of the world. The best thing can only be money-making and consumption for its own sake. In the name of this ghastly creed the jungle must be defoliated .

13. liquefied  adj. 液化的，在此是指解体了的英帝国

14. ghastly adj. 可怕的

15. defoliate  vt. 使落叶  vi. 落叶

16. 翻译：当然，美国是在否定过去的基础上建立起来的。就连在1620年被带到美洲大陆上来的基督教都是新奇古怪的一种。而现在，在填补解体了的大英帝国留下的真空时，美国的任务是告诉其它国家世界最好的东西，那最好的东西只可能是为赚钱消费而赚钱消费。在这一可怕的信念的名义下，必项使丛林变成枯枝秃叶。

No wonder thoughtful Americans feel guilty and want to take all the blame they can find. "What do Europeans really think of us?" is a common question at parties. The expected answer is:"They think you're a load of decadent, gross-lipped, potbellied ,callous, overbearing neo-imperialists."  But the fact is that such an answer, however much desired, would not be an honest one. Europeans think more highly of Americans now than they ever did. Let me explain why.

17. decadent  adj. 堕落的;颓废的

18. gross-lipped  adj. 言语粗俗的

19. potbellied  adj. 大腹便便的,大肚子的

20. callous  adj. 麻木不仁的

21. overbearing  adj. 专横的,傲慢的

像如上17-21的词汇大家可以记下，考试时看到类似形容词也就知道作者的态度了。

22. imperialist n. 帝国主义者

23. 翻译：难怪富于思想的美国人有负罪感，想承担起所有的责难。“欧洲人究竟怎么看我们？”这是各种聚会场合常听到的问题。他们期待的回答是，“他们认为你们是一帮腐化堕落的、言语粗俗的、大腹便便的、麻木不仁的、盛气凌人的新帝国主义者。”但事实是，无论他们多么希望得到这样的回答，这却不是一个诚实的回答。欧洲人对美国人的看法从未像现在这样好。让我解释—下其中的原因。