Unit Eight

Knowledge and Wisdom

— Bertrand Russell

Contents• A. Text one

I. Pre-reading: warm-up questions (II). Background information II. While-reading: Text Analysis (I) Structure analysis (II) Comprehension questions (III) Language points (IV) Difficult sentencesIII. Post-Reading: (I) Grammatical items (II) Translation Exercises (III) Oral activities (IV) Writing practice B. Text two（I）Questions for text comprehension （II）Language points

I. Pre-reading: warm-up questions

1. What’s the difference between “being clever and being wise”?

2. What kind of people are considered wise? Cite some examples?

3. How can you become wise? Do you think what you are doing in college contributes to wisdom?

II. While-reading: Text Analysis(I) Structure analysis

• Part Ⅰ(1) Introduction• Part Ⅱ (2—5) Main body of the

essay, telling us what constitutes wisdom.

• Paragraph 2: Of these I should put first a sense of proportion: the capacity to take account of all the important factors in a problem and to attach to each its due weight.

• Paragraph 3: There must be, also, a certain awareness of the ends of human life.

• Paragraph 4: It is needed in the choice of ends to be pursued and in emancipation from personal prejudice.

• Paragraph 5: I think the essence of wisdom is emancipation, as far as possible, from the tyranny of the here and now.

Test Analysis

• What view is commonly accepted in terms of knowledge and wisdom?

• Has the writer stated the purpose of the writing?

• Surpass (exceed)• Vt. To go beyond in quality,

amount or degree.• The result surpasses all our

expectations.• 结果超出了我们的一切预料。

• Surpassing • Adj. to a degree above anything else• her surpassing beauty 她那非凡的美丽 • sur- over , above, beyond

• Correlative• Two or more things naturally

related. 相关的

• Correlate • (with) have a closed or shared

relationship or connection of cause and effect

• They are trying to find out if these behavior patterns correlate with particular changes in diet.

• Correlation• A high correlation between

unemployment and crime• 失业与犯罪的密切相关

• Cease• To stop (formal)• It rained all day without ceasing.• 雨下了一天，一直没停。

• This regulation will cease to have effect from the end of this month.

• 从本月底起，此规章将停止生效。• The company has ceased trading

in this part of the world.• 公司已终止在世界这个地区的贸易活动。

• Ceaseless: unending, continuous 不停的，持续的

• ceaseless activity 持续进行的活动

Paraphrase • But agreement ceases as soon as we

attempt to define “wisdom” and consider means of promoting it.

Promote• 1 ） To give sb. A higher position or

rank • My daughter has just been

promoted.• The young army officer was

promoted to (the rank of) captain.• 这个年轻军官被提升为上尉。

• After this win, Manchester United were promoted to the First Division.

• 这次踢赢之后，曼彻斯特联队升入了甲级。

• 2 ） to help in the growth or development

• Milk promotes health.• 牛奶可增进健康。• New efforts to promote the world

peace. 促进世界和平的新努力。

• Promotion

• an advancement in rank or position• Congratulations on your promotion!• 祝贺你提升• There are good chances of

promotion in this firm.

• 在这家公司提升的机会很多。

• 2)an activity intended to help the development or success of something, esp. a product for sale.

• This year’s sales promotions haven’t been very successful.

• 今年的促销活动不是很成功。

Paragraph 2—5

• Identify the topic sentences of P. 2-5 and the four factors that constitute wisdom.

• A sense of proportion• An awareness of the ends of

human life• Emancipation from personal

prejudice• Impartiality

• What does “sense of proportion” mean?

• Contribute to : • to help to cause or bring about• Poor food contributed to his illness.• Her singing will contribute greatly to

the success of the party.

Proportion

• disproportion• [U] the correct relationship between

the size, position, and shape of the different parts of a whole. 相称，协调

• This drawing isn’t in proportion; the man is larger than the house.

• [U,C] the compared relationship between two things in regard to size, amount, importance, etc. （两件）事物的比列，比 /

• The proportion of men to women in the population has changed in recent years.

• 人口中，男性同女性的比例最近几年有了变化。

• The tax increases in proportion to the amount you earn.

• 所得税随你的收入额按比例增加。• Mix the paint in proportion of one

part of paint to two parts of water.• 按颜料一份，水两份的比例调和颜料。

• 3 ）（ of ） a part or share compared with the whole. 部分，份额

• “What proportion of your wages do you spend on rent?”

• “ about a quarter.”• An increasing proportion of the

children come to school by train.

• Take account of= take something into account

• His exam results were not very good, but we must take into account his long illness.

• 他的考试成绩不好，但是我们必须考虑到他曾经长期生病。

• The teachers promised to take account of the wishes of the parents before making any changes.

• 教师们答应在做出变更之前要考虑家长的愿望。

• Their estimate of the cost takes no account of inflation.

• 他们对费用的估算没有把通货膨胀考虑在内。

• Your objections will be taken into account.

• Attach to• 1 ） To cause to belong to for a

limited period 使参加，使属于• During the war I was attached to the

naval college as a gunnery instructor.

• 战争期间我被分配到海军军事学院当泡术教官。

• I got lost, so I attached myself to another party of tourists.

• 我由于迷了路，所以只好加入另一个旅行团。

• 2 ） to regard a having （ special meaning or importance ）重视， 认为…重要性

• She attached great importance to regular exercise.

• It would be unwise to attach too much significance to these opinion polls.

• 把这些民意检测看的尤为重要是不明智的

Due

• Proper, adequate• They will surely meet with due

punishment.• Due care must be taken while one is

driving.

• Paraphrase:• This has become more difficult than

it used to be owing to the extent and complexity of the specialized knowledge required of various kinds of technicians. (P.2)

• Populous having a large population 人口稠密的

• London is the most populous area of Britain.

• 伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。

• —ous: characterized by: of the nature, characterized by

• Mountainous poisonous

• Spectacular ： attracting, grand 壮观的，雄伟的

• A spectacular firework display• The new play was a spectacular

success.• A spectacular waterfall 蔚为奇观的瀑

布

• —ar of the kind specified• molecular• scholar

• Lunatic• An extremely foolish person (derog)• You lunatic-you nearly drove straight

into me.• Lunatic behavior

• Pursue: try to achieve• She is ruthless in pursuing her

objectives.• It was wrong not to have pursued

peace.

• pursuit of• He devoted every spare moment

to the pursuit of his passion.• The police car raced through the

streets in pursuit of another car.

• Why, according to the writer, is comprehensiveness an important factor that constitutes wisdom?

• Comprehension:• What does “the ends of human life”

refer to?

Constitute

• To form or make up (fml) 不用于进行时• The 50 states that constitute the USA

组成美国的 50 个州• Your attitude constitutes a direct

challenge to my authority.• 你的态度成了对我权威的直接挑战。

• To formally establish or appoint 制定 ,设立

• Government should be constituted by the will of the people.

• 政府应依人民的意志而设立。

Paraphrase:

• Many eminent historians have done more harm than good because they viewed facts through the distorting medium of their own passions. (P.3)

Eminent

• （ of a person ）• famous and admired• Even the most eminent doctors could

not cure him.•甚至是最杰出的医生都治不好他的病。

• Distort• Give a false or dishonest account of• Stop distorting what I’ve said.•别再歪曲我的话了。• The newspaper gave a distorted

account of what had happened.

Lack• To be without • The female bird lacks the male’s

bright coloration.•雌鸟没有雄鸟那种鲜艳夺目的颜色。• He is good at his job, but he seems

to lack confidence.

• What the company lacks is the sufficient money to invest in new products.

•该公司苦于缺少足够的资金来开发新产品。

Lack sth• Be lacking in • The teacher said that the child

was lacking in confidence.• Lack of

• The plants died for lack of water.• There is a certain lack of enthusiasm

for these changes among the membership.

• 会员对这些变动没有多大兴趣。

Inculcate (fml)

• Fix the idea in the mind of sb.反复灌输

• They inculcate the will to succeed in all their children.

• 他们向子女反复灌输立志成功的决心。• They inculcate all their children with

the will to succeed.

• Standard-bearer• One of the standard-bearers of the

anti-nuclear movement.•反核运动的领导者之一。

Paraphrase

• It is by no means uncommon to find men whose knowledge is wide but whose feelings are narrow.

by no means

• In no sense; certainly not:•并没有；绝不：• This remark by no means should be

taken lightly.• 这次讲话绝不能等闲视之

Emancipate • (from) to make free socially,

politically and legally• This new machine will emancipate us

from all the hand work we once had to do.

• 这部新机器把我们从过去不得不干的繁重劳动中解脱出来。

• Emancipation [u]• The emancipation of slaves/

women

Paraphrase:• Even an end which it would be

noble to pursue if it were attainable may be pursued unwisely if it is inherently impossible of achievement. (P. 4)

Attain• To gain or achieve after long

effort 达到，获得 • She attained rank of deputy

director. 她晋升为副局长。• Attain one’s objective• Attainable

Elixir• Don’t imagine that lowing inflation is

an elixir for all our economic ills.• 不要以为减少通货膨胀率就是医治我们所

有的经济弊端的灵丹妙药。

Confer• （ on, upon ） to officially give sb. a

title, honor, favor,etc, especially as a reward for something they have achieved.grant

• An honorary degree was conferred on him by the University.

• 这所大学授予他荣誉学位。

• as it was VS. as it is VS. as it were• I thought things would get better,

but as it is, they are getting worse.• We expected to arrive at 6:30 p.m.,

but as it was, we arrived at 6:40 p.m.

• He becomes, as it were, a man without a country.

• Vice-virtue• Badness of character ( 性格上的 )缺陷，弱点，邪恶 )

• Would you like a whisky?• No, thanks; alcohol isn’t one of my

vices.• 我没贪杯这个习惯

• What does “convincing each that the other has only the normal share of human wickedness” suggest?

• Wickedness• Extremely bad; morally wrong; evil• A wicked man 邪恶的男人

• Enmity—hostility• (fml) the state of being an enemy or

feeling hatred fro sb.•敌对，敌意，仇恨

• instill: to teach sb. to think, behave, or feel in a particular way over a period of time 逐渐灌输，逐步培养

• instill confidence/fear/discipline etc into sb.---A manager’s job is to instill determination into his players.

• We instilled the need for discipline and obedience into the new recruits.

• 我们逐渐使新兵懂得遵守纪律和服从命令的必要性。

Paraphrase• I think the essence of wisdom is

emancipation, as far as possible, from the tyranny of the here and now. (P.5)

• be bound up with: be involved in, dependent on

• The survival of these creatures is intimately bound up with the health of the ocean.

• What does “This is of course a matter of degree.” mean?

• impartial---impartiality• fair• an impartial judge 公正的法官• an impartial news report 不偏不倚的新闻报道

impersonal

• not showing or including personal feelings. 不受个人情感影响的

• a impersonal letter 不带个人感情的信• a large impersonal organization 一个

没有人情味的大机构

1 。我们的健康状况取决于均衡的食物搭配﹑坚持不懈的体育锻炼和良好的生活习惯。

• Our health is bound up with a balanced diet,steady physical exercises and a healthy life habit.

• 2 。参加本次峰会的各国领导都表示要重视国际交流与合作，促进世界和平。

• The national leaders present at the summit meeting have all agreed to promote world peace by attaching due weight to international cooperation and communication.

3 。这篇有关中国的报道显然意在歪曲事实真相，向世人灌输关于中国的错误印象。

• By distorting facts and truths,this report on China obviously means to inclucate a wrong image in the world.

• 4 。比尔 . 盖茨由于对计算机科学的杰出贡献而被许多大学授予荣誉学位。

• Many universities conferred honorary degrees on Bill Gates for his remarkable contribution to computer science.

5 。 要充分理解巴以两国的敌对情绪，就必须首先考虑两国在宗教信仰上的分歧。

• To fully understand the enmities between the Palestinians and the Israelis, we must first take account of their different religious beliefs.

• 6 。妇女解放运动意在帮助广大妇女树立这样一种观念，即女性并不比男性差，只是缺少平等的发展机会。 The women’s ema-ncipation movement has meant to instill in most women the idea that women are not inferior to men, but lack as it is equal opportunities for development.

• Thank You