首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Five Types of Books I. Introduction A. Reading for information, hoping to — improve our minds with the information acquired — g
Five Types of Books I. Introduction A. Reading for information, hoping to — improve our minds with the information acquired — g
admin
2017-03-07
30
问题
Five Types of Books
I. Introduction
A. Reading for information, hoping to
— improve our minds with the information acquired
— give us the means to improve our lives
B. Reading prodigiously & reading【T1】______: two different things【T1】______
— to read books that increase【T2】______【T2】______
— to read books that helps improve our chances of a happy living
II. The first choice: books about【T3】______【T3】______
A. Including not only scientific text books, but also
the books that increase our understanding of the【T4】______【T4】______
B. The value of these books:
— the development of【T5】______【T5】______
— the methods of learning
— how to investigate our intuition and validate it
with evidence
— inspiring wonder and respect for【T6】______【T6】______
III. The second choice: philosophy
A. Teaching us to understand【T7】______【T7】______
B. Including:
— the classic philosophical works
— the great texts of【T8】______【T8】______
IV. The third choice: serious fiction
A. Great works of fiction: containing more truth
B. Fiction:【T9】______ experiences【T9】______
C. Serious fiction: containing a lot of philosophy,
psychology & history
D. Great fiction: being also【T10】______【T10】______
V. The fourth choice:【T11】______【T11】______
A. helping us to interpret our own times
B. recognizing modern prejudices and the nature of humanity
C. Increasing our self understanding
D. Teaching us that ideas and morality are【T12】______【T12】______
VI. The last type: poetry
A. Producing a feeling of【T13】______ for the power of words【T13】______
B. Appreciation of poetry: essential for reading
— sharpening language skills
-【T14】______【T14】______
VII. Resources
A. No formal set of【T15】______【T15】______
B. The Internet
【T4】
Five Types of Books
Good morning. This lecture is going to introduce 5 types of books that can increase intelligence. As you know, we read for information, with the hope that information we acquire will improve our minds, giving us the means to improve our lives. In the modern Age of Information, more reading material is available than ever, making it increasingly difficult to allocate our reading time efficiently. All books are not created equal, and it follows that all readers are not equal either. To read prodigiously and to read profitably are two very different things. A great amount of time is wasted reading books that are forgotten a short time after they’re completed. But time spent reading books that cultivate intelligence and wisdom is a labor that yields continuous benefit over a lifetime. Although it is certainly necessary, for the purposes of business and everyday life, to read about the latest news and trends, that type of reading is outside the scope of this article. My aim is to encourage the reading of books that permanently increase intelligence and, as a result, improve our chances of leading prosperous and fulfilling lives.
The first choice is books about science. Science is not restricted to scientific text books. It includes all books that increase our understanding of the natural world. This includes books on commerce and society, with the unifying theme being the use of evidence to explain events. The great value of these books comes, not from the theories they prove which will likely be disproved in the future, but from the development of curiosity and the methods of learning. Scientific books teach us how to investigate our intuition and validate it with evidence. They also inspire wonder and respect for the physical world and for our own intellect.
Then, philosophy comes as our second choice. In ancient times, science and philosophy grew from the seed of analytical thought. If science teaches us to understand the outside world, philosophy teaches us to understand ourselves. It could very well be called the science of human life. In addition to the classic philosophical works, this category also includes the great religious texts. The Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, etc. are not universally valuable because of religious dogma, but because of the wisdom and beauty that has inspired billions to live loving, pious lives. It is an unfortunate modern bias that philosophy is considered irrelevant. Although we worship at the shrine of modern technology, this is still a very human world. Philosophy will increase your understanding of human needs and desires, knowledge that is essential for spreading ideas and predicting human behavior.
The third one is serious fiction. I’d like to permanently discredit the belief that fictional works are inferior because they’re only "made up stories". Only a person totally devoid of imagination could believe that. Great works of fiction contain more truth than any other literary genre because they allow the reader to experience a new reality. Fiction creates experiences that elevate your level of consciousness. Serious fiction also contains a great deal of philosophy, psychology, and history. Truman Capote said that a good novel is worth more than any scientific study. For the purpose of increasing individual human intelligence, I’m inclined to agree. Great fiction is also great language. And as I’ve written before, reading great language is the only way to become a better writer. It will also make you a better thinker, speaker, and conversationalist.
Moreover, history books are also included. History feels boring because as children it meant dull text books, memorizing dates, and tedious lectures. And who can blame us? The public schools have done their best to take the humanity out of history. But at its best, history is fascinating anecdotes, remarkable characters, and the evolution of ideas that have shaped civilization. By learning about the past we are able to interpret our own times. We are able to recognize modern prejudices and the nature of humanity. Although history may not help us predict the future, it increases self understanding and awareness. It teaches us the timelessness of ideas and morality.
The last type is poetry. I saved poetry for last because convincing you to take it seriously provides the greatest challenge. Poetry arouses images of Shakespearian actors reciting flowery rhymes. It’s no wonder most people think it lacks substance and applicability. But to maintain this opinion is to ignore one of the great joys of human intelligence and underestimate the mysterious power of words. It’s no coincidence that many languages use the same word for poet and prophet. The reading of great poetry produces a feeling that cannot be adequately described, a feeling of awe and reverence for the power of words. Great poetry is the fusion of music and meaning. It is the medium of humanity’s most ancient masterpieces. Poetry sharpens language skills and develops eloquence. Meaning is only half of the great language. The best authors write with a style that is both pleasurable and instructive. An appreciation of poetry is essential for reaching this degree of excellence.
As to resources, I can’t make a formal set of recommendations. There are just too many great books and my experience is too limited. How could I presume to know your tastes or area of interest? What I can do is point out a couple of places where you’ll be sure to find something of interest. Anyone who follows this site knows that I’m a whore for the old stuff. Strangely, the Internet is the best thing that’s happened to old books since the printing press. Bartleby contains an extensive collection of materials that are well formatted for online reading. You should read for self improvement, not to feel educated and superior. Reading, even the most rigorous intellectual type, should be a labor of love. It might be easier to read lighter books, but the moments of discovery created by challenging books are more pleasurable and exhilarating than any suspense novel. If you make an effort to read more profitably, you’ll be rewarded with wisdom, beauty, and many hours of productive leisure.
选项
答案
natural world
解析
科学类的书是指那些能够增加我们对自然世界认识的书。填入录音原词natural world即可。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/wMFYFFFM
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Language-basedlearningdisabilitiesareproblemswithage-appropriatereading,spelling,and/orwriting.Thisdisorderisnot
TheUnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependencewasdraftedandsignedin______
Iwasonly8yearsoldonJuly20,1969,whenNeilArmstrong,38-year-oldcommanderofApollo11,descendedthecrampedlunarmo
StrategiesforWritingaLiteratureReviewAliteraturereviewdiscussespublishedinformationinaparticularsubjectarea.
HowtoPracticeEsperanto?Thereareatleast1,000,000Esperantospeakersworldwidefromover100countriesandtheycomefrom
TheUnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependencewasdraftedandsignedin______
Withtheimprovementofpeople’slivingstandardandthepopularizationoftheInternet,theconsumptionpatternofthegeneral
HowtoPracticeEsperanto?Thereareatleast1,000,000Esperantospeakersworldwidefromover100countriesandtheycomefrom
EnglishBusinessLetterFormatI.Demandsofstationery—thefirstpageiswithaletterhead—otherpagesareof【B1】______and
随机试题
如果一个大型工程项目在签订施工承包合同后,设计资料的深度和其他条件还不足以编制比较具体的施工总进度计划时,则可先编制()。
A.脉虚者人参汤下,脉实者银花、薄荷汤下B.蜜丸,空心盐白汤送下C.蜜丸,清晨温酒下D.蜜丸,午时姜汤下E.蜜丸,空心酒化下,不拘时
女,29岁,哺乳期,右乳房肿痛2天,无发热,体检:右乳房肿胀,内象限有压痛,无波动感根据以上情况应采取哪项措施
某种饼干生产用的抗氧化剂,成分为:抗坏血酸、d/1-生育酚、蔗糖酯、乙醇、磷酸二氢钠
教师的医疗同当地国家公务员享受同等的待遇;()对教师进行身体健康检查,并因地制宜安排教师进行休养。
从所给的四个选项中,选择最合适的一个填入问号处,使之呈现一定的规律:
为了加强城市管理,提升城市文明水平。市管理委员会决定举行一次监督城管执法的市民招募会,请你提出几点建议。
下列关于我国的HPV疫苗的说法错误的是()。
设n阶非零实方阵A的伴随矩阵为A*,且A*=AT.证明|A|≠0.
Inthecourseoftime,Mr.Earnshawbegantofail.Hehadbeenactiveandhealthy,yethisstrengthlefthimsuddenly;andwhen
最新回复
(
0
)