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
74
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
【T10】
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
great language
解析
讲座提到,伟大的小说也是伟大的语言,即great language。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/AK7O777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Language-basedlearningdisabilitiesareproblemswithage-appropriatereading,spelling,and/orwriting.Thisdisorderisnot
HowtoApproachDiscursiveWriting?Howtoimprovetheeffectivenessofstudents’writing?Therearesixstageswhichshould
HowtoApproachDiscursiveWriting?Howtoimprovetheeffectivenessofstudents’writing?Therearesixstageswhichshould
IshouldstartbysayingasclearlyasIcanthatIloveantibiotics.RecentlyIhaddinnerwithapediatricianfriend,andshe
______isaprincipalrepresentativeofTheLondonSchool.
TheUnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependencewasdraftedandsignedin______
Duringthenextfewweekspublisherswillreleaseacrushofbooks,pilethemontodeliverylorriesandfighttogetthemonthe
Onewaytoovercomeregionalvariationandfacilitatethecommunicationbetweenspeakersofdifferentdialectsistoenforce____
Withthedevelopmentofelectronictechnology,theSocialNetworkingServices(SNS)havebecomeanessentialpartofpeople’sl
我一直以为大学校长是高瞻远瞩、指导学术与教育大方向的决策人,而不是管馒头稀饭的保姆,但这也暂且不提。这一类型的教育者的用心,毋庸置疑,当然是善意的。问题是,我们论“事”的时候,用心如何根本不重要,重要的是实际的后果,而教育的后果何其严重!在这种过度呵护的幼
随机试题
依照现有专利法,以下各项中可以授予专利的有()
治疗肺结核阴阳两虚型,应首选
A.强硬舌B.弄舌C.吐舌D.歪斜舌E.短缩舌舌微露出口,立即收回,或舐口唇上下左右,摇动不停者,称为
A.炮附子、山茱萸B.炮附子、肉桂C.枸杞子、菟丝子D.山茱萸、牛膝E.鹿角胶、龟甲胶左归丸和右归丸两方的组成药物中均含有
预防维生素D缺乏病的措施中错误的一项是
生物洁净室净化空调机组应采用()加湿。
定量风险分析与建模技术包括()
【2017年(卷I)】企业生产X产品,工时标准为2小时/件,变动制造费用标准分配率为24元/小时,当期实际产量为600件,实际变动制造费用为32400元,实际工作为1296小时,则在标准成本法下,当期变动制造费用效率差异为()元。
栈和队列的共同特点是()。
新光小学为了学生的健康成长,要求每个学生每天在早读前,统一喝一袋早餐奶。一个学年下来,有人对该校的这个举措提出了异议,理由是,该校喝了早餐奶的学生的平均身高并没有比其他学校同年级的不喝早餐奶的学生的平均身高高。因此,他们要求该校停止让学生早读前统一喝早餐奶
最新回复
(
0
)