UNIT 3
TEXT
Jefferson died long ago, but may of his ideas still of great interest to us.
Lessons from Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, may be less famous than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but most people remember at last one fact about him: he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Although Jefferson lived more than 200 years ago, there is much that we learn from him today. Many of his ideas are especially interesting to modern youth. Here are some of the things he said and wrote:
Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books and that personal investigation is important. When still a young man, he was appointed to a committee to find out whether the South Branch of the James River was deep enough to be used by large boats. While the other members of the committee sat in the state capitol and studied papers on the subject, Jefferson got into a canoe and made on-the-spot-observations.
You can learn from everyone. By birth and by education Jefferson belonged to the highest social class. Yet, in a day when few noble persons ever spoke to those of humble origins except to give an order, Jefferson went out of his way to talk with gardeners, servants, and waiters. Jefferson once said to the French nobleman, Lafayette, "You must go into the people's homes as I have done, look into their cooking pots and eat their bread. If you will only do this, you may find out why people are dissatisfied and understand the revolution that is threatening France."
Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other people's opinions without careful thought. "Neither believe nor reject anything," he wrote to his nephew, "because any other person has rejected or believed it. Heaved has given you a mind for judging truth and error. Use it."
Jefferson felt that the people "may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false, and to form a correct judgment. Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."
Do what you believe is right. In a free country there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is conflict and not unquestioning agreement that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy in letters to a friend, "There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and on it with effect, those who take the other side will of course resent your actions."
Trust the future; trust the young. Jefferson felt that the present should never be chained to customs which have lost their usefulness. "No society," he said, "can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs to the living generation." He did not fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. "How much pain," he remarked, "has been caused by evils which have never happened! I expect the best, not the worst. I steer my ship with hope, leaving fear behind."
Jefferson's courage and idealism were based on knowledge. He probably knew more than any other man of his age. He was an expert in agriculture, archeology, and medicine. He practiced crop rotation and soil conservation a century before these became standard practice, and he invented a plow superior to any other in existence. He influenced architecture throughout America, and he was constantly producing devices for making the tasks of ordinary life easier to perform.
Of all Jefferson's many talents, one is central. He was above all a good and tireless writer. His complete works, now being published for the first time, will fill more than fifty volumes. His talent as an author was soon discovered, and when the time came to write the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776, the task of writing it was his. Millions have thrilled to his words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…"
When Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American independence, he left his countrymen a rich legacy of ideas and examples. American education owes a great debt to Thomas Jefferson, Who believed that only a nation of educated people could remain free.
NEW WORDS
declaration
n. document containing an open public announcement 宣言
independence
n. freedom from the control of others 独立
obtain
vt. get through effort 获得
source
n. place from which sth. comes; place where a river starts （来）源；源头
personal
a. done in person; belonging to a person 亲自的；个人的
investigation
n. detailed or careful examination 调查
investigate
vt.
appoint
vt. put (sb.) in a position 任命
appointment
n.
committee
n. a group of people chosen for special duties 委员会
capitol
n. （美国）州议会大厦
canoe
n. light boat moved by a paddle 独木舟
on-the-spot
a. at the place of the action 现场的
humble
a. low in position 地位低下的
origin
n. parentage; birth; beginning 血统；出身；起源
gardener
n. person who works in a garden either for pay or as a hobby 园丁
waiter
n. person who serves food to the tables in a restaurant （男）侍者
nobleman
n. 贵族
dissatisfy
vt. hang over dangerously; utter a threat against 使不满
threaten
vt. hang over dangerously; utter a threat against 威胁
threat
n.
reject
vt. refuse to take, believe, use of consider 拒绝
rejection
n.
nephew
n. the son of one's brother or sister
error
n. mistake; sth. done wrongly
false
a. not true or correct
judgment
n. opinion 判断， 看法
hesitate
vi. feel doubtful; be undecided 犹豫，迟疑不决
hesitation
n.
prefer
vt. like better; choose (one thing) rather than (another) 更喜欢；宁愿
preference
n.
latter
a. nearer to the end 后面的；后半的
n. the second of two persons or things just spoken of 后者
conflict
n. be opposed; clash 冲突
n. disagreement; clash; fight
unquestioning
a. given or done without question or doubt
agreement
n. having the same opinion(s); thinking in the same way 同意；一致的
criticism
n. unfavourable remarks of judgments 批评
critic
n. person who makes judgments about the good and bad qualities of sth.; person who points out mistakes 评论家；批评者
criticize
vt.
philosophy
n. 哲学
resent
vt. feel angry or bitter at 对...忿恨;对...不满
action
n. the process of doing things; sth. done 行动过程；行动
custom
n. 习惯,风俗
perpetual
a. never-ending; going on for a long time or without stopping 永恒的;连续不断的
constitution
n. 宪法;章程
living
a. alive now 活(着)的
remark
vt. say; comment 说;评论说
n. 话语;评论
evil
n. sth. bad; sin 邪恶,罪恶
a. very bad 邪恶的,坏的
idealism
n. 理想主义;唯心主义
arch(a)eology
n. study of ancient things, esp. remains of prehistoric times 考古学
rotation
n. 轮作;旋转
rotate
v.
conservation
n. protecting from loss of from being used up 保护;保存
conserve
vt.
superior
a. good or better in quality or value 较好的;优的
superiority
n.
existence
n. the state of existing 存在
influence
vt. have an effect on 影响
architecture
n. art and science of building 建筑术;建筑学
constantly
ad. continuously; frequently 不断地;经常地
constant
a.
perform
vt. do, carry out 做,履行
talent
n. special natural ability 才能,天资
central
a. chief; main; most important 主要的
tireless
a. never or rarely getting tired
writer
n. a person who writes esp. as a way of earning money 作家
publish
vt. have (a book, etc.) printed and put on sale 出版
volume
n. book, esp. one of a set of books 卷;册
thrill
vi. have a very exciting feeling 非常激动
self-evident
a. clear without proof 不言而喻的
create
vt. make (sth. that has not been made before) 创造
creation
n.
anniversary
n. the yearly return of a special date 周年纪念日
countryman
n. a person from one's own country 周胞
legacy
n. sth. that one person leaves to another when he dies 遗产
owe
vt. 欠(债等);应把...归功于
debt
n. something owed to someone else 债(务)
educate
vt. train; teach how to read, write, think, etc.
PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS
go out of one's way (to do sth.)
take particular trouble; make a special effort 特地
leave...to
leave sb. in charge of 交托,委托
act on
act according to 按照...行事
leave behind
abandon; fall to take or bring 丢弃;留下,忘带
in existence
existing 存在
above all
most important of all 首先,尤其是
PROPER NAMES
Bruce Bilven
布鲁斯.布利文
Thomas Jefferson
托马斯.杰斐逊
George Washington
乔治.华盛顿
Abraham Lincoln
亚伯拉罕.林肯
the Declaration of Independence
《独立宣言》
the James River
詹姆斯河
Lafayette
拉斐特
France
法国
Heaven
上帝；天堂
Philadelphia
费城（美国港市）
参考译文——杰斐逊的遗训
杰斐逊已谢世很久，但他的许多思想仍使我们感到很大的兴趣。
杰斐逊的遗训
布鲁斯·布利文
美国第三任总统托马斯·杰斐逊也许不像乔治·华盛顿和亚伯拉罕·林肯那样著名，但大多数人至少记得有关他的一件事实：是他写的《独立宣言》。
虽然杰斐逊生活在二百多年以前，但我们今天仍可以从他身上学到很多东西。他的许多思想对当代青年特别有意义。下面就是他讲过和写到过的一些观点：
自己去看。杰斐逊认为，一个自由的人除了从书本中获取知识外，还可以从许多别的来源获得知识；他认为，亲自做调查是很重要的。在他还很年轻的时候，他就被任命为一个委员会的成员，去调查詹姆斯河南部支流的水深是否可以通行大型船只。委员会的其他成员都坐在州议会大厦内研究有关这一问题的文件，而杰斐逊却跳进一只独木舟去做现场观测。
你可以向任何人学习。按出身及其所受的教育，杰斐逊均属于最高的社会阶层。然而，在那个贵人们除了发号施令以外很少跟出身卑贱的人说话的年代，杰斐逊却常破例跟园丁、仆人和侍者交谈。有一次杰斐逊曾这样对法国贵族拉斐特说过：“你必须像我那样到平民百姓的家里去，看看他们的锅里煮些什么，吃吃他们的面包。只要你肯这样做，你就会发现老百姓为什么会不满意，你就会理解正在威胁着法国的革命。”。
自己作判断。未经过认真的思考，杰斐逊绝不接受别人的意见。他在给侄子的信中写道：“不要因为别的人相信或拒绝了什么东西，你也就去相信它或拒绝它。上帝赐予你一个用来判断真理和谬误的头脑。那你就运用它吧。”
杰斐逊觉得，人民“是完全可以信赖的，应该让他们听到一切真实和虚伪的东西，然后作出正确的判断。倘使让我来决定，我们是应该有一个政府而不要报纸呢还是应该有报纸而不要政府，我会毫不犹豫地选择后者。”
做你认为是正确的事。在一个自由的国家里总会有各种相互冲突的思想，而这正是力量的源泉。使自由保持活力的是冲突而不是绝对的一致。虽然有好多年杰斐逊一直受到激烈的批评，但他从不回应那些批评他的人。他在写给一位朋友的信中表达了自己的观点：“每个问题都有两面。如果你坚决站在一面并根据它有效地采取行动，那么，站在另一面的那些人当然会对你的行动怨恨不满。”
相信未来，相信青年。杰斐逊认为，绝不可以用那些已经无用的习俗来束缚住“现在”的手脚。他说：“没有哪个社会可以制订一部永远适用的宪法，甚至连一条永远适用的法律也制订不出来。地球是属于活着的一代的。”他不害怕新的思想，也不害怕未来。他评论说：“有多少痛苦是由一些从未发生过的灾难引起的啊！我期待的是最好的东西，而不是最坏的东西。我满怀希望地驾驶着自己的航船，而把恐惧抛在后面。”
杰斐逊的勇气和理想主义是以知识为基础的。他懂得的东西也许比同时代的任何人都要多。在农业、考古学和医学方面他都是专家。在人们普遍采用农作物轮作和土壤保持的做法以前一个世纪，他就这样做了。他还发明了一种比当时任何一种都好的耕犁。他影响了整个美国的建筑业，他还不断地制造出各种器械装置，使日常生活中需要做的许多工作变得更加容易。
在杰斐逊的众多才能中，有一种是最主要的：他首先是一位优秀的、不知疲倦的作家。目前正在第一次出版的他的全集将超过五十卷。他作为一个作家的才能很快便被发现了，所以，当1776年在费城要撰写《独立宣言》的时刻来到时，这一任务便落在了他肩上。数以百万计的人们读到他写的下列词句都激动不已：“我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的：一切人生来就是平等的……”
1826年7月4日，正值美国独立五十周年纪念日之际，杰斐逊与世长辞了。他给他的同胞留下了一份丰富的思想遗产和众多的榜样。托马斯·杰斐逊对美国的教育事业作出了巨大的贡献，他认为，只有受过教育的人民组成的国家才能保持自由。
