受教一时，受益一世

from nytimes.com 译/ 陈一苇

对于教育，英国政治家乔治·萨维尔曾下过这样的定义：“教育就是我们被灌输的知识忘光之后剩下的东西。”(Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught.)的确，真正的教育不是死记硬背的书本知识，而是受益一生的智慧启发。寒窗苦读十数载，总有那么几次特殊的教育经历令我们感念一生。它或是教会了我们思考的方法，或是教会了我们做人的道理，又或是在我们脆弱之时为我们点起希望的火苗……

Saturday Morning at the Museum

By Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City

When I was growing up, Saturday mornings meant one thing only to me: a trip to the Boston Museum of Science. I loved science—still do—and there was nowhere else Id rather be. The museums instructors would give these fascinating two-hour lectures and demonstrate the laws of physics using hands-on1) experiments. They would also quiz us on the museums exhibits, and all the kids would try to show off by having every answer. Those visits to the museum stretched my mind in ways that my schoolwork didnt. They taught me to listen, question, test and analyze. Figuring out how things work—and how they can work better—is what led me to become an engineer, a technology entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a mayor. I guess I can count my lucky stars that there were no Saturday morning cartoons when I was kid.

The Price of Fur in Byzantium2)

By Lewis Lapham, editor, Lahphams Quarterly

I dont now remember the name of the don3) assigned to conduct my first tutorial at Cambridge University in the autumn of 1956, but I remember the setting—late-afternoon fog, coals burning in an ancient grate4), the don in academic gown seated behind a silver tea service. Five months earlier I graduated from Yale University with the intention of becoming a licensed historian who could be counted upon to attach the name of a dead poet or an unhorsed5) king to the appropriate zeitgeist6).

My tutor was delighted to learn of my ambition. Great news, he said, but maybe you could spare a few moments for the 12th century? I managed to sustain the illusion of scholarship for about the length of time it takes to see five deals of blackjack7). When I exhausted my supply of talking points, the tutor poured us both a second cup of tea, and for the next quarter of an hour, he asked questions about aspects of the 12th century that I had possibly overlooked. In Byzantium, for instance, the prices bid and asked for Russian fur and Christian slaves?

My failure to hazard8) even so much as a plausible guess moved the don to a murmur of mild regret. Yes, well, he said, you Americans have this wonderful talent for broad statement and grand abstraction that hasnt been granted to their poorer cousins here in England. Before reaching the general theory, you see, we like to have in hand a passing9) acquaintance with at least some of the facts.

The Lifelong Incomplete

By Robert Storr, artist and critic

Back in the 1960s Bruno Bettelheim10) gave a talk to my senior class in high school. He explained that in prewar Vienna he studied several subjects in depth as a graduate student—chiefly art and philosophy—but each time stopped short of completing the final requirements because doing so would have decided his professional fate prematurely, given his many intense interests. (Hitler then prevented his receiving a doctorate in psychology, his ultimate field11).) He told us to beware of committing to anything until we knew for sure what we wanted to be, but recommended that we set out to become dedicated ABD (all-but-degree) students of everything that excited our minds. Biographers say that Bettelheim was a compulsive fabulist12), but I am grateful for his insight even if the story he told wasnt true. His example—fictional or real—was more useful to me than all the “practical” advice I was given.

In Mrs. Crowells Library

By Junot Diaz13), author

I remember her as a small woman. But what do I know? I was small myself. Shes in none of the official photographs I have from my elementary-school days, but in my memory, my first librarian is a gentle white woman who wore glasses and was exceedingly kind to this new immigrant. I do not remember her voice, but I do remember that every time I saw her, she called me to her desk and showed me with an almost conspiratorial14) glee a book she had picked out for me, a book I always read and often loved.

Every now and then you get lucky in your education and you make a teacher-friend; Mrs. Crowell was my first. By second grade she was allowing me to take out more books than the prescribed limit. By third grade I was granted admission to her librarians office. My love of books was born of hers. As a newcomer with almost no knowledge of the country which Id found myself in, I was desperate to understand where the hell I was, who I was. I sought those answers in books. It was in Mrs. Crowells library that I found my first harbor, my first truly safe place in the United States. I still feel a happy pulse15) every time I see a library. Im with Borges16) in imagining Paradise as “a kind of library” where instead of angels there will be a corps of excellent librarians.

Boarding-School Blues

By Pico Iyer, author

Older boys were allowed to beat younger ones at my 15th-century English boarding school, and every boy had to run a five-mile annual steeplechase17) through the sludge and rain of an October day, as horses do. We wrote poems in dead languages18) and recited the Lords Prayer in Latin every Sunday night. At my previous school, we had to race through cold showers every morning at dawn before a breakfast of lukewarm19) kippers20) or porridge. Fourteen of us, aged 9, shared a single damp chamber and, clutching teddy bears, thought of parents in faraway Hong Kong or Nairobi or (in my case) California. Well-meaning friends shudder when I recall my school days for them now; I glow nostalgically21). Forty years on, I see my relentless training in these ancient institutions (partly monastic22) and largely military) as the most benign influence in my life, and one of its happiest memories. The world is tough, the system was saying, and to find happiness in it you have to summon resilience, resolve and self-sufficiency. This is a process developed over centuries to teach you how to govern yourself and how, as the Buddhists say, to live joyfully in a world of sorrows.

Just Ask. Then Keep Asking.

By Lisa Randall, professor of physics, Harvard University

I was shy the way many geeky girls can be. Professors hardly noticed that they rarely answered girls questions before some boy who didnt actually know the answer interrupted. But a professor who later became my adviser gave me the best advice I ever received, which was to not be afraid to speak up and ask questions. Suddenly teachers were speaking directly to me, and my questions were usually good enough that I could detect the relief of other students who actually had the same ones, reassuring me I was doing the right thing. Now, as a professor, I know not to see classes as passive experiences. The occasional interruption keeps people engaged and illuminates subtle points, and in research even leads to new research directions. Just participating and questioning makes your mind work better. Dont you agree?

周六上午的博物馆之行

——纽约市市长迈克尔·彭博

小时候，每周六上午对于我而言仅仅意味着一件事：去波士顿科学博物馆。我喜欢科学——现在也是——我不愿待在别的地方。博物馆讲解员会讲两个小时精彩的课，并通过动手实验来演示物理定律。他们还会问我们与博物馆展品有关的问题，孩子们竞相回答每一个问题，以此向人炫耀。参观博物馆的那些经历以独特的方式拓展了我的思维，而这是学校布置给我的作业所做不到的。它们让我学会了聆听、提问、验证和分析。弄清事物如何运作的，以及如何更好地运作，这种行为方式引领我一路成长，先后成为工程师、科技企业家、慈善家，最后成为一个市长。我猜我之所以如此幸运，就是因为我的孩提时代每个星期六的上午都没有动画片可看。

拜占庭的毛皮价格

——《拉帕姆季刊》主编刘易斯·拉帕姆

1956年秋天，我就读剑桥大学，当时学校指派一名学监对我进行第一次课程辅导，学监姓甚名谁，我现在已经不记得了，但对那时的情景却记忆犹新：傍晚时分的雾，老式壁炉里燃烧的煤块，身穿学院袍端坐在一套银制茶具后的学监。五个月前，我刚从耶鲁大学毕业，一心想要成为一名专业的历史学家，做一个世人仰仗的权威，去给某个已故诗人或某位下台国王的名字前贴上恰如其分的时代精神标签。

得知我的雄心壮志后，学监很高兴。他说：“很好，不过你能不能略微谈谈12世纪的历史呢？”我只用大约看完五局21点牌戏所需的时间谈了谈，勉励支撑自己学术渊博的幻想。在我终于无话题可谈的时候，学监给我和他自己各倒了第二杯茶。在接下来的15分钟时间里，他就12世纪的各个方面问了一些我可能会忽视了的问题。比如说，在拜占庭，买卖俄罗斯毛皮和信仰基督教的奴隶时，买卖双方的出价和要价分别是多少？

我斗着胆子连蒙带猜，但猜得太离谱，连边都不沾。学监听后轻声地表达了些许遗憾。他说，好吧，在高谈阔论与高度的抽象思维方面，你们美国人确实天赋极佳，你们在英国的这群可怜的兄弟姐妹们并没有这种天赋。你瞧，在达成概括性的理论之前，我们通常希望对至少某些事实有个粗略的了解。

“浅尝辄止”的人生

——艺术家和文艺评论家罗伯特·斯托尔

20世纪60年代，布鲁诺·贝特尔海姆曾来我所在的高中毕业班发表过一次演讲。他说，在二战前的维也纳，他曾以研究生的身份深入地学过几门课——主要是艺术和哲学——但是他每次都在完成课程的最终要求之前选择终止，因为一旦学业完成，他的职业命运就会被确定，而考虑到他对很多方面都有着浓厚兴趣，那时确定还为时过早。(后来，因为希特勒的缘故，他没能拿到心理学博士学位——他最终选择的领域。)他告诉我们，在我们尚未确定自己想成为什么样的人之前，要谨防轻易地承诺做任何事情。不过，他建议我们，对于一切可以激发我们心智的事情，都要着手去做，成为专注于其中的“准学位”学生。有传记作家称贝特尔海姆是一个说谎成性的人，但就算他所讲述的故事并不真实，我还是对他所提的深刻见解心怀感激。对我而言，他的现身说法——无论是虚构的还是真实的——比我听到的所有“实用”建议都管用得多。

克罗威尔夫人的图书馆里

——作家朱诺特·迪亚兹

我记得她是一个瘦小的女人。不过我又懂什么呢？那时我自己还是个小孩子。在我保留的小学时候的正式照片中没有她的身影，但在我的记忆中，我遇到的第一位图书管理员是一个温文尔雅的白人女士。她戴着眼镜，对我这个新来的移民极为和蔼。我已经不记得她的声音，但我真切地记得，每次我见到她时，她都会把我叫到她的桌旁，脸上带着近乎诡秘的欣喜神情，递给我一本她为我挑选的书。这些书我都会读完，常常爱不释手。

在求学的过程中，你时常会幸运地与一位老师成为朋友；克罗威尔夫人就是我第一个这样的朋友。到二年级时，她开始允许我带走超出规定数量的书。到三年级时，我获准可以进出她的管理员办公室。我喜欢看书，就是受她的熏陶。作为一个新移民，发现自己置身于一个全然陌生的国度，我极度渴望了解自己到底身处何地、身为何人。我在书本中寻找到了这些问题的答案。正是在克罗威尔夫人的图书馆，我找到了自己在美国的第一个避风港，第一个真正让我有安全感的地方。如今每当我看见图书馆，内心依然会油然升起一种幸福的感觉。与博尔赫斯一样，我也愿意把天堂想象成“一种图书馆”，在那儿，没有天使，只有一群非凡的图书管理员。

寄宿学校的辛酸往事

——作家皮科·艾尔

在我曾就读的那所建于15世纪的英国寄宿学校里，是容许年长的男孩欺负年幼的男孩的。而且，每年10月，男生个个都要在下雨天的烂泥地里完成一次五英里越野赛跑，就像马一样。我们用人们已不再使用的语言写诗，每周日晚用拉丁语朗诵《主祷文》。而在我此前就读的那所学校，每天清晨天一亮，我们就要在冰冷的雨中赛跑，之后才能用早餐，吃的是微微有点热气儿的腌鱼或粥。那时我们九岁，14个人共用一间潮湿的宿舍。我们怀抱泰迪熊，想念着远在香港、内罗毕或(就我而言)加利福尼亚的父母。现在，当我跟朋友们讲起我的学校时光时，这些善意的人总觉得那些回忆让人不寒而栗；但我却因怀念而激动不已。40年来，我一直认为，在这些旧式学校(部分是修道院式管理，但主要是军事化管理)经受严苛训练的经历对我的人生产生了最为有益的影响，也是我一生中最幸福的记忆之一。那套体制告诉我们，世道艰难，要想在世间寻求幸福，就要能应变，有决心，自给自足。这是一个历经数百年发展而来的道理，它教你如何主宰自己的生活，如何像佛教徒说的那样苦中作乐。

但“问”无妨

——哈佛大学物理学教授丽莎·兰道尔

许多闷头读书的女孩都有点害羞，我也一样。有个现象教授们几乎不会注意到，那就是对女生提出的问题，要是没有哪个男生插上几句，教授们往往都置之不理，而这个男生其实并不知道答案。不过，一位后来成为我导师的教授给我提了一个我有生以来最受用的建议，那就是想说就说，想问就问，不必害怕。于是忽然之间，我发现老师们开始直接与我对话了。事实上我所提的问题通常都恰到好处，我能觉察出抱有同样疑问的其他学生都如释重负，这也让我确信自己这样做是正确的。如今，身为一名教授，我很清楚，不能将课堂看成是一个被动的灌输过程。间或的中断可以集中大家的注意力，启发大家阐述微妙的论点，在科研中甚至还可以引出新的研究方向。积极参与、大胆提问会让你的思维更加敏捷。你不这样认为吗？

1. hands-on：亲身实践的；实习的

2. Byzantium [b??z?nta?m] n. 拜占庭，古罗马城市，后曾称君士坦丁堡，今称为伊斯坦布尔。

3. don [d?n] n. (牛津、剑桥大学)的学监

4. grate [ɡre?t] n. 壁炉，炉

5. unhorse [?n?h??s] vt. 推翻

6. zeitgeist [?za?tɡa?st] n. 时代精神，时代思潮

7. blackjack [?bl?kd??k] n. [牌] 21点(一种坐庄牌戏)

8. hazard [?h?z?d] vt. 斗胆提出；大胆猜测

9. passing [?pɑ?s??] adj. 仓促的，粗略的，随便的

10.Bruno Bettelheim：布鲁诺·贝特尔海姆(1903～1990)，美国心理学家，儿童自闭症研究的发起人。贝特尔海姆出生于奥地利维也纳，晚年因妻子死亡和被指对儿童误诊而自杀。

11. 指1938年布鲁诺·贝特尔海姆即将拿到心理学博士学位时被关进了纳粹集中营。

12. fabulist [?f?bj?l?st] n. 说谎者

13. Junot Diaz：朱诺特·迪亚兹(1968～)，出生于多米尼加共和国，1974年随父母移民美国，现为麻省理工学院教写作的教授，兼任《波士顿评论》的编辑，其首部长篇小说《奥斯卡·瓦奥短暂而奇妙的一生》(The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao)曾获普利策奖。

14. conspiratorial [k?n?sp?r??t??ri?l] adj. 诡秘的，鬼鬼祟祟的

15. pulse [p?ls] n. 意向，心态，情感

16. Borges：即豪尔赫·路易斯·博尔赫斯(Jorge Luis Borges，1899～1986)，阿根廷作家与翻译家，作品颇丰。他写作的短篇小说《巴别塔图书馆》(The Library of Babel)将宇宙描述成一个拥有无数图书的图书馆。

17. steeplechase [?sti?plt?e?s] n. 障碍跑

18. dead language：在口语中不再使用的语言(如拉丁语)

19. lukewarm [?lu?k?w??m] adj. 微温的，温度适中的

20. kipper [?k?p?(r)] n. 腌晒(或熏制的)鲱鱼(或鲑鱼等)

21. nostalgically [n??st?ld??kli] adv. 怀旧地

22. monastic [m??n?st?k] adj. 修道院似的，纪律严格的