When they advise your kids to "get an education" if you want to raise your income, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide man power for your society, but not too much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.
Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you are occupationally dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison and you can successfully drop out in grade school.
Get a college degree, if possible. With a B. A., you are on the launching pad. But now you have to start to put on the brakes. If you go for a master's degree, make sure it is an M. B. A., and only from a first-rate university. Beyond this, the famous law of diminishing returns begins to take effect.
Do you know, for instance, that long-haul truck drivers earn more a year than full professors Yes, the average 1977 salary for those truckers was $24,000, while the full professors managed to average just $23,930.
A Ph. D. is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, you are facing a dim future. There are more Ph.D.s unemployed or underemployed in this country than in any other part of the world by far.
If you become a doctor of philosophy in English or history or anthropology or political science or languages or－ worst of all－ in philosophy, you run the risk of becoming overeducated for our national demands. Not for our needs, mind you, but for our demands.
Thousands of Ph.D.s are selling shoes, driving cabs, waiting on tables and filling out fruitless applications month after month And then maybe taking a job in some high school or backwater college that pays much less than the janitor earns.
You can equate the level of income with the level of education only so far. Far enough, that is, to make you useful to the gross national product, but not so far that nobody can turn much of a profit on you.
- According to the writer, what the society expects of education is to turn out people who_____
- will not be a shame to the society B. will become loyal citizens
- can take care of themselves
- can meet the demands as a source of manpower
- Many Ph.D. s are out of job because_______
- they are wrongly educated B. they are of little commercial value to the society
- there are fewer jobs in high schools D. they prefer easy jobs to more money
- The nation is only interested in people ______
- with diplomas B. specialized in physics and chemistry
- valuable to the gross national product D. both A and C
- Which of the following is NOT true
- Bernard Shaw didn't finish high school, nor did Edison.
- One must think carefully before going for a master's degree.
- The higher your educational level, the more money you will earn.
- If you are too well educated, you'll make things difficult for the society.
核心词汇注释
diploma n．文凭，毕业证书；证明权力、特权、荣誉等的证书；奖状
launching n．下水
pad n．垫，衬垫；便笺簿 v.．加上衬垫
brake n．闸，刹车 v．刹车
diminish v．减少，(使)变小
return n．回来，返回：来回票；利润；回答。办返回的，回程的；报答的；反向的；重现的
vi．回返，归还 vt．归还，回报：报告，获得；回答；返回
dim adj．暗淡的，模糊的，无光泽的：悲观的，怀疑的
vt．使暗淡，使失去光泽 n．<美俚>笨蛋，傻子
anthropology n．人类学
overeducate vt．使接受(超过职业需要的)过多教育
fruitless adj．不结果实的
backwater n．死水，停滞不动的状态或地方
janitor n．看门人
长难句剖析
What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide man power for your society, but not too much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.
[结构分析]本句是主系表结构。what引导的名词从句作主语，系动词是is，to do不定式作表语。在这个不定式中，动词get的宾语有两个，一个是enough education…，一个是not too much…，而enough education的宾语补足语是to provide man power for your society。
[参考译文]他们真正的意思是受到足够的教育可以为社会提供劳力，但不要过度，不然你就只能在社会中困窘不堪。
Without that, you are occupationally dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison and you can successfully drop out in grade school.
[结构分析]本句主干是you are occupationally dead。without that是一个条件状语，后面也是一个由unless引导的条件状语从句，这个条件状语是由两个并列的句子构成的。
[参考译文]至少应该有中学文凭，不然你会没有工作，除非你碰巧是大名鼎鼎的萧伯纳或是爱迪生，可以从中小学辍学并取得成功。
A Ph. D. is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, you are facing a dim future.
[结构分析]本句的主干是A Ph．D．is the highest degree…but…you are facing a dim future。在第一个分句中，you can get是定语从句，修饰前面的degree.在第二个分句中，exceot引导的介宾短语作条件状语，in…作except的宾语。在英语语法中，常见到介词后面接介词造短语的情况。physics or chemistry后面是关系副词where引导的非限定性定语从句。
[参考译文]你能获得的最高学位是博士学位，但除了在少数能将学位快速转化成工业或商业用途的专门领域内，比如物理或化学，你的前途会很黯淡。
全文参考译文
如若你要提高收入，他们就会建议你的孩子去“受些教育”，他们这样只说对了一半。他们真实的意思是受到足够的教育可以为社会提供劳力，但不要过度，否则你就只能在社会中困窘不堪。
至少应该获得中学文凭，否则你会没有工作，除非你碰巧是大名鼎鼎的萧伯纳或是爱迪生，可以从中小学辍学并取得成功。
若可能的话，要取得大学文凭。拥有了大学文凭，你就像上了“发射台”。不过此时，你就应该“刹车”了。如果你想申请硕士学位，那最好是一流大学的MBA。否则，再往后，著名的报酬递减率就会起作用了。
举例来说，你知道长途运输司机的年收入比教授高吗没错，1977年长途运输司机的平均收入是24,000美金，而教授的平均收入是23,930美金。
你能获得的最高学位是博士学位，但除了在少数能将学位快速转化成工业或商业用途的专门领域内，比如物理或化学，你的前途会很黯淡。到目前为止，这个国家里失业或大材小用的博士多于世界其他国家。
假如你成为一名研究英语、历史、人类学、政治、语言或最糟糕的哲学的博士，你就有受到超出了国家需要的过度教育的危险。提醒你，不是超出了我们自身的需要，而是超出了我们的需求。
成千上万的博士或者卖鞋、开出租车，或者月复一月地坐在办公桌旁填写一些没用的表格，也可能在一些中学或没有前途的大学当差，挣的钱比看门人还要少得多。
你可以将收入的高低和受教育的高低对等起来，即让你能够为提高国民生产总值有点用处的教育就已足够，而不要受过度的教育以至于没有人能够从你身上得到利润。
题目答案与解析
1．按照作者的观点，提供_______的人是社会对教育的期望。 [答案]D
A．不会成为社会羞耻 B．将成为忠诚的城市人
C．能够自我照顾 D．可以满足人力资源需求
[解析]本题的依据是第1段的最后一句话just enough education to provide man power for you r society。因此D项为正确答案。
2．很多博士生无法找到工作的原因是________。[答案]B
A．他们受到了错误的教育 B．他们对社会缺乏商业价值
C．高校中的工作职位太少 D．他们更喜欢简单的工作，而不是更多的钱
[解析]本题的依据是第5段的第1句话A Ph．D．is the highest degree you can get，but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be mined to industrial or commercial purposes，据此可知他们的学识不能很快应用在工业或商业上。因此B项为正确答案。
3． 这个国家仅仅对________人感兴趣。 [答案]D
A．有学位的 B．物理或化学专业的 C．对国民生产总值有用的 D．A和C
[解析]本题可参照文章的第2段和第3段。这两段告诉我们社会对有文凭的人感兴趣。但我们不能选择A项，因为文中也提到有些学历太高的人，社会也不需要，有的是卖鞋、开出租车和填无用的表格的博士。再参照最后一段，对国民生产总值有价值的人才能获得较高的收入，因此C项也对。所以D项为正确答案。
4． 下面各项中不正确的是哪项 [答案]C
A．萧伯纳和爱迪生都没有上完高中。 B．申请硕土学位前必须仔细考虑一下。
C．受到的教育水平越高，赚的钱越多。D．如果你受了过度教育，你将给社会制造麻烦。
[解析]从文中内容可知，你有可能受教育过度。对国民生产总值有价值的人才能获得较高的收入。又根据第4段里讲到的例子—长途运输司机的收入比教授的高，因此C项为正确答案。