大学英语预备级精读2.docVIP

Lesson 1 The Value of Education Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the aim of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life. Life is varied; so is education. As soon as we realize this fact, we will understand that it is very important to choose a proper system of education. In some countries with advanced industries, they have free education for all. Under this system, people, no matter whether they are rich or poor, clever or foolish, have a chance to be educated at universities or colleges. They have for some time thought, by free education for all, they can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough. We find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degrees than there are jobs for them to fill. As a result of their degrees, they refuse to do what they think is “low” work. In fact, to work with one’s hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is as important as that of a professor. We can live without education, but we should die if none of us grew crops. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our house, we should get terrible diseases in our towns. If there were no service people, because everyone was ashamed to do such work, the professors would have to waste much of their time doing housework. On the other hand, if all the farmers were completely uneducated, their production would remain low. As the population grows larger and larger in the modern world, we would die if we did not have enough food. In fact, when we say all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that all must be educated: firstly, to realize that everyone can do whatever job is suited to his brain and ability; secondly, to understand that all jobs are necessary to