2024年3月30日发(作者：)

Unit1

12 One way of summarizing the American position is to state that we value

originality and independence more than the Chinese do. The contrast

between our two

cultures can also be seen in terms of the fears we both harbor. Chinese

teachers are

fearful that if skills are not acquired early, they may never be acquired; there is,

on the

other hand, no comparable hurry to promote creativity. American educators

fear that

unless creativity has been acquired early, it may never emerge; on the other

hand,

skills can be picked up later.

美国人的立场可以概括起来这么说，我们比中国人更重视创新和自立。我们两种文化

的差异也可以从我们各自所怀的忧虑中显示出来。中国老师担心，如果年轻人不及早掌握

技艺，就有可能一辈子掌握不了；另一方面，他们并不同样地急于促进创造力的发展。美

国教育工作者则担心，除非从一开始就发展创造力，不然创造力就有可能永不再现；而另

一方面，技艺可于日后获得。

13 However, I do not want to overstate my case. There is enormous creativity

to

be found in Chinese scientific, technological and artistic innovations past and

present.

And there is a danger of exaggerating creative breakthroughs in the West.

When any

innovation is examined closely, its reliance on previous achievements is all too

apparent (the standing on the shoulders of giants phenomenon).

但我并不想夸大其辞。无论在过去还是在当今，中国在科学、技术和艺术革新方面都

展示了巨大的创造力。而西方的创新突破则有被夸大的危险。如果仔细审视任何一项创新，

其对以往成就的依赖则都显而易见（“站在巨人肩膀之上”的现象）。

14 But assuming that the contrast I have developed is valid, and that the

fostering

of skills and creativity are both worthwhile goals, the important question

becomes this:

Can we gather, from the Chinese and American extremes, a superior way to