2024年3月30日发(作者：)

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一单元 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.

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).

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

approach education, perhaps striking a better balance between the poles of

creativity and basic skills?

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。

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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）。

然而，假定我这里所说的反差是成立的，而培养技艺与创造力两者都是值得追求的目

标，那么重要的问题就在于：我们能否从中美两个极端中寻求一种更好的教育方式，它或

许能在创造力与基本技能这两极之间获得某种较好的平衡？

三单元 SEAN: If that sort of thing happened only once in a while, it wouldn't be

so bad. Overall, I wouldn't want to trade my dad for anyone else's. He loves us kids

and Mom too. But I think that's sometimes the problem. He wants to do things for

us, things he thinks are good. But he needs to give them more thought because:

SEAN, HEIDI and DIANE: (In unison) Father knows better!

DIANE: Can you imagine how humiliated I was? An honor student, class

president. And Father was out asking people to have their sons call and ask me to

the prom! But that's dear old dad. Actually, he is a dear. He just doesn't stop to

think. And it's not just one of us who've felt the heavy hand of interference. Oh, no,

all three of us live in constant dread knowing that at any time disaster can strike

because:肖恩： 这类事要是偶尔发生一两次，那倒也没什么。总的来说，我是不肯把自己

老爸跟别人的老爸换的。他爱我们当子女的，也爱老妈。不过我想，有时问题就出在这儿。

他一心想帮助我们，他自以为在为我们做好事呢。可他应该多想想才对，因为：

黛安： 你们能想象我觉得自己有多么丢人现眼吗？堂堂的优秀生，班主席。父亲竟然