An education that aims at getting a student a certain kind of job is a technical education. Justified for reasons radically different from why education is universally required by law. It is not simply to raise everyone' s job prospects that all children are legally required to attend school into their teens. Rather, we have a certain conception of the American citizen, a character who is incomplete if he cannot competently assess how his livelihood and happiness are affected by things outside of himself. But this was not always the case; before it was legally required for all children to attend school until a certain age, it was widely accepted that some were just not equipped by nature to pursue this kind of education. With optimism characteristic of all industrialized countries, we came to accept that everyone is fit to be educated. Computer-education advocates forsake this optimistic notion for a pessimism that betrays their otherwise cheery outlook. Banking on the confusion between educational and vocational reasons for bringing computers into schools, computer advocates often emphasize the job prospects of graduates over their educational achievement .

       There are some good arguments for a technical education given the right kind of student. Many European schools introduce the concept of professional training early on in order to make sure children are properly equipped for the professions they want to join. It is, however, presumptuous to insist that there will only be so many jobs for so many scientists, so many businessmen, so many accountants. Besides, this is unlikely to produce the needed number of every kind of professional in a country as large as ours and where the economy is spread over so many states and involves so many international corporations.

       But, for a small group of students, professional training might be the way to go since well developed skills, all other factors being equal, can be the difference between having a job and not. Of course, the basics of using any computer these days are very simple. It does not take a lifelong acquaintance to pick up various software programs. If one wanted to become a computer engineer, that is, of course, an entirely different story. Basic computer skills take--at the very longest-a couple of months to learn. In any case, basic computer skills are only complementary to the host of real skills that are necessary to becoming any kind of professional. It should be observed, of course, that no school, vocational or not, is helped by a confusion over its purpose.

二、      译文

对于在课堂上计算机教育的问题有两派不同的意见，一种是站在学生未来工作的角度考虑，一种是站在教育改革的大背景下考虑。这两派意见之间存在一种无形的界限。很少有人探讨这一区别——实际上，是这一矛盾——它直指计算机教育运动错误的核心。

旨在使学生获得某种工作的教育是职业教育，它存在的理由与法律普遍要求的教育之间有很大差别。根据法律要求，所有儿童都必须上学至十几岁，其目的并非单纯增加他们的就业机会。然而，我们持有作为美国公民的某种观念，即如果他不能准确判断自身的生活和幸福是如何受到外界影响的，他的人格就是不完整的。但情况并不总是如此，在法律要求所有儿童在达到一定年龄之后，就必须入学接受教育之前，人们普遍认为有些儿童天生就不适合接受这种教育。随着乐观的思想遍布所有工业化国家，我们开始接受人人都适合受教育的观念。倡导计算机教育的人抛弃了这一乐观理念，取而代之的是与他们乐观的外表相悖的悲观论调。基于将计算机引入课堂的“教育论”和“职业论”的混淆，计算机教育的倡导者常常只强调毕业生的就业前景，而忽略了他们的教育成就。

有人支持为学生提供适合他们类型的技术教育，很多欧洲的学校在早期引入职业训练的概念，就是为了确保孩子将来能够从事他们希望的职业提供合适的训练。然而你很难说就有那么多的工作机会提供给那么多的科学家、商人和会计。此外，在一个象我们这样广大的国家里，在我们这样一个经济扩展到那么多国家、有那么多跨国公司的国家里，很难保证为各行各业提供数量刚好合适的从业人员。

但是对少数学生而言，职业培训也许是可取之路因为在其他因素相同的情况下，熟练的技能是能否得到工作的关键。当然，目前计算机的基本操作非常简单，不需要用一辈子去熟悉使用各种不同的软件程序。当然，如果想成为一名计算机工程师的话，情况就完全不同了。基本的计算机技能最长也只需几个月的时间就可学会。无论如何，在任何一类专业人员所需要的众多真才实学中，计算机基础技能只是一种辅助技能。当然应该看到的是，不管是职业学校、还是普通学校，混淆计算机教学的目的，都不会受益。

三、      考研核心词汇

invisible  / in5vizEbl /  adj. 看不见的, 无形的

[例]  keep oneself invisible in his room  躲在屋里不露面

[反义]  visible  / 5vizEbl /  adj. 看得见的, 明显的, 显著的  n. 可见物

border  / 5bC:dE /  n. 边界, 国界, 边, 边沿, 边境  vt. 与...接壤, 接近 v. 接壤

[例] The United States borders on Canada.  美国接界于加拿大

[同义]  boundary

behalf  / bi5hB:f /  n. 为, 利益

[例] Don't trouble to do it on my behalf.  不要为了我去麻烦了。

[同义]  benefit, good, interest, welfare

reform  / ri5fC:m /  n. 改革, 改善, 改良运动, 感化

vt. 改革, 革新, 重新组成

vi. 革新, 改过, 重组

[例] Reform outdated and irrational rules and regulations

改革旧的不合理的规章制度

[同义]  change, convert, improve, revise

[派生]  reformation  / 7refE5meiFEn /  n. 改革, 革新

campaign  / kAm5pein /  n. [军]战役, (政治或商业性)活动, 竞选运动

vi. 参加活动, 从事活动, 作战

[例] a campaign to stop people smoking

一项阻止人们吸烟的运动

[同义]  cause, crusade, drive, movement

[派生] campaigner  / kAm5peinE /  n. 从军者, 出征者, 竞选者

[固定搭配] enter upon a campaign 发动运动, 走上征途； on  campaign

出征, 从军

justify  / 5dVQstifai /  v. 证明...是正当的

[例] The course of events fully justifies our views.

事情的发展完全证明我们的意见是正确的。

[同义]  explain,  support

[反义]  condemn  / kEn5dem /  vt. 1判刑, 处刑2声讨, 谴责

[派生] justly  / 5dVQstli / adv. 公正地, 正当地, 应得地

justification  /dVQstIfI5keIF(E)n/  n. 认为有理, 理由, 辩护, 释罪

competently  / 5kCmpitEntli /  adv. 胜任地, 适合地

[例] They worked competently.  他们能胜任这项工作

[同义]  effectively, adequately

[反义]  incompetently  / in5kCmpitEntli /  adv. 无能力地

[派生] competent  / 5kCmpitEnt /  adj. 有能力的, 胜任的

competence  /5kRmpEtEns/  n. 能力

assess  / E5ses /  vt. 估定, 评定

[例]  Damages were assessed at 1000 RMB.

损失估计达一千元人民币。

[同义]  estimate, evaluate

[派生] assessment  / E5sesmEnt /  n.(为征税对财产所作的)估价, 被估定的金额

livelihood   / 5laivlihud /   n. 生计, 谋生

[例]  He wrote for a livelihood.  他以写作为生。

[同义]  keep, maintenance, subsistence, support, sustenance

pursue  / pE5sju: /  vt. 1追赶, 追踪, 追击, 继续2从事

[例]  The police are pursuing an escaped prisoner.

警方正在追捕一个在逃的犯人。

[同义]  chase, follow, go after, heel, hunt, quest, seek, shadow, trail

[反义]  flee  / fli: /  vt. 逃避, 逃跑, 逃走  vi. 消散, 逃, 消失

[派生] pursuit  / pE5sju:t /  n. 追击

forsake  / fE5seik /  vt. 放弃, 抛弃

[例]  You must forsake your bad habits.  你必须革除你的坏习惯。

[同义]  abandon, give up, leave, quit

[反义]  preserve  / pri5zE:v /  vt. 保护, 保持, 保存, 保藏

vi. 做蜜饯, 禁猎

n. 蜜饯, 果酱, 禁猎地, 禁区, 防护物

[派生] forsaken  / fE`seIkEn /  adj. 被弃的, 孤独的, 被抛弃的

pessimism  / 5pesimizm /  n. 悲观, 悲观主义

[例] We have seen too much defeatism, too much pessimism, too much of a negative approach? (Margo Jones)

“我们看到太多的失败主义、太多的悲观主义和太多的负面倾向”(玛格·琼斯)

[反义]  optimism  / 5CptimizEm /  n. 乐观, 乐观主义

[派生]  pessimist  /5pesImIst/  n. 悲观论者, 悲观主义者

pessimistic  / 7pesi5mistik /  adj. 悲观的, 厌世的

betray  / bi5trei /  vt. 1出卖, 背叛, 泄露(秘密)2露出...迹象

[例] The officer betrayed the secret to his friends.

那军官把秘密向朋友泄露了。

[同义]  deceive, mislead, trick

[派生] betrayal  / bi5treiEl /  n. 出卖, 辜负, 暴露

cheery  / 5tFiEri /  adj. 愉快的

[例] Sunshine and the singing of birds are cheery.

阳光和鸟鸣令人愉快。

[派生] cheer  / tFiE /  n. 愉快, 欢呼  v. (使)快活, (对)欢呼

cheerful  / 5tFiEful /  adj. 愉快的, 高兴的

vocational  / vEu5keiFEnEl /  adj. 职业的

[例]  vocational training   职业训练

[同义]  professional

[派生] vocation  / vEu5keiFEn /  n. 1召唤, 号召, 天命, 天职2特殊的适应性 3才能, 行业, 职业

presumptuous  / pri5zQmptjuEs /  adj. 专横的

[例] It is too presumptuous of him to do so.  他这样做太放肆了。

[同义] arrogant, bold, brazen, daring, insolent

[派生] presumption  /pri5zQmpFEn/  n. 推测, 臆断, 假定,专横, 自以为是; 冒昧, 自大

insist  / in5sist /  v. 坚持, 强调

[例]  I insist on your being there.  我坚持要你在那里。

[同义]  demand, maintain, press, stress, urge

[派生] insistence  /In`sIstEns/  n. 坚持, 坚决主张

acquaintance  / E5kweintEns /  n. 相识, 熟人

[例]  He has a large circle of acquaintances.  他有很多相识的熟人。

[派生] acquaint  / E5kweint /  vt. 使熟知, 通知

host  / hEust /  n. 1主人2旅馆招待 3许多  vt. 当主人招待 主机

[例]  Mr Brown was our host at the party.  布朗先生是我们晚会的主人。

[同义]  army, flock, multitude, proprietor, quantity, receptionist

[反义]  guest  / ^est /  n. 客人, 来宾, 旅客  vt. 招待, 款待  vi. 作客, 寄宿

四、      强化练习

1. As soon as you put that on you will become ______, and you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they go.

A. reasonable      B. rational        C. ensured       D. invisible

2. _______ police were yesterday questioning a man they arrested as he tried to smuggle a human head into Uganda from Kenya in a paper bag.

A. Border         B. Traffic         C. Driving      D. Tariff

3. Chinese, Japanese and fast food restaurants were excluded from the poll, said the Agriculture Ministry, which released the results on _____ of the KRA.

A. consideration    B.  interest       C. behalf        D. radiance

4. He said closed politics are "simply not sustainable" and that pressure is building for political _______.

A. investment      B. reform         C.  quiz       D. rage

5. It has asked that along with the eradication and persuasion ______, Afghanistan must address corruption within its own government and remove (not just reprimand) corrupt governors.

A. raid            B. rag           C. emotion      D. campaign

6. Finally, the surgeon noted, blood monitoring to ______ the patients' progress after surgery should be used "judiciously."

A. assess          B. betray         C. quit         D. radiate

7. You allow farmers to maintain a ______ by still letting them grow their cash crop, which then allows them to diversify into roses, wheat and other activities," said Emmanuel Reinert.

A. jolt           B. livelihood      C. relic           D. remains

8. About 50% of the high school students fail to______ higher education due to financial constraints.

A. haste          B. quit           C. remove         D. pursue

9. On many previous occasions he has kept others from enjoying themselves by his ________ and lack of enthusiasm.

A. optimistic      B. confidence     C. pessimism      D. determine

10. I have completely ______ myself. I became a good student in teachers' eyes and a quiet boy in classmates' hearts. I gave up football and studied hard.

A. betray         B. discriminate    C. relieve         D. remark

答案：DACBD  ABDCA