新概念英语第四册课文

Lessonl

Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000years

agointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedto

write.Buttherearesomepartsoftheworldwhere

evennowpeoplecannotwrite.Theonlywaythat

theycanpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitas

sagas一一legendshandeddownfromone

generationofstory-tellerstoanother.These

legendsareusefulbecausetheycantellus

somethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholived

longago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydid.

Anthropologistswonderedwheretheremote

ancestorsofthePolynesianpeoplesnowlivingin

thePacificIslandscamefrom.Thesagasofthese

peopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefrom

Indonesiaabout2,000yearsago.

Butthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslived

solongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,

areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneither

historynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwhere

thefirst'modernmen1camefrom.

Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsof

stone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasierto

shapethanotherkinds.Theymayalsohaveused

woodandskins,butthesehaverottedaway.

Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsoflong

agohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthe

menwhomadethemhavedisappearedwithout

trace.

Lesson2

Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeour

friends?Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,

andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemies

ofthehumanrace.Insectswouldmakeit

impossibleforustoliveintheworld；theywould

devourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,

ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrom

insect-eatinganimals.Weowealottothebirds

andbeastswhoeatinsectsbutallofthemput

togetherkillonlyafractionofthenumber

destroyedbyspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeof

theotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdotheleast

harmtousorourbelongings.

Spidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,nor

evennearlyrelatedtothem.Onecantellthe

differencealmostataglanceforaspideralways

haseightlegsandaninsectnevermorethansix.

Howmanyspidersareengagedinthisworkonour

behalf?Oneauthorityonspidersmadeacensus

ofthespidersinagrassfieldinthesouthof

England,andheestimatedthatthereweremore

than2,250,000inoneacre,thatissomethinglike

6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootball

pitch.Spidersarebusyforatleasthalftheyearin

killinginsects.Itisimpossibletomakemorethan

thewildestguessathowmanytheykill,butthey

arehungrycreatures,notcontentwithonlythree

mealsaday.Ithasbeenestimatedthattheweight

ofalltheinsectsdestroyedbyspidersinBritainin

oneyearwouldbegreaterthanthetotalweightof

allthehumanbeingsinthecountry.

Lesson3

Modernalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroute

whichwillgivethemgoodsport,andthemore

difficultitis,themorehighlyitisregarded.Inthe

pioneeringdays,however,thiswasnotthecaseat

all.Theearlyclimberswerelookingfortheeasiest

waytothetopbecausethesummitwastheprize

theysought,especiallyifithadneverbeen

attainedbefore.Itistruethatduringtheir

explorationstheyoftenfaceddifficultiesand

dangersofthemostperilousnature,equippedina

mannerwhichwouldmakeamodernclimber

shudderatthethought,buttheydidnotgooutof

theirwaytocourtsuchexcitement.Theyhada

singleaim,asolitarygoal一一thetop!

Itishardforustorealizenowadayshowdifficultit

wasforthepioneers.Exceptforoneortwoplaces

suchasZermattandChamonix,whichhadrapidly

becomepopular,Alpinevillagestendedtobe

impoverishedsettlementscutofffromcivilization

bythehighmountains.Suchinnsastherewere

weregenerallydirtyandflea-ridden；thefood

simplylocalcheeseaccompaniedbybreadoften

twelvemonthsold,allwasheddownwithcoarse

wine.Oftenavalleyboastednoinnatall,and

climbersfoundshelterwhereverthey

could一一sometimeswiththelocalpriest(whowas

usuallyaspoorashisparishioners),sometimes

withshepherdsorcheese-makers.Invariablythe

backgroundwasthesame：dirtandpoverty,and

veryuncomfortable.Formenaccustomedto

eatingseven-coursedinnersandsleeping

betweenfinelinensheetsathome,thechangeto

theAlps

musthavebeenveryhardindeed.

Lesson4

IntheSovietUnionseveralcaseshavebeen

reportedrecentlyofpeoplewhocanreadand

detectcolourswiththeirfingers,andevensee

throughsoliddoorsandwalls.Onecaseconcerns

an'eleven-year-oldschoolgirl,VeraPetrova,who

hasnormalvisionbutwhocanalsoperceive

thingswithdifferentpartsofherskin,andthrough

solidwalls.Thisabilitywasfirstnoticedbyher

father.Onedayshecameintohisofficeand

happenedtoputherhandsonthedoorofa

lockedsafe.Suddenlysheaskedherfatherwhy

hekeptsomanyoldnewspaperslockedaway

there,andevendescribedthewaytheyweredone

upinbundles.

Vera'scurioustalentwasbroughttothenoticeof

ascientificresearchinstituteinthetownof

Ulyanovsk,nearwhereshelives,andinAprilshe

wasgivenaseriesoftestsbyaspecial

commissionoftheMinistryofHealthofthe

RussianFederalRepublic.Duringthesetestsshe

wasabletoreadanewspaperthroughanopaque

screenand,strangerstill,bymovingherelbow

overachild'sgameofLottoshewasableto

describethefiguresandcoloursprintedonit；and,

inanotherinstance,wearingstockingsand

slippers,tomakeoutwithherfoottheoutlinesand

coloursofapicturehiddenunderacarpet.Other

experimentsshowedthatherkneesandshoulders

hadasimilarsensitivity.DuringallthesetestsVera

wasblindfold；and,indeed,exceptwhenblindfold

shelackedtheabilitytoperceivethingswithher

skin.Itwasalsofoundthatalthoughshecould

perceivethingswithherfingersthisabilityceased

themomentherhandswerewet.

Lesson5

Thegorillaissomethingofaparadoxinthe

Africanscene.Onethinksoneknowshimverywell.

Forahundredyearsormorehehasbeenkilled,

captured,andimprisoned,inzoos.Hisbones

havebeenmountedinnaturalhistorymuseums

everywhere,andhehasalwaysexertedastrong

fascinationuponscientistsandromanticsalike.

Heisthestereotypedmonsterofthehorrorfilms

andtheadventurebooks,andanobvious(though

notperhapsstrictlyscientific)link

withourancestralpast.

Yetthefactisweknowverylittleaboutgorillas.No

reallysatisfactoryphotographhaseverbeentaken

ofoneinawildstate,nozoologist,however

intrepid,hasbeenabletokeeptheanimalunder

closeandconstantobservationinthedarkjungles

inwhichhelives.CarlAkeley,theAmerican

naturalist,ledtwoexpeditionsinthe

nineteen-twenties,andnowliesburiedamongthe

animalshe

lovedsowell.Butevenhewasunabletodiscover

howlongthegorillalives,orhoworwhyitdies,nor

washeabletodefinetheexactsocialpatternof

thefamilygroups,orindicatethefinalextentof

theirintelligence.Allthisandmanyotherthings

remainalmostasmuchamysteryastheywere

whentheFrenchexplorerDuChaillufirst

describedtheanimaltothecivilizedworlda

centuryago.TheAbominableSnowmanwho

hauntstheimaginationofclimbersinthe

Himalayasishardlymoreelusive.

Lesson6

Peoplearealwaystalkingabout1theproblemof

youthIfthereisone-whichItakeleaveto

doubt一一thenitisolderpeoplewhocreateit,not

theyoungthemselves.Letusgetdownto

fundamentalsandagreethattheyoungareafter

allhumanbeings一一peoplejustliketheirelders.

Thereisonlyonedifferencebetweenanoldman

andayoungone：theyoungmanhasaglorious

futurebeforehimandtheoldonehasasplendid

futurebehindhim：andmaybethatiswherethe

rubis.

WhenIwasateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyoung

anduncertain一一thatIwasanewboyinahuge

school,andIwouldhavebeenverypleasedtobe

regardedassomethingsointerestingasa

problem.Foronething,beingaproblemgivesyou

acertainidentity,andthatisoneofthethingsthe

youngarebusilyengagedinseeking.

Ifindyoungpeopleexciting.Theyhaveanairof

freedom,andtheyhavenotadrearycommitment

tomeanambitionsorloveofcomfort.Theyare

notanxioussocialclimbers,andtheyhaveno

devotiontomaterialthings.Allthisseemstome

tolinkthemwithlife,andtheoriginsofthings.It's

asiftheywereinsomesensecosmicbeingsin

violentanlovelycontrastwithussuburban

creatures.AllthatisinmymindwhenImeeta

youngperson.Hemaybeconceited,ill-

mannered,presumptuousoffatuous,butIdonot

turnforprotectiontodrearyclichesaboutrespect

forelders一一asifmereagewereareasonfor

respect.Iacceptthatweareequals,andIwill

arguewithhim,asanequal,ifIthinkheiswrong.

Lesson7

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesaying

thatsportcreatesgoodwillbetweenthenations,

andthatifonlythecommonpeoplesoftheworld

couldmeetoneanotheratfootballorcricket,they

wouldhavenoinclinationtomeetonthe

battlefield.Evenifonedidn'tknowfromconcrete

examples(the1936OlympicGames,forinstance)

thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgies

ofhatred,onecoulddeduceitfromgeneral

principles.

Nearlyallthesportspractisednowadaysare

competitive.Youplaytowin,andthegamehas

littlemeaningunlessyoudoyourutmosttowin.

Onthevillagegreen,whereyoupickupsidesand

nofeelingoflocalpatriotismisinvolved,itis

possibletoplaysimplyforthefunandexercise：

butassoonasthequestionofprestigearises,as

soonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwill

bedisgracedifyoulose,themostsavage

combativeinstinctsarearoused.Anyonewhohas

playedeveninaschoolfootballmatchknowsthis.

Attheinternationallevelsportisfranklymimic

warfare.Butthesignificantthingisnotthe

behaviouroftheplayersbuttheattitudeofthe

spectators：and,behindthespectators,ofthe

nations,whoworkthemselvesintofuriesover

theseabsurdcontests,andseriouslybelieve一一at

anyrateforshortperiods一一thatrunning,jumping

andkickingaballaretestsofnationalvirtue.

Lesson8

Parentshavetodomuchlessfortheirchildren

todaythantheyusedtodo,andhomehas

becomemuchlessofaworkshop.Clothescanbe

boughtreadymade,washingcangotothe

laundry,foodcanbeboughtcooked,cannedor

preserved,breadisbakedanddeliveredbythe

baker,milkarrivesonthedoorstep,mealscanbe

hadattherestaurant,theworks1canteen,andthe

schooldining-room.

Itisunusualnowforfathertopursuehistradeor

otheremploymentathome,andhischildrenrarely,

ifever,seehimathisplaceofwork.Boysare

thereforeseldomtrainedtofollowtheirfather's

occupation,andinmanytownstheyhaveafairly

widechoiceofemploymentandsodogirls.The

youngwage-earneroftenearnsgoodmoney,and

soonacquiresafeelingofeconomic

independence.Intextileareasithaslongbeen

customaryformotherstogoouttowork,butthis

practicehasbecomesowidespreadthatthe

workingmotherisnowanotunusualfactorina

child'shomelife,thenumberofmarriedwomenin

employmenthavingmorethandoubledinthelast

twenty-fiveyears.Withmotherearningandhis

olderchildrendrawingsubstantialwagesfatheris

seldomthedominantfigurethathestillwasatthe

beginningofthecentury.Whenmotherworks

economicadvantagesaccrue,butchildrenlose

somethingofgreatvalueifmother'semployment

preventsherfrombeinghometogreetthemwhen

theyreturnfromschool.

Lesson9

Notallsoundsmadebyanimalsserveas

language,andwehaveonlytoturntothat

extraordinarydiscoveryofecho-locationinbatsto

seeacaseinwhichthevoiceplaysastrictly

utilitarianrole.

Togetafullappreciationofwhatthismeanswe

mustturnfirsttosomerecenthumaninventions.

Everyoneknowsthatifheshoutsinthevicinityofa

walloramountainside,anechowillcomeback.

Thefurtheroffthissolidobstructionthelonger

timewillelapseforthereturnoftheecho.Asound

madebytappingonthehullofashipwillbe

reflectedfromtheseabottom,andbymeasuring

thetimeintervalbetweenthetapsandthereceipt

oftheechoesthedepthoftheseaatthatpoint

canbecalculated.Sowasbornthe

echo-soundingapparatus,nowingeneralusein

ships.Everysolidobjectwillreflectasound,

varyingac-cordingtothesizeandnatureofthe

object.Ashoaloffishwilldothis.Soitisa

comparativelysimplestepfromlocatingthesea

bottomtolocatingashoaloffish.Withexperience,

andwithimprovedapparatus,itisnowpossible

notonlytolocateashoalbuttotellifitisherring,

cod,orotherwell-knownfish,bythepatternofits

echo.

Afewyearsagoitwasfoundthatcertainbats

emitsqueaksandbyreceivingtheechoesthey

couldlocateandsteerclearofobstacles一一or

locateflyinginsectsonwhichtheyfeed.This

echo-locationinbatsisoftencomparedwith

radar,theprincipleofwhichissimilar.

Lessonl0

Inournewsocietythereisagrowingdislikeof

original,creativemen.Themanipulateddonot

understandthem；themanipulatorsfearthem.The

tidycommitteemenregardthemwithhorror,

knowingthatnopigeonholescanbefoundfor

them.Wecoulddowithafeworiginal,creative

meninourpoliticallife—ifonlytocreatesome

enthusiasm,releasesomeenergy一一butwhereare

they?Weareaskedtochoosebetweenvarious

shadesofthenegative.Theengineisfallingto

pieceswhilethejointownersofthecarargue

whetherthefootbrakeorthehandbrakeshouldbe

applied.Noticehowthecold,colourlessmen,

withoutideasandwithnootherpassionbuta

cravingforsuccess,getoninthissociety,

capturingoneplumafteranotherandtakingthe

juiceandtasteoutofthem.Sometimesyoumight

thinkthemachinesweworshipmakeallthechief

appointments,promotingthehumanbeingswho

seemclosesttothem.Betweenmid-nightand

dawn,whensleepwillnotcomeandalltheold

woundsbegintoache,Ioftenhaveanightmare

visionofafutureworldinwhichtherearebillions

ofpeople,allnumberedandregistered,withnota

gleamofgeniusanywhere,notanoriginalmind,a

richpersonality,onthewholepackedglobe.The

twinidealsofourtime,organizationandquantity,

willhavewonforever.

Lessonl1

AlfredtheGreatactedashisownspy,visiting

Danishcampsdisguisedasaminstrel.Inthose

dayswanderingminstrelswerewelcome

everywhere.Theywerenotfightingmen,andtheir

harpwastheirpassport.Alfredhadlearnedmany

oftheirballadsinhisyouth,andcouldvaryhis

programmewithacrobatictricksandsimple

conjuring.

WhileAlfred'slittlearmyslowlybegantogather

atAthelney,thekinghimselfsetouttopenetrate

thecampofGuthrum,thecommanderofthe

Danishinvaders.Thesehadsettleddownforthe

winteratChippenham：thitherAlfredwent.He

noticedatoncethatdisciplinewasslack：the

Daneshadtheself-confidenceofconquerors,

andtheirsecurityprecautionswerecasual.They

livedwell,ontheproceedsofraidson

neighbouringregions.Theretheycollectedwomen

aswellasfoodanddrink,andalifeofeasehad

madethemsoft.

Alfredstayedinthecampaweekbeforehe

returnedtoAthelney.Theforcethereassembled

wastrivialcomparedwiththeDanishhorde.But

AlfredhaddeducedthattheDaneswerenolonger

fitforprolongedbattle:andthattheir

commissariathadnoorganization,butdepended

onirregularraids.

So,facedwiththeDanishadvance,Alfreddid

notriskopenbattlebutharriedtheenemy.Hewas

constantlyonthemove,drawingtheDanesafter

him.Hispatrolshaltedtheraidingparties：hunger

assailedtheDanisharmy.NowAlfredbegana

longseriesofskirmishes一一andwithinamonththe

Daneshadsurrendered.Theepisodecould

reasonablyserveasauniqueepicofroyal

espionage!

Lessonl2

WhatcharacterizesalmostallHollywoodpictures

istheirinneremptiness.Thisiscompensatedfor

byanouterimpressiveness.Suchimpressiveness

usuallytakestheformoftrulygrandioserealism.

Nothingissparedtomakethesetting,the

costumes,allofthesurfacedetailscorrect.These

effortshelptomasktheessentialemptinessofthe

characterization,andtheabsurditiesand

trivialitiesoftheplots.Thehouseslooklikehouses,

thestreetslooklikestreets；thepeoplelookand

talklikepeople；buttheyareemptyofhumanity,

credibility,andmotivation.Needlesstosay,the

disgracefulcensorshipcodeisanimportantfactor

inpredeterminingthecontentofthesepictures.

Butthecodedoesnotdisturbtheprofits,northe

entertainmentvalueofthefilms；itmerelyhelpsto

preventthemfrombeingcredible.Itisn'ttoo

heavyaburdenfortheindustrytobear.Inaddition

totheimpressivenessofthesettings,thereisa

useofthecamera,whichattimesseemsmagical.

Butofwhathumanimportisallthisskill,allthis

effort,allthisenergyintheproductionofeffects,

whenthestory,therepresentationoflifeishollow,

stupid,banal,childish?

Lessonl3

Oxfordhasbeenruinedbythemotorindustry.The

peacewhichOxfordonceknew,andwhichagreat

universitycityshouldalwayshave,hasbeenswept

ruthlesslyaway；andnobenefactionsand

researchendowmentscanmakeupforthe

changeincharacterwhichthecityhassuffered.At

sixinthemorningtheoldcourtsshaketotheroar

ofbusestakingthenextshifttoCowleyand

PressedSteel,greatlorrieswithadoubledeck

cargoofcarsforexportlumberpastMagdalen

andtheUniversityChurch.Loadsof

motor-enginesarehurriedhitherandthitherand

thestreetsarethrongedwithapopulationwhich

hasnointerestinlearningandknowsnostudies

beyondservo-systemsanddistributors,

compressionratiosandcamshafts.

Theoreticallythemarriageofanoldseatof

learningandtraditionwithanewandwealthy

industrymightbeexpectedtoproducesome

interestingchildren.Itmighthavebeenthought

thatthecultureoftheuniversitywouldradiateout

andtransformthelivesoftheworkers.Thatthis

hasnothappenedmaybethefaultofthe

university,foratbothOxfordandCambridgethe

collegestendto

liveinanerawhichiscertainlynotofthetwentieth

century,anduponaplanetwhichbearslittle

resemblancetothewar-tornEarth.Whereverthe

faultmayliethefactremainsthatitisthetheatre

atOxfordandnotatCambridgewhichisonthe

vergeofextinction,andtheonlyfruitofthe

combinationofindustryandtherarefied

atmosphereoflearningisthedustinthestreets,

andapatheticsenseofbeinglostwhichhangs

oversomeofthecolleges.

Lessonl4

Someoldpeopleareoppressedbythefearof

death.Intheyoungthereisajustificationforthis

feeling.Youngmenwhohavereasontofearthat

theywillbekilledinbattlemayjustifiablyfeelbitter

inthethoughtthattheyhavebeencheatedofthe

bestthingsthatlifehastooffer.Butinanoldman

whohasknownhumanjoysandsorrows,andhas

achievedwhateverworkitwasinhimtodo,the

fearofdeathissomewhatabjectandignoble.The

bestwaytoovercomeit-soatleastitseemsto

me---istomakeyourinterestsgraduallywider

andmoreimpersonal,untilbitbybitthewallsof

theegorecede,andyourlifebecomes

increasinglymergedintheuniversallife.An

individualhumanexistenceshouldbelikea

river一一smallatfirst,narrowlycontainedwithinits

banks,andrushingpassionatelypastboulders

andoverwaterfalls.Graduallytherivergrows

wider,thebanksrecede,thewatersflowmore

quietly,andintheend,withoutanyvisiblebreak,

theybecomemergedinthesea,andpainlessly

losetheirindividualbeing.Themanwho,inold

age,canseehislifeinthisway,willnotsuffer

fromthefearofdeath,sincethethingshecares

forwillcontinue.Andit,withthedecayofvitality,

wearinessincreases,thethoughtofrestwillbenot

unwelcome.Ishouldwishtodiewhilestillatwork,

knowingthatotherswillcarryonwhatIcanno

longerdo,andcontentinthethoughtthatwhat

waspossiblehasbeendone.

Lessonl5

Whenanyoneopensacurrentaccountatabank,

heislendingthebankmoney,repaymentofwhich

hemaydemandatanytime,eitherincashorby

drawingachequeinfavourofanotherperson.

Primarily,thebanker-customerrelationshipisthat

ofdebtorandcreditor一一whoiswhichdepending

onwhetherthecustomer'saccountisincreditor

isoverdrawn.But,inadditiontothatbasically

simpleconcept,thebankanditscustomerowea

largenumberofobligationstooneanother.Many

oftheseobligationscangiverisetoproblemsand

complicationsbutabankcustomer,unlike,say,a

buyerofgoods,cannotcomplainthatthelawis

loadedagainsthim.

Thebankmustobeyitscustomer'sinstructions,

andnotthoseofanyoneelse.When,forexample,

acustomerfirstopensanaccount,heinstructs

thebanktodebithisaccountonlyinrespectof

chequesdrawnbyhimself.Hegivesthebank

specimensofhissignature,andthereisavery

firmrulethatthebankhasnorightorauthorityto

payoutacustomer'smoneyonachequeon

whichitscustomer'ssignaturehasbeenforged.It

makesnodifferencethattheforgerymayhave

beenaveryskilfulone：thebankmustrecognize

itscustomer'ssignature.Forthisreasonthereis

norisktothecustomerinthemodernpractice,

adoptedbysomebanks,ofprintingthe

customer'snameonhischeques.Ifthisfacilitates

forgeryitisthebankwhichwilllose,notthe

customer.

Lessonl6

Thedeepestholesofallaremadeforoil,andthey

godowntoasmuchas25,000feet.Butwedo

notneedtosendmendowntogettheoilout,as

wemustwithothermineraldeposits.Theholes

areonlyborings,lessthanafootindiameter.My

particularexperienceislargelyinoil,andthe

searchforoilhasdonemoretoimprovedeep

drillingthananyotherminingactivity.Whenithas

beendecidedwherewearegoingtodrill,weput

upatthesurfaceanoilderrick.Ithastobetall

becauseitislikeagiantblockandtackle,andwe

havetolowerintothegroundandhauloutofthe

groundgreatlengthsofdrillpipewhicharerotated

byanengineatthetopandarefittedwithacutting

bitatthebottom.

Thegeologistneedstoknowwhatrocksthedrill

hasreached,soeverysooftenasampleis

obtainedwithacoringbit.Itcutsacleancylinder

ofrock,fromwhichcanbeseenhestratathedrill

hasbeencuttingthrough.Oncewegetdownto

theoil,itusuallyflowstothesurfacebecause

greatpressure,eitherfromgasorwater,is

pushingit.Thispressuremustbeundercontrol,

andwecontrolitbymeansofthemudwhichwe

circulatedownthedrillpipe.Weendeavourto

avoidtheold,romanticideaofagusher,which

wastesoilandgas.Wewantittostaydownthe

holeuntilwecanleaditoffinacontrolledmanner.

Lessonl7

Thefactthatwearenotsurewhat'intelligence1is,

norwhatispassedon,doesnotpreventusfrom

findingitaveryusefulworkingconcept,and

placingacertainamountofrelianceontests

which'measure'it.

Inanintelligencetestwetakeasampleofan

individual'sabilitytosolvepuzzlesandproblems

ofvariouskinds,andifwehavetakena

representativesampleitwillallowustopredict

successfullythelevelofperformancehewillreach

inawidevarietyofoccupations.

Thisbecameofparticularimportancewhen,asa

resultofthe1944EducationAct,secondary

schoolingforallbecamelaw,andgrammar

schools,withtheexceptionofasmallnumberof

independentfoundationschools,became

availabletothewholepopulation.Sincethe

numberofgrammarschoolsinthecountrycould

accommodateatmostapproximately25percent

ofthetotalchildpopulationofeleven-plus,some

kindofselectionhadtobemade.Narrowly

academicexaminationsandtestswerefelt,quite

rightly,tobeheavilyweightedinfavourofchildren

whohadhadtheadvantageofhighly-academic

primaryschoolsandacademicallybiasedhomes.

Intelligencetestsweredevisedtocounteractthis

narrowspecialization,byintroducingproblems

whichwerenotbasedonspecifically

scholastically-acquiredknowledge.The

intelligencetestisanattempttoassessthe

generalabilityofanychildtothink,reason,judge,

analyseandsynthesizebypresentinghimwith

situations,bothverbalandpractical,whichare

withinhisrangeofcompetenceand

understanding.

Lessonl8

Twofactorsweighheavilyagainstthe

effectivenessofscientificinindustry.Oneisthe

generalatmosphereofsecrecyinwhichitis

carriedout,theotherthelackoffreedomofthe

individualresearchworker.Insofarasanyinquiry

isasecretone,itnaturallylimitsallthoseengaged

incarryingitoutfromeffectivecontactwiththeir

fellowscientistseitherinothercountriesorin

universities,oreven,oftenenough,inother

departmentsofthesamefirm.Thedegreeof

secrecynaturallyvariesconsiderably.Someofthe

biggerfirmsareengagedinresearcheswhichare

ofsuchgeneralandfundamentalnaturethatitisa

positiveadvantagetothemnottokeepthem

secret.Yetagreatmanyprocessesdependingon

suchresearcharesoughtforwithcomplete

secrecyuntilthestageatwhichpatentscanbe

takenout.Evenmoreprocessesarenever

patentedatallbutkeptassecretprocesses.This

appliesparticularlytochemicalindustries,where

chancediscoveriesplayamuchlargerpartthan

theydoinphysicalandmechanicalindustries.

Sometimesthesecrecygoestosuchanextent

thatthewholenatureoftheresearchcannotbe

mentioned.Manyfirms,forinstance,havegreat

difficultyinobtainingtechnicalorscientificbooks

fromlibrariesbecausetheyareunwillingtohave

theirnamesenteredashavingtakenoutsuchand

suchabookforfeartheagentsofotherfirms

shouldbeabletotracethekindofresearchthey

arelikelytobeundertaking.

Lessonl9

Agentlemanis,ratherthandoes.Heisinterested

innothinginaprofessionalway.Heisallowedto

cultivatehobbies,eveneccentricities,butmust

notpractiseavocation.Hemustknowhowtoride

andshootandcastafly.Heshouldhaverelatives

inthearmyandnavyandatleastoneconnection

inthediplomaticservice.Butthereare

weaknessesintheEnglishgentleman'sabilityto

ruleustoday.Heusuallyknowsnothingofpolitical

economy