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1TextbookIntensiveEnglishReadingCompiledbyz.w.z.forCandidatesApplyingforDoctor’sDegreeintheArtAcademyofChinaSeptember1,20102ContentsUnit1Text1TheParadoxofKnowledge----------------Page3Text2TyrannyoftheUrgent----------------------Page8Unit2Text1TheVirtuesofAmbition--------------------Page16Text2ThreeDaystoSee----------------------------Page21Unit3Text1TheWestUnique,NotUniversal--------Page24Text2WhatIHaveLivedFor--------------------Page28Unit4Text1PhilosophyandArt----------------------------Page30Text2Chopin—TheBeautifulSoulofMusic----Page39ArtTheory------------------------------------------------Page41TranslationExercises-----------------------------------Page46Songs-------------------------------------------------------Page483Unit1Text1TheParadoxofKnowledgeSkepticalInquirer,Sept-Oct,1995byLeeLoevingerMaintheme:Asknowledgeaboutnatureexpands,sodoesignorance,andignorancemayincreasemorethanitsrelatedknowledge.1.Thegreatestachievementofhumankindinitslongevolutionfromancienthominoidancestorstoitspresentstatusistheacquisitionandaccumulationofavastbodyofknowledgeaboutitself,theworld,andtheuniverse.Theproductsofthisknowledgeareallthosethingsthat,intheaggregate,wecallcivilization,includinglanguage,science,literature,art,allthephysicalmechanisms,instruments,andstructuresweuse,andthephysicalinfrastructuresonwhichsocietyrelies.Mostofusassumethatinmodernsocietyknowledgeofallkindsiscontinuallyincreasingandtheaggregationofnewinformationintothecorpusofoursocialorcollectiveknowledgeissteadilyreducingtheareaofignoranceaboutourselves,theworld,andtheuniverse.Butcontinuingremindersofthenumerousareasofourpresentignoranceinviteacriticalanalysisofthisassumption.2.Inthepopularview,intellectualevolutionissimilarto,althoughmuchmorerapidthan,somaticevolution.Biologicalevolutionisoftendescribedbythestatementthatontogenyrecapitulatesphylogeny--meaningthattheindividualembryo,initsdevelopmentfromafertilizedovumintoahumanbaby,passesthroughsuccessivestagesinwhichitresemblesancestralformsofthehumanspecies.Thepopularviewisthathumankindhasprogressedfromastateofinnocentignorance,comparabletothatofaninfant,andgraduallyhasacquiredmoreandmoreknowledge,muchasachildlearnsinpassingthroughtheseveralgradesoftheeducationalsystem.Implicitinthisviewisanassumptionthatphylogenyresemblesontogeny,sothattherewillultimatelybeastageinwhichtheaccumulationofknowledgeisessentiallycomplete,atleastinspecificfields,asifsocietyhadgraduatedwithalltheadvanceddegreesthatsignifymasteryofimportantsubjects.43.Suchviewshave,infact,beenexpressedbysomeeminentscientists.In1894thegreatAmericanphysicistAlbertMichelsonsaidinatalkattheUniversityofChicago:WhileitisneversafetoaffirmthatthefutureofPhysicalSciencehasnomarvelsinstoreevenmoreastonishingthanthoseofthepast,itseemsprobablethatmostofthegrandunderlyingprincipleshavebeenfirmlyestablishedandthatfurtheradvancesaretobesoughtchieflyintherigorousapplicationoftheseprinciplestoallthephenomenawhichcomeunderournotice....ThefuturetruthsofPhysicalScienceatetobelookedforinthesixthplaceofdecimals.4.InthecenturysinceMichelson'stalk,scientistshavediscoveredmuchmorethantherefinementofmeasurementsinthesixthdecimalplace,andnoneiswillingtomakeasimilarstatementtoday.However,manystillclingtothenotionthatsuchastateofknowledgeremainsapossibilitytobeattainedsoonerorlater.StephenHawking,thegreatEnglishscientist,inhisimmenselypopularbookABriefHistoryofTime(1988),concludeswiththespeculationthatwemaydiscoveracompletetheorythatwouldbetheultimatetriumphofhumanreason--forthenwewouldknowthemindofGod.PaulDavies,anAustralianphysicist,echoesthatviewbysuggestingthatthehumanmindmaybeabletograspsomeofthesecretsencompassedbythetitleofhisbookTheMindofGod(1992).Othercontemporaryscientistswriteoftheoriesofeverything,meaningtheoriesthatexplainallobservablephysicalphenomena,andNobelLaureateStevenWeinberg,oneofthefoundersofthecurrentstandardmodelofphysicaltheory,writesofhisDreamsofaFinalTheory(1992).5.Despitetheeminenceandobviousyearningoftheseandmanyothercontemporaryscientists,thereisnothinginthehistoryofsciencetosuggestthatanyadditionofdataortheoriestothebodyofscientificknowledgewilleverprovideanswerstoallquestionsinanyfield.Onthecontrary,thehistoryofscienceindicatesthatincreasingknowledgebringsawarenessofnewareasofignoranceandofnewquestionstobeanswered.6.Astronomyisthemostancientofthesciences,anditsdevelopmentisamodelofotherfieldsofknowledge.Peoplehavebeenobservingthestarsandothercelestialbodiessincethedawnof5recordedhistory.Asearlyas3000B.C.theBabyloniansrecognizedanumberoftheconstellations.7.Duringthefirstfivethousandyearsormoreofobservingtheheavens,observationwasconfinedtothenarrowbandofvisiblelight.Inthelasthalfofthiscenturyastronomicalobservationshavebeenmadeacrossthespectrumofelectromagneticradiation,includingradiowaves,infrared,ultraviolet,X-rays,andgammarays,andfromsatellitesbeyondtheatmosphere.ItisnoexaggerationtosaychatsincetheendofWorldWarIImoreastronomicaldatahavebeengatheredthanduringallofthethousandsofyearsofprecedinghumanhistory.8.However,despiteallimpro