TED演讲：学校扼杀创造力(6)

 　　But something strikes you when you move to America and travel around the world: 但搬到美国后，有些事使我印象深刻：

　　Every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy¹ of subjects. Every one.  如果你周游世界，你会发现每个国家的教育体系都存在相同的学科等级制度。没有例外。

　　Doesn't matter where you go. You'd think it would be otherwise, but it isn't.  不论哪个国家。你认为也许会有例外，但没有。

　　At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities², and at the bottom are the arts. 排在最前面的学科是数学和语言，接下去是人文学科，艺术排在最后。

　　Everywhere on Earth. And in pretty much every system too, there's a hierarchy within the arts. 世界上所有国家都是如此。而且相同的还有，就是在艺术学科范围内也有等级制。

　　Art and music are normally given a higher status in schools than drama and dance.  通常学校把美术课和音乐课看的较重要，然后是戏剧课和舞蹈课。

　　There isn't an education system on the planet that teaches dance everyday to children the way we teach them mathematics.  没有哪个国家的教育体系天天安排舞蹈课，但却每天都安排数学课。

　　Why? Why not? I think this is rather important. I think math is very important, but so is dance. 为什么？为什么不是每天安排舞蹈课呢？我认为舞蹈课很重要。我认为舞蹈课和数学课同样重要。

　　Children dance all the time if they're allowed to, we all do.  如果有允许，孩子们会不停地跳舞，我们也一样。

　　We all have bodies, don't we? Did I miss a meeting? 我们都有身体，对吗？我错过了一场会议吗？

　　Truthfully, what happens is, as children grow up, we start to educate them progressively from the waist up. 事实上，随着孩子年龄增长，我们开始教导他们别的东西。

　　And then we focus on their heads. And slightly to one side. 而随着他们长大，我们更关注的是他们的头脑。而且略微偏重大脑的一侧。

　　If you were to visit education, as an alien, and say "What's it for, public education?" 如果你以一个外国人的身份来参观我们的教育体系，带着这样的问题：“公办教育的目的是什么？”

　　I think you'd have to conclude, if you look at the output, who really succeeds by this,  那么当你看到我们的教育体系产业化的发展，我相信，你就会明白是谁在真正从中受益，

　　who does everything that they should, who gets all the brownie points, who are the winners 是谁被教导着该做什么不该做什么，是谁得了满分，谁是第一名。

　　I think you'd have to conclude the whole purpose of public education throughout the world is to produce university professors.  关于公办教育的目的，我想你会得出这样的结论，世界上所有的公办教育都以培养大学教授为目的。

　　Isn't it? They're the people who come out the top. And I used to be one, so there. 难道不是吗？因为大学教授是象牙塔尖上的人。我也曾是一名大学教授，也是塔尖上的人。

1 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

2 humanities   

n.人文学

参考例句：

• Dalian University offers courses in science and in the humanities. 大连大学开设自然科学和人文科学课程。
• She has a background in humanities and modern languages. 她学过人文学科和现代语言。