Great Books Sharpen Our Minds
Great books are those that contain the best materials on which the human mind can work in order to gain insight, understanding, and wisdom. Each of them, in its own way, raises the recurrent basic questions which men must face. Because these questions are never completely solved, these books are the sources and monuments of a continuing intellectual tradition.
Garl Van Doren once referred to great books as “the books that never have to be written again.” They are the rare, perfect achievements of sustained excellence. Their beauty and clarity show that they are masterpieces of the fine as well as of the liberal arts. Such books are justifiably called great whether they are books of science, poetry, theology, mathematics, or politics.
The richness of great books shows itself in the many levels of meaning they contain. They lend themselves to a variety of interpretations. This does not mean they are ambiguous or that their integrity is compromised. The different interpretations complement one another and allow the reader to discover the unity of the work from a variety of perspectives. We need not read other books more than once to get all that they have to say. But we can always go deeper into great books. As sources of enlightenment they are inexhaustible.
The interest in many good books that are written is limited to a definite period of history. They do not exhibit the universal appeal that results from dealing with the fundamental questions which confront men in all times and places and in a way that men in all times and places can understand. Great books, on the contrary, transcend the provincial limits of their origin①. They remain as world literature. The ones we are sure are great are the ones men everywhere turn to again and again through the centuries.
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行文点评
文章一开始先解释什么是“伟大的作品”。紧接着在第二段中引用名人对“伟大的作品”的解释，增强文章的说服力。第三段介绍伟大作品的内容丰富、涵义深刻的特点。最后一段将好书与伟大作品进行比较，得出伟大作品的另一个特点：伟大的作品没有历史的局限性。
好文妙译
伟大的作品使人头脑敏锐
伟大的作品是那些包含有最佳素材的书籍，人们可以学习这些素材以期获得洞察力、理解力和智慧。每部伟大的作品都以自己的方式提出一些生活中不断出现而且人们又必须面对的基本问题。因为这些问题从来没有被彻底解决，所以这些书成了一种持续不断的知识传统的源泉和丰碑。
卡尔•多伦曾把伟大的作品称为“永远不需要再写的书”。它们都是保持着卓越水平的罕见的完美之作。它们的显著与清晰表明它们不仅是文学作品，也是杰出名著。这样的书，不论它描述地是科学、诗词、神学、数学，还是政治方面，都无可非议地被称作是伟大的作品。
伟大作品的丰富内涵可以在其多个不同意义层次上显示出来。它们可以有多种不同的解释。这并不意味着它们表意暧昧或在完整性上有所折衷。不同的解释彼此互补，而且让读者从不同的角度发现作品的统一性。其他的书我们只要读一遍就能了解它们要说的全部。但读伟大的作品时，我们总是可以深入探究。作为思想与知识启迪的源泉，它们会永不枯竭。
有许多好书，它们的重要性只限于某一特定的历史时期。它们没有展示出那种经久不衰的吸引力，而这种吸引力来源于用各个时代各个地区的所有人都能理解的方式来讨论各时代各地区的人都要面对的根本问题。相反，伟大的作品超越了它们的时空来源的狭隘局限。它们作为世界性的文学作品保存下来。那些我们确信是伟大作品的正是那些世界各地的人们几百年来一遍又一遍地读着的书。
词汇斟酌
recurrent a.再发生的, 周期性发生的, 循环的
monument n.纪念碑，纪念物，纪念馆
justifiably ad.合理地，无可非议地
ambiguous a.引起歧义的，模棱两可的，含糊不清的
integrity n. 完整，完全，完善
compromise vi.妥协,折中
complement vt.补充，与…相配
inexhaustible a.无穷无尽的
transcend vt.超出，超越(经验、理性、信念等)的范围
provincial a.偏狭的
佳句临摹
①【注释】on the contrary 与此相反，正相反
【临摹】It doesn’t seem ugly to me;on the contrary, I think it’s rather beautiful. 我觉得它并不丑，恰恰相反，它挺美。
思如泉涌
A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever. 一本好书，相伴一生。
A fool attempting to be witty is an object of profoundest pity. 蠢人装聪明，实在最可怜。
考试，作为检验教育结果的一种手段，已经存在了数千年。它简直无处不在，无时不有…
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