一、课文原文及逐段翻译
Lesson 3 Understanding 第三课 认识世界
第1段原文：It seems obvious now how we acquire knowledge and understanding. To start with, we need questions. Then, to find answers, we observe the world around us and study the facts. After that, we consider possible answers and test each to find the right ones. Although today we are more used to typing a few key words into a search engine and waiting for the Internet to give us an answer, modern scientists and thinkers are still solving the world’s problems with this type of analysis—luckily for us.
译文：今天，如何获取知识、认识世界，人人皆知。首先，我们需要问题。然后，为了寻找答案，我们观察周围的世界并研究相关事实。之后，我们思考可能的答案并逐个验证，以找到正确答案。尽管我们现在更习惯于在搜索引擎中敲几个关键词，等待互联网为我们提供答案，但当代科学家、思想家仍采用这种分析方式来解决问题——我们应该为此感到庆幸。
第2段原文：However, in the 17th century when Francis Bacon (1561-1626) suggested that this type of thinking was the way to gain knowledge, he was going against the views of the day. Although Bacon held an important rank in King James’ royal court of England, his true interest was not the day-to-day, slow and inefficient working style of the government, but the worthy search for knowledge. This was certainly not the interest of most people in his days. At that time, people believed more in the church than in facts, and people like Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who proved the idea that “the Earth is not the centre of the universe”, were often punished by the church with no one coming to their defence. The church and many people tended to ignore the facts and didn’t want to challenge what they had always comfortably believed. In fact, when Galilei proved that the Earth was not the centre of the universe, instead of believing him, people chose to believe views that were almost 2,000 years old!
译文：17 世纪时，弗朗西斯•培根(1561—1626)提出用这种思考方式获取知识时，他的观点却与当时的观念背道而驰。尽管培根在英国国王詹姆斯的宫廷中位高权重，但他真正感兴趣的不是政府日复一日、拖拉、低效的工作作风，而是那些值得探索的知识。当然，探索知识并不是那个时代大多数人的兴趣所在。那时人们相信教会胜过相信事实，像伽利略•伽利莱(1564—1642)那样证明了“地球不是宇宙中心”的人物，往往会被教会惩罚，也没有人会为他们辩护。教会和多数人一样往往忽视事实，不愿意去挑战自己一直以来相信的东西。事实上，当伽利略证明地球不是宇宙的中心时，人们没有选择相信他，而宁愿相信2000年前的陈旧观点！
第3段原文：It is not surprising that people wanted to believe these primitive ideas as they had been put forward by the great philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE). He said that the Earth must be the centre of the universe because it felt like the Earth was standing still. Galilei disagreed. At first, people approved of his studies and urged him to continue, but later when he proved Aristotle wrong, they grew angry and put him in prison. They didn’t want to abandon what they’d always thought as true. And this is still often true today. People make the assumption that if someone important and respected says that something is right, then it must be so. But even though Aristotle was a great man who inspired many great scientists and philosophers after him, he was wrong at times. And Galilei also made mistakes. He is now known as the father of astronomy but he believed that the Earth moved round the sun in a perfect circle. He was wrong.
译文：人们愿意相信伟大哲学家亚里士多德(公元前384—前322)提出的那些陈旧的观点，这一点并不奇怪。亚里士多德坚信地球是宇宙的中心，因为人们感觉地球是静止不动的。但伽利略却不同意。起初人们认可他的研究成果，催促他继续研究，但是当他证实亚里士多德有错时，人们生气了，并把他送进监狱。他们并不想放弃自己一直认为正确的知识。如今这种现象也很常见。如果一个重要的、受人尊敬的人说某件事是对的，那么人们就会认为这件事一定是对的。但即使是亚里士多德这样曾鼓舞了无数科学家和哲学家的伟大人物，有时也会犯错误。伽利略自己也犯过错误。虽然他现在被称为天文学之父，但他认为地球绕太阳旋转的轨迹是一个正圆。他错了。
第4段原文：Therefore, our understanding of the world around us is constantly growing and changing. In other words, we learn more every day and none of us can ever sit back and say, “We know it all.” We need to thank the great men of the past for their wisdom. They understood that we don’t know everything and probably never will, as this would mean a world with questions.
译文：因此，我们对周围世界的认识在不断地增长、变化。换句话说，我们每天都在学习更多的知识，谁也不能停止学习并且说：“我什么都知道了。”我们需要感谢先辈伟人的智慧。他们早就知道，人不可能什么都懂，而且或许永远都不会知道所有的事情，也就是说世界总是充满问题的。
第5段原文：We owe so much of our knowledge and understanding of the world to people like Bacon and Galilei, who were brave enough to step out from the shadows of conventional thought in order to find the kingdom of knowledge that today’s civilisation is built upon. These men knew that knowledge and understanding are things to fight for; more vital to a man, and more beneficial to mankind, some might say, than all the money in the world.
译文：我们对世界的认识和理解，很大程度上要归功于培根和伽利略这样的人，正是他们勇敢地走出了传统思想的阴影，才帮我们找到了构建当今文明的知识王国。这些伟人懂得，知识和对世界的认识才是值得追求的；正如一些人所言，和全世界的金钱相比，这些对个人而言更重要，对全人类而言更有益。
文中名言：Who questions much, shall learn much, and remember much. —Francis Bacon（多问，多学，多得。——弗朗西斯·培根）
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. —Galileo Galilei（所有的真理一旦被发现，都很容易理解。最难的是发现真理。——伽利略·伽利莱）
二、重点单词
acquire 动词
英文释义 to gain or obtain something, especially knowledge or a skill
课文原句 “It seems obvious now how we acquire knowledge and understanding.”
observe 动词
英文释义 to watch and study something carefully
课文原句 “...we observe the world around us and study the facts.”
analysis 名词
英文释义 the careful study of something in order to understand it
课文原句 “...are still solving the world’s problems with this type of analysis...”
rank 名词
英文释义 a high or official position in an organisation or society
课文原句 “Although Bacon held an important rank in King James’ royal court...”
点拨：此处是“职位、官阶”，不是“排名”。
inefficient 形容词
英文释义 not working well; wasting time or effort
课文原句 “...the day-to-day, slow and inefficient working style...”
worthy 形容词
英文释义 deserving respect, effort or attention
课文原句 “...but the worthy search for knowledge.”
defence 名词
英文释义 (in sb’s defence) words or actions that support someone who is being criticised
课文原句 “...punished by the church with no one coming to their defence.”
点拨：不是“防御”，是“辩护、声援”，come to sb’s defence 是固定搭配。
challenge 动词
英文释义 to question whether something is right or true
课文原句 “...didn’t want to challenge what they had always comfortably believed.”
primitive 形容词
英文释义 very simple and old-fashioned; belonging to an early stage of development
课文原句 “...people wanted to believe these primitive ideas...”
put forward 短语动词
英文释义 to suggest an idea or theory for people to consider
课文原句 “...as they had been put forward by the great philosopher Aristotle...”
approve of 短语动词
英文释义 to think that something is good or acceptable
课文原句 “At first, people approved of his studies...”
urge 动词
英文释义 to strongly advise or encourage someone to do something
课文原句 “...and urged him to continue...”
点拨：urge sb to do sth，从句常用 (should) do 虚拟形式。
abandon 动词
英文释义 to give up something, especially a belief or plan
课文原句 “They didn’t want to abandon what they’d always thought as true.”
assumption 名词
英文释义 something you accept as true without proof
课文原句 “People make the assumption that if someone important... says...”
点拨：make the assumption that + 同位语从句，是议论文高频句型。
inspire 动词
英文释义 to give someone the confidence or idea to do something great
课文原句 “...a great man who inspired many great scientists and philosophers...”
constantly 副词
英文释义 continuously; all the time
课文原句 “...is constantly growing and changing.”
owe 动词
英文释义 (owe sth to sb) to have something only because of someone else
课文原句 “We owe so much of our knowledge... to people like Bacon and Galilei...”
conventional 形容词
英文释义 following what is traditional or generally accepted
课文原句 “...step out from the shadows of conventional thought...”
civilisation 名词
英文释义 a society and its culture at a developed stage
课文原句 “...the kingdom of knowledge that today’s civilisation is built upon.”
vital 形容词
英文释义 extremely important and necessary
课文原句 “...more vital to a man...”
beneficial 形容词
英文释义 having a good or helpful effect
课文原句 “...and more beneficial to mankind...”
点拨：be beneficial to sb/sth，写作里替换 good for 的提分词。
三、一词多义和熟词生义
rank 常见义是“排名、等级”，课文中是“（宫廷中的）高位、官职”。原句 “held an important rank in King James’ royal court”。
defence 常见义是“防御、防卫”，课文中 come to sb’s defence 是“为某人辩护、声援”。原句 “with no one coming to their defence”。
day 常见义是“一天”，课文中 the views of the day / in his days 是“当时的观念 / 他那个时代”。
comfortably 常见义是“舒适地”，课文中 what they had always comfortably believed 是“一直舒舒服服地、毫不怀疑地相信的东西”。
put forward 常见义是“把……往前放 / 提前（时间）”，课文中是“提出（观点、理论）”。原句 “they had been put forward by... Aristotle”。
still 常见义是副词“仍然”，课文中 the Earth was standing still 是形容词“静止不动的”。
at times 不是“在时间上”，是固定短语“有时、偶尔”。原句 “he was wrong at times”。
sit back 常见义是“往后靠坐”，课文中是“袖手旁观、不再努力”。原句 “none of us can ever sit back and say...”。
shadow 常见义是“影子”，课文中 the shadows of conventional thought 是比喻“（传统思想的）阴影、笼罩”。
point 常见义是“点、分数、观点”，名言里 the point is to discover them 是“关键、要害所在”。
some might say 不是“有些人可能说”，在句中是插入语，译作“有人或许会说”，用于给断言留余地，是议论文高级表达。
四、重点词块
动词 + 名词 / 介词搭配
acquire knowledge and understanding（获取知识与认识）
observe the world around us（观察周围世界）
study the facts（研究事实）
test each to find the right ones（逐一验证）
type key words into a search engine（在搜索引擎敲关键词）
solve problems with this type of analysis（用这种分析解决问题）
go against the views of the day（与时代观念背道而驰）
hold an important rank（身居高位）
believe more in A than in B（信 A 胜过信 B）
prove the idea that...（证明……这一观点）
come to sb’s defence（为某人辩护）
ignore the facts（无视事实）
challenge what they believed（质疑所信）
put forward an idea（提出观点）
approve of his studies（认可他的研究）
urge sb to continue（敦促某人继续）
prove sb wrong（证明某人错了）
put sb in prison（把某人投入监狱）
make the assumption that...（想当然地认为……）
owe sth to sb（把……归功于某人）
step out from the shadows of...（走出……的阴影）
thank sb for sth（因某事感谢某人）。
固定搭配 / 句式
be used to doing sth（习惯于做某事）
not A but B（不是 A 而是 B）
instead of doing sth（而不是做某事）
tend to do sth（往往做某事）
be known as...（被称为……）
in other words（换句话说）
in order to do sth（为了做某事）
be built upon...（建立在……之上）
be vital to sb / beneficial to mankind（对……至关重要 / 有益）。
语篇衔接（议论文骨架）
To start with... Then... After that...（列举步骤三段式）
Although...（让步，全文三次）
However / In fact / Therefore / In other words（转折、强调、结论、重述）
At first... but later...（前后对照）
And this is still often true today.（把历史拉回当下）
some might say（插入语，缓和语气）。
五、长难句拆解
【原句】It seems obvious now how we acquire knowledge and understanding.
【主干】It seems obvious.
【分层】It 是形式主语，真正主语是 how 引导的主语从句 how we acquire knowledge and understanding；seem 是系动词，后接形容词 obvious。
【翻译】如今我们怎样获取知识、认识世界，看起来是再明白不过的事。
【考点】it 形式主语 + how / that / whether 主语从句；seem + adj 系表结构。议论文开篇常用 It seems / It is + adj + that/how...。
【原句】Although today we are more used to typing a few key words into a search engine and waiting for the Internet to give us an answer, modern scientists and thinkers are still solving the world’s problems with this type of analysis—luckily for us.
【主干】modern scientists and thinkers are still solving the world’s problems.
【分层】Although 让步状从；be used to doing 后接 typing 与 waiting 两个并列动名词；waiting for sb to do sth 复合宾语；with this type of analysis 方式状语；破折号后 luckily for us 是评注性状语。
【翻译】尽管今天的我们更习惯敲几个关键词、坐等互联网给出答案，当代科学家和思想家仍在用这种分析方式解决世界的难题——这对我们是件幸事。
【考点】be used to doing（对比 used to do / be used to do）；并列动名词；for sb to do 结构。
【原句】However, in the 17th century when Francis Bacon suggested that this type of thinking was the way to gain knowledge, he was going against the views of the day.
【主干】he was going against the views of the day.
【分层】in the 17th century 时间状语；when 引导定语从句修饰 the 17th century；从句内 suggested 后接 that 宾从；to gain knowledge 不定式作后置定语修饰 the way。
【翻译】然而，在17世纪，当培根提出这种思维方式才是获取知识的途径时，他是在与那个时代的主流观念唱反调。
【考点】when 引导定从（修饰时间名词）与状从的判别；the way to do sth；go against。
【原句】Although Bacon held an important rank in King James’ royal court of England, his true interest was not the day-to-day, slow and inefficient working style of the government, but the worthy search for knowledge.
【主干】his true interest was not A, but B.
【分层】Although 让步状从；表语部分用 not... but... 连接两个名词短语；day-to-day, slow and inefficient 三个形容词并列前置修饰 working style。
【翻译】尽管培根在英王詹姆斯的宫廷里位高权重，他真正感兴趣的并不是政府日复一日、迟缓低效的办事方式，而是对知识那份值得的追寻。
【考点】not... but... 并列结构（前后成分须一致）；多重前置定语；worthy 的褒义色彩。
【原句】At that time, people believed more in the church than in facts, and people like Galileo Galilei, who proved the idea that “the Earth is not the centre of the universe”, were often punished by the church with no one coming to their defence.
【主干】people believed more in the church than in facts, and people... were often punished.
【分层】more... than... 比较结构；who 引导非限制性定从，把主语 people 与谓语 were punished 隔开；that 引导同位语从句解释 the idea 的内容；by the church 被动语态施事；with no one coming to their defence 是 with + 代词 + 现在分词的复合结构。
【翻译】那时人们信教会胜过信事实；像伽利略这样证明了“地球并非宇宙中心”的人，常被教会惩罚，却无人替他们声援。
【考点】主谓分隔的非限制性定从；同位语从句 that（不作成分、不能省）与定语从句 that（作成分）的区别；with 复合结构；被动语态。
【原句】It is not surprising that people wanted to believe these primitive ideas as they had been put forward by the great philosopher Aristotle.
【主干】It is not surprising that...
【分层】It 形式主语 + that 主语从句；as 引导原因状语从句；从句用过去完成时被动 had been put forward，表示“更早之前由……提出”。
【翻译】人们愿意相信这些陈旧观念并不奇怪，因为它们是大哲学家亚里士多德提出来的。
【考点】it 形式主语；as 表原因（because / since / as 语气递减）；过去完成时被动语态；双重否定 not surprising 的译法。
【原句】People make the assumption that if someone important and respected says that something is right, then it must be so.
【主干】People make the assumption that...
【分层】that 引导同位语从句解释 assumption；从句内嵌 if 条件状从与 says 后的 that 宾从；must be so 表对现在的肯定推测；important and respected 是形容词并列作后置定语修饰不定代词 someone。
【翻译】人们总想当然地认为：只要某位重要又受尊敬的人说某事是对的，那它就一定是对的。
【考点】make the assumption that + 同位语从句；多层从句嵌套；情态动词 must 表推测；不定代词的形容词后置。
【原句】We owe so much of our knowledge and understanding of the world to people like Bacon and Galilei, who were brave enough to step out from the shadows of conventional thought in order to find the kingdom of knowledge that today’s civilisation is built upon.
【主干】We owe so much... to people...
【分层】owe A to B 结构，A 是 so much of our knowledge and understanding；who 引导非限制性定从修饰 people；adj + enough to do；in order to 目的状语；that today’s civilisation is built upon 定从修饰 the kingdom of knowledge，介词 upon 留在句末。
【翻译】我们对世界的诸多认识与理解，都要归功于培根、伽利略这样的人——他们勇于走出传统思想的阴影，去探寻今日文明所赖以建立的知识王国。
【考点】owe sth to sb；adj + enough to do；介词 + 关系代词省略形式（upon 悬空）；多层后置修饰。这是全文最难、也最值得逐词拆的一句。
【原句】These men knew that knowledge and understanding are things to fight for; more vital to a man, and more beneficial to mankind, some might say, than all the money in the world.
【主干】These men knew that... / (they are) more vital... than...
【分层】that 宾从；things to fight for 不定式作后置定语；分号后是比较级的省略结构，补全为 they are more vital to a man and more beneficial to mankind than all the money in the world；some might say 是插入语，把 and 与比较级隔开。
【翻译】这些人明白，知识与认识是值得为之奋斗的东西；有人或许会说，比起世上所有的金钱，它们对个人更要紧，对全人类更有益。
【考点】不定式作定语（介词 for 不可丢）；比较级 + than；插入语的识别（跳过不影响句子骨架）。
六、语法点清单（名词性从句、定语从句与比较结构）
主语从句 / 形式主语：It seems obvious now how...；It is not surprising that...。两句同构，是本篇议论文的骨架。
宾语从句：suggested that...；He said that...；proved that...；knew that...；understood that...；says that...。
同位语从句：the idea that “the Earth is not the centre...”；make the assumption that...。与定语从句的区别是本篇核心考点。
定语从句：in the 17th century when...；people like Galilei, who...；views that were almost 2,000 years old；a great man who inspired...；the kingdom of knowledge that... is built upon；what they had always comfortably believed（what 宾从）。
状语从句：Although...（让步，三次）、when...（时间）、as...（原因）、if...（条件）、in order to...（目的）、However / Therefore 等连接副词。
被动语态：were often punished by the church；had been put forward；is built upon；is known as。
非谓语：typing / waiting（动名词作介词宾语）、coming to their defence（with 复合结构里的现在分词）、to find / to gain / to fight for（不定式作定语或状语）、instead of believing。
比较与并列：more... than...；not... but...；more vital..., and more beneficial... than...；比较级里的插入语 some might say。
归拢后可以看出：形式主语与名词性从句 + 定语从句（尤其同位语从句辨析）+ 被动与比较结构是这篇课文的三大语法主线。它也是本册最典型的议论文，长句多、嵌套多，精读时先找主句谓语，再一层层剥从句。
七、逻辑链
共识（第1段）：用 It seems obvious now 起笔，把“提问 → 观察事实 → 考虑并验证答案”写成今天人人都懂的常识；再用 Although 让步承认搜索引擎改变了习惯，却强调科学家仍靠 this type of analysis。这一步先立“标准”，后文才好写它曾经多么不被接受。
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反转（第2段）：However 一转回到17世纪：培根提出同样方法时 was going against the views of the day。随后三层背景——他本人身居高位却志在求知（not... but...）；当时 people believed more in the church than in facts；伽利略因证明“地球非宇宙中心”被惩罚且无人辩护。最后用 In fact 加重：人们宁可信 2,000 年前的旧说，也不信眼前的证据。
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追问原因（第3段）：It is not surprising that... as... 把原因归到权威：旧观念出自亚里士多德。接着写态度转变——At first approved of and urged him to continue，but later proved Aristotle wrong 便 grew angry、put him in prison。由此提炼出全文最锋利的一句：People make the assumption that if someone important and respected says..., then it must be so。再用 even though 让步 + 两个反例（亚里士多德错、伽利略自己也错）把“权威无误”彻底拆掉。
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结论一（第4段）：Therefore / In other words 领出：认识 constantly growing and changing，谁都不能 sit back 说 We know it all。感谢先辈，是因为他们 understood that we don’t know everything and probably never will——承认无知，恰恰是求知的起点，与培根名言 “Who questions much, shall learn much” 呼应。
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结论二 / 升华（第5段）：owe... to... 把功劳还给培根与伽利略；who were brave enough to step out from the shadows of conventional thought 点出勇气；最后以比较级收束——知识 more vital to a man, more beneficial to mankind than all the money in the world，用 some might say 留一点分寸。全文结构是“立标准 → 摆反例 → 挖根源 → 破权威 → 得结论 → 作升华”，是标准的议论文六步，可直接迁移到“质疑权威 / 独立思考”类作文。
八、写作迁移（仿写与输出）
模板一：It seems obvious now how... / It is not surprising that...（形式主语开篇）
课文句：It seems obvious now how we acquire knowledge and understanding. / It is not surprising that people wanted to believe these primitive ideas.
仿写：It is not surprising that many students feel nervous before a speech; what matters is how they deal with it.（很多学生演讲前紧张并不奇怪，要紧的是他们如何应对。）——议论文开头，先承认现象，再转入论点。
模板二：People make the assumption that...（指出思维定式）
课文句：People make the assumption that if someone important and respected says that something is right, then it must be so.
仿写：People make the assumption that a higher score always means deeper learning, which is not necessarily true.（人们想当然地以为分数更高就等于学得更深，其实未必。）——用于批驳类作文，后面接 However / But 举反例。
模板三：not A but B / instead of doing（对照取舍）
课文句：his true interest was not the day-to-day working style of the government, but the worthy search for knowledge. / instead of believing him, people chose to believe views that were almost 2,000 years old.
仿写：What impressed me was not the prize but the months of quiet practice behind it.（打动我的不是那个奖，而是它背后几个月的安静练习。）——读后续写与记叙文的升华句。
模板四：We owe so much... to..., who were... enough to...（归功与升华）
课文句：We owe so much of our knowledge... to people like Bacon and Galilei, who were brave enough to step out from the shadows of conventional thought.
仿写：We owe so much of our progress to those teachers who were patient enough to wait for a slow learner to catch up.（我们的进步很大程度上要归功于那些愿意耐心等慢一点的孩子跟上的老师。）——人物致敬、感恩类作文的结尾句。
模板五：more vital to..., and more beneficial to..., than...（比较级收束）
课文句：more vital to a man, and more beneficial to mankind, some might say, than all the money in the world.
仿写：Curiosity is more vital to a student, and more beneficial to a society, some might say, than any single exam result.（有人或许会说，好奇心对一个学生更紧要、对一个社会更有益，胜过任何一次考试的成绩。）——议论文结尾升华，插入语 some might say 能让语气更稳。
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