When they advise your kids to "get an education" if you want to raise your income, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide manpower for your society, but not too much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.
Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you are occupationally dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison and you can successfully drop out in grade school.
Get a college degree, if possible. With a B.A., you are on the launching pad. But now you have to start to put on the brakes. If you go for a master's degree, make sure it is an M.B.A., and only from a first-rate university. Beyond this, the famous law of diminishing returns begins to take effect.
Do you know, for instance, that long-haul truck drivers earn more a year than full professors? Yes, the average salary in 1977 for those truckers was $24,000, while the full professors managed to average just$23,930.
A Ph.D.is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, you are facing a dim future. There are more Ph.D.s unemployed or underemployed in this country than in any other part of the world by far.
If you become a doctor of philosophy in English or history or anthropology or political science or languages or — worst of all — in philosophy, you run the risk of becoming overeducated for our national demands. Not for our needs, mind you, but for our demands.
Thousands of Ph.D.s are selling shoes, driving cabs, waiting on tables and filling out fruitless applications month after month. And then maybe taking a job in some high school or backwater college that pays much less than the janitor earns.
You can equate the level of income with the level of education only so far. Far enough, that is, to make you useful to the gross national product, but not so far that nobody can turn much of a profit on you.
1.According to the writer, what the society expects of education is to turn out people who_______.
A.will not be a shame to the society B.will become loyal citizens
C.can take care of themselves D.can meet the demands as a source of manpower
2.Many Ph.D.s are out of job because_______.
A.they are wrongly educated B.they are of little commercial value to the society
C.there are fewer jobs in high schools D.they prefer easy jobs with more money
3.The nation is only interested in people_______.
A.with diplomas B.specialized in physics and chemistry
C.valuable to the gross national product D.both A and C
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Bernard Shaw didn't finish high school, nor did Edison.
B.One must think carefully before going for a master's degree.
C.The higher your educational level, the more money you will earn.
D.If you are educated too much, you'll make things difficult for the society.
5.What is the attitude of the author to the education?
A.Education is necessary but not crucial. B.Higher education isn't equal to the higher income.
C.Education works not so good as technique. D.A Ph.D.can only work in schools or colleges.
长难例句分析
［长难例句］What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide manpower for your society, but not too much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.
［结构分析］本句是主系表结构。what引导的名词从句作主语，系动词是is，to do不定式作表语。在这个不定式中，动词get的宾语有两个，一个是enough education...，一个是not too much...，而enough education的宾语补足语是to provide...。
［参考译文］他们真实的意思是受到足够的教育可以为社会提供劳动力，可不要过度，否则你就只能在社会中困窘不堪。
［长难例句］Without that, you are occupationally dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison and you can successfully drop out in grade school.
［结构分析］本句中，主干是...you are occupationally dead...。without that是一个条件状语，后面也是一个由unless引导的条件状语从句，unless引导的条件状语是由两个并列的句子构成的。
［参考译文］没有中学文凭，你就会没有工作，除非你碰巧是大名鼎鼎的乔治·萧伯纳或是托马斯·阿尔瓦·爱迪生，并且成功地从中小学辍学。
［长难例句］A Ph.D.is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, you are facing a dim future.
［结构分析］本句的主干是A Ph.D.is the highest degree..., but... you are facing a dim future。在第一个分句中，you can get是一个定语从句修饰前面的degree。在第二个分句中，except引导的介宾短语作条件状语，in...作except的宾语。在英语语法中，常见到介词后面接介词短语的情况。physics or chemistry后面是关系副词where引导的非限定性定语从句。
［参考译文］你能得到的最高学位是博士学位，可除非学习个别专业，诸如能把学位应用于工商业的物理或化学，否则你的前途就会很黯淡。
全文参考译文
如果你要提高收入，他们就会建议你的孩子去“接受教育”，这种建议只对了一半。他们真实的意思是受到足够的教育可以为社会提供劳动力。可不要过度，否则你就只能在社会中困窘不堪。
至少应该获得中学文凭，否则你会没有工作，除非你碰巧是大名鼎鼎的乔治·萧伯纳或是托马斯·阿尔瓦·爱迪生，并且成功地从中小学辍学。
若可能的话，要得到大学文凭。拥有了大学文凭，你就像上了“发射台”。不过此时，你就应该“刹车”了。如果你想申请硕士学位，那最好是一流大学的MBA。否则，再往后，著名的报酬递减率就会起作用了。
举例来说，你知道长途运输司机的年收入就比正教授高吗？没错，那些卡车司机1977年的平均收入是2.4万美金，而教授的收入平均是2.393万美金。
你能得到的最高学位是博士学位，可除了学习个别专业，诸如能把学位应用于工商业的物理或化学，你的前途就很黯淡。到目前为止，这个国家里失业或是收入低的博士要比世界上其他地区多得多。
假如你成为一名研究英语、历史、人类学、政治、语言或者——最糟糕的——哲学的博士，你就有危险受到过度教育而超出了国家的需要。提醒你，不是超出了我们自身的需求，而是超出了国家对我们的需求。
成千上万的博士或者卖鞋、开出租车，或者月复一月地坐在办公桌旁填写一些没用的表格。也可能在一些中学或没有前途的大学当差，挣的钱比看门人还要少得多。
你可以将收入的高低和受教育的高低对等起来，即让你能够为提高国民生产总值有点用处的教育就已足够，而不要受过度的教育，以至于没有人能够从你身上得到利润。
题目答案与解析
1.按照作者的观点，培养出_________ 的人是社会对教育的期望。
A.不会成为社会羞耻 B.将成为忠诚的城市人
C.能够自我照顾 D.可以满足人力资源需求
【答案】D
【解析】本题的依据是第一段的最后一句话just enough education to provide manpower for your society，因此D项为正确答案。
2.很多博士生无法找到工作的原因是_________。
A.他们受到了错误的教育 B.他们对社会缺乏社会商业价值
C.高校中的工作职位太少 D.他们更喜欢挣钱多的简单工作
【答案】B
【解析】本题的依据是第五段的第一句A Ph.D.is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes，据此可知，他们的学识不能很快应用在工业或商业上。因此B项为正确答案。
3.这个国家仅仅对_________ 人感兴趣。
A.有学位的 B.物理或化学专业的
C.对国民生产总值有用的 D.A和C类
【答案】D
【解析】本题可参照文章的第二段和第三段。这两段告诉我们，社会对有文凭的人感兴趣。但我们不能选择A项，因为文中也提到有些学历太高的人，社会也不需要，有的是卖鞋、开出租车和当看门人的博士。再参照最后一段，对国民生产总值有价值的人才能获得较高的收入，因此C项也对。所以D项为正确答案。
4.下面各项中不正确的是哪项？
A.萧伯纳或是爱迪生都没有上完高中。 B.申请硕士学位前必须仔细考虑一下。
C.受到的教育水平越高，赚的钱越多。 D.如果你受了过度教育，你将给社会制造麻烦。
【答案】C
【解析】从文中内容可知，你有可能受教育过度。对国民生产总值有价值的人才能获得较高的收入。又根据第四段里讲到的例子——卡车司机的收入比教授的高，因此C项为正确答案。
5.作者对教育的态度是什么？
A.教育是必需的但不是决定性的。 B.受教育水平高不等于收入水平高。
C.教育不如技术好使。 D.哲学博士只能在学校工作。
【答案】A
【解析】其他选项都过于绝对。
