Reading Makes a Full Man
“Reading makes a full man” is a saying of the famous English philosopher Francis Bacon. It means that anyone who wants to be a full man must keep on reading.
A full man may be defined as one who has a mind filled with ideas, or one who is stocked with knowledge. Certainly school education can fill the young minds with a certain amount of ideas and knowledge. But to think that the ideas and knowledge thus taught make a full man is a mistake. Evidently, no one can say that he is a full man because he is a graduate of a middle school or even a university.
Then can such ideas and knowledge be obtained through experience. Indeed, from experience we get new ideas and knowledge. But to suppose that ideas and knowledge thus acquired make a full man is also a mistake. A carpenter’s experience is different from a smith’s and a smith’s is different from a barber’s. Obviously, the statement that experience can make a full man does not hold water, either.
Thus, we see that the real factor by which a full man is made includes not only education and experience, but also reading. By reading scientific books, we are informed of many facts; by reading geography, we know the earth’s surface, forms, physical features, etc.; by reading history, we are told of the growth of the nations. It is by reading that we can learn many things without actually seeing or hearing them.
Therefore, no matter how high our education may be or how much experience we may have, we cannot become a full man unless we keep reading.
著名的英国哲学家弗兰西斯·培根曾说过“读书使人充实”。这就意味着任何人要想成就充实就要不断地读书。
充实之人或许可以这样定义：一个头脑充满思想的人，或者是一个满腹经纶的人。当然，学校的教育可以用一定数量的思想和知识充实年轻人的头脑，但是如果认为，学校教授的那些思想和知识就能使一个人充实的话，那就大错特错了。显然，没有人能仅仅因为他中学或者大学毕业就说自己是个充实的人。
那么，这些思想和知识可以通过实践获得吗？当然，从实践中我们能够学到新的思想和知识。但是认为这样获得的思想和知识就能使人充实也是错误的。木匠的经验与铁匠的经验不同，而铁匠的经验又与理发师的经验不同。很显然，实践可以使人成为充实的人这种说法是站不住脚的。
所以，使人成为充实的人的真正因素，不仅包括教育与实践，也需要读书。阅读科学书籍可以使我们了解很多事物；阅读地理书籍，我们知道了地球的地表、构成和自然特点等；读历史书籍，我们知道了民族的成长历程。读书，使我们认识了许多没有亲眼所见、亲耳所听的事物。
因此，不管我们接受多高水平的教育，也不管我们有多么丰富的阅历，我们都不能成为充实之人，除非我们不断地读书。
1. A full man may be defined _________one who has a mind filled with ideas, or one who is stocked with_________. Certainly school education can _________the young minds with a certain amount of _________and knowledge.
2. Then can _________ ideas and knowledge be obtained through _________. Indeed, from experience we get _________ ideas and knowledge. But to suppose that ideas and knowledge thus acquired _________a full man is also a mistake.
3. Therefore, no matter how_________our education may be or how much experience we may have, we cannot_________a full man unless we keep reading.
1. 显然，没有人能仅仅因为他中学或者大学毕业就说自己是个充实的人。
2. 很显然，实践可以使人成为充实的人这种说法是站不住脚的。
3. 读书，使我们认识了许多没有亲眼所见、亲耳所听的事物。
