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In North Carolina, there is a school unique in all the country - the "Governor" School. "Governor" means "the head of a state," "general supervisor," "ruler," or "manager"- in short, a person who bears a heavy social responsibility. So for the time being, I have decided to translate the Governor School as "school for those with heavy responsibilities." Four hundred of the state's top students came here last summer vacation for six weeks of study. Here, rather than teaching from texts, the school arranges lectures on a variety of new scientific subjects which match student interests, reflect future trends in the field, and deserve public attention. On the day I visited the school, a math teacher lead a group of students onto the lawn to research soap bubbles. They used all kinds of teaching tools crafted from steel wire and made strange shapes in the foam from the soap, some of which related to unsolved math problems. The biology class I attended was taught by the best teacher in the state. The subject at hand was DNA engineering. Those boys and girls - some of whom sat on their desks, some on the backs of their chairs - listened carefully. After class, the teacher told me that genetic engineering was developing rapidly, which was great but also dangerous. He said that it's possible that new species harmful to society and civilization, and which present ethical challenges, could be created, which is why it is necessary to expose youngsters to DNA engineering. The more people know about it, the better. They can monitor decisions the government makes with respect to genetic engineering. Perhaps some of these students will go on to become law-makers or policy - makers in the future, so it is very important for them to master this knowledge. Besides the subjects of interest, all students attended discussion classes. From race discrimination to feminism - everything was on the agenda for discussion. Usually, an expert would give a lecture, which was followed by the students expressing their views. The purpose of the discussions is to push students to think independently rather than following others. Arguing with the experts is encouraged. These four hundred top students have a strong feeling of honor. From here out, they will look at the world critically. They believe they will become people with important responsibilities. Now, other states have taken note of the Governor School. Although it has been criticized as an example of "unequal education," the public still praises this approach to education - new ways of presenting knowledge coupled with the inculcation of a strong sense of social responsibility. |
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托起明天的太阳  北卡罗莱纳州有一所在全美独树一帜的学校――governor学校。Governor意为州长、总督、统治者、管理者，总之是承担社会重任的人，我决定译为重任者学校。
重任者学校集中了全州４００名高中尖子学生，暑期来此参加为期６周的培训。培训内容不再讲授课本知识，而是根据学生的兴趣，开设各类前沿科学的讲座，把科学发展的远景以及需要关注的问题展示给学生。
我参观该校的那天，数学老师正带着一组同学在草地上研究肥皂泡，用铁丝弯成的各种教具拉出了奇形怪状的肥皂泡，其中涉及到几个数学上的悬案。 我旁听的一节生物课，是由全州最优秀的化学教师讲ＤＮＡ重组工程，那些少男孩少女们虽说有的坐桌子，有的坐椅背,听得却十分认真。课下老师对我说，基因工程发展迅速，很了不起，可也很危险，有可能制造出危害社会文明、有悖伦理道德的新物种，因此必须让年轻人了解它。了解的人越多越好，才能监督政府在基因工程方面的决定。也许,这些学生当中就有将来的法律制定者或决策者，他们就更应该具备这方面的知识。 除了兴趣课之外，所有的学生都要参加讨论课，从种族歧视到女权运动，都在讨论之列。通常是先请一位专家演讲，之后便是学生各抒己见。讨论的目的在于鼓励学生独立思考，不人云亦云，即使是专家的论点也可以反驳。 这４００名佼佼者有很强的荣誉感，从现在开始，便以审视的态度来看世界，自信成为21世纪美国社会的栋梁之材。目前，重任者学校的模式已开始受到其他州的关注，虽然它也受到了“搞不平等教育”的批评，但是这种全新的知识结构和极强的社会责任感的教育模式还是得到了公众的肯定。 More... |
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