2023考研英語(yǔ)閱讀讀博是浪費(fèi)時(shí)間
ON THE evening before All Saints Day in 1517,Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of achurch in Wittenberg. In those days a thesis wassimply a position one wanted to argue. Luther, an Augustinian friar, asserted that Christianscould not buy their way to heaven. Today a doctoral thesis is both an idea and an account of aperiod of original research. Writing one is the aim of the hundreds of thousands of studentswho embark on a doctorate of philosophy every year.
1517年的萬(wàn)圣節(jié)前夕，馬丁路德將批判教會(huì)的95條綱論釘?shù)搅送潜ひ唤烫玫拈T(mén)上。那時(shí)，論文僅作為人們辯論的場(chǎng)所存在。路德，一個(gè)奧古斯丁教的傳教士，他認(rèn)為基督徒們不能買(mǎi)斷到天堂的路。今天，一篇博士論文是一種想法也是對(duì)某一特定時(shí)期原創(chuàng)性研究的陳述。完成一篇博士論文是成千上萬(wàn)一屆又一屆為取得博士學(xué)位而奮斗的博士生們的目標(biāo)所在。
In most countries a PhD is a basic requirement for a career in academia. It is an introduction tothe world of independent researcha kind of intellectual masterpiece, created by anapprentice in close collaboration with a supervisor. The requirements to complete one varyenormously between countries, universities and even subjects. Some students will first haveto spend two years working on a masters degree or diploma. Some will receive a stipend;others will pay their own way. Some PhDs involve only research, some require classes andexaminations and some require the student to teach undergraduates. A thesis can be dozensof pages in mathematics, or many hundreds in history. As a result, newly minted PhDs can beas young as their early 20s or world-weary forty-somethings.
在大多數(shù)國(guó)家，取得博士學(xué)位是進(jìn)入學(xué)術(shù)界的基本條件。博士是獨(dú)立研究的開(kāi)始，有點(diǎn)學(xué)術(shù)著作的意思，通常是在與導(dǎo)師密切合作的基礎(chǔ)上完成的。不同的國(guó)家、大學(xué)甚至是不同的學(xué)科，取得博士學(xué)位的要求也不盡相同。有些申請(qǐng)者需首先讀兩年的碩士并取得相應(yīng)學(xué)位或?qū)W歷。他們中有些在攻讀博士學(xué)位期間可以獲得一定的補(bǔ)助，而有些則完全是自費(fèi)。有些博士生專(zhuān)門(mén)搞研究，而有些則需完成一些課程和考試，還有些需他們給本科生上上課。至于博士論文，數(shù)學(xué)的需要幾十頁(yè)內(nèi)容，而歷史方面的需要更多。因此，博士畢業(yè)有的年輕才20多歲，而有的都到不惑之年了。
One thing many PhD students have in common is dissatisfaction. Some describe their work asslave labour. Seven-day weeks, ten-hour days, low pay and uncertain prospects arewidespread. You know you are a graduate student, goes one quip, when your office is betterdecorated than your home and you have a favourite flavour of instant noodle. It isnt graduateschool itself that is discouraging, says one student, who confesses to rather enjoying thehunt for free pizza. Whats discouraging is realising the end point has been yanked out ofreach.
博士生有一個(gè)通病：不滿足。有些博士認(rèn)為他們干的是奴隸們才干的活：一周工作7天、每天10個(gè)小時(shí)、低薪以及不確定的未來(lái)，這些都很普遍。有這么個(gè)諷刺：當(dāng)你工作的辦公室裝修的比你家漂亮?xí)r，當(dāng)你端起一碗泡面的時(shí)候，你就知道自己是一名博士生了。其實(shí)學(xué)校本身并不讓人沮喪，采訪中的一個(gè)博士這么說(shuō)道，他坦言寧愿，而真正讓人沮喪的是不知道這樣的生活何時(shí)才是盡頭。
Whining PhD students are nothing new, but there seem to be genuine problems with thesystem that produces research doctorates . There is an oversupply ofPhDs. Although a doctorate is designed as training for a job in academia, the number of PhDpositions is unrelated to the number of job openings. Meanwhile, business leaders complainabout shortages of high-level skills, suggesting PhDs are not teaching the right things. Thefiercest critics compare research doctorates to Ponzi or pyramid schemes.
這些博士生們牢騷不斷也不是什么新鮮事，但培養(yǎng)學(xué)術(shù)型博士的機(jī)制似乎的確出了什么問(wèn)題。盡管培養(yǎng)博士主要是針對(duì)學(xué)術(shù)研究方面的，但有很多博士專(zhuān)業(yè)的設(shè)置與需求卻不一致。同時(shí)，企業(yè)老板們總是抱怨缺少高層次人才，表明博士期間所學(xué)的內(nèi)容完全不對(duì)口嘛。更有甚者，將整個(gè)學(xué)術(shù)型博士的培養(yǎng)機(jī)制比作是一個(gè)龐茲騙局。
Rich pickings
豐厚的外快
For most of history even a first degree at auniversity was the privilege of a rich few, and manyacademic staff did not hold doctorates. But ashigher education expanded after the second worldwar, so did the expectation that lecturers wouldhold advanced degrees. American universitiesgeared up first: by 1970 America was producing justunder a third of the worlds university students andhalf of its science and technology PhDs . Since then Americas annual output of PhDs hasdoubled, to 64,000.
歷史上的多數(shù)時(shí)期內(nèi)，在大學(xué)里讀到最高學(xué)位是少數(shù)富人們的特權(quán)，而許多教員們并沒(méi)有博士頭銜。但隨著二戰(zhàn)后高等教育的擴(kuò)招，教員們?nèi)〉貌┦繉W(xué)位也是自然之事了。美國(guó)的大學(xué)首次擴(kuò)張始于20世紀(jì)70年代，當(dāng)時(shí)美國(guó)每年畢業(yè)的大學(xué)生接近世界總數(shù)的1/3，而自然科學(xué)和技術(shù)方面的博士生人數(shù)占全世界的一半，要知道當(dāng)時(shí)美國(guó)人口才占全世界的6%。此后，美國(guó)每年畢業(yè)的博士生又翻了一番，達(dá)到64000人。
Other countries are catching up. Between 1998 and 2006 the number of doctorates handed outin all OECD countries grew by 40%, compared with 22% for America. PhD production sped upmost dramatically in Mexico, Portugal, Italy and Slovakia. Even Japan, where the number ofyoung people is shrinking, churned out about 46% more PhDs. Part of that growth reflects theexpansion of university education outside America. Richard Freeman, a labour economist atHarvard University, says that by 2006 America was enrolling just 12% of the worlds students.
美國(guó)以外的國(guó)家也在追趕。98-06年間，經(jīng)合組織各成員國(guó)的博士數(shù)量增長(zhǎng)了40%，同期美國(guó)的增長(zhǎng)率才22%。而在墨西哥、葡萄牙、意大利和斯洛伐克，這個(gè)數(shù)字更大。甚至是在人口老齡化的日本，博士生數(shù)量也增加了約46%。增長(zhǎng)的部分原因表明美國(guó)以外的地區(qū)大學(xué)教育正在擴(kuò)招。哈佛大學(xué)的勞工經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家RF說(shuō)，到2006年為止，美國(guó)各大學(xué)每年錄取大學(xué)生的數(shù)量?jī)H占全世界的12%。
But universities have discovered that PhD students are cheap, highly motivated anddisposable labour. With more PhD students they can do more research, and in some countriesmore teaching, with less money. A graduate assistant at Yale might earn $20,000 a year fornine months of teaching. The average pay of full professors in America was $109,000 in 2009higher than the average for judges and magistrates.
但各大學(xué)也發(fā)現(xiàn)博士生已淪為廉價(jià)但主動(dòng)性強(qiáng)同時(shí)可任意使用的勞動(dòng)力。博士生越多，可以做的研究也多;但在有些國(guó)家，做老師的博士生越多，工資越少。而在美國(guó)，耶魯大學(xué)的一個(gè)研究生助教每年授課9個(gè)月就可以有2萬(wàn)美元的收入。據(jù)統(tǒng)計(jì)，2009年美國(guó)各大學(xué)教授的平均工資為10萬(wàn)9千美元，比法官和公務(wù)員的平均收入還高。
Indeed, the production of PhDs has far outstripped demand for university lecturers. In a recentbook, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, an academic and a journalist, report that Americaproduced more than 100,000 doctoral degrees between 2005 and 2009. In the same periodthere were just 16,000 new professorships. Using PhD students to do much of theundergraduate teaching cuts the number of full-time jobs. Even in Canada, where the output ofPhD graduates has grown relatively modestly, universities conferred 4,800 doctorate degreesin 2007 but hired just 2,616 new full-time professors. Only a few fast-developing countries,such as Brazil and China, now seem short of PhDs.
事實(shí)上，博士的供給已遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)了大學(xué)的需求。最近有本書(shū)，是學(xué)者AH和記者CD合著的，該書(shū)稱美國(guó)在 05-09年間培養(yǎng)的博士已經(jīng)超過(guò)10萬(wàn)人，而同期需求卻只有1.6萬(wàn)。而用大量的博士生給本科生代課又?jǐn)D占了全職教師崗位。甚至是在博士培養(yǎng)數(shù)量一向嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)?shù)募幽么螅?7年也有4800人博士畢業(yè)，而這一年只需要新招聘2616名全職教授。目前，似乎只有個(gè)別發(fā)展迅速的新興國(guó)家博士供給不足，比如巴西和中國(guó)。
A short course in supply and demand
華爾街短期培訓(xùn)課程對(duì)物理學(xué)博士的沖擊
In research the story is similar. PhD students and contract staff known as postdocs,described by one student as the ugly underbelly of academia, do much of the research thesedays. There is a glut of postdocs too. Dr Freeman concluded from pre-2000 data that ifAmerican faculty jobs in the life sciences were increasing at 5% a year, just 20% of studentswould land one. In Canada 80% of postdocs earn $38,600 or less per year before taxtheaverage salary of a construction worker. The rise of the postdoc has created another obstacleon the way to an academic post. In some areas five years as a postdoc is now a prerequisitefor landing a secure full-time job.
研究過(guò)程中發(fā)現(xiàn)，情況基本一致。有個(gè)學(xué)生將博士生與合同教員---也就是我們所說(shuō)的研究員---比作學(xué)術(shù)民工，因?yàn)槟壳八麄兊墓ぷ髁渴窃谔蟆２还獠┦可啵┦亢笠捕唷F將 2000年前的資料匯總概括得出這樣一個(gè)結(jié)論：假如美國(guó)在生命科學(xué)方面每年多提供5%的編制，那么也僅僅只有20%的學(xué)生可以獲得。在加拿大，80%的博士后每年的薪水是稅前3.86萬(wàn)美元，與建筑工人的均薪一個(gè)水平。博士后數(shù)量的增加也使得想要獲得一個(gè)學(xué)院崗位變得困難。在某些領(lǐng)域，具備5年的博士后研究經(jīng)歷是目前獲得一個(gè)可靠全職工作的前提。
ON THE evening before All Saints Day in 1517,Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of achurch in Wittenberg. In those days a thesis wassimply a position one wanted to argue. Luther, an Augustinian friar, asserted that Christianscould not buy their way to heaven. Today a doctoral thesis is both an idea and an account of aperiod of original research. Writing one is the aim of the hundreds of thousands of studentswho embark on a doctorate of philosophy every year.
1517年的萬(wàn)圣節(jié)前夕，馬丁路德將批判教會(huì)的95條綱論釘?shù)搅送潜ひ唤烫玫拈T(mén)上。那時(shí)，論文僅作為人們辯論的場(chǎng)所存在。路德，一個(gè)奧古斯丁教的傳教士，他認(rèn)為基督徒們不能買(mǎi)斷到天堂的路。今天，一篇博士論文是一種想法也是對(duì)某一特定時(shí)期原創(chuàng)性研究的陳述。完成一篇博士論文是成千上萬(wàn)一屆又一屆為取得博士學(xué)位而奮斗的博士生們的目標(biāo)所在。
In most countries a PhD is a basic requirement for a career in academia. It is an introduction tothe world of independent researcha kind of intellectual masterpiece, created by anapprentice in close collaboration with a supervisor. The requirements to complete one varyenormously between countries, universities and even subjects. Some students will first haveto spend two years working on a masters degree or diploma. Some will receive a stipend;others will pay their own way. Some PhDs involve only research, some require classes andexaminations and some require the student to teach undergraduates. A thesis can be dozensof pages in mathematics, or many hundreds in history. As a result, newly minted PhDs can beas young as their early 20s or world-weary forty-somethings.
在大多數(shù)國(guó)家，取得博士學(xué)位是進(jìn)入學(xué)術(shù)界的基本條件。博士是獨(dú)立研究的開(kāi)始，有點(diǎn)學(xué)術(shù)著作的意思，通常是在與導(dǎo)師密切合作的基礎(chǔ)上完成的。不同的國(guó)家、大學(xué)甚至是不同的學(xué)科，取得博士學(xué)位的要求也不盡相同。有些申請(qǐng)者需首先讀兩年的碩士并取得相應(yīng)學(xué)位或?qū)W歷。他們中有些在攻讀博士學(xué)位期間可以獲得一定的補(bǔ)助，而有些則完全是自費(fèi)。有些博士生專(zhuān)門(mén)搞研究，而有些則需完成一些課程和考試，還有些需他們給本科生上上課。至于博士論文，數(shù)學(xué)的需要幾十頁(yè)內(nèi)容，而歷史方面的需要更多。因此，博士畢業(yè)有的年輕才20多歲，而有的都到不惑之年了。
One thing many PhD students have in common is dissatisfaction. Some describe their work asslave labour. Seven-day weeks, ten-hour days, low pay and uncertain prospects arewidespread. You know you are a graduate student, goes one quip, when your office is betterdecorated than your home and you have a favourite flavour of instant noodle. It isnt graduateschool itself that is discouraging, says one student, who confesses to rather enjoying thehunt for free pizza. Whats discouraging is realising the end point has been yanked out ofreach.
博士生有一個(gè)通病：不滿足。有些博士認(rèn)為他們干的是奴隸們才干的活：一周工作7天、每天10個(gè)小時(shí)、低薪以及不確定的未來(lái)，這些都很普遍。有這么個(gè)諷刺：當(dāng)你工作的辦公室裝修的比你家漂亮?xí)r，當(dāng)你端起一碗泡面的時(shí)候，你就知道自己是一名博士生了。其實(shí)學(xué)校本身并不讓人沮喪，采訪中的一個(gè)博士這么說(shuō)道，他坦言寧愿，而真正讓人沮喪的是不知道這樣的生活何時(shí)才是盡頭。
Whining PhD students are nothing new, but there seem to be genuine problems with thesystem that produces research doctorates . There is an oversupply ofPhDs. Although a doctorate is designed as training for a job in academia, the number of PhDpositions is unrelated to the number of job openings. Meanwhile, business leaders complainabout shortages of high-level skills, suggesting PhDs are not teaching the right things. Thefiercest critics compare research doctorates to Ponzi or pyramid schemes.
這些博士生們牢騷不斷也不是什么新鮮事，但培養(yǎng)學(xué)術(shù)型博士的機(jī)制似乎的確出了什么問(wèn)題。盡管培養(yǎng)博士主要是針對(duì)學(xué)術(shù)研究方面的，但有很多博士專(zhuān)業(yè)的設(shè)置與需求卻不一致。同時(shí)，企業(yè)老板們總是抱怨缺少高層次人才，表明博士期間所學(xué)的內(nèi)容完全不對(duì)口嘛。更有甚者，將整個(gè)學(xué)術(shù)型博士的培養(yǎng)機(jī)制比作是一個(gè)龐茲騙局。
Rich pickings
豐厚的外快
For most of history even a first degree at auniversity was the privilege of a rich few, and manyacademic staff did not hold doctorates. But ashigher education expanded after the second worldwar, so did the expectation that lecturers wouldhold advanced degrees. American universitiesgeared up first: by 1970 America was producing justunder a third of the worlds university students andhalf of its science and technology PhDs . Since then Americas annual output of PhDs hasdoubled, to 64,000.
歷史上的多數(shù)時(shí)期內(nèi)，在大學(xué)里讀到最高學(xué)位是少數(shù)富人們的特權(quán)，而許多教員們并沒(méi)有博士頭銜。但隨著二戰(zhàn)后高等教育的擴(kuò)招，教員們?nèi)〉貌┦繉W(xué)位也是自然之事了。美國(guó)的大學(xué)首次擴(kuò)張始于20世紀(jì)70年代，當(dāng)時(shí)美國(guó)每年畢業(yè)的大學(xué)生接近世界總數(shù)的1/3，而自然科學(xué)和技術(shù)方面的博士生人數(shù)占全世界的一半，要知道當(dāng)時(shí)美國(guó)人口才占全世界的6%。此后，美國(guó)每年畢業(yè)的博士生又翻了一番，達(dá)到64000人。
Other countries are catching up. Between 1998 and 2006 the number of doctorates handed outin all OECD countries grew by 40%, compared with 22% for America. PhD production sped upmost dramatically in Mexico, Portugal, Italy and Slovakia. Even Japan, where the number ofyoung people is shrinking, churned out about 46% more PhDs. Part of that growth reflects theexpansion of university education outside America. Richard Freeman, a labour economist atHarvard University, says that by 2006 America was enrolling just 12% of the worlds students.
美國(guó)以外的國(guó)家也在追趕。98-06年間，經(jīng)合組織各成員國(guó)的博士數(shù)量增長(zhǎng)了40%，同期美國(guó)的增長(zhǎng)率才22%。而在墨西哥、葡萄牙、意大利和斯洛伐克，這個(gè)數(shù)字更大。甚至是在人口老齡化的日本，博士生數(shù)量也增加了約46%。增長(zhǎng)的部分原因表明美國(guó)以外的地區(qū)大學(xué)教育正在擴(kuò)招。哈佛大學(xué)的勞工經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家RF說(shuō)，到2006年為止，美國(guó)各大學(xué)每年錄取大學(xué)生的數(shù)量?jī)H占全世界的12%。
But universities have discovered that PhD students are cheap, highly motivated anddisposable labour. With more PhD students they can do more research, and in some countriesmore teaching, with less money. A graduate assistant at Yale might earn $20,000 a year fornine months of teaching. The average pay of full professors in America was $109,000 in 2009higher than the average for judges and magistrates.
但各大學(xué)也發(fā)現(xiàn)博士生已淪為廉價(jià)但主動(dòng)性強(qiáng)同時(shí)可任意使用的勞動(dòng)力。博士生越多，可以做的研究也多;但在有些國(guó)家，做老師的博士生越多，工資越少。而在美國(guó)，耶魯大學(xué)的一個(gè)研究生助教每年授課9個(gè)月就可以有2萬(wàn)美元的收入。據(jù)統(tǒng)計(jì)，2009年美國(guó)各大學(xué)教授的平均工資為10萬(wàn)9千美元，比法官和公務(wù)員的平均收入還高。
Indeed, the production of PhDs has far outstripped demand for university lecturers. In a recentbook, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, an academic and a journalist, report that Americaproduced more than 100,000 doctoral degrees between 2005 and 2009. In the same periodthere were just 16,000 new professorships. Using PhD students to do much of theundergraduate teaching cuts the number of full-time jobs. Even in Canada, where the output ofPhD graduates has grown relatively modestly, universities conferred 4,800 doctorate degreesin 2007 but hired just 2,616 new full-time professors. Only a few fast-developing countries,such as Brazil and China, now seem short of PhDs.
事實(shí)上，博士的供給已遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)了大學(xué)的需求。最近有本書(shū)，是學(xué)者AH和記者CD合著的，該書(shū)稱美國(guó)在 05-09年間培養(yǎng)的博士已經(jīng)超過(guò)10萬(wàn)人，而同期需求卻只有1.6萬(wàn)。而用大量的博士生給本科生代課又?jǐn)D占了全職教師崗位。甚至是在博士培養(yǎng)數(shù)量一向嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)?shù)募幽么螅?7年也有4800人博士畢業(yè)，而這一年只需要新招聘2616名全職教授。目前，似乎只有個(gè)別發(fā)展迅速的新興國(guó)家博士供給不足，比如巴西和中國(guó)。
A short course in supply and demand
華爾街短期培訓(xùn)課程對(duì)物理學(xué)博士的沖擊
In research the story is similar. PhD students and contract staff known as postdocs,described by one student as the ugly underbelly of academia, do much of the research thesedays. There is a glut of postdocs too. Dr Freeman concluded from pre-2000 data that ifAmerican faculty jobs in the life sciences were increasing at 5% a year, just 20% of studentswould land one. In Canada 80% of postdocs earn $38,600 or less per year before taxtheaverage salary of a construction worker. The rise of the postdoc has created another obstacleon the way to an academic post. In some areas five years as a postdoc is now a prerequisitefor landing a secure full-time job.
研究過(guò)程中發(fā)現(xiàn)，情況基本一致。有個(gè)學(xué)生將博士生與合同教員---也就是我們所說(shuō)的研究員---比作學(xué)術(shù)民工，因?yàn)槟壳八麄兊墓ぷ髁渴窃谔蟆２还獠┦可啵┦亢笠捕唷F將 2000年前的資料匯總概括得出這樣一個(gè)結(jié)論：假如美國(guó)在生命科學(xué)方面每年多提供5%的編制，那么也僅僅只有20%的學(xué)生可以獲得。在加拿大，80%的博士后每年的薪水是稅前3.86萬(wàn)美元，與建筑工人的均薪一個(gè)水平。博士后數(shù)量的增加也使得想要獲得一個(gè)學(xué)院崗位變得困難。在某些領(lǐng)域，具備5年的博士后研究經(jīng)歷是目前獲得一個(gè)可靠全職工作的前提。
