新概念英语第四册55-01

experience 实践

in belief 信仰，思维活动

it may manifest 体现

variety 多样性

第二段第一句话点出主题

pristine eye 原始的眼光 = pure纯洁的

edite 编辑

definite 一定形式的，有限的

set集合

customs 习俗

institutions 惯例

ways of thinking 思维方式

probing = research, studies 研究 探索

stereotype 陈规，定式

very 修饰名词表示强调

have reference to 和……有关 = be connected with

John Dewey(1859-…) 他的哲学思想：learning by doing 通过实践学习

in all seriousness = seriously

the part = the role

在某一方面，用介词 in

as…as比较 第一个as后面，风俗对人的影响——人对风俗的影响

第二个as后面，母语总体的词汇总量——被吸收到家庭语言中的儿语

The fact of first-rate importance is the predominant role that custom plays in experience and in belief, and the very great varieties it may manifest.

No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking. Even in his philosophical probings he cannot go behind these stereotypes; his very concepts of the true and the false will still have reference to his particular traditional customs. John Dewey has said in all seriousness that the part played by custom in shaping the behaviour of the individual as over against any way in which he can affect traditional custom, is as the proportion of the total vocabulary of his mother tongue over against those words of his own baby talk that are taken up into the vernacular of his family.