Confucius is China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theoris

游客2023-10-15  21

问题     Confucius is China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist and the founder of Confucianism, whose ideas have influenced the civilization of East Asia and even of the whole world.

    Confucius was born in the 22 nd year of the reign of Duke Hsiang of Lu(551 B. C.). September 28 is widely observed in East Asia as Confucius’ birthday. It is an official holiday, Teachers’ Day, in Taiwan, China.
    Confucius’ father died when Confucius was only three years old. Instructed first by his mother, Confucius later distinguished himself as a tireless learner in his teens. A historical account notes that, even though he was already known as an informed younger scholar, he felt it appropriate to inquire about everything.
    Confucius served in minor government posts managing stables and keeping books for granaries before he was 19. He made a particular effort to find the right masters to teach him. Confucius’ mastery of the six arts—ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and arithmetic—and his familiarity with the classical traditions, notably poetry and history, enabled him to start a brilliant teaching career in his 30s.
    Confucius is known as the first teacher in China who wanted to make education available to all men and who was instrumental in establishing the art of teaching as a vocation, indeed as a way of life. Before Confucius, aristocratic families had hired tutors to educate their sons in specific arts, and government officials had instructed their subordinates in the necessary techniques, but Confucius was the first person to devote his whole life to learning and teaching for the purpose of transforming and improving society. He believed that all human beings could benefit from self-cultivation. He defined learning not merely as the acquisition of knowledge but also as character building.
    For Confucius the primary function of education was to provide the proper way to train noblemen. Although he emphatically noted that learning was "for the sake of the self" , he found public service a natural consequence of true education. Confucius chose to try to transform the world from within. For decades he was actively involved in politics, wishing to put his humanist ideas into practice through governmental channels.
    In his late 40s and early 50s, Confucius served first as a magistrate, then as an Assistant Minister of Public Works, and eventually as Minister of Justice in the state of Lu. Confucius’ political career was, however, short-lived. His loyalty to the Duke alienated him from the power holders of the time, the large Chi families, and his moral rectitude did not sit well with the Duke’s inner circle. At 56, when he realized that his superiors were uninterested in his policies, Confucius left the country in an attempt to find another feudal state to which he could render his service. Despite his political frustration he was accompanied by an expanding circle of students during this self-imposed exile of almost 14 years. His reputation as a man of vision and mission spread. Confucius died in 479 B. C. , at the age of 73. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, 72 of his students mastered the "six arts" , and those who claimed to be his followers numbered 3000. He has been respected as the "Role Model for Teachers through the Ages".
Questions 66 to 70
Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage. [br] Why is Confucius regarded as the first teacher in China?

选项

答案 Because he wanted to make education available to all men and was instrumental in establishingthe art of teaching as a vocation.

解析 (根据文章倒数第三段第一句中的“Confucius is known as the first teacher in China whowanted to make education available to all men and who was instrumental in establishing the artof teaching as a vocation,indeed as a way of life”可知,孔子之所以被誉为中的第一位老师,是因为他让全民都有机会接受教育,并为教育成为职业带来帮助。因此本句即为答案。)
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