Officials need to read in order to lead_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Officials need to read in order to lead

A fellow teacher of mine was a graduate of a well-known hydroelectric college. He told me that to build a dam needs investigation of local geological conditions and study of historical hydrologic data

I didn't know if the commune leader had consulted the technicians from the county-level water conservancy bureau but I knew nobody came to listen to my colleague, who had the highest educational background in hydroelectricity in the county.

It was the heyday of the "cultural revolution", when knowledge and reading were despised as useless and even harmful. Intellectuals were sent to work in rural areas away from their professions.

Just as the dam had taken shape, heavy spring rains dramatically raised the water level of the upper stream and the dam burst. The flood swept down the valley, causing deaths and destroying houses.

The commune leader was not a villain. He labored hard together with local farmers to build the dam and refused to withdraw to safety as the dam burst. But his contempt for science and knowledge had serious consequences.

Most of today's officials hold graduate degrees. But they also need to constantly update their knowledge through reading.

Unfortunately, many of them indulge in social life - banquets, ceremonies and parties under various names - and spend little time reading. They complain that they cannot shun these social activities because some of their work has to be done on these occasions.