$课文22 知识和进步

376. Why does the idea of progress loom so large in the modern world?

为什么进步这个概念在现代世界显得如此突出？

377. Surely progress of a particular kind is actually taking place around us and is becoming more and more manifest.

无疑是因为有一种特殊的进步实际上正在我们周围发生，而且变得越来越明显。

378. Although mankind has undergone no general improvement in intelligence or morality,

虽然人类有智力和道德上没有得到普遍提高，

379. it has made extraordinary progress in the accumulation of knowledge.

但在知识积累方面却取得了巨大的进步。

380. Knowledge began to increase as soon as the thoughts of one individual could be communicated to another by means of speech.

人一旦能用语言同别人交流思想，知识的积累便开始了。

381. With the invention of writing, a great advance was made, for knowledge could then be not only communicated but also stored.

随着书写的发明，又迈进了一大步，因为这样一来，知识不仅能交流，而且能储存了。

382. Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries:

藏书使教育成为可能，而教育反过来又丰富了藏书，

383. the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound interest law,

因为知识的增长遵循着一种“滚雪球”的规律。