For Generals Only 勇于攀越
文字难度：★★★
拿破仑说：“不想当将军的士兵不是好士兵！”
看完这篇文章后，我不由地想借用上面的话感叹一下：不敢质疑和挑战权威的学生不是好学生！上学那会，老师经常教导我们既要学会做学问，又要学会做人。无论是做学问还是做人，我们都应当勤于思考，敢于质疑，勇于挑战，方能将所学转化成自己的东西，学有所得；同时得以完善自身，形成独立的人格。
“停泊在港湾里的船只很安全，但那不是船的使命。”让我们带着梦想，带着憧憬，扬帆起航！
——Maisie
This class is for generals only! Generals!” the 1)da-pperly dressed man repeated firmly. “Those willing to think deeply and be 2)decisive about what they’ve come to do climb the mountain!”
“这门课程是专门为将军开设的！将军！”衣着整齐的他坚定地重复着，“只有那些愿意深入思考，而且行事果断的人才能登上顶峰！”
All the faces were 3)solemn. Dr. Laurent, the three-star general, my professor for the 4)graduate-level ma-nagement course, 5)pacing before the class and striking one hand with a pencil in the other, continued to 6)expound with 7)didactic 8)zeal on the need for 9)aggre-ssion and determination on the 10)battlegrounds of leadership. “Leadership is not for everyone,” he said. “Only the finest, the strongest, the most determined generals will find themselves with a passing 11)grade in this class!”
所有的人都一脸严肃。劳伦特博士是位三星将领（编者注：即少将），也是我们研究生管理课程的教授。他在学员面前踱着步，一手抓着铅笔敲打着另一只手。怀着诲人不倦的热情，他进一步阐述着主动性和决断能力在领导才能这个问题上的重要性。“不是每个人都具备领导能力的，”他说，“这个班上只有最优秀、最强韧、最坚定的将军才能通过考试！”
I found the course 12)stimulating and challengingÑespecially 13)with respect to earning high marks from Dr. Laurent. I was carrying a 4.0 14)grade point average in my master’s program, and expected to earn an A in this course, too. With just two weeks to go until the course was over, the professor issued the last 15)assignment, which would 16)account for a 17)hefty 50 percent of the overall course grade.
我觉得这门课程既令人兴奋又有挑战性—要从劳伦特博士那里拿高分更是如此。我的硕士课程平均成绩是4分，我希望在这门课上也能拿到A。在这门课离结束还有两个星期的时候，教授布置了最后一次作业，它的分数比重将占到整个课程的50％。
Determined to get an A, I put in a great deal of effort on making sure that my paper was perfect. I confidently handed in my doctoral-level, award-winning work, absolutely convinced my professor would be as thoroughly impressed with it as I was!
我一心想拿个A，花了大量精力以确保我的论文无懈可击。我自信地交上了堪比博士水平、甚至有望获奖的论文，满心以为教授会像我一样为它拍手叫好。
On the day of our last class, Dr. Laurent handed back the graded papers. Mine was one of the last to be returned. Rather than place it on my desk in front of me, the professor 18)awkwardly slid the assignment under my arm from behind, almost as if to hide it. He then walked quickly to the front of the room and, within moments, dismissed the class.
那天是我们的最后一堂课，劳伦特博士把评了分的论文发了回来。我是最后拿到论文的几个人之一。教授并没有把它放在我前面的桌子上，而是在背后从我的手臂下面把论文别扭地塞了过来，好像不想让人发觉似的。随后他快速走到教室的前面，没过多久便宣布下课。
I understood this odd presentation when I looked and saw, without any explanation or comment, the red letter “C” on the top of the cover page of my paper. 19)Dumbfounded and embarrassed, I collected my things and left the classroom without a word. Feelings of failure, discouragement and injustice flooded my mind during the entire drive home. And the week that followed.
我看到论文封面顶部那个红色的C，旁边没有任何解释和评语，这才明白他那离奇的举动。我不由地目瞪口呆、尴尬不已，把东西收拾好便一言不发地离开了教室。开车回家的一路上，挫折、沮丧和不公平的感觉一股脑儿涌上头顶。随后一个星期都没缓过来。
So I went to speak with the professor.
于是，我去找教授理论。
Looking up from the paperwork in which he was absorbed, Dr. Laurent put down his pen. “I’m not surprised to see you here,” he said kindly, his voice completely 20)void of the military tone he employed in his classroom. “I suspect you’ve come to ask me about your grade, and tell me how unfair I’ve been.”
劳伦特博士正在埋头工作。他抬起头看到我，放下手中的笔。“你来找我，我一点儿都不意外，”他和善地说，声音里完全不带他在教室里说话时的那种军人腔。“我猜你是来问我成绩的事儿，你会说我太不公平了。”
“My 21)sentiments exactly,” I replied 22)stoically.
“这正是我的感觉。”我淡定地回答。
“Please allow me to explain,” he said. “If you think I’ve treated you unfairly, then I’ve done my job to better prepare you for what you’ll encounter as you climb the 23)ranks, as you invariably will.”
“让我解释一下，” 他说，“如果你觉得我对你不公平，那我的目的就达到了。将来你总有迈向事业顶峰的那一天，我这么做是想让你为将要面临的困难做好更充分的准备。”
At my 24)stony silence, he added, “That’s a compliment. But, you’re a general. If you 25)aspire to be a general, then act like one!”
我面无表情，没有搭话。他接着说道：“我是在夸你。不过，你是一位将军。如果你立志要成为一位将军，就得有将军的样子！”
“Just exactly what do you mean? My work in this class was excellent,” I 26)reasoned. “I follow-ed your requests to the letter. What else should I have done?”
“你到底是什么意思呢？我这门课的表现非常出色。” 我据理力争。“我一字一句都按照你的要求来做。我还要怎么样？”
“Ships in a harbor are safe, but that’s not what ships are meant for,” he responded 27)cryptically, then asked, “Did you agree with all I required you to do?”
“停泊在港湾里的船只很安全，可那不是船的使命，”他意味深长地回答，然后问我，“你赞成我所有的要求么？”
“Well, no,” I responded. “嗯，并不。”我回答。
“Explain yourself,” he instructed in a fatherly tone. “说说看。”他用慈爱的语气引导我。
“Well,” I said. “I thought the assignment on 28)James was limiting.” “这个，”我说，“我觉得关于詹姆士的这份作业有局限性。”
“How so?” he asked. “为什么呢？”他问。
“Well, you asked us to exa-mine James 29)in relation to his theory of ability, but in the absence of 30)motivation. The most important feature of James’s work was that he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that an extremely important function of leadership is motivation.”
“嗯，你让我们就能力理论来研究詹姆士，却不把激励因素考虑在内。詹姆士的作品有个最重要的特点，就是他无庸置疑地证明了领导者有个极为重要的作用，那就是激励作用。”
“So, you felt a different direction was needed. Why didn’t you come to ask me if you could alter the assignment to include this fact?” Dr. Laurent questioned.
“这么说，你觉得有必要从另一个角度来研究。那你为什么没来问我，看能否修改我布置的作业，把这一点也包括进去呢？”劳伦特博士问。
“Because you said the class was for generals, those who climb the mountain, 31)so to speak,” I replied in my own defense. “I didn’t think you were open to being questioned.”
“因为你说这门课是为将军设置的，也就是说那些攀登顶峰的人，”我为自己辩解，“我以为你不会容忍质疑的。”
“So you didn’t,” he 32)sur-mised. Then he asked, “Do you really think that just because you see a mountain you need to climb it?” His 33)gaze pointed, he 34)informed me, “You needn’t climb a mountain just because it’s in your path. What if you wanted a different mountain to climb? And, do you really think you need not question those in positions of authority? Actually, you need to find what you stand for, to find your own voice, examine it, 35)discipline it and then offer it.”
“所以你才没有来，”他猜测着。然后他问道：“你真的以为眼前有一座山就一定要翻过去吗？”他的眼光锐利起来。他告诉我说：“如果前面的路上有座山，你不一定就要翻过去。假如你想翻越的山并不是这一座呢？而且，你真的以为没有必要去质疑权威吗？事实上，你必须找到自己的立场，形成自己的想法，并加以研究、修正，然后说出来。”
Meeting my eyes, he continued, “I gave you a low grade because I was hoping to send a message that forced you to confront this matter. If I teach a student that she merely has to work hard to get a passing grade, she never learns the full meaning of climbing the mountain, and never finds her own voice. Then it is I who have failed my generals.”
他看着我的眼睛，接着说：“我给你评了个低分，是因为我希望向你传递一个信息，促使你面对这件事。如果我教的学生她只知道努力学习以通过考试，那么她永远不会懂得攀登顶峰的全部含义，也永远不能形成自己的想法。那样，就是我失职，耽误我的学生成为将军了。”
Smiling, he added, “I’m really happy you’re here. It tells me I was right about you.” With that Dr. Laurent opened a drawer, 36)withdrew a typed letter and handed it to me. The 37)personalized letter, addressed to the department of records, requested that my grade of C be removed and replaced with an A...
他微笑着继续说道：“你能来找我，我真的很高兴。这说明我对你的判断没有错。” 说着，劳伦特博士打开抽屉，取出一封打印好的信，交到我手上。这封签名信件的收件人是档案处，信里要求把我的成绩C去掉，改成A……
