English Intensive Reading 吉林大学远程教育学院
Introduction Text Language Points Grammar
				Lesson 6    Text  ( Page 4)
			interest in printing; eventually, he started a private press (24) and had the joy of producing his own elegant books. Many other crafts there are, and most of them contain one essential (25) pleasure, the pleasure of making something that will last.         As for reading books, this contains two different delights. One is the pleasure of apprehending the unexpected,(26) such as when one meets a new author who has a new vision of the world. (27)The other pleasure is of deepening one's knowledge of a special ield. One might enjoy reading about the Civil War, and then be drawn to a particularly moving part of it — the underground railway, say, which carried escaping slaves northward to freedom. One would then be impelled to visit the chief way stations along the route, reconstructing the lives of those resolute organizers and thankful fugitives.(28) Tradition says that(29) Ptolemy,the great astronomer of the Greek and Roman world, worked peacefully in his observatory under the clear skies of northern Egypt for 40 years. Many and great were his explorations of the starry universe. For instance, he described astronomical refraction in a way that was not improved for over 1,000 years. Ptolemy wrote just one poem, but it expressed his whole life:         Mortal I know I am, short-lived, and yet, whenever I watch the multitude of swirling stars, then I no longer tread this earth, but rise to feast with God, and enjoy the food of the immortals.         Learning extends our lives (as Ptolemy said) into new dimensions.It is cumulative.(30) Instead of diminishing in time, like health and strength, its returns go on increasing, provided...         Provided that you aim,throughout your life,as you continue learning,to integrate your thought,to make it harmonious.(31)