Language Point 1
As he stood before the mirror, he noticed the jacket was a little uneven at the bottom. (Para.1)
Meaning: As he stood before the mirror, he noticed the jacket was longer on one side/not of the same length on both sides.
Language Point 2
I am a teacher and I am also that crippled man. I have tugged, pulled, limped, held on and bent over, but why haven't I made the education system look like a well-fitting suit? (Para.3)
Meaning: I am a teacher and I am also that lame man. I have dragged with force, pulled, walked with difficulty, held on and bent over, but why haven't I made the education system look like a suit which fits well?
cripple: v. 1) cause to lose the use of a limb or limbs
The accident crippled her son for life. 这次事故使她的儿子终身残疾。
2) damage or weaken seriously
Agriculture is crippled by the miserable conditions on the collective farms. 集体农庄的恶劣条件使农业陷于瘫痪状态。
Until the crippled economy is rebuilt everything will be very brittle. 在瘫痪的经济重建之前，一切都是极其脆弱的。
tug: v. pull hard with force or much effort
She kept pleading and whining, tugging at her father's coat. 她拉着父亲的衣服，不断地哀声请求。
limp: v.
1) walk with an uneven step
Few people can detect this very slight disability although I tend to limp a bit if I get tired. 尽管在疲劳时我走路会有点跛，但几乎没人能看出我这点轻微的残疾。
2)move or proceed haltingly or unsteadily
In reality it becomes almost impossible to find this amount in the budget, and the projects have to limp along on an underfunded basis. 事实上，在预算中已不可能找到这笔款子，项目只好在资金短缺的情况下缓慢进行。
Language Point 3
In the beginning of our careers as teachers, a voice, full of optimism, spoke clearly to us. (Para. 4)
Meaning: When we started our careers as teachers, we clearly heard a very positive voice.
Note: This time adverbial indicates that the author is telling something in the past, so Paragraphs 4 to 6 are written in the past tense.
Language Point 4
The voice affirmed that the sacred relationship between child and teacher was the classroom's strength. (Para. 4)
Meaning: The voice declared firmly that the serious and sacred relationship between child and teacher made the school strong.
affirm: v. 1) declare positively or firmly; maintain to be true
He continued to affirm that the introduction of divorce would make it more difficult for people to lead “good moral lives”. 他接着断言，离婚的采用会使人们更加难以过上 “讲道德的生活”。
2) support or uphold the validity of
Is it a pure contradiction to affirm both these things at the same time? 同时确认这两件事情不是十足的自相矛盾吗?
Language Point 5
The voice rang out: Serve the child first. Do what is important. Act on principles. Work hard. Take care. The voice insisted: Make a difference. (Para. 4)
Meaning: The voice rang out: Take care of the child's need first. Do what is important. Act according to the values we believe in. Work hard. Take care. The voice insisted: Achieve noticeable or valuable effect through the teaching efforts.
Language Point 6
As teachers, we wanted so much to believe in ourselves, to make that difference, that we never noticed we were nothing more than factory workers. (Para. 6)
Meaning: As teachers, we wanted so much to believe in ourselves, to achieve noticeable or valuable effect through the teaching efforts, and we didn't realize that we were just like factory workers.
Language Point 7
...we never noticed we were nothing more than factory workers. ...was barely more than a 19th-century factory... (Para. 6)
nothing more than: only; merely
It is of the same meaning with “barely more than”.
Language Point 8
We did not want to admit that this system, whose business it was to nourish minds and mold dreams, was barely more than a 19th-century factory where our students collected basic skills on an assembly line. (Para.6)
Meaning: We did not want to admit that this system, which was meant to develop minds and shape dreams, was no more than a 19th-century factory in which all our students learnt basic skills in the same way.
Note: In the relative clause, it serves as formal subject, and the real subject is the infinitive phrase: to nourish minds and mold dreams. To understand the structure clearly, we can put the part this way: It was the business of this system to nourish minds and mold dreams.
Language Point 9
We did not want to admit that this system, whose business it was to nourish minds and mold dreams... (Para.6)
nourish: v.
1) provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth
How can I feed her nourishing food when she will eat nothing? 她什么都不想吃的时候我怎能喂她营养食品呢?
2)feed; foster the development of; promote; sustain or enrich
By investing in education, we nourish the talents of children and lay the basis for future success. 通过教育投资，我们培养孩子的才能，为他们未来的成功打好基础。
Language Point 10
We tried not to confront who we really were—workers, not professionals, in a factory called school. (Para.6)
Meaning: We tried not to face the fact that we really were workers, not professionals, in a factory called school.
Language Point 11
We are busy putting out fires, moving from one crisis to the next, swallowing one new program after another, trying to assimilate new strategies in one-day training programs — digesting nothing, meeting the demands and expectations of innumerable special interests. (Para.8)
Meaning: We are busy stopping fires, moving from one problem to the next, accepting without thinking one new program after another, trying to absorb new plans in one-day training programs — understanding nothing, meeting the demands and expectations of countless special interests.
assimilate: v. 1) understand and be able to use properly
We biologists have assimilated the idea of genetic evolution so deeply that we tend to forget that it is only one of many possible kinds of evolution. 我们这些生物学家过于深刻地吸收了基因演化的观点，以至于忘记了它只是多种演化可能的一种。
2) take (food) into the body and digest it; (of food) be taken into the body and digested
I have a stomachache and cannot assimilate any food. 我胃疼，什么食物都不能消化。
The food prepared for astronauts assimilates easily. 为宇航员准备的食物很容易消化。
3) (cause to) become part of
The family assimilated quickly into the new country. 这个家庭很快就融入新的国家。
Language Point 12
... meeting the demands and expectations of innumerable special interests. (Para.8)
innumerable: a. too many to be counted
Note: Do not confuse “innumerable” with “innumerate”, which refers to a person without basic mathematical or arithmetical skill.
Language Point 13
The tempo of our work does not allow us time to reflect or to dream. (Para.8)
Meaning: The pace of our work does not allow us time to reflect or to dream.
Language Point 14
Dreams are born of reflection, but we are not a reflective profession. (Para.8)
Meaning: Dreams are from reflection but as teachers we do not dream as profession.
be born of: result from; arise from
His cynicism was born of bitter experience. 他愤世嫉俗是因为他有过痛苦的经历。
Note: Here “born” serves as an adjective.
Language Point 15
We have allowed the tailor to design our suits. (Para.8)
Meaning: We have allowed the tailor to decide what our suits should look like.
Language Point 16
The voice pleads, I need time to nurture myself and the relationships I have with my students and peers, ... (Para.10)
Meaning: The voice begs, I need time to develop myself and to develop the relationships I have with my students and people of my age...
plead：v.
1) appeal earnestly; beg
I plead for help, to you who caused my suffering, and you do not even bother to reply. 我向你这个导致我深受苦难的人乞求帮助，而你竟理都不理！
2) put forward a plea of a specific nature in court
The man was said to be mad and unfit to plead. 据说那个人疯了，不适合出庭申辩。
Language Point 17
I need time to nurture myself... (Para.10)
nurture: v.
1) help grow or develop; cultivate
Will television ever again be able to nurture the growth of new sport? 电视还能再次培育新体育项目的成长吗?
2) give care or foods to
These plants were nurtured in the greenhouse. 这些植物是在温室里培育的。
Language Point 18
The voice suggests, I need intensive training, more than a weekend symposium or after-school meetings, to learn how to implement new policies in my class or to set up authentic demonstrations of proficiency. (Para.11)
Meaning: The voice suggests, I need to go for more focused and longer training, not just attend a conference over a weekend or meetings after school, to learn how to carry out new rules in my class or really demonstrate students' real / true proficient level.
Note: Do not confuse “intensive” with “intense”.
“Intensive” is used for objective descriptions and means “effort that is highly concentrated”.
“Intense” means “a subjective response to an event”.
The President was feeling the intense pressure.
Language Point 19
... more than a weekend symposium... (Para.11)
Note: Do not confuse “symposium” with “seminar” and “workshop”.
“Symposium” means “a conference or meeting on a particular issue”. The plural form is either “symposia” or “symposiums”. This is a formal word.
“Seminar” is “a class, usu. At college or university, where the teacher and the students discuss a particular topic or subject”. “Workshop” means “a meeting on a specific theme where all the participants are expected to make contributions”.
Language Point 20
We put down the voice. (Para.11)
Meaning: We silence the voice.
Language Point 21
The next day, the man wore his new suit, using all the hand and chin “adjustments”. (Para.12)
Meaning: The next day, the man wore his new suit, using his hand and chin to make the suit look well-fitting.
Language Point 22
As this pathetic man limped through the park with his chin tucked down, one hand tugging at his coat and the other grasping his trousers, two men stopped playing chess to watch. (Para.12)
Meaning: As this pitiful man limped through the park with his chin pointed down, one hand pulling with effort at his coat and the other holding tightly to his trousers, two men stopped playing chess to watch.
tuck: v. put into a desired or convenient position；fold
She still got her hat on, with her hair all tucked up inside. 她仍旧戴着帽子，头发全部塞进帽子里。
She saw the colonel coming towards her, his gun tucked under his arm. 她看到上校朝她走来，枪夹在胳膊下。
Language Point 23
The second man reflected for a moment, then murmured, ... (Para.12)
murmur: v. make a soft sound, esp. to speak or say in a quiet voice
She switched on a desk lamp, and quickly scanned what she had just written, murmuring to herself. 她打开桌上的台灯，迅速浏览了一下自己刚才所写的东西，一边低声自语着。
Every few years, people in industrial circles murmur about what would happen if supplies were cut off, for political or commercial reasons. 每隔几年工业界人士就会嘀咕，如果由于政治或商业原因供给被切断会怎么样。
n. a low, indistinct, continuous sound; an indistinct, whispered, or confidential complaint
There were murmurs of both assent and dissent. 同意和不同意的咕哝声都有。
She took the punishment without a murmur. 她接受了惩罚，没有丝毫抱怨。
Language Point 24
No official decree will produce the kinds of changes that we know are necessary. (Para. 13)
Meaning: No government order will result in the kinds of changes we know we need.
Language Point 25
Only if we act from a voice that reflects our worth, will education see the changes it has been seeking for so many decades. (Para. 13)
Meaning: Education will change in the ways it has wanted to for many decades, only if we listen to and act according to our own value. Explanation: Sentences starting with “only” should be put in an inverted order.
Language Point 26
Then, and only then, will we be able to stand tall and proud, worthy of the name “teacher”. (Para. 13)
Meaning: Only then can we be proud of ourselves and deserve the name of “teacher”.
Language Point 27
Yet the indignant voice continues. (Para.15)
Meaning: Yet the angry voice continues. / Yet the voice continues to speak up against what is unfair.
indignant: a. expressing or feeling great anger
His tone became more confident, slightly indignant. 他的音调变得越发自信，还有一点愤怒。
I felt indignant that she’d spoken to me like that. 她那样跟我说话使我感到愤怒。
Language Point 28
I can't plan really effective lessons or design hands-on materials with one 45-minute planning period a day and a 20-minute lunch and at the same time serve my 130 students. (Para. 15)
Meaning: I can't plan lessons that really work or design practical materials with only a 45-minute period each day to plan and a 20-minute lunch and at the same time take care of my 130 students.
Language Point 29
I can't implement new critical thinking programs, set up cooperative learning groups, meet with parents, fill out form after form and stagger home night after night with still three hours of work to do. (Para. 15)
Meaning: I cannot carry out programs that teach students to think independently, start learning groups based on teamwork, meet with parents, fill out form after form and walk home in a clumsy and tired way night after night with still three hours of work to do.
Note: Notice that the conjunction of these verbal phrases indicates the author is complaining that he/she has endless things to do.
Language Point 30
...fill out form after form... (Para.15)
fill out: complete
Note: “Fill out” is a usage in American English. In British English the equivalent is “fill in”.
Language Point 31
...and stagger home night after night...(Para.15)
stagger: v. 1) move unsteadily on one's feet
He staggered to his feet, face flushed from too much wine, and raised his glass in a toast to his son. 他摇摇晃晃地站起来，举起酒杯向他儿子祝酒，脸因喝多了葡萄酒而涨得通红。
2) arrange in alternating or overlapping time periods
More could be done to encourage flexible or staggered working hours and spread the traffic load. 我们还有很多事可做，以鼓励灵活机动的或错开工作时间的办法以分散交通流量。
3) overwhelm with emotion or astonishment
This is a pretty staggering statistic, which we should remember when we are considering the relative risk.当我们考虑相对风险的时候都要记住这个十分令人震惊的数据。
Language Point 32
We put our hands over our ears. (Para.15)
Meaning: We cover our ears.
Language Point 33
I am dizzy and I am losing my ability to know what is truly important. (Para.16)
Meaning: I feel faint and no longer know what is truly important.
Language Point 34
...why do I expend so much energy? (Para.18)
expend: v. spend; use up (esp. time, care, etc. )
Don't expend all your time on such a meaningless job. 不要把时间都花在这种毫无意义的工作上。
Note: Do not confuse “expend” with “extend”, which means “stretch or spread (sth.) out to greater or fullest length” or figuratively “exert (oneself) vigorously or to full capacity”.
Language Point 35
Why do I scramble to cover all the material in the book? (Para.18)
Meaning: Why do I hurriedly run around to cover all the material in the book?
scramble: v. 1) struggle eagerly or in a disorderly way
Now they are scrambling to prevent the treaty being rejected in June. 现在他们正手忙脚乱地阻止条约六月份被拒绝考虑。
2) move or climb quickly
Some passers-by did not wait that long, leaping off buses and scrambling down the embankment to drag the injured out. 一些过路人并没有等那么长时间，他们跳下公共汽车，爬下堤坝, 费力地把受伤的人拉出来。
Language Point 36
Why have I allowed official tests to drive my curriculum? (Para.18)
Meaning: Why have I allowed official tests to decide/direct my teaching program?
Language Point 37
And the voice, beaten down, under-nurtured and never honored, finally says, I am a teacher and I am not valuable. (Para.19)
Meaning: And the voice, defeated, under-developed and never respected, finally says, I am a teacher and I am not valuable.
Language Point 38
To be ourselves causes us to be exiled by many others, but to comply with what others want causes us to be exiled from ourselves. (Para.20)
Meaning: To do what we ourselves want makes many others drive us away, but to do what others want drives us away from ourselves.
exile: v. expel sb. from his or her own country; banish He was exiled to the Egyptian desert, but his influence remained undiminished. 他被流放到埃及的沙漠，但他的影响却丝毫没有减少。
A crowd of Polish Jews, exiled from their native land, are on their way to America. 一群被自己的祖国放逐的波兰犹太人正在前往美国的路上。
n. enforced removal or self-imposed absence from one's country; one who lives away from one’s native country, whether because of expulsion or voluntary absence
He had been expelled from the party in 1987, and is living in exile in the US. 他1987年被驱逐出党，现正流亡美国。
So long as he remained in exile, he could write what he liked. 只要仍然流亡异乡，他就能写自己喜欢的东西。
Language Point 39
...but to comply with what others want causes us to be exiled from ourselves. (Para.20)
comply: v. act in accordance with a demand, order, rule, etc.
All the employees have to comply with the new rules. 所有雇员都得遵守新的规章制度。
He made it clear that it was for him to determine, and for you to comply. 他已经讲清楚了，决定由他来做，你只能服从。
Language Point 40
We teachers have been exiled from ourselves too long, and it has crippled us. (Para.21)
Meaning: We teachers have gone away from ourselves for too long, and we have become lame.
Language Point 41
If education is to improve, if we are to make the systematic changes necessary to take us into the 21st century, teachers must again listen to the voice that says: Yes I am a teacher and yes, I am valuable. (Para.22)
Meaning: If education is to improve, if we are to make well-planned changes which are necessary to bring us into the 21st century, teachers must again listen to the voice that says: Yes I am a teacher and yes, I am valuable.
are to: The “be + infinitive” construction here is used to convey a plan.
She is to be married next month. 她定于下月结婚。
The Prime Minister is to make a statement tomorrow.首相将于明天发表声明。
