为什么埃隆·马斯克要为他的孩子们建一所学校：英语精读讲义

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In a corner of SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne,

在 SpaceX 位于霍桑（Hawthorne）总部的

California,

加州一角，

you won't find rocket engineers or even adults for that matter. 短語搭配

你找不到火箭工程师，甚至找不到成年人。

For a number of years,

多年来，

Elon Musk ran a school out of his rocket factory

埃隆·马斯克在他的火箭工厂里开办了一所学校

to educate his five children,

为了教育他的五个孩子，

not including boy number six,

这还不包括他的第六个男孩，

baby X.

小宝宝 X。

They had been enrolled at a private school for gifted kids in LA, 語法

他们曾就读于洛杉矶一所针对天才儿童的私立学校，

but Musk wasn't satisfied with their education,

但马斯克对他们的教育并不满意，

as he once told the Chinese television network.

正如他曾经对中国的一家电视网所说的那样。

The regular schools

普通学校

just they weren't doing the things

并没有在做那些

that I thought should be done.

我认为应该做的事情。

Musk has been critical of the American education system, 短語搭配

马斯克一直对美国的教育体系持批评态度，

pointing out teachers don't explain why kids are taught a subject. 短語動詞

他指出老师并不解释为什么要教孩子们某门学科。

They're taught a mathematical formula

孩子们被教授数学公式

without explaining why that formula is important. 語法

却不被告知为什么这个公式很重要。

As an analogy,

他打个比方，

he says simply listing the tools

他说单纯地列出工具清单，

you need to take an engine apart 短語動詞

告诉你拆卸发动机需要哪些工具，

isn't the same as trying to disassemble

这与尝试亲自去拆卸

the engine yourself

发动机本身是不一样的，

and by doing so learn the relevance 短語搭配

只有通过这种做法，才能在过程中了解

of the tools as you go. 短語搭配

工具的实际相关性。

When he's not happy with how things are done,

当他对事物的运作方式不满意时，

the entrepreneur tends to do something about it, 短語搭配

这位企业家往往会采取行动，

whether it's creating rockets, 語法

无论是制造火箭、

cars, computer chips,

汽车、电脑芯片，

or his own school.

还是开办自己的学校。

He named it Ad Astra, 文化背景

他将其命名为 Ad Astra，

which is Latin for to the stars.

这是拉丁语，意思是“走向星辰”。

I actually hired a teacher from the school they were at,

我确实从他们之前就读的学校聘请了一位老师，

who also agreed with me that there was a better way to do it.

他也认同我的看法，认为有更好的教育方式。

That teacher is Josh Dahn,

那位老师就是 Josh Dahn，

who I spoke with over Skype.

我通过 Skype 和他聊过。

Was it a tough decision for you to leave

对你来说，离开

the private school where you were teaching at

你任教的私立学校

to go on this new venture?

投入这项新事业是个艰难的决定吗？

No, of course not, right?

不，当然不是对吧？

I mean if anything, 語氣意圖

我的意思是，真要说的话，

you know, Elon asked me to think about it

你知道，埃隆让我考虑一下

and I responded,

然后我就回复了，

you know, hours after we originally spoke

你知道，就在我们初次交谈几小时后

like in the middle of the night

比如半夜的时候

because it was so clearly a great opportunity.

因为这显然是一个极好的机会。

Ad Astra was far from a typical school, 習語

Ad Astra 远非一所典型的学校，

with no classes in language,

没有语言、

music, sports, or even grade levels.

音乐、体育课，甚至没有年级之分。

Students were grouped based on their ability, 短語搭配

学生们根据能力被分组，

where they took part in complex team games 短語搭配

参加复杂的团队游戏

to test their critical thinking skills.

以考验他们的批判性思维能力。

In one simulation,

在一次模拟中，

teams competed at various art auctions

团队在不同的艺术品拍卖会上竞争

to try to assemble the best collections

试图收集最好的藏品

to display at exhibitions around the world,

在世界各地的展览上展出，

similar to what these students are doing.

类似于这些学生正在做的事情。

I like the Shrine Gate.

我喜欢神社的大门。

Okay, yeah, you do that one.

好的，那你就选那个。

It's a lot for adults to juggle, 習語

这对成年人来说都需要费力应对，

let alone the eight to 14-year-olds at Ad Astra. 習語

更不用说 Ad Astra 那些 8 到 14 岁的孩子了。

Musk reimagined how school could be taught

马斯克重新构想了学校该如何进行教育

based on first principles reasoning, 文化背景

基于第一性原理推理，

a fancy way of saying

这是一个比较高级的说法，意思就是

how could you rethink how something is done

你如何重新思考某件事的做事方式

in order to make it better,

以便将其做得更好，

a strategy applied to Tesla's manufacturing of batteries.

这一策略也被应用于特斯拉的电池制造。

It used to be very expensive 語法

过去制造

to build batteries for electric cars.

电动汽车电池非常昂贵。

You could say that's just the way it is 習語

你可以说事情就是这样

and there's no way to bring the price down. 短語動詞

没有办法把价格降下来。

First principles thinking would say

第一性原理思维则会说

it's possible to make cheaper batteries

是有可能制造出更便宜的电池的

by breaking it down to the basics, 短語動詞

通过将其拆解为最基本的部分，

figuring out what the batteries are made of, 短語動詞

弄清楚电池是由什么制成的，

and how those materials could be cleverly combined

以及这些材料如何巧妙地组合在一起

to form a battery cell.

形成一个电池单元。

In education,

在教育方面，

first principles mean figuring out how students

第一性原理意味着弄清楚学生

can get the best learning experience possible.

如何获得最佳的学习体验。

To bring about the best future 短語動詞

从而为他们和世界

for them and for the world.

带来最好的未来。

I can't believe that it's sitting at a desk

我无法相信那就是坐在课桌前

listening to a teacher tell you how to,

听老师告诉你如何，

you know, do side angle side theorems

你知道，如何运用“边角边”定理

in geometry class.

在几何课上。

Ad Astra grew from nine kids 語法

Ad Astra 从九个孩子

in the first week of 2014

在 2014 年第一周的时候

to 50 six years later,

发展到了六年后的 50 人，

a mix of children of SpaceX employees

里面有 SpaceX 员工的孩子

as well as high achievers from the area.

也有该地区的优秀学子。

Sometimes they ventured off campus.

有时候他们也会去校外探险。

A converted garage at the former house

在 Gene Wilder 故居中

of Gene Wilder once served 短語搭配

一个由车库改造的空间曾经作为

as a chemistry lab.

他们的化学实验室。

This unorthodox approach to education

这种非正统的教育方法

doesn't come cheap. 習語

代价不菲。

Tuition was around $30,000 a year, 文化背景

学费大约是每年 30,000 美元，

with some receiving financial aid.

其中一些人获得了助学金。

When Ad Astra closed in June 2020,

当 Ad Astra 于 2020 年 6 月关闭时，

Musk donated funds to kickstart an online school

马斯克捐赠资金启动了一所在线学校

called Astra Nova headed by Josh Dahn.

名为 Astra Nova，由 Josh Dahn 领导。

Although the SpaceX CEO isn't personally involved,

尽管这位 SpaceX 的首席执行官没有亲自参与，

he has his fingerprints all over the new school. 習語

这所新学校却处处都有他的印记。

A former SpaceX engineer teaches rocketry there,

一位前 SpaceX 工程师在那里教授火箭学，

and even the application is related

甚至申请材料也与

to one of Musk's passions.

马斯克的某个爱好有关。

Interested students have to submit a response

有兴趣的学生必须针对

to this environmental problem.

这个环境问题提交一份回答。

How would you answer?

你会怎么回答？

There's a large lake near a small town.

在一个小镇附近有一个大湖。

A corporation dumps harmful chemicals into the water.

一家公司将有害化学物质倒入水中。

Scientists studying the lake say it'll die

研究该湖泊的科学家表示，如果污染继续下去

in 10 years if the pollution continues.

湖泊将在 10 年内消亡。

An individual, the puppet master, 習語

某个被称为幕后操纵者的人，

is concerned new regulations will impact profits,

担心新法规会影响利润，

so they decide to pay a small group

因此他们决定花钱请一小群

of scientists to publish bogus research 用詞

科学家发表虚假研究

claiming the lake has never been healthier. 語法

声称这个湖泊从未像现在这样健康过。

The media reports on the new study.

媒体报道了这项新研究。

Politicians have the power to stop the pollution,

政治家有能力阻止污染，

but decide not to since there appears 語法

但决定不这样做，因为似乎

to be disagreement over the health

在湖泊的健康问题上

of the lake.

存在分歧。

Plus the company employs so many people in town,

此外，该公司在镇上雇佣了很多人，

its closure would devastate the economy.

如果它倒闭将会摧毁当地经济。

Voters who listen to the media,

听信媒体、

politicians and scientists are confused over

政治家和科学家的选民们感到困惑，

what the truth actually is. 語法

不知道真相究竟是什么。

They reelect the politicians.

他们让这些政客连任了。

The corporation continues dumping harmful chemicals

公司继续倾倒有害化学物质

into the lake and the lake

到湖里，而这个湖泊

dies 10 years later.

在 10 年后消亡了。

So, who is to blame? 短語搭配

那么，应该怪谁呢？

There's no right or wrong answer,

没有正确或错误的答案，

but the school is interested in

但学校感兴趣的是

how the children reason through ethical dilemmas. 短語搭配

孩子们如何通过推理解决道德困境。

It's not about preparing the 100 or so

这并不是为了让这 100 多名

admitted students for an Ivy League education. 文化背景

被录取的学生准备去接受常春藤盟校的教育。

In fact, Musk went on the record 習語

事实上，马斯克曾公开

to say degrees don't matter when

表示，当特斯拉的人工智能团队

Tesla's artificial intelligence team looks

招聘时，学位并不重要，

to hire, putting it this way,

他的原话是，

don't care if you even graduated high school,

“我甚至不在乎你是否高中毕业”，

not to mention many smart people 表達脈絡

更不用说很多聪明人

dropped out of college, like Steve Jobs 短語動詞

大学辍学了，比如史蒂夫·乔布斯

and Bill Gates.

和比尔·盖茨。

Musk has said he simply wants evidence

马斯克曾说过，他只是想要那些能证明

of exceptional ability, which he hopes

一个人具有超凡能力的证据，他希望

can be fostered at a young age. 用詞

这种能力可以在很小的时候被培养。

And SpaceX of course is an exercise 習語

而 SpaceX 当然是一场

in possibility.

探索可能性的实践。

The concepts are available to kids

这些概念可以在线提供给全世界的

around the world online through a

孩子们，通过一个

separate venture called Synthesis.

叫做 Synthesis 的独立企业。

As people spend more time online,

随着人们在网上花费的时间越来越多，

the need for a quality website

对一个优质网站的需求

is more important than ever.

比以往任何时候都更加重要。

Whether you'd like to display your work,

无论你是想展示你的作品、

start a business, or a blog,

创业还是写博客，

it's a way of representing your brand.

它都是代表你品牌的一种方式。

And now you can try it out for free. 短語動詞

现在你可以免费试用它。

I've used Squarespace for years

我使用 Squarespace 已经很多年了

to show off my portfolio 短語動詞

用来展示我作为记者的

as a journalist, well before they became

作品集，这远在他们成为

my sponsor.

我的赞助商之前。

What drew me to Squarespace 語法

吸引我使用 Squarespace 的是

is how easy it is to create

创建和编辑自己的网站

and edit my own site.

是如此容易。

It doesn't require any experience 語法

它不需要任何

in website building whatsoever.

网站建设方面的经验。

There are also many great templates

还有很多精美的模板

to choose from.

供你选择。

You can receive a complimentary trial 用詞

你可以获得免费试用

by visiting squarespace.com/newsthink.

只需访问 squarespace.com/newsthink。

The link is in my description.

链接在我的描述中。

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当你准备好发布时，

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使用我的折扣码 newsthink

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在你首次购买网站或域名时

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即可享受 10% 的折扣。

Thanks so much for watching.

非常感谢您的收看。

For NewsThink, I'm Cindy Pom.

这里是 NewsThink，我是 Cindy Pom。