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1、大学英语精读文本2册3-4单元UNIT3TEXTJeffersondiedlongago,butmayofhisideasstillofgreatinteresttous.LessonsfromJeffersonThomasJefferson,thethirdPresidentoftheUnitedStates,maybelessfamousthanGeorgeWashingtonandAbrahamLincoln,butmostpeoplerememberatlastonefactabouthim:hewrotetheDeclarationofIndepen
2、dence.AlthoughJeffersonlivedmorethan200yearsago,thereismuchthatwelearnfromhimtoday.Manyofhisideasareespeciallyinterestingtomodernyouth.Herearesomeofthethingshesaidandwrote:Goandsee.Jeffersonbelievedthatafreemanobtainsknowledgefrommanysourcesbesidesbooksandthatpersonalinvestigationis
3、important.Whenstillayoungman,hewasappointedtoacommitteetofindoutwhethertheSouthBranchoftheJamesRiverwasdeepenoughtobeusedbylargeboats.Whiletheothermembersofthecommitteesatinthestatecapitolandstudiedpapersonthesubject,Jeffersongotintoacanoeandmadeon-the-spot-observations.Youcanlearnf
4、romeveryone.BybirthandbyeducationJeffersonbelongedtothehighestsocialclass.Yet,inadaywhenfewnoblepersonseverspoketothoseofhumbleoriginsexcepttogiveanorder,Jeffersonwentoutofhiswaytotalkwithgardeners,servants,andwaiters.JeffersononcesaidtotheFrenchnobleman,Lafayette,"Youmustgointothep
5、eople'shomesasIhavedone,lookintotheircookingpotsandeattheirbread.Ifyouwillonlydothis,youmayfindoutwhypeoplearedissatisfiedandunderstandtherevolutionthatisthreateningFrance."Judgeforyourself.Jeffersonrefusedtoacceptotherpeople'sopinionswithoutcarefulthought."Neitherbelievenorrejectan
6、ything,"hewrotetohisnephew,"becauseanyotherpersonhasrejectedorbelievedit.Heavedhasgivenyouamindforjudgingtruthanderror.Useit."Jeffersonfeltthatthepeople"maysafelybetrustedtoheareverythingtrueandfalse,andtoformacorrectjudgment.Wereitlefttometodecidewhetherweshouldhaveagovernmentwitho
7、utnewspapersornewspaperswithoutagovernment,Ishouldnothesitateamomenttopreferthelatter."Dowhatyoubelieveisright.Inafreecountrytherewillalwaysbeconflictingideas,andthisisasourceofstrength.Itisconflictandnotunquestioningagreementthatkeepsfreedomalive.ThoughJeffersonwasformanyyearstheob
8、jectofstrongcritici