Part I:

Paraphrase

If the state of our knowledge were such that it provided us with a model of unquestioned validity that completely explained human behavior, we can. (para. 13)

If our knowledge of human beings and the world is thorough and advanced enough to give us a model that can explain human behavior completely and can work under any circumstances, disagreements in history can be eliminated. Unfortunately such a model has never existed.

Part II. Words and phrases

1. by way of:

through; by route of, e.g.

You can get this information by way of the Internet.

by way of: as a means of, e.g.

He sent her some flowers by way of an apology I’d like to say a few words by way of self-introduction. They decided to give a party by way of welcome to the distinguished guests.

2. fat:

thick; wide, e.g.

fat person/man/woman/child; a fat book/volume: a fat salary; a fat cigar, a fat check Pay attention to the subtle differences between these words: fat, plump, chubby, stout and obese. Remember that it is not polite to say somebody is fat. A more polite way is to say that he or she is rather overweight or heavy. "Stout “also means"slightly fat "For children and women who are slightly and pleasantly fat, we can use the word “plump”, Another pleasant word for babies and children is “chubby”. The strongest word is “obese”, and it is also the word used often by doctors

3. be immersed in:

to be completely covered or submerged in a liquid; to be deeply involved or absorbed, e.g.

I'm immersed in this project

The idea is to have the students immersed in an ideal learning environment

To an outsider, those who are immersed in a power struggle look very silly

4. a vast sea of:

a great amount of

5. tested by examinations:

evaluated by way of examinations

6. simply:

only: nothing but, e. g

1) It is simply a matter of time

2) He lived very simply. (in a plain and ordinary way)

3) It's simply impossible. (used to emphasize what the speaker is saying)

4) She was asked to express herself more simply. (in a way that is easy to understand)

7. bring together:

to gather together, to collect

8. disagree sharply:

to disagree seriously, bitterly

9. a state of affairs:

a situation, e.g

1) This is a very unpleasant state of affair

2) There is not much we can do in the present state of affairs

10. more or less:

almost; to an undetermined degree, e.g

1) This problem is more or less settled

2) They more or less agree to reopen their discussions on the border dispute

3) Our average annual income by that time will be 4,000 USD, more or less (approximately)

11. a cut-and-dried matter:

a routine, an ordinary matter)

12. Position:

situation; status, e.g

13. cannot help but feel:

cannot help feeling: can only feel

14. diametrically opposed:

absolutely or irreconcilably opposed; completely different: poles apart

15. a broad/narrow/general sense:

in the broad/narrow/general meaning of the word

16. deem sth significant:

to consider sth important

Deem" is more subjective than “consider”, emphasizing judgment rather than analytical.

17. the high seas:

the areas of sea around the world that do not belong to any nation

18. be relevant to:

to be related to the matter at hand; to the point, e.g

1) This point is relevant, but I don't think it is very important

2) Strike out this part. It is hardly relevant to the subject.

3) I have found a few books which might be relevant to your paper. be related to: to be connected by kinship, marriage, or common origin, e.g

be related to: to be connected by kinship, marriage, or common origin, e.g

1) The two countries are closely related

2) You have the same surname. Are you related?

19. as to/for:

with regard to: concerning, e.g. the choice as to which…the decision as to when…, the question as to how…: the problem as to who .: the issue as to whether .: the debate as to where…

20. admittedly:

we all admit, e.g

Admittedly, life is much better than before for most people, but it does not mean we should become wasteful.

21. nonetheless:

(fml)nevertheless; however

These adverbs can be placed at the end of the sentence, unlike "but, which has to be put at the beginning.

22. at work:

operating

23. read of; to read about:

to find out information about

24. in the event of:

in case sth should happen

25. whereby: in accordance with this:

by means of this

Warn students that such compound words as whereby, whereupon, therein, thereupon are always formal and often archaic. They are used mainly in legal and financial documents.

26. to one's disadvantage:

to give someone a disadvantage

Also: to one's advantage, to one's benefit

27. make of sth:

to understand sth in a particular way, e.g

1) We don 't know what to make of his behavior

2) What do you make of their recent move? What do you think they hope to achieve?

28. be of equal importance:

(fml) to be equally important

also: be of the same size, be of the same color, be of no value; be of no consequence

29. stem from:

to derive from; to develop from; to originate in, e.g

1) The strong resentment stemmed from heavy taxes

2) The present crisis stemmed from border disputes in the 1970s

30. give weight to sth:

to consider sth important. "Weight" in the sense of importance is used when personal judgment or evaluation is emphasized.

31. be faulted:

to be criticized; to be considered wrong

32. approximate cause:

近因 remote cause远因)

33. the well-used phrase:

the frequently used phrase

34. such that:

a variation of the pattern “so…that”

1) The conditions were such that many young people wanted to leave the place.

2) The conditions were so miserable that many young people wanted to leave the place

35. a model of unquestioned validity:

a model that is always valid (effective or logically sound); foolproof model; a model that can be used under any circumstances

36. foolproof:

always effective; completely dependable; infallible

Also: fireproof, waterproof, rustproof: bullet-proof

37. be destined to do sth:

to be bound to do sth; to be predetermined or preordained to do sth, e.g.

1) Shanghai is destined to be the financial center of the country.

2) Many believe that China is destined to play a more and more important role in the world economy.

38. a never-ending quest:

an everlasting search, pursuit or exploration