The father of Western philosophy①

　　The word 'philosophy' means 'love of wisdom'. Philosophy can be thought of as② a way of looking③ at the world around us, or of answering the great questions of life, such as④ 'Why are we here？' and 'What is truth？'

　　The father of Western philosophy was Socrates (469 - 399 BC). Socrates was from Athens, in Greece. When he was young, he was a brave soldier. Later, he became a teacher, but he taught for free⑤ and earned his salary⑥ from⑦ being a common worker. Aside from⑧ this, we know very little about him. Since he never wrote a book⑨， we also know very little about his philosophy. Yet, Socrates has had a deep influence on\s\up1(10(10) Western thought and science. 　　①philosophy/fə'lɒsəfI/n.哲学

　　②think of ... as ...认为......是......，把......看作......

　　take/have/treat/regard/consider ... as ...把......看作......

　　③a way of doing ...＝a way to do ...做......的一种方式

　　④such as用于列举。　⑤for free免费地

　　⑥salary/'sælərI/n.薪金，薪水

　　⑦earn ...from ...通过......赚得......

　　⑧aside from ...除......以外(尚有)

　　⑨Since he never wrote a book是原因状语从句。

　　\s\up1(10(10)have a deep influence on ...对......有深远的影响

　　注意介词用on。 　　

　　西方哲学之父

　　[第1～2段译文]

　　"哲学"一词意为"热爱智慧"。哲学可被认为是观察我们周围世界的一种方式，或是解答人生重大问题的一种方式，如："我们为什么会在这里？"以及"什么是真理？"

　　西方哲学之父是苏格拉底(公元前469年-公元前399年)。苏格拉底是希腊雅典人。年轻时，他是一名勇敢的士兵。后来，他成了一名教师，但他教书却不收费，靠当一名普通劳动者挣钱。除此以外，我们对他了解很少。由于他从不写书，因此我们对他的哲学也知之甚少。然而，苏格拉底对西方的思想和科学却有着深远的影响。

　　To understand how this can be true, we must understand how Socrates taught⑪. Socrates taught by asking questions. Through this, he challenged his students to develop and explain their own arguments. In many cases⑫， his questions made his students aware⑬ of their own errors. Many students got embarrassed⑭ and even angry when this happened, while⑮ others changed their opinions. Socrates' way of approaching⑯ the truth is now called the Socratic Method. The idea of asking questions until you reach the right answer is the basis⑰ of modern philosophy and science. 　　⑪动词不定式To understand ...作目的状语，两个how都引导宾语从句。

　　⑫in many cases在很多情况下

　　in no case在任何情况下都不，决不

　　⑬aware/ə'weə(r)/adj.意识到的，知道的；察觉到的

　　be aware of意识到

　　⑭got embarrassed"感到尴尬"，为"get＋adj."结构。

　　⑮while意为"然而，而"，表转折。

　　⑯approach v．靠近，接近

　　⑰basis/'beIsIs/n.基础；基准；原因