In the public interest

原文

The Scandinavian countries are much admired all over the world for their enlightened social policies. Sweden has evolved an excellent system for protecting the individual citizen from highhanded or incompetent public officers. The system has worked so well, that it has been adopted in other countries too.

The Swedes were the first to recognize that public official like civil servants, police officers, health inspectors or tax-collectors can make mistakes or act over-zealously in the belief that they are serving the public. As long ago as 1809, the Swedish Parliament introduced a scheme to safeguard the interest of the individual. A parliamentary committee representing all political parties appoints a person who is suitably qualified to investigate private grievances against the State. The official title of the person is 'Justiteombudsman', but the Swedes commonly refer to him as the 'J.O.' or 'Ombudsman'. The Ombudsman is not subject to political pressure. He investigates complaints large and small that come to him from all levels of society. As complaints must be made in writing, the Ombudsman receives an average of 1,200 letters a year. He has eight lawyer assistants to help him and examines every single letter in detail. There is nothing secretive about the Ombudsman's work for his correspondence is open to public inspection. If a citizen's complaint is justified, the Ombudsman will act on his behalf. The action he takes varies according to the nature of the complaint. He may gently reprimand an official or even suggest to parliament that a law the altered. The following case is a typical example of the Ombudsman's work.

A foreigner living in a Swedish village wrote to the Ombudsman complaining that he had been ill-treated by the police, simply because he was a foreigner. The Ombudsman immediately wrote to the Chief of Police in the district asking him to send a record of the case. There was nothing in the record to show that the foreigner's complaint was justified and the Chief of Police strongly denied the accusation. It was impossible for the Ombudsman to take action, but when he received a similar complaint from another foreigner in the same village, he immediately sent one of his layers to investigate the matter. The lawyer ascertained that a policeman had indeed dealt roughly with foreigners on several occasions. The fact that the policeman was prejudiced against foreigners could not be recorded in the official files. It was only possible for the Ombudsman to find this out by sending one of his representatives to check the facts. The policeman in question was severely reprimanded and was informed that if any further complaints were lodged against him, he would prosecuted. The Ombudsman's prompt action at once put an end to an unpleasant practice which might have gone unnoticed.

译文

斯堪的纳维亚各国因其开明的社会政策而深受世界推崇。瑞典已经发展出一套优秀的制度，用来保护普通公民免受专横或无能的公职人员的欺凌。这个制度运作得如此之好，以至于已被其他国家所采用。

瑞典人首先认识到，公职人员如公务员、警察、卫生检查员或税务员可能会犯错，或者由于认为自己是在为公众服务而过分热心。早在1809年，瑞典议会就推行了一项计划，以保护个人的利益。一个代表各政党的议会委员会任命一位合格的人来调查针对国家的私人申诉。此人的正式头衔是“司法监察官”，但瑞典人通常称他为“J.O.”或“监察官”。监察官不受政治压力的影响。他调查来自社会各个阶层的各种大小的投诉。由于投诉必须以书面形式提出，监察官每年平均收到1,200封信。他有八位律师助理帮助他，并仔细检查每一封信。他的工作毫无隐秘可言，因为他的信件公开供公众查阅。如果一个公民的投诉有理，监察官会代表他采取行动。他采取的行动视投诉的性质而定。他可能温和地责备一位官员，甚至建议议会修改某项法律。以下是一个典型例子，展示了监察官的工作。

一位居住在瑞典乡村的外国人写信给监察官，投诉说他受到了警察的虐待，仅仅因为他是个外国人。监察官立即写信给该地区的警察局长，要求他寄来该案的记录。记录中没有任何东西表明外国人的投诉有理，警察局长强烈否认了这一指控。监察官无法采取行动，但当他从同一个村庄的另一个外国人那里收到类似的投诉时，他立即派出一位律师去调查此事。律师确认，一名警察确实曾多次粗暴对待外国人。这个警察对外国人的偏见无法记录在官方文件中。只有通过派代表去核实事实，监察官才能发现这一点。涉事的警察受到了严厉的训斥，并被告知，如果再有投诉针对他，他将被起诉。监察官的迅速行动立即制止了这一可能被忽略的不愉快做法。

词汇表

enlightened

形容词

英:/ɪnˈlaɪtənd/

美:/ɪnˈlaɪtənd/

定义

1. 开明的；有见识的 - Having or showing a rational, modern, and well-informed outlook, especially in social or political matters.

例子: The enlightened policies of the government helped reduce inequality.

例子: She is known for her enlightened approach to education.

近义词

progressive: 强调向前发展的改革性质，常用于政治或社会变革，而 'enlightened' 更侧重于智慧和见识。

informed: 聚焦于基于知识的决定，'enlightened' 则更包括道德和理性层面。

educated: 特指通过正式学习获得知识，'enlightened' 更广泛，包含自我觉醒或开明观点。

反义词:

ignorant, unenlightened, narrow-minded

用法

常用于描述社会政策或个人观点，强调理性与进步，常在正式语境中出现，如政治讨论；文化背景中，源自启蒙运动，暗示摆脱传统偏见。

形式:

其他形式: enlighten (动词原形)，enlightening (形容词或动词现在分词)

关键句型 "so ... that ..."

定义

此句型用于表达因果关系，强调一个原因导致的结果。结构为：so + 形容词/副词 + that + 从句，表示“如此……以至于……”。例如，在文章中，“The system has worked so well that it has been adopted in other countries too.” 根据《剑桥英语语法》教材，这种句型是常见的结果状语从句，常用于描述强烈程度和后续影响，帮助学习者连接事件。

它是一种连接词结构，so 强调程度，that 引导结果从句，确保句子逻辑清晰。

用法

此句型主要用于书面或口头表达中，描述某事物的极端程度导致的后果。规则：so 后跟形容词（如 well）或副词，后接 that 引导的从句，通常从句中用一般时或完成时表示结果。在语法体系中，它属于状语从句的一部分，与其他从句如时间从句（when...）或原因从句（because...）相关。横向比较：与 "such ... that ..." 相比，so ... that ... 用于形容词或副词，而 "such ... that ..." 用于名词（如 "such a good system that..."），这帮助学生区分具体用法；与 "because" 相比，so ... that ... 更强调结果的强度，而不是直接原因。

跨语法联系：它常与动词时态结合，如过去时表示已发生事件（as in the article），或将来时预测结果（如 "It will be so hot that we can't go out"）。这能链接到条件句的学习，强化因果逻辑。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括： misuse so 和 that 的顺序，例如说 "that so well the system has worked"，这会使句子混乱。纠正建议：记住固定结构，并练习简单句扩展。另一个常见偏误是使用不恰当的形容词或副词，导致句子不自然，如 "The food was so delicious that I ate it all" 是正确，但 "The food was so that I ate it all" 缺少形容词。提供具体例句：

错误示例：The meeting was so long that we left early. (正确，但如果说 The meeting was long that we left early. 就错失了 so 的强调。)
正确示例：The system has worked so well that it has been adopted worldwide.

还需注意，在正式写作中，避免过度使用以防止句子冗长。

练习

原创例子：假设你在讨论环保主题，可以说：“The city has become so polluted that people are moving away.” 学生可以替换关键词，如将 "polluted" 换成 "clean"，变成 “The river is so clean that fish are returning.” 这适用于实际场景，如环境报告或日常生活对话，鼓励学生创建自己的句子，例如在学校分享：“My friend studied so hard that he got the top score.”

通过替换练习，学生能加深对句型的灵活应用，并在对话中自然使用。

额外内容

背景知识：此句型源于英语中强调对比的传统，常见于17世纪文学作品，如莎士比亚的戏剧，用于突出戏剧性。对比分析：与汉语的 "如此……以至于……" 类似，但英语更依赖结构而非词汇；在法语中，类似 "si ... que ..."，但英语版本更直观。了解这些能帮助学生欣赏英语的精确性，并扩展到其他语言学习，丰富跨文化理解。

关键句型 "If ... , [clause]"

定义

此句型是条件句的典型形式，用于表达条件和结果的逻辑关系。结构为：If + 从句（条件），后接主句（结果），如文章中的 "If a citizen's complaint is justified, the Ombudsman will act on his behalf." 根据《牛津现代英语语法》，它表示假设或真实条件，常用于第一类条件句（真实未来或一般情况），帮助学习者讨论可能性。

这种句型强调因果依赖，If 引导条件从句，确保句子前后连贯。

用法

此句型广泛用于日常对话、写作和预测中。规则：If 从句通常用一般现在时，主句用将来时或一般时，表示真实条件。在语法体系中，它属于条件从句，与时间从句（when...）或让步从句（although...）相关。横向比较：与第二类条件句 "If + 过去时, would + 动词"（表示虚拟情况）相比，If ... , [clause] 更现实和直接；与 "unless"（除非）相比，它更中性，而 "unless" 带有否定含义。这能帮助学生选择合适的情景，例如在文章中用于实际政策讨论。

跨语法联系：它常与情态动词结合，如 "If it rains, we will stay home"，链接到 modal verbs 的学习，强化句子多样性。

注意事项

学生常犯错误是时态混淆，例如用一般过去时在 If 从句中（如 "If I went..." 用于虚拟），或主句时态不一致，如 "If it rains, I go home" 应为 "will go"。纠正建议：练习第一类条件句的固定时态，并用例句比较。另一个偏误是遗漏逗号或连接词，导致句子不清晰。提供例句：

错误示例：If the complaint is justified the Ombudsman act. (缺少逗号和正确动词时态)
正确示例：If a citizen's complaint is justified, the Ombudsman will act on his behalf.

还需注意文化语境，在英语中此句型常用于礼貌建议。

练习

原创例子：在现代生活中可以说：“If you save money regularly, you will achieve your goals.” 学生可以替换关键词，如将 "save money" 换成 "exercise daily"，变成 “If you exercise daily, you will stay healthy.” 这贴近实际场景，如健康对话或职业规划，鼓励学生创建个人相关句子，例如：“If I study hard, I will pass the exam.”

替换练习能提升学生的自信心和实际应用能力。

额外内容

背景知识：条件句起源于古英语的假设表达，现代英语中演变为更灵活的工具，如在法律或政策文件中常见。对比分析：与西班牙语的 "Si ... , entonces ..." 类似，但英语更简洁；在中文中，如 "如果……，那么……"，结构相似却无需严格时态。这对比能加深学生对英语逻辑的理解，并扩展到国际交流场景。