【正确答案】通过科研创造知识绝不是大学对社会福祉所做的唯一重要贡献。大学教育学生，赋予他们胜任各行各业的工作能力，这种通过教学所做的贡献与通过科研所做的贡献同等重要。 在中国，训练有素的工程师人数在迅猛增加。培养学生具备求职的技能十分重要，据我所知，这一点在当今中国也是重中之重。但我想谈谈更具深远意义的大学教育目标，不拘于具体职业的培训，而是如何培养学生的创造性、灵活性和适应性，使他们成为具有解决问题的能力、创新能力和领导能力的人。当今世界日新月异。在这样一个世界上，只了解某一特定领域的知识是难以生存的，更不用说发展了。科学家、企业家和政府官员必须具有批判性和创造性思维的能力，并具有吸收新理念、并能在新形势下加以灵活运用的本领。 在本科生阶段，大学都致力于“通识教育”。主张通识教育的理论依据是，学生通过吸收新的信息，并通过思考得出新的结论，从而为他们的一生打下良好的基础。由于任何特定知识都会过时，所以通识教育的目的并不是要传授具体的专业知识，而是要培养学生的动脑能力，即独立思考，对世界充满好奇，提出有意义的问题，不断缜密地研究，以跨学科的视角分析世界，找到新的、具有创造性的答案。社会将从这种教育模式中获益良多，因为它能够培养学生的推理、创造性思维和灵活应变的能力。 如今，研讨班已成为许多顶尖大学大多数本科生和研究生课程的基本形式。小型研讨班的目的是要求学生在同学和教授面前清晰地陈述自己的想法，并在有不同意见时为自己的观点辩护。这就会迫使他们对问题进行批判性思考，而不只是重复教授说过的话或自己读过的知识内容。通常，这些研讨班课程包括深入研究和书面作业等内容，要求学生独立学习，撰写论文，陈述自己的观点并为自己得出的结论进行答辩。 教授通过给学生留书面作业和设置考题鼓励学生进行批判性思考，主要考学生分析问题和解决问题的能力，而不是他们的描述和记忆能力。我们大学的许多考题其实并没有标准答案，试题的设计思路是要考查学生能否利用他们掌握的事实和理论提出有说服力的观点。 重视批判性思维有利于培养出思维灵活、乐于接受新观点、充满好奇心、能够适应工作环境变化的毕业生。如果这样的学生从事工商业，就能够利用新知识开发出新的产品和新的服务；如果从政，就会用创新思路来应对新的挑战。总而言之，大学通过培养具有灵活性、适应性和创造性的学生来应对不断变化的社会，从而增强了整个社会的创新能力。创新是当今世界的一个主题，我们正是通过教育活动来提升国家的创新能力。

【答案解析】原文： I am glad to address today’s forum on UN-China cooperation on preventive diplomacy, which is both timely and highly relevant. The United Nations welcomes the increasingly important role China has been playing across many areas of our work, particularly in international peace and security. We share China’s view that peace and development go hand in hand. We welcome China’s determination to strengthen the global governance system with the UN at its core, and we see China as our natural partner in this endeavor. The UN is committed to preventing and resolving armed conflicts to achieve comprehensive, cooperative and common security. Regrettably, prevention does not always work. In some cases, it has failed, such as Syria. Despite such failure, diplomacy must continue to make the parties in conflict step back from confrontation and sit down at the negotiating table. As political challenges lie at the center of most conflicts, only by finding political solutions can we ensure that peace will come and hold over the long term. Experience over the years has taught us a number of lessons about what works in preventive diplomacy. China, too, has accumulated important knowledge in this regard. We are highly interested in hearing its views, learning from its lessons and exchanging experiences with it. We have learned that reaching a troubled spot early is critical. It means mobilizing rapid, effective and unified diplomatic action as soon as opportunities present themselves. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China plays an essential role, because we need Security Council support for early involvement. Second, early involvement is only part of our efforts. We also need to be skilled at what we do. Preventive diplomacy and mediation are complex and have become increasingly specialized, which require expertise in a wide array of areas, some quite technical. We, therefore, need to build expertise that can be rapidly used and made available to UN envoys, regional organizations and UN member states. Third, partnerships are key. The crises we face are often too complex for any one organization or a UN member state to address alone. When the nature of a conflict has changed, and when terrorism gets mixed with political grievances, partnerships have become all the more important. The UN is working closely with regional and sub-regional organizations such as the African Union on Somalia and Mali. Our strong ties with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization provides a solid foundation for working with its members, and we stand ready to work with them even more closely. Fourth, perhaps the most important factor for success in preventive diplomacy is the power of persuasion, which is derived from the principles of the UN Charter. These principles are powerful tools in their own right, and they reflect a shared understanding among the UN member states. But to use these principles effectively, the international community, especially the major global powers, need to act together and empower the UN secretary-general to act on behalf of the international community. To realize comprehensive, cooperative and common security, preventive diplomacy is crucial. Our experience tells us what we should do: We should reach the troubled spots early, take forceful diplomatic initiatives, secure the full support of the international community and the necessary resources, and work in partnership with relevant regional organizations. By taking these efforts, we can either prevent a conflict or keep it in check. China is a key actor in preventive diplomacy, and its voice needs to be heard by the international community. This is why this dialogue on preventive diplomacy between the UN and China is so important, and I hope it will grow and flourish in the years ahead. I am confident that the strong partnership between the UN and China will help make the world more peaceful, secure and prosperous.