核心问题
Why does the idea of progress loom so large in the modern world? Surely because progress of a particular kind is actually taking place around us and is becoming more and more manifest. (New Concept English, Book 4, L. 27)
[原译]为什么进步这个思想在现代世界上显得这样了不起呢？当然，这是因为某一种进步确实正在我们的周围发生，并且正在变得越来越明显。（中译本）particular 在这里是作“某一种”理解吗？
词典解答
particular 在这里的意思是“特殊的”(special, unusual)。progress of a particular kind(一种特殊类型的进步)是指 extraordinary progress in the accumulation of knowledge。