Letter to a B student
Your final grade for the course is B. A respectable grade. Far superior to the "Gentleman's C" that served as the norm a couple of generations ago. But in those days A's were rare: only two out of twenty-five, as I recall. Whatever our norm is, it has shifted upward, with the result that you are probably disappointed at not doing better. I'm certain that nothing I can say will remove that feeling of disappointment, particularly in a climate where grades determine eligibility for graduate school and special programs.
Disappointment. It's the stuff bad dreams are made of: dreams of failure, inadequacy, loss of position and good repute. The essence of success is that there's never enough of it to go round in a zero-sum game where one person's winning must be offset by another's losing, one person's joy offset by another's disappointment. You've grown up in a society where winning is not the most important thing—it's the only thing. To lose, to fail, to go under, to go broke—these are deadly sins in a world where prosperity in the present is seen as a sure sign of salvation in the future. In a different society, your disappointment might be something you could shrug away. But not in ours.
My purpose in writing you is to put your disappointment in perspective by considering exactly what your grade means and doesn't mean. I do not propose to argue here that grades are unimportant. Rather, I hope to show you that your grade, taken at face value, is apt to be dangerously misleading, both to you and to others.
As a symbol on your college transcript, your grade simply means that you have successfully completed a specific course of study, doing so at a certain level of proficiency. The level of your proficiency has been determined by your performance of rather conventional tasks: taking tests, writing papers and reports, and so forth. Your performance is generally assumed to correspond to the knowledge you have acquired and will retain. But this assumption, as we both know, is questionable; it may well be that you've actually gotten much more out of the course than your grade indicates—or less. Lacking more precise measurement tools, we must interpret your B as a rather fuzzy symbol at best, representing a questionable judgment of your mastery of the subject.
Your grade does not represent a judgment of your basic ability or of your character. Courage, kindness, wisdom, good humor—these are the important characteristics of our species. Unfortunately they are not part of our curriculum. But they are important: crucially so, because they are always in short supply. If you value these characteristics in yourself, you will be valued—and far more so than those whose identities are measured only by little marks on a piece of paper. Your B is a price tag on a garment that is quite separate from the living, breathing human being underneath.
The student as performer; the student as human being. The distinction is one we should always keep in mind. I first learned it years ago when I got out of the service and went back to college. There were a lot of us then: older than the norm, in a hurry to get our degrees and move on, impatient with the tests and rituals of academic life. Not an easy group to handle.
One instructor handled us very wisely, it seems to me. On Sunday evenings in particular, he would make a point of stopping in at a local bar frequented by many of the GI-Bill students. There he would sit and drink, joke, and swap stories with men in his class, men who had but recently put away their uniforms and identities: former platoon sergeants, bomber pilots, corporals, captains, lieutenants, commanders, majors—even a lieutenant colonel, as I recall. They enjoyed his company greatly, as he theirs. The next morning he would walk into class and give these same men a test. A hard test. A test on which he usually flunked about half of them.
Oddly enough, the men whom he flunked did not resent it. Nor did they resent him for shifting suddenly from a friendly gear to a coercive one. Rather, they loved him, worked harder and harder at his course as the semester moved along, and ended up with a good grasp of his subject—economics. The technique is still rather difficult for me to explain; but I believe it can be described as one in which a clear distinction was made between the student as classroom performer and the student as human being. A good distinction to make. A distinction that should put your B in perspective—and your disappointment.
Perspective. It is important to recognize that human beings, despite differences in class and educational labeling, are fundamentally hewn from the same material and knit together by common bonds of fear and joy, suffering and achievement. Warfare, sickness, disasters, public and private—these are the larger coordinates of life. To recognize them is to recognize that social labels are basically irrelevant and misleading. It is true that these labels are necessary in the functioning of a complex society as a way of letting us know who should be trusted to do what, with the result that we need to make distinctions on the basis of grades, degrees, rank, and responsibility. But these distinctions should never be taken seriously in human terms, either in the way we look at others or in the way we look at ourselves.
Even in achievement terms, your B label does not mean that you are permanently defined as a B achievement person. I'm well aware that B students tend to get B's in the courses they take later on, just as A students tend to get A's. But academic work is a narrow, neatly defined highway compared to the unmapped rolling country you will encounter after you leave school. What you have learned may help you find your way about at first; later on you will have to shift to yourself, locating goals and opportunities in the same fog that hampers us all as we move toward the future.
Letter to a B student 写给中等生的一封信
你的期末成绩是一个B，一个过得去的等级。比许多年以前的及格C等级要优秀多了。但是A等级在那个年代是十分少见的，我回想起来25个人里只有两个人。但不管我们的标准如何，它们还是在提升的，不过你可能会因为这个结果为自己没有考好而失望。我相信我说什么都无法消除你们心中的失望情绪，特别是在一个社会环境下等级的高低直接决定了你考的学校和拿到的特别项目好坏。
你的失望感。负面的展望由这种情绪形成：失败、努力不够、好位置与好名声的丧失。成功的核心是在零和博弈的游戏中没有批发的成功可以供给，有了一个人的失败才能成为另一个人成功的垫脚石。你所生所长的社会是唯成功论的，失败或者破产绝对是要命的罪恶。因为财富的多少明确的决定了未来能否被拯救。也许在另一个不一样的社会中，你对于失望的情绪能一笑而过，不过在我们的社会中不可能。
我写这篇文章的目的是客观判断你们的失望情绪，认真考虑你的等级意味着什么与不能说明什么，我不想在这里争辩成绩无用论，相反我希望告诉你们的是，如果只是被它的外表所蒙蔽，那对于你们与他人来说，都是一种可怕的导向。
作为大学成绩单的一种象征，你的成绩只能表明你已经成功的完成了特定课程的学习，达到了一定等级的熟练度。不过这种衡量你的表现的标准还是由传统的任务决定：参加考试、写论文报告等等。因为这种表现普遍认为应该与所掌握、记
住知识的多少相结合，但是我们也知道这种假设是值得推敲的，有可能你学到的比成绩单上反应出来的要多，也有可能要少。在缺少更精准的测量工具的情况下，我们只能认为你的B代表着你对于这门学科的掌握不够，充其量是一个不明确的标志。
你的成绩也不能成为衡量基本能力与性格的标准。勇气、善良、智慧、好脾气，这些才是我们人类的重要性格特征。虽然它们因为批发量少很重要，但不幸的是它们无法成为我们课程学习中的一部分。当然如果你看重自己拥有的这些性格特征，那么就总会有出头之日——而且远比那些只重视纸上那一点可怜分数的人好得多。你的B等级是衣服外的价格标签，穿上生活的衣裳后就与标签没有任何关系了。
作为表现者与作为人类这个身份的学生是不一样的，这种差别需要我们时刻牢记。第一次学习这种区别是在我参军期重新回到校园的时候。当时有一大群像我一样的人，比一般的学生要老，着急着赶快获得学位继续生活，对学术生活里的习惯和考试极不耐烦。这是一群不怎么好对付的学生。
我感觉其中一位用了一种明智的方法对付我们。每当星期天的晚上，他就会来到当地酒吧，那里总有许多GI-Bill的学生光顾。他会坐下来和他们喝酒、开玩笑，和班上的学生们分享各种故事。那些学生们最近刚换下他们参军的制服，有曾经排里的中士、轰炸机驾驶员、下士、陆军上尉、中尉、指挥官、陆军上校，其中甚至有陆军中校。所有人都十分享受与他交流，他自己也是。第二天早上，他会走进教室后分发卷子给所有人考试，一场会有一半人挂掉的艰难考试。
奇怪的是，挂掉的那些人也不会讨厌他。他们也不会厌恶他身份的变化，从一个友善的朋友变成压迫性的老师。相反他们喜欢他所以会在他的课上不断努力学习，最终学期结束的时候很好的掌握这门课程——经济学。这样的教书技巧我都无法解释清楚，但我相信，他很好的区分了学生们的身份，作为教室里的学习者和单纯的人类身份。这样的区分客观的判断了你的失望与你得到的B。
客观性。尽管人们在阶层上、获得教育的程度都不一样，但从根本上大家吸收的知识都来自相同的生活素材，也因为有共同的情感紧密连接，开心也好害怕也罢，遭受的痛苦与获得的成就。认识到这点是重要的。战争、疾病、公共和私人中的重大变故，这些是生活中更大的共通点。意识到这点后会发觉社会标签其实是一种基本的无关与误导。这些标签在复杂的社会职责分配中确实很有必要，我们需要知道能相信谁，他又能做什么，所以就有分数、等级、职位、责任的差异。但是从人性出发的时候这些真的不需要太过看重，看待自身还是别人都一样。
即便是从成就看，B这个标签也并不意味着你永远就是只能达到B成就的人。我清楚的知道B档的学生以后还可能得到B就像A档学生还会更容易取得A。但是学术学习只是一条窄窄的限定好的高速公路，毕业出去后碰到的就是杂乱无章的田野，充满波折。你曾经学到的东西也许在开始能帮你找到要走的路，但接下来就都要靠自己，在阻止我们前行的漫天大雾中定位目标、找准机遇了。
Lesson One: The Time Message Elwood N, Chapman 新的学习任务开始之际，千头万绪，最重要的是安排好时间，做时间的主人。本文作者提出了7点具体建议，或许对你有所启迪。 1 Time is tricky. It is difficult to control and easy to waste. When you look a head, you think you have more time than you need. For Example,at the beginning of a semester, you may feel that you have plenty of time on your hands, but toward the end of the term you may suddenly find that time is running out. You don't have enough time to cover all your duties (duty), so you get worried. What is the answer? Control! 译：时间真是不好对付，既难以控制好，又很容易浪费掉，当你向前看时，你觉得你的时间用不完。例如，在一个学期的开始，你或许觉得你有许多时间，但到学期快要结束时，你会突然发现时间快用光了，你甚至找不出时间把所有你必须干的事情干完，这样你就紧张了。答案是什么呢？控制。 2 Time is dangerous. If you don't control it, it will control you. I f you don't make it work fo r you, it will work against you. So you must become the master of time, not its servant. As a first-year college student, time management will be your number one Problem. 译：时间是危险的，如果你控制不了时间，时间就会控制你，如果你不能让时间为你服务，它就会起反作用。所以，你必须成为时间的主人，而不是它的奴仆，作为刚入学的大学生，妥善安排时间是你的头等大事。 3 Time is valuable. Wasting time is a bad habit. It is like a drug. The more time you waste,the easier it is to go on wasting time. If seriously wish to get the most out of college, you must put the time message into practice. 译：时间是珍贵的，浪费时间是个坏习惯，这就像毒品一样，你越浪费时间，就越容易继续浪费下去，如果你真的想充分利用上大学的机会，你就应该把利用时间的要旨付诸实践。 Message1. Control time from the beginning. 4 Time is today, not tomorrow or next week. Start your plan at the Beginning of the term. 译：抓紧时间就是抓紧当前的时间，不要把事情推到明天或是下周，在学期开始就开始计划。 Message2. Get the notebook habit. 5 Go and buy a notebook today, Use it to plan your study time each day. Once a weekly study plan is prepared, follow the same pattern every week with small changes. Sunday is a good day to make the Plan for the following week.
新职业英语·职业综合英语课文翻译 第一课谷歌 上过互联网的人都见过谷歌，许多人要在互联网上查找某方面的信息时，他们都会去“谷歌”一下。作为全世界最有名的互联网搜索引擎，谷歌是网络业界功成名就的最好范例之一。 谷歌始于1996年1月斯坦福大学博士生拉里?佩奇的一个研究项目。为了找到一种能帮助网络用户搜索到相关网页的更好方法，佩奇设想可以通过检索网页之间的关系来实现。他认为其他网页链接最多的那些网页一定是最受欢迎的，这项技术结果看起来是成功的。 佩奇和他的合作伙伴谢尔盖?布林于1998年9月7日创建了自己的公司，并在之后的一周注册了https://www.doczj.com/doc/b73131588.html,这一网址。这个搜索引擎很快声名鹊起，2000年谷歌开始在自己的网站出售广告。在投资者的热情资助下，经过几年的发展，谷歌上市了，谷歌的很多雇员一夜之间成了百万富翁。 谷歌最近收购了互联网最大的视频共享网站https://www.doczj.com/doc/b73131588.html,，而且每天都在不断增加一些新功能，如工具栏、邮件和广告。当然，成长与成功也带来了竞争。微软最近就试图收购雅虎以便能在互联网搜索引擎领域与谷歌抗衡。 随着公司的壮大与知名度的提高，谷歌在美国公司就业吸引力的排名也上升到第一。他们尝试打破传统的办公室设计，努力把办公室变成员工感觉舒适、并能充分发挥自己才华的地方。 现在，谷歌已拥有YouTube、Blogger和其他一些热门网站，并且成为网络广告收入方面的领头羊。当初两个学生的一个小点子已发展成为一家拥有十亿美元资产的大公司，谷歌也成为全球最著名的商标之一。谷歌的发展史为当今的网络企业家树立了一个完美的典范，也提供了灵感。 第二课秘书 秘书可能会有很多其他不同的头衔，例如行政助理、文员或私人助理。尽管所有这些头衔都以行政工作为主旨，但它们却反映了不同种类的秘书工作。秘书岗位十分古老，例如，古希腊和罗马的商人和政客们就曾雇用私人秘书和文员来管理他们的事务。 秘书的工作就是使办公室顺利运转。秘书的职责范围很广，依据他们所在办公室的不同而各异。就最低要求来说，秘书要处理信函，跟踪日程安排，管理文件系统，操作电话、传真机、复印机等办公设备。许多秘书还要接听电话，并将其转给适当的人员。有些秘书还要负责办公室用品的采购，他们也可能会处理预算、簿记和人事文档。秘书应当具备使用电脑和其他电子设备的经验，因为他们将处理大量的电子资料，包括往来信函。
human creations, language may be the most remarkable. Through language we share experience, values, exchange ideas, transmit knowledge, and sustain culture. Indeed, language is vital to sense of reality by giving meaning to events. 在人类所有的创造中，语言也许是影响最为深远的。我们用语言来分享经验，表达(传递？)价值观，交换想法，传播知识，传承文化。事实上，对语言本身的思考也是至关重要的。和通常所认为的不同的是，语言并不只是简单地反映现实，语言在具体描述事件的时候也在帮助我们建立对现实的感知。——语序的调整。 Good speakers have respect for language and know how it works. Words are the tools of a speaker?s craft. They have special uses, just like the tools of any other profession. As a speaker, you should be aware of the meaning of words and know how to use language accurately, clearly,vividly,and appropriately. 好的演讲者对语言很重视，也知道如何让它发挥更好的效果。词语是演讲者演讲的重要“武器”，具有特殊的用途，这和任何其他的工作技艺没什么两样。作为演讲者，必须知道词语的具体含义，也要懂得如何做到用词准确、清晰、生动、适当。 Using language accurately is as vital to a speaker as using numbers accurately to a accountant. Never use a word unless you are sure of its meaning. If you are not sure, look up the word in the dictionary. As you prepare your speeches, ask yourself constantly, “What do I really want to say? What do I really mean?” Choose words that are precise and accurate. 演讲者准确地使用语言和会计准确使用数字是一样重要的。确定词意后再措词。如果不确定，请先查词典。当你在准备演讲的时候，要不断地问自己：“我到底要说什么？我到底想表达什么意思？”用词一定要精准。 Using language clearly allows listeners to grasp your meaning immediately. You can ensure this [by using familiar words （that are known to the average person and require no specialized background）; by choosing concrete words in preference to more abstract ones, and by eliminating verbal clutter]. 用词清晰可以让听众迅速理解你的意思（抓到你的点）。要做到这一点，就要尽量使用一般人都熟悉的不需要专业知识就能懂的词语；多用具象词汇少用抽象词汇；还有要减少口误。 Using language vividly helps bring your speech to life. One way (to make your speech vivid)|is through imagery，or the creation of word pictures. You can develop imagery by using concrete language, simile, and metaphor. Simile is an explicit comparison between things （that are essentially different yet have something in common）; it always contains the words “like”or “as”. Metaphor is an impli cit comparison between things that are different yet have something in common; it does not contain the words “like” or “as”. 生动地用词能让演讲鲜活起来！比喻，这种能产生文字图像的修辞，可以使演讲达到生动的效果。比喻要用具象的语言，分为明喻和隐喻。 明喻是指在本质上有区别但仍然有相同点的事物之间做一个明确的比较，一般句中会含有“像”或“似”。隐喻则是一种隐藏的比较，不会出现like 和as 这些连接词。 Another way to make your speeches vivid is by exploiting the rhythm of language. Four devices for creating rhythm are parallelism, repetition, alliteration, and antithesis. Parallelism is the similar arrangement of a pair or series of related words, phrases, or sentences. Repetition is the use of the same word or set of words at the beginning or end of successive clauses or sentences. Alliteration comes from repeating the initial constant sounds of close or adjoining words. Antithesis is the juxtaposition of
新一代大学英语综合教程1 课后翻译 UNIT 1 2、Indeed, we might feel as if we are suddenly awash in friends. Yet right before our eyes, we're also changing the way we conduct relationships. Face-to-face chatting is giving way to texting and messaging; people even prefer these electronic exchanges to, for instance, simply talking on a phone.Smaller circles of friends are being partially eclipsed by Facebook acquaintances routinely numbered in the hundreds. Amid these smaller trends, growing research suggests we could be entering a period of crisis for the entire concept of friendship. Where is all this leading modern-day society? Perhaps to a dark place, one where electronic stimuli slowly replace the joys of human contact.确实如此，我们似乎感到突然之间好友数量井喷。不过，我们眼前也正在改变为人处世的方式。面对面的聊天正在被短信取代；相比打个电话，人们甚至更愿意使用这些电子交流方式。脸谱网上的熟人圈儿动辄数百人，相比之下，现实生活中规模较小的朋友圈则显得黯淡少光。在这些较细微的趋势中，越来越多的研究表明友谊的整个概念正在遭受危机，而我们也许正在一步步地迈向这个危机时代。所有这一切要把现代社会引向何方？也许现代社会就此陷入黑暗深渊，在这个深渊里，人与人之间交往的乐趣慢慢地被电子诱惑所取代。 8、No single person is at fault, of course. The pressures on friendship today are broad. They arise from the demands of work, say, or a general busyness that means we have less quality time for others. How many individuals would say that friendship is the most important thing in their lives, only to move thousands of miles across the continent to take up a better-paid job?当然，这并不是某个人的错。如今，交友压力来自方方面面。比如来自工作压力，或是整天瞎忙，无法和他人享有高质量的沟通时间。有人嘴上说友谊是生命中最重要的东西，却为了一份收入颇丰的工作远赴千里之外。这样的人还少吗？ 9、Of course, we learn how to make friends — or not — in our most formative years, as children. Recent studies on childhood, and how the contemporary life of the child affects friendships, are illuminating. Again, the general mood is one of concern, and a central conclusion often reached relates to a lack of what is called "unstructured time."当然，我们是在性格成型的最重要的孩提时期学会如何结交朋友或是如何断交。最近，关于儿童期和儿时生活对交友的影响的研究很有启发性。这些研究再一次关注了风气这个问题，其主要结论都与孩子缺少“计划外时间”有关。10、Structured time results from the way an average day is parceled up for our kids — time for school, time for homework, time for music practice, even time for play. Yet too often today, no period is left unstructured. After all, who these days lets his child just wander off down the street? But that is precisely the kind of fallow time so vital for deeper friendships. It's then that we simply "hang out," with no tasks, no
Unit 1 Changes in the Way We Live 在美国，不少人对乡村生活怀有浪漫的情感。许多居住在城镇的人梦想着自己办个农场，梦想着靠土地为生。很少有人真去把梦想变为现实。或许这也没有什么不好，因为，正如吉姆·多尔蒂当初开始其写作和农场经营双重生涯时所体验到的那样，农耕生活远非轻松自在。但他写道，自己并不后悔，对自己作出的改变生活方式的决定仍热情不减。 Mr. Doherty Builds His Dream Life Jim Doherty 有两件事是我一直想做的――写作与务农。如今我同时做着这两件事。作为作家，我和E·B·怀特不属同一等级，作为农场主，我和乡邻也不是同一类人，不过我应付得还行。在城市以及郊区历经多年的怅惘失望之后，我和妻子桑迪终于在这里的乡村寻觅到心灵的满足。 这是一种自力更生的生活。我们食用的果蔬几乎都是自己种的。自家饲养的鸡提供鸡蛋，每星期还能剩余几十个出售。自家养殖的蜜蜂提供蜂蜜，我们还自己动手砍柴，足可供过冬取暖之用。 这也是一种令人满足的生活。夏日里我们在河上荡舟，在林子里野餐，骑着自行车长时间漫游。冬日里我们滑雪溜冰。我们为落日的余辉而激动。我们爱闻大地回暖的气息，爱听牛群哞叫。我们守着看鹰儿飞过上空，看玉米田间鹿群嬉跃。 但如此美妙的生活有时会变得相当艰苦。就在三个月前，气温降
到华氏零下30度，我们辛苦劳作了整整两天，用一个雪橇沿着河边拖运木柴。再过三个月，气温会升到95度，我们就要给玉米松土，在草莓地除草，还要宰杀家禽。前一阵子我和桑迪不得不翻修后屋顶。过些时候，四个孩子中的两个小的，16岁的吉米和13岁的埃米莉，会帮着我一起把拖了很久没修的室外厕所修葺一下，那是专为室外干活修建的。这个月晚些时候，我们要给果树喷洒药水，要油漆谷仓，要给菜园播种，要赶在新的小鸡运到之前清扫鸡舍。 在这些活计之间，我每周要抽空花五、六十个小时，不是打字撰文，就是为作为自由撰稿人投给报刊的文章进行采访。桑迪则有她自己繁忙的工作日程。除了日常的家务，她还照管菜园和蜂房，烘烤面包，将食品装罐、冷藏，开车送孩子学音乐，和他们一起练习，自己还要上风琴课，为我做些研究工作并打字，自己有时也写写文章，还要侍弄花圃，堆摞木柴、运送鸡蛋。正如老话说的那样，在这种情形之下，坏人不得闲――贤德之人也歇不了。 我们谁也不会忘记第一年的冬天。从12月一直到3月底，我们都被深达5英尺的积雪困着。暴风雪肆虐，一场接着一场，积雪厚厚地覆盖着屋子和谷仓，而室内，我们用自己砍伐的木柴烧火取暖，吃着自家种植的苹果，温馨快乐每一分钟。 开春后，有过两次泛滥。一次是河水外溢，我们不少田地被淹了几个星期。接着一次是生长季节到了，一波又一波的农产品潮涌而来，弄得我们应接不暇。我们的冰箱里塞满了樱桃、蓝莓、草莓、芦笋、豌豆、青豆和玉米。接着我们存放食品罐的架子上、柜橱里也开始堆
NUIT1 大学已经不再特别了 有这么一种说法：“要是你能记得20世纪60年代的任何事情，你就没有真正经历过那段岁月。”对于在大麻烟雾中度过大学时光的那些人，这话可能是真的。但是，20世纪60年代有一件事人人都记得，那就是：上大学是你一生中最激动人心、最刺激的经历。 20世纪60年代，加州的高校把本州变成了世界第七大经济实体。然而，加州大学的主校园伯克利分校也以学生示威、罢课以及激进的政治氛围而著名。1966年，罗纳德?里根竞选加州州长，他问加州是否允许“一所伟大的大学被喧闹的、唱反调的少数人征服。”自由派人士回答说，大学之所以伟大正是因为它们有能力容忍喧闹的、唱反调的少数人。 在欧洲的大学校园里，大学生以新的姿态和激情投入到争取自由和正义的事业中去，大规模的社会主义或共产主义运动引发了他们与当权者之间日益升级的暴力冲突。许多抗议是针对越南战争的。可是在法国，巴黎大学的学生与工会联盟，发动了一场大罢工，最终导致戴高乐总统辞职。 20世纪60年代大学生活的特点并不仅仅是激进的行动。不论在什么地方，上大学都意味着你初次品尝真正自由的滋味，初次品尝深更半夜在宿舍或学生活动室里讨论人生意义的滋味。你往往得上了大学才能阅读你的第一本禁书，看你的第一部独立影人电影，或者找到和你一样痴迷吉米?亨德里克斯或兰尼?布鲁斯的志同道合者。那是一段难以想象的自由时光，你一生中最无拘无束的时光。 可如今那份激情哪儿去了？大学怎么了？现在，政治、社会和创造意识的觉醒似乎不是凭借大学的助力，而是冲破其阻力才发生的。当然，一点不假，高等教育仍然重要。例如，在英国，布莱尔首相几乎实现了到2010年让50％的30岁以下的人上大学的目标（即使愤世嫉俗的人会说，这是要把他们排除在失业统计数据之外）。不过，大学教育已不再是全民重视的话题了。如今，大学被视为人们急于逃离的一种小城镇。有些人辍学，但大多数已经有些麻木，还是坚持混到毕业，因为离开学校实在是太费事了。 没有了20世纪60年代大学生所发现的令人头脑发热的自由气氛，如今的大学生要严肃得多。英国文化协会最近做了一项调查，研究外国留学生在决定上哪所大学时所考虑的因素。这些因素从高到低依次是：课程质量、就业前景、学费负担、人身安全问题、生活方式，以及各种便利。大学已变成实现目的的手段，是在就业市场上增加就业几率的一个机会，上大学本身不再是目的，不再是给你提供一个机会，让你暂时想象一下：你能够改变世界。 童年与大学之间的距离已缩小了，大学与现实世界之间的距离也缩小了。其中的一个原因可能和经济有关。在一个没有保障的世界里，现在的许多孩子依赖父母资助的时间比以前的孩子更长。21世纪的学生大学毕业后根本无法自立门户，因为那太昂贵了。另一个可能的原因是通讯革命。儿子或女儿每学期往家里打一两回电话的日子一去不复返了。如今，大学生通过手机与父母保持着脐带式联系。至于寻找痴迷无名文学或音乐的同道好友，没问题，我们有互联网和聊天室来帮助我们做到这一点。
Presenting a speech （做演讲） Of all human creations, language may be the most remarkable. Through 在人类所有的创造中，语言也许是影响最为深远的。我们用语言 language we share experience, formulate values, exchange ideas, transmit 来分享经验，表达(传递？)价值观，交换想法，传播知识， knowledge, and sustain culture. Indeed, language is vital to think itself. 传承文化。事实上，对语言本身的思考也是至关重要的。[Contrary to popular belief], language | does not simply mirror reality but also helps to create our sense of reality [by giving meaning to events]. 和通常所认为的不同的是，语言并不只是简单地反映现实，语言在 具体描述事件的时候也在帮助我们建立对现实的感知。 ——语序的调整。 Good speakers have respect for language and know how it works. Words are the tools of a speaker’s craft. They have special uses, just like the tools of any other profession. As a speaker, you should be aware of the meaning of words and know how to use language accurately, clearly,vividly,and appropriately. 好的演讲者对语言很重视，也知道如何让它发挥更好的效果。词语是演讲者演讲的重要“武器”，具有特殊的用途，这和任何其他的工作技艺没什么两样。作为演讲者，必须知道词语的具体含义，也要懂得如何做到用词准确、清晰、生动、适当。 Using language accurately is as vital to a speaker as using numbers accurately to a accountant. Never use a word unless you are sure of its meaning. If you are not sure, look up the word in the dictionary. As you prepare your speeches, ask yourself constantly, “What do I really want to say? What do I really mean?”Choose words that are precise and accurate. 演讲者准确地使用语言和会计准确使用数字是一样重要的。确定词意后再措词。如果不确定，请先查词典。当你在准备演讲的时候，要不断地问自己：“我到底要说什么？我到底想表达什么意思？”用词一定要精准。 Using language clearly allows listeners to grasp your meaning immediately. You can ensure this [by using familiar words （that are known to the average person and require no specialized background）; by choosing concrete words in preference to more abstract ones, and by eliminating verbal clutter]. 用词清晰可以让听众迅速理解你的意思（抓到你的点）。要做到这一点，就要尽量使用一般人都熟悉的不需要专业知识就能懂的词语；多用具象词汇少用抽象词汇；还有要减少口误。 Using language vividly helps bring your speech to life. One way (to make your speech vivid)|is through imagery，or the creation of word pictures. You can develop imagery by using concrete language, simile, and metaphor. Simile is an explicit comparison between things （that are essentially different yet have something in common）; it always contains the words “like”or “as”. Metaphor is an implicit
Unit1 The Burden of Womanhood Too often in the Third World, a female?s life is hardly worth living. By: John Ward Anderson & Molly Moore 女人的负担 往往在第三世界，女性的生活几乎是不值得活的。 约翰.沃德.安德森和莫莉.摩尔 1.When Rani returned home from the hospital cradling her newborn daughter, the men in the family slipped out of her mud hut while she and her mother-in-law mashed poisonous oleander seeds into a dollop of oil and dropped it into the baby?s throat. As soon as darkness fell, Rani crept into a nearby field and buried her baby girl in a shallow, unmarked grave next to a small stream. 当拉尼抱着她刚出生的女儿从医院回到家时，男人们溜出了她的土屋，她和她的婆婆将有毒的夹竹桃种子捣碎成一团油，并将其塞到婴儿的喉咙里。夜幕一降临，拉尼就蹑手蹑脚地来到附近的一块土地，将她的女婴埋在一条小溪浅旁边的一个不深的、没有标记的坟墓内。 2.“I never felt any sorrow,” Rani, a farm laborer with a weather-beaten face, said through an interpreter. “There was a lot of bitterness in my heart toward the baby because the gods should have given me a son.” “我从来没有感到任何悲哀”，脸部饱经风霜的拉尼通过翻译说，“我的心对孩子充满了辛酸，因为神本应该赐予我一个儿子”。 3.Each year hundreds and perhaps thousands of newborn girls in India are murdered by their mothers simply because they are female. Some women believe that sacrificing a daughter guarantees a son in the next pregnancy. In other cases, the family cannot afford the dowry that would eventually be demanded for a girl?s marriage. 在印度每年有数百甚至数千名新生女婴被他们的母亲谋杀，只因为他们是女孩。有些妇女认为，牺牲一个女儿将保证下次怀孕是儿子。在其他情况下，家庭买不起女孩结婚时所需的嫁妆。 4.And for many mothers, sentencing a daughter to death is better than condemning her to life as a woman in the Third World, with cradle-to-grave discrimination, poverty, sickness and drudgery. 对于很多母亲而言，判处女儿死刑胜过让她在第三世界作为一个女人生活，经历一辈子的歧视、贫困、疾病和劳苦。
Unit1如何发表演说斯蒂芬·卢卡斯 1.在人类创造的万物中，语言可能是最卓越的一项创造。通过语言，我们可以分享经验、阐明价值观念、交流思想、传播知识、传承文化。确实，语言对于思想本身至关重要。和流行的信仰不同的是：语言并不是简单地反映事实，而是通过对事件意义的思考来帮助人们感悟现实。 2.优秀的演说者尊重语言并懂得如何驾驭语言。语言是演说者展示才能的工具，对于他们来说，如同其他职业的工具一样,语言也有特殊的功用。作为一名演说者，你应该意识到话语的意义，并懂得如何准确无误地使用语言，使其表达清楚，趣味横生，恰如其分。 3.如同数字对于会计的重要性一样，准确地使用语言对于演说者至关重要。在没有确切知道一个词语的意思之前，千万不要盲目使用。碰到没有把握的词语，一定要查词典追根究底。当你准备演讲之前，一定要不断地问自己：“我究竟想说些什么？我究竟想表达什么样的意思？”因此，对于一篇演讲稿的用词来说，必须准确无误。 4.语言表达清楚无误，听众就能很快抓住你的意思。鉴于此，演说者应该使用那些对于大多数人来说非常熟悉的词语，这些词语不需要任何专业背景就能够理解；演说者应该使用那些表达具体而不是相对抽象的词语；并且千万不要乱堆砌辞藻，哗众取宠。 5.准确生动地使用语言能够使你的演说贴近生活。有一种方法可以使你的语言更加生动形象，那就是通过展开联想或创造语言图示。通过使用表达具体的词语、明喻或者暗喻等手法可以展开想象。明喻是对事物不同之处的比较，不过有些是相同的：它们总是包含“像……一样”或者“如同……一样”这样的连词。暗喻是一种隐性的比喻，它能够把两个形式不同但是有一些相通之处的事物联系在一起，暗喻不包含“像……一样”或者“如同……一样”这样的连词。 6.另一种让你的演说生动形象的方法是注重语言的节奏感。有四种修辞格可以让你的语言富有节奏感：排比、重复、头韵和对比。排比是将一组或一系列具有相似结构的词语、短语或者句子排列在一起；重复是在一系列短句或者长句的开头或者结尾使用相同的一句话或者一组词语；头韵是指邻近或者相邻的几个句子中的首个词语的辅音字母相同；对比是将一些意思相反的词语或者句子并列在一起，通常使用排比结构。 7.恰当地使用语言是指语言的运用要符合特定的场合、特定的观众和特定的主题。同时，恰当地使用语言还意味着演说者要有自己的语言风格，而不是模仿他人的口吻。如果演说者的语言在各个方面都能够做到恰如其分，那么这篇演说成功的机率就会大大提高。 8.优秀的演说并不是空穴来风、缺乏论据的决断。演说者必须找到强有力的论据来支持其观点。实际上，熟练地使用论据经常是区别一篇优秀演说词和一篇空洞演说词的关键所在。一般来说，通常有三种论据材料：事例、统计数据和证词。 9.在演说过程中，你可以使用一些简明扼要的例子——比如过去发生的一个很具体的事件——有时候，你可以罗列好几个简明的例子，借此增强听众的印象。扩展性的例子——描述、
作文翻译 Unit 1 李明是学化学的，性格开朗幽默，颇有魅力，但英语成绩不佳，每次只能勉强及格。老师警告他，英语不好会阻碍他拿奖学金，并亮出了自己的王牌：如果李明不努力，就让他考试不过关。老师还告诉他，学习英语不能只为了文凭，否则他即使大学毕业，也还是个半文盲。李明虽然保持镇定，但他明白，他的学业生涯正在攸关之际，必须安心下来埋头学习，坚持不懈。 Li Ming was a chemistry major, a charmer noted for his easygoing and humorous temperament. However, his English was so poor that he always barely got by. The teacher admonished him that his poor English would be an impediment to scholarship. What’s more, she showed her trump card: if Li Ming did not work hard. She would flunk him. He was also told that he should not learn English merely for the sake of his diploma. otherwise, even after graduation from university, he would still be semiliterate. Although Li Ming did not lose his composure, he was well aware that he had to settle down to work and follow through because his academic life was at stake. Unit2 我的朋友琳达接受过良好的教育，既美丽又端庄，三十好几依然没有人向她求婚。究其原因，她的事业心极强，整日扑在工作上，每天来往于住处和公司之间，根本没有时间和异性交往。一想到女儿这么大了还单身一人，她父母就焦虑不安。他们不知道该如何是好，甚至还去咨询一些社会学专家。 但是事情在上个月出现了转机，公司的总部调琳达到培训部。在新的工作岗位上，琳达遇到了第一个触动她心弦的男人。从此，他们几乎每天约会，琳达意识到她会不顾一切地爱这个男人。决定嫁人的时候，她告诉了我这个好消息。 虽然琳达的爱情让人想起电影中才会有的浪漫故事，我也担忧未来究竟会怎样，但我还是表达了我由衷的祝福，并爽快答应在婚礼那天做他们的伴娘和伴郎随从中的一员。 Linda, my good friend, has received good education and is both beautiful and elegant. She was not proposed to even when she was well over thirty. The reason is that she, as a career –oriented woman, is devoted to her work. Navigating between home and the company, she had hardly any time to socialize with people of the opposite sex. Her parents were gripped by anxiety at the thought of their daughter still remaining single at such an age. They did not know what to do and even consulted with some sociologists. But the situation began to change last month, when the headquarters of the company transferred Linda to the training department. On the new post, Linda met a man who tugged on her heartstrings for the first time. Ever since then, they dated virtually on a daily basis, and Linda realized that she would love the man beyond all reason. When she decided to take the matrimonial plunge, she informed me. Though Linda’s love is reminiscent of the romance that we see only in movies and I don’t know what the future will hold for her, I give her my heart-felt wishes and agree readily to be a member of the entourage of bridesmaids and groomsmen. Unit 3 食品供应商缺乏诚信已经成为当今社会的一大问题。部分企业欺骗公众，故意散布假消息，颂扬食品添加剂是食品工业的伟大成就，并声称适量的添加剂对健康有益无害。部分有良知的科学家对食品添加剂的含量和毒性展开了深入的病理学研究。研究结果表明，部分常见的食品添加剂经长期，可能会对健康产生危害，这被认为是食品安全研究方面极为重要的
《综合英语教程》第二册课文、扩展阅读课文译文 Unit 1 Text 等候的人们 我坐在一个机场，观察着等候所爱之人到达或离开前最后一刻的人们。他们有的不安地来回走着，有的互相凝视着，有的拉着对方的手。此时的感情是强烈的。 一位讲西班牙语的女士正来回转圈地跑着，想要将全家人集中起来道别。她的嗓门很高。当登机前的最后时刻到来时，她用双臂搂着儿子，似乎这一紧紧的拥抱能保佑他将来平安地归来。 在我候机坐位旁的栏杆边站着一位祖母和她的孙子，该来接他们的人还没到。他们旁边有两位女士，互相之间显然没有关系，但她们的眼光都象扫视着大海的探照灯一样朝通道口仔细地搜索着。一位怀抱婴儿的母亲正与丈夫吻别。泪水打湿了她的面颊。这时刻十分令人动情。 在第13号出口处，抵达者们刚刚进站。“我看见她了，她在那儿。”以同样感人的激情，这些抵达者融入了庞杂的人群，仿佛他们是这人群中失而复得的一个组成部分。泪水、笑容，和由衷的快乐洋溢在久别重逢的欢声笑语中。 我坐着边翻书边等着我的登机时刻，感到有点孤独，因为亲人与我的时间不配；而我要去见的人，我的女儿，却在我旅程的另一端。 我在回想往日的离别和重逢。忆起我看见女儿，就是我现在要去见的女儿，正从那狭窄的通道走过来，肩上背着背包，怀里抱着塞得满满的行囊，带着的耳机让她无暇顾及身旁川流不息的人群。她当时上大学一年级，11月回家度假——8月份以来第一次回家。我紧紧地拥抱着她，似乎我曾失去过她。 今天我乘坐的航班晚点两小时。手里的书今天读起来没劲，不如观看眼前这熙来人往的人群。一个5岁左右的男孩第一次见到他的祖父。他一点点往上看，半天才看到了对成人来说并不算高的一位男人的脸。一高一矮的两人脸上都放出了喜悦的光芒，我不知道人们如何能用语言和胶卷来捕捉这一时刻。 当我的航班终于呼叫登机时，我收起书本和行李。既然无人相送，我就没有回头看看来时的方向，而是在想上班的丈夫此刻极想知道我是否已起飞，在另一端的女儿也正惦记着同一件事。 登机时，我回想起另一种离别和重逢。有一次我新婚不久，91岁的祖父去世了。我们的关系一直很密切，那天傍晚，我参加完他的葬礼乘飞机返回，一边离开机场一边哭着。我们刚刚结婚一年的丈夫等候在出站口，把我拥抱在怀中。满脸的泪水招来了大家对我的关注，但我并不在乎。不管怎么说，我内心的那种感受在机场没有什么不合时宜的。 生命始终都需要这般关注。我祝愿所有旅行的人们归来时都能看到有人在等候迎接他们。我也祝愿他们出发前有人去送行。我想到自己的祖父并认识到，如果死亡就像这样，一次旅行而已，那么，我就不会害怕。 （吕睿中译，胡一宁审校） Read more 重要之事