Unit 5Ways toSuccessIn this unit, you will★first listen, and then interview some successful people★read about famous people and their success stories★write about the advantages of getting a good education★practice the use of relative and appositive clauses★write greeting cards for achievements★visit Culture Salon to read quotes from famous peoplePassage AMy Advice to Students: Education CountsHundreds of students send me e-mail each year asking for advice about education. They want to know what to study, or whether it’s okay to drop out of college since that’s what I did.A smaller number of parents send messages, seeking guidance for their son or daughter. ―How can we steer our child toward success?‖ they as k.My basic advice is simple and heartfelt : Get the besteducation you can. Take advantage of high school and college.Learn how to learn.It’s true that I dropped out of college to start Microsoft, butI was at Harvard 1 for three years before dropping out — and I’dlove to have the time to go back. As I’ve said before, no bodyshould drop out of college unless they believe they face theopportunity of a lifetime. And even then theyshould reconsider .Kathy Cridland, a sixth-grade teacher in Ohio 1, wrote tosay, ―Several of my students claim that you never finished highschool. Since you are a success, my students perceive that as areason not to care much about getting a good education.‖I finished high school!The computer industry has lots of people who didn’t finish college, but I’m not aware of any success stories that began with somebody dropping out of high school. I actually don’t know any high school dropouts , let alone any successful ones.In my company’s early years we had a bright part -time programmer who threatened to drop out of high school to work full-time. We told him no.Quite a few of our people didn’t finish colleg e, but we discourage dropping out. Having a diploma certainly helps somebody who is looking to us for a job.College isn’t the only place where information exists. You can learn in a library. But somebody handing you a book doesn’t automatically foster learning. You want to learn with other people, ask questions, try out ideas and have a way to test your ability . It usually takes more than just a book.Education should be broad, although it’s fine to have deep interests, too.In high school there were periods when I was highly focused on writing software, but for most of my high school years I had wide-ranging academic interests. My parents encouraged this, and I’m grateful that they did.Although I attended a lot of different kinds of classes in college, I signed up for only one computer class the whole time. I read about all kinds of things.One parent wrote me that her 15-year-old son ―lost himself in the hole of the computer.‖ He got an A in website design, but other grades were sinking, she said.This boy is making a mistake. High school and college offer you the best chance to learn broadly — math, history, various sciences— and to do projects with other kids that teach you first-hand about group dynamics. It’s fine to take a deep interest in computers, dance, language or any other discipline, but not if it jeopardizes breadth.If you fall into an obsessive pattern in high school, you’ve got two problems. One is that you’re unlikely to change when you go to college. The other is that if you don’tget reasonably good grades, it’s hard to go to a college that has the highly motivated, capable students who can really help you learn about the world.In college it’s appropriate to think about specialization. Getting real expertise in an area of interest can lead to success — unless the specialty ends up being a dead end or you’re not good at it. Graduate school is one way to get specialized knowledge,although extended college education isn’t alway s a good investment froma purely economic standpoint.(667 words)Notes:1. Harvard: Harvard University. It is a private, coeducational institution of higher education, the oldest in the United States, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.2.Ohio: one of the East North Central states of the United States. It is located on several main routes between the eastern and western United States. Columbus is its capital and largest city.Think About It:1. What do you know about Bill Gates?Answer:Bill Gates is the founder and the chairman of Microsoft Corporation. He is a world famous figure and a successful example for many young people to follow.2. What role do you think school education plays in a person’s life?Answer:School education plays an important role in my life.In my opinion, school education is a stepping stone towards success. Also, it provides an opportunity to learn of the world.3 .Do you want to pursue graduate study after you get your BA or BS? Explain.Answer:Those who go on pursuing a higher degree would be entitled to more opportunities later in life. But others may say working experience is more important. Personally, I haven’t yet made up my mind, as it is a little too early for me to make the decision.SummaryIt is well known that Bill Gates dropped out of college. Some people even think he never finished high school. In fact he finished three years at Harvard, where he studied a variety of subjects and only took one computer class. His main advice to students is to do much as he did, but to finish college before dropping out unless the opportunity of a lifetime appears. He feels students should not specialize too soon. If they do specialize they should also pursue othersubjects and make acceptable grades. Above all else he believes students should learn how to learn, so they can learn on their own outside the classroom. This in fact is how Gates learned most of what he knows about computers, though he apparently feels that most students needa somewhat more structured approach to education than he had.Culture Notescation in the U. S.Programs of instruction is offered to children, youths, and adults in the United States, through schools and colleges operated by state and local governments, as well as by private and religious groups. The development of formal education in the United States differed from that in other Western societies in three fundamental respects: First, Americans possessed a profound faith in education as a principal means to achieve increasingly complex individual and social goals. Second, Americans werepath-breakers in providing more years of schooling for a larger percentage of children and adolescents than any previous society. Third, Americans’ remarkable faith in mass schooling was implemented through a largely decentralized organization. Unlike the educational systems of other countries, which are usually directed and financed by the national government, American education in practice has been mainly, although not exclusively, the responsibility of the state and local governments.2. grade schools in the U.S.U.S. students generally go through elementary schools (kindergarten to 5th or 6th grade), middle schools (grades 6 – 8) or junior high schools (grades 7 – 9), and high schools (grades 9 – 12 or 10 – 12).3. Bill GatesBill Gates (1955 –? ), American business executive, Chairman of the Microsoft Corporation. He wasborn in Seattle, Washington. Gates co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen, his high school friend and partner in computer-language development since 1967.Fascinated by computers from the age of 12, Gates was involved with various programming projects throughout high school. While attending Harvard in 1975, Gates teamed with Allen to develop a version of the BASIC computer-programming language for the Altair, the first personal computer. As a result of this work on BASIC, Gates decided to drop out of Harvard in 1977 to work at Microsoft full-time, pursuing his vision of ―a computer on every desk and in every home,‖ the idea behind the company. In the early 1980s, Gates led Microsoft’s evolution from a developer of programming languages to a diversified software company producing operating systems and applications software as well as programming tools. This transition began in 1981 with Microsoft’s introduction of MS-DOS, the operating system for International Business Machines Corporation’s new Personal Computer (IBM PC). Gates persuaded other computer manufacturers to standardize on MS-DOS, fueling software compatibility and computer industry growth in the 1980s.Gates also pushed Microsoft to introduce application software, such as Microsoft Wordword-processing software for the IBM PC. In a key strategic move, Gates agreed to develop application software for the Apple Macintosh prior to the release of the first Mac in 1984. This was the beginning of a strong position for Microsoft in applications that take advantage of the graphical user interface (GUI).Much of Gates’ success rests on his ability to translate technical visions into market strategy, and to blend creativity with technical acumen. He is one of the few founding CEOs from the technical side of the PC industry who has also survived and thrived on the business side. Gates has accumulated great wealth from his holdings of Microsoft stock and is known for his personal and corporate contributions to charity and educational organizations. Gates continues to be personally involved in product development at Microsoft. His willingness to back new technologies such as Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, and workgroup applications has kept Microsoft at the forefront of computer hardware and software evolution. Language Points1.opportunity: a favorable moment or occasion (for doing something)Examples:It will give you an opportunity to meet all kinds of people.Don’t let slip any opportunity of practicing your English.2.claim: say that something is true or is a fact without having any proofExamples:Jean claims to own a car but I don’t believe her.He claimed that he had done the work without help.3.... but I’m not aware of any success stories: ... but I don’t know any success storiesbe aware of: having knowledge or realization (of , that)Examples:We are fully aware of the gravity of the situation.Are you aware that you are sitting on your hat?4.let alone: not to mentionI have not even read the first chapter, let alone finished the book.The baby can’t even walk, let alone run.5.discourage: prevent (an action)Examples:We discourage smoking in this school.We tried to discourage him from climbing the mountain without a guide.6.foster: help (something) to grow or developExamples:Cooperative learning fosters a spirit of cooperation.The mothe r tried to foster her son’s interest in music by taking him to concerts when he was young.7.try out:: test to find out about quality, worth, effect, etc.Examples:I want to try out several of the new singers for the part.The new engine must be thoroughly tried out before being out on the market.8.highly: to a great degree; veryExamples:He speaks very highly of the boy’s behavior.It is highly improbable that they will accept our proposal.9.focus on:direct one’s attention toExamples:Today we’re going to focus on the question of homeless people in London.As we can’t study all the resources,I propose we focus attention on one of them.All eyes focused on him.10.academic:1) scholarly, theoretical, not practicalExamples:Academic exchanges are an important part of cultural exchanges between two countries.His theory received little attention because he was unknown in the academic world.This question is purely academic.2) of a college or universityExamples:This is the school calendar for academic year 2011 – 2012.He possessed no academic qualifications.11.grateful: feeling or showing thanksI was most grateful to John for bringing the books.We are grateful to our neighbors for help in time of trouble.12.sign up: sign an agreement to take part in somethingExamples:We will not have the picnic unless more people sign up.How many people signed up for this course?13.lose oneself in: be extremely interested in somethingExamples:On a dull winter afternoon, Harry would sit by the fire and lose himself in a book.She listened intently to the music, losing herself in its beauty.14.... but other grades were sinking: .. but other grades were falling.15. first-hand: (learned) directly from the point of originExamples:I heard the news ?rst-hand.This sort of experience can only be gained ?rst-hand.16.discipline: a method of trainingExamples:Learning poetry is a good discipline for the memory.In learning a foreign language, pronunciation drills and question and answer drills are good discipline.17.jeopardize: destroy; damage; endangerExamples:I didn’t want to jeopardize my relationship with my new friend.The soldier jeopardized his life to save his comrade.18.fall into: pass into a specified stateExamples:You have fallen into a bad habit of repeating yourself.She fell into modeling almost by accident.19.unlikely: not expected; improbableExamples:The weather is unlikely to improve over the next few days.Victory is unlikely, but not impossible.20.capable: having ability of doing or the power to doExamples:She is extremely capable and dependable.This computer is capable of storing millions of bits of information.21.appropriate: correct or suitableExamples:Plain, simple clothes are appropriate for school wear.It seemed appropriate to end with a joke.22.think about: examine, consider (especially a plan, idea to see whether it is desirable, practical, etc.)Examples:I should like to think about your suggestion before I give a definite reply.I have never thought of becoming an actor.23.lead to: have as a result; causeExamples:A bad cold can lead to pneumonia.Hard work leads to success.24.end up: finish (especially in a particular place or way)Examples:He ended up (as) head of the firm.Wasteful people usually end up in debt.Sentence Explanation1．It’s true that I dropped out of college to start Microsoft, but I was at Harvard for three years before dropping out —and I’d love to have the time to go back.It’s true that I left college early to start Microsoft, but I was at Harvard for three years before I left, and if I had the time I’d love to go back (for my further study).2．Since you are a success, my students perceive that as a reason not to care much about getting a good education.As you are a success, my students tend to infer from your success that they don’t have to worry very much about doing well in school.3．But somebody handing you a book doesn’t automatically foster learning.But if someone gives you a book you may not necessarily learn anything from it.4．In high school there were periods when I was highly focused on writing software, but for most of my high school years I had wide-ranging academic interests.Sometimes in high school I engaged myself wholly in writing software, but most of the time I studied a large variety of subjects.5．One parent wrote me that her 15-year-old son “lost himself in the hole of the computer.”One parent wrote me that her 15-year-old son became completely preoccupied by the computer and ignored everything else.6．... teaches you first-hand about group dynamics.Group dynamics is the way in which the members of a group behave towards each other. In group activities we can observe how different people interact.7．It’s fine to take a deep interest in computers, dance, language or any other discipline, but not if it jeopardizes breadth.It’s OK to be very strongly interested in any subject or activity such as computers,dance,or language,but not if it makes your interests too narrow.8．If you fall into an obsessive pattern in high school, you’ve got two problems.If you fall into a bad habit of having strong but narrow interests in high school, you have two problems (not just one).9．... unless the specialty ends up a dead end.... unless there is no future for such a specialty.10．Graduate school is one way to get specialized knowledge, although extended college education isn’t always a good investment from a purely economic standpoint.Graduate school is one way to study a particular academic area, but it may not be the wisest way to invest your time and your tuition money.给学子的忠告：教育很重要每年都有数以百计的学生给我发电子邮件，要我就接受教育给他们提建议。
