關于大學生活有很多說法,最常見的莫過于“大學是座象牙塔”。真是如此么?看看正身處其中的大學師生如何揭開這些說法的真面目吧,或許你可以從中受益匪淺哦!
Welcome to college—the best four years of your life, where you''''re guaranteed to meet the man or woman of your dreams, profs are easy to manipulate2), and rumors run as rampant3) as American Idol fan clubs on the Internet. Sorry—the previous statements are so not true!
In the interest of sorting through4) fact vs. fiction, we asked students nationwide to spill the beans5) about what college life is really like.
歡迎來到大學——你一生中最美好的四年時光。這里是你與夢中情人的邂逅之地,這里的教授都很好搞定,這里的謠言像《美國偶像》粉絲俱樂部一樣在網上瘋傳。遺憾的是,這些說法一點都不切合實際!
為了分辨大學生活的真相與虛構,我們尋訪了全國各地的大學生,以揭開大學生活的真面目。
Myth No. 1: College is so much harder than high school.
Reality: Substitute \"different\" for \"harder\" and you might just be on to6) something. \"College is the first time in your life when you don''''t have your parents breathing down your neck7), forcing you to do homework or wake up on time for class,\" points out Haley Mancini, a sophomore at Boston College, MA. The difficult part for most college students is learning how to handle the newfound freedom and responsibilities that larger class sizes, more free time, and about a million distractions bring.
Myth No. 2: All freshmen gain 15 pounds.
Reality: \"Actually, I lost weight,\" counters8) recent University of Nebraska at Kearney graduate Nick Nyffeler, whose 6-foot-3-inch frame whittled9) from 221 to 185 pounds freshman year as a result of a late growth spurt and the stress of trying to juggle10) a full course load with three jobs. \"My schedule in college got about 200 percent busier than in high school,\" remembers Nick, who also joined a fraternity11) and played intramural12) sports.
Myth No. 3: Roommate compatibility forms13) really work.
Reality: Um, yeah. That''''s why University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB) junior Max Geitner was paired up with a nonstudying, alcoholic party animal after specifically mentioning that he himself only partied occasionally and made schoolwork a priority. ''''Nuff said14). In short, be prepared to compromise15) with people with whom you''''ll be living.
Myth No. 4: Finals week is hell.
Reality: Not! So say the academically savvy16) students who seem to have mastered one of college''''s best-kept secrets: study hard now (as in regularly, throughout the semester), and come finals week, life is bound to17) be grand because your grades will already be set18). Some things for the scholastically enlightened19) to look forward to: extended recreation center hours, complimentary20) munchies21), and more sleep-in22) time.
Myth No. 5: College isn''''t the real world.
Reality: Says who? \"College students are learning to balance increased freedom with academic responsibility, practicing money and time management, and interacting with diverse people on a daily basis—all very important life skills,\" points out Dr. Roger Sorochty, vice president for enrollment and student services at the University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK. Sure, there are differences between the two worlds (like making grades vs. paychecks and month-long vs. two-day Christmas breaks), but not enough to classify \"real\" vs. \"fake\".
謬見1:上大學比上高中難很多。
真相:用“不同”這個詞來代替“難很多”,這樣你可能就明白些了。美國馬薩諸塞州波士頓學院的一名大二學生黑利·曼西尼指出:“進入大學,你的人生中第一次不再有父母對你事事監督、強迫你做作業或按時起床上學。”對大多數大學生而言,更大的課堂、更多的自由支配時間以及無數讓人分心的誘惑帶來了新的自由和許多責任,學會如何正確處理這兩者之間的關系才是大學生活中的難點。
謬見2:所有大一新生的體重都會增加15磅(編注:約6.8 kg)。
真相:“事實上,我那時瘦了。”一名最近剛從內布拉斯加州立大學卡尼分校畢業的大學生尼克·尼弗萊反駁道。身高6英尺3英寸(編注:約190.5 cm)的尼克在大一時個頭才開始猛長,而且他還努力在排滿課程的重負下做了三份兼職。這使他在大一一年體重就由221磅(編注:約100 kg)掉到了185磅(編注:約84 kg)。尼克回憶道:“我上大學的時候時間安排很緊,忙碌程度是高中時的兩倍。”此外,他還加入了一個男生聯誼會,并參加了一些校內體育活動。
謬見3:室友配對表確實有效。
真相:嗯,算是吧。這就是科羅拉多大學博爾德分校的大三學生馬克斯·蓋特納被分到與一個不愛學習又喜歡酗酒的派對狂同寢室的原因,虧他之前還特別強調自己只會偶爾參加一下派對,以學業為重。不必再說了吧。總之,還是準備好忍讓你的室友們吧。
謬見4:期末考試周像地獄般難熬。
真相:不對!那些似乎掌握了大學“不能說的秘密”之一的學術優才生表示:現在就開始努力(定期學習,一直堅持到期末),等期末考試來臨的時候,生活照樣瀟灑自如,因為你的成績已經定下來了。對這些在學習方面已然知之甚多的學生來說,他們在考試周期待的是:在娛樂中心多玩幾個小時、吃點免費贈送的小吃以及早上多睡一會兒懶覺。
謬見5:大學不是真實的世界。
真相:這是誰說的呀?美國俄克拉何馬州塔爾薩市塔爾薩大學錄取與學生服務處副主任羅杰·索羅蒂博士指出:“大學生一直在學習如何平衡增多的自由與學業之間的關系,鍛煉理財能力和時間管理能力,在日常事務上還與各色人群打交道。這些都是非常重要的生活技能。”的確,大學與外面的世界是存在不同之處(如考取成績與掙取薪水、圣誕節1個月的長假和2天的短假),但這些都不足以把現實世界跟大學用“真實”和“虛假”加以區分。
1.debunk [?di??b??k] vt. 揭穿……的吹噓(或虛假等)
2.manipulate [m??n?pjule?t] vt. (尤指用權勢或不正當手段)操縱;控制
3.rampant [?r?mp?nt] adj. 猖獗的,蔓延的
4.sort through: (從很多事物中)尋找(以找到某物)
5.spill the beans: <俚>泄露秘密;坦白交代
6.be on to: 了解……的情況;識透(某人)的意圖
7.breathe down sb.''''s neck: <口>緊跟在某人后面;從后面盯著某人;密切監視某人
8.counter [?ka?nt?(r)] vi. 反對;反駁
9.whittle [?w?tl] v. 削減,削弱
10.juggle [?d??ɡl] vt. 盡力對付;力圖使平衡
11.fraternity [fr??t??n?ti] n. <美>男大學生聯誼會(常以希臘字母命名,并有秘密儀式);(開展學術活動或課外活動等的)男學生組織
12.intramural [??ntr??mj??r?l] adj. 學校內的
13.roommate compatibility form: 室友配對表。國外某些大學為根據學生的性格、興趣等分配室友而設置的表格。
14.''''nuff said: 說夠了,不必再說了
15.compromise [?k?mpr?ma?z] vi. 妥協,互讓解決
16.savvy [?s?vi] adj. 機智的;具有實際知識的
17.be bound to: 一定會
18.set [set] adj. 固定不動的
19.enlightened [?n?la?tnd] adj. 完全理解的,理解通透的
20.complimentary [?k?mpl??mentri] adj. <美>免費贈送的
21.munchies [?m?nt??z] n. <口>快餐;小吃
22.sleep-in: 早上遲起的,睡懶覺的