Part 1 Being an Exchange Student

Hugh： Hey， Nicole！ I see you’re finally back from the Far East. So， how was China？

Nicole： Incredible. It was a life changing experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my days.

Hugh： I’d love to hear all about it.

Nicole： ①It’s like all my senses were 1）bombarded with sights and smells and sounds right off the bat， from the minute I stepped off the plane in Guangzhou.

Hugh： Oh？ Well if you want my take， it sounds awfully intimidating. You know me， Mr. Sensitivity.②I probably would’ve suffered 2）sensory overload， or a massive panic attack at the very least.

Nicole： Oh， ③don’t be such a square. You’ll need to expand your horizons at some point in time， and being a foreign exchange student was the most rewarding experience of my life.

Hugh： Can a three-month trip， no matter how influential it may seem， really change a person all that much？ I mean， you’re still Nicole， aren’t you？

Nicole： Yes， it can change you. And moreover， it can change your whole perspective on life. It can open your eyes to things around you， that you couldn’t see from the enclosed bubble of America. And yes， I am still Nicole. ④But now， I’m like Nicole 2.0； new and improved， with a whole new outlook， ready to take the world by storm.

Hugh： So give me some details. What exactly went down over there？

Nicole： Where do I start？

Hugh： Most people start from the beginning. After all， I believe it was Mr. Lao Tzu who said that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Nicole： Ah， using Chinese 3）ideology against me. But my journey actually began here in America， when I first decided to trade places with someone overseas.

Hugh： Exactly. I think you’re so brave for making such a 4）radical choice.

Nicole： No， I’m not. The real brave ones are the people who devote their lives to a worthy cause， with blind faith and determination. ⑤Those were the kind of people I saw there， day in and day out.

Hugh： Does everyone in China work so hard to make a living？

Nicole： I don’t know about everyone， but my host family certainly does. And what really amazed me was how kind they were. They took me in and treated me as if I were their own child. I learned so much from their generosity.

Hugh： OK. I’m sold. Maybe next year， I’ll sign up for a little foreign exchange. ⑥Any other 5）sage advice you’d care to pass along？

Nicole： To be grateful and more humble. Americans seem so lazy and spoiled to me now， because Chinese people work so hard and receive so much less for their efforts. While Americans think they are number one at everything， and yet demand more and feel entitled to it.

Hugh： Interesting…

Smart Sentences

① It’s like all my senses were bombarded with sights and smells and sounds right off the bat， from the minute I stepped off the plane in Guangzhou. 從我走下飛機踏進廣州的那一刻起，我所有的感官都立馬被所見所聞所聽猛烈地沖擊著。

right off the bat： immediately； first thing（毫不猶豫，馬上）。例如：

The director decided to purchase the new machine right off the bat.

主任決定馬上購買新機器。

② I probably would’ve suffered sensory overload， or a massive panic attack at the very least. 我可能已經(jīng)飽受感官超載之苦，或者至少是巨大的恐慌癥。

at the very least： used to suggest that a situation is actually much more serious than stated（用于表明實際情況比所說的更為嚴重）。例如：

Some of the comments last night were rude at the very least.

昨晚的一些評論說輕了就是無禮。

③ Don’t be such a square. 別太古板了。

a square： sb. who is regarded as rigidly conventional，and out of touch with current trends（老古板，不諳時尚的人）。例如：

—Todd is such a square. He refuses to use a smart phone， doesn’t shop online， and still reads the newspaper.

托德太古板了，他拒絕用智能手機、不網(wǎng)購，還看報紙。

—I think there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just his way of life.

我覺得這沒什么不妥的，那不過是他的生活方式罷了。

④ But now， I’m like Nicole 2.0； new and improved， with a whole new outlook， ready to take the world by storm. 但是，現(xiàn)在我就像是妮科爾2.0，嶄新的、升級版的，我準備以全新的面貌去征服世界。

take sb./sth. by storm： succeed overwhelmingly with sb.， some place， or a group（完全征服，使迅速入迷）。例如：

The Beatles took the U.S. by storm in the early 1960s.

20世紀60年代初，甲殼蟲樂隊迅速地征服了美國。

⑤ Those were the kind of people I saw there， day in and day out. 我在那里每天都見到這樣的人。

day in and day out： everyday（天天，每天）。例如：

Dealing with customer complaints day in and day out for five years， I can now tell you what type of person he/she is as soon as I see him/her.

五年來，我每天都要處理顧客的投訴，我現(xiàn)在一見到人，就立馬知道這是什么樣的人。

⑥ Any other sage advice you’d care to pass along？ 你還有其他明智的建議愿意跟我分享的嗎？

pass sth. along （to sb.）： relay some information to sb.（傳遞信息）。例如：

—Hey， Wendy， did you just come back from a job interview？嘿，溫迪，你是不是剛剛去面試了？

—Yes， I’m looking for a new opportunity， but I hope you don’t pass this along to anyone.

是的，我在尋找新機會，不過我希望你不要給別人說這事兒。