艾达·蒂莫西
1 在《永远不会听到的毕业典礼演说》中，雅各布·纽斯纳认为大学经历使我们认为：“失败是不会留 下任何记录的”，而且成绩是很容易取得的。在纽斯纳看来，大学似乎并不是一所很好的着眼于将来生活的 预备学校，因为它培养我们面对的是一个“根本就不存在的世界”。
2 毫无疑问，纽斯纳在表达这么强烈的观点之前，该对大学生活的真实状况做更进一步的审视。他完全 无视学生们为了学业成功而经受的一切压力与艰辛。大学生活根本就不是他所描绘的那样。
3 大学难道真的像纽斯纳说的那样，没有教我们为现实生活作准备吗？我们所经历的一切难道不能帮助 我们了解现实世界吗？这些问题是我在思考纽斯纳所说的话时涌现到我脑海中的。我认为他完全错了。对 我们许多人来说，大学时代正是我们开始独立，自己做重要决定，并对这些决定负责的年代。在大学里，
我们必须学会计划时间（还包括计划用钱！），并学会忍受（否则住在一个拥挤的三人间里，我们会无法过 下去的！）。我们与来自世界各地的人相识，开阔了我们的视野，并使我们彼此加深了解。如果这些对现实 世界来说是没有用的，那我不知道什么才是有用的。
4 纽斯纳认为，在大学里我们所接受的教育使我们认为“失败是不会留下任何记录的”，因为据称我们 犯了错误可以轻而易举地逃脱惩罚。我要告诉他的是：要是你考试不及格，你不能重新再考一次，或者即 使老师明知你一辈子都会恨他，他也不会抹去你的成绩。要是你中途放弃了某一门课，下学期你就得修更
102 Unit 7
多的课。要是你有几门课的成绩不高，你就几乎不可能进入一个好的研究生院。要是你有几门课的平均积 分点不够高，那你就得不到学位。期中考试和期末考试来临时，没有人能够逃避不考。当学习紧张时，本 来刻苦学习的学生也得更加努力地学习，因为大学并不像纽斯纳所认为的那样，会提供“省事的”弥补错 误的办法。大学不是一个“宽恕一切的世界”。当学生没有按时交作业或在规定的时间完成任务时，老师们 也绝不会“装作不在乎”。
5 对于我来说，生活在一个拥挤的三人间里，期末考试前只有一天时间看书，繁重的阅读任务、论文、
还有集中在一个星期里进行的期中考试，这些绝对不是我心目中的“轻松的、自由的、包容的、体贴的、
舒适的、充满乐趣的、毫无挑战性的好玩的地方”。
Exercises
Post-Reading
Reading Comprehension
1 Passage I
1 The message Professor Neusner passes to the graduates (Para. 1)
We take no pride in our educational achievement because we have inadequately prepared you for the real world.
Reason: During the four years at Brown, students have formed the belief that failure leaves no record, while in the real world failure marks them.
2 Two different attitudes toward errors (Para. 2)
At Brown, students defend their errors by arguing about:
A why their errors were not errors;
B why mediocre work was excellent;
C why they could take pride in their poor presentation.
In the real world, graduates had better not defend their errors but learn from them.
3 College is an altogether forgiving world. (Paras. 3-5)
No matter what slight effort students made, they could meet the demand.
A When students broke appointments, professors made new ones.
B When the deadline was missed, professors pretended not to care.
C Boring talks were considered to be something important.
D Unlabored writing was commented on.
E Dull students were treated as if they were smart.
The reason why professors did all this was not that they wanted to be liked by students, but that they did not want to be bothered and pretense was the easy way out.
4 Professor Daniel’s viewpoint (Para. 6)
College has deprived students of adequate preparation for the real world.
103 College Life 5 The ending of the speech (Paras. 7-8).
A Conclusion:
On this commencement day, we professors have nothing to take pride in.
B Advice for graduates:
i Don’t act toward your co-workers and bosses as you’ve acted toward us.
ii Go to life and unlearn the lies we taught you here.
Passage II
1 The points that Ida Timothee is going to argue against (Para. 1) A Students have been made to believe that “failure leaves no record”.
B College is not a good preparatory school for life.
2 Ida’s comments on Neusner’s points (Para. 2) A He knows little about students’ college life.
B He ignores all the pressures and hard times students experience at college.
3 Ida argues against Neusner’s point that college is not preparing students for real life. (Para. 3) During the college years, we start to be independent, make crucial decisions and become
responsible for them.
Supporting evidence:
A We learn to budget our time and money.
B We are tolerant enough to survive in a crowded triple room.
C We meet people from different parts of the world.
4 Ida argues against the so-called students’ belief that failure leaves no record. (Para. 4) Her counter-examples:
A If you fail a test, the teacher won’t erase the grade.
B If you drop a class, you’ll have to take more courses next semester.
C Low grades or low GPA means no fine graduate school, no degree.
D Everyone has to take midterms and finals.
E No teachers “pretended not to care” when deadlines are not kept or things aren’t done at the time they are supposed to be.
5 Ida’s conclusion (Para. 5)
College is not “easy, free, forgiving, attentive, comfortable, interesting, unchallenging fun” to her.
2 1 B 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 A 6 A 7 A 8 B 3 Sample
Facts students may list to argue against Professor Neusner:
• Most teachers / professors are strict and responsible.
• Class attendance is required and every absence will be taken into account with regard to the final score.
• Our schedule is so tight that we have little time for sports and entertainment.
• We are required to take too many quizzes, exams, etc.
• High marks are very hard to get.
• Our dormitories are crowded and our cafeteria is not spacious enough.
• We have to learn to take care of ourselves.
104 Unit 7
• Late submissions are usually not accepted without a reasonable explanation.
• There are many students’ clubs and organizations on campus, where we learn how to get along with each other and how to organize and to lead.
Vocabulary
1 belief doubt dependent independent deep shallow mediocre excellent learn unlearn useless useful
shame pride well-informed ill-informed
polite rude smart dull
inadequate adequate painful painless
success failure imaginative unimaginative boring interesting challenging unchallenging
2 1 deprived of 2 for the sake of 3 get away with 4 dropped out 5 by no means 6 got down to 7 distinguish… from 8 look back on 9 gone through 10 be rid of
Translation
1 Drops executed in the first two weeks of the course will leave no record / won’t leave a record on students’ transcript, but a drop executed during the third through eighth week will result in a grade of W (withdrawal).
2 We often heard of stories about some people who could still think calmly and creatively when confronting / facing difficulty.
3 You should be aware that applications won’t be accepted if they’re beyond the deadline.
4 The manager was so angry that he tossed the report on the desk and shouted at Sam, “Get out! I don’t want to see you again!”
5 You must start by unlearning all the bad habits your previous piano teacher taught you!
6 Some trees have grown too high and deprived the house of light.
7 What would be the first word that would pop into your mind when you see Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh.
8 Living on his own on the campus, he has learned to budget his time.
9 These details were supposed to be secrets / confidential, but were somehow leaked out.
10 This is a reminder that proposals for state research funding are due this Friday.