College Life
Unit 7
Useful Information
When students leave for college at age 17 or 18, many of them have never been away from home and their family. The transition to greater freedom and responsibility may be difficult for them, with no one to wake them up for breakfast or do their laundry, and fewer classes to attend but larger amounts of homework. Some students do not adjust successfully. In the U.S., where almost 70% of high school graduates enter college, only about half of them actually graduate.
College has many social attractions, some of which can be distractions. Sports, concerts, parties, and dormitory bull sessions (闲聊) can be very time-consuming. The temptation to stay up too late at night or sleep too late in the morning is always present, so self-discipline is an important lesson to learn. In addition many students have part-time jobs, especially in the U.S., where most students have cars and are expected to help their parents pay for tuition or college housing.
Students and their parents may disagree on how much time should be devoted to studying. But they usually agree that in addition to learning and possibly some fun, one of the outcomes of a college education should be a good job. Students who have already worked at part-time jobs have an advantage in the job market, but this is not the only way to improve one’s chances. Many colleges have internships or co-op programs to give students practical experience. Others have special classes where students can practice their application forms and letters, résumés, personal statements, and employment interviews. Most colleges have career counselors and career fairs where students can meet potential employers and learn about career opportunities.
College can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it can also be very stressful. Making their own decisions can be very difficult for young people accustomed to parental supervision. When students make bad decisions, such as drinking too much beer or procrastinating in their studies, they are not always mature enough to admit or correct their mistakes. But having the freedom to make these mistakes and having to face the consequences is part of the learning process. When people look back on their college years, they usually view this as a happy period of life, even if they did not always feel that way at the time.
Parents, teachers, advisors, and counselors can help students move successfully from high school to college and from college to careers. But, in the last analysis, students must do most of this for themselves, with more help than we may realize from their friends and classmates. The peer group and the youthful popular culture have increasingly strong influences on today’s students. Parents should be aware of this.
College is a time of change, and parents can learn almost as much from this as their children do.
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PART 1 Preparation
1 Talking About Your College Life—Expectations vs. Reality
1 Sample
• Campus:
Expectations— large and beautiful campus with green grass everywhere and a large sports ground, where you can always see students busy and full of vitality
Reality— Just as what I dreamed of—a huge campus with magnificent modern buildings, green trees, blooming flowers and a river flowing around.
— Contrary to what I expected, it’s an old campus, large though, with grey buildings like huge matchboxes, little grass, and a few big trees.
• Classroom buildings:
Expectations—large new classrooms with modern facilities
Reality—well-equipped teaching buildings with multimedia facilities
—large old buildings, with a few classrooms equipped with modern facilities
• Dormitories:
Expectations—crowded with little space for everyone
Reality—True, but we may choose to live in a double room if we can afford the rent.
• Students’ cafeterias:
Expectations—spacious dining halls, full of hungry students
Reality—True, and there is a great variety of food that will definitely appease our appetite.
• Library:
Expectations— with a large collection of books, journals and periodicals; spacious and well-lit reading rooms
Reality— True except that the reading rooms are not large enough and students have to get there early in order to find a seat.
• Classmates:
Expectations—friendly and speaking different dialects Reality—True.
• Teachers:
Expectations—old, strict, wearing thick glasses, and formally dressed
Reality— Not true because many teachers are very young, especially English teachers. Many teachers do not wear glasses and many wear casual clothes.
2 Sample
• There are considerable differences between what I expected of college life and what I have actually experienced. I used to think college life would be as happy as I could imagine. I wouldn’t have to strive for exams any more. I would be taught by many old yet knowledgeable professors. They would be very kind and easy-going. After class I’d have a lot of time to pursue my interests and play with my classmates. But the fact is that I feel as stressful as before because
99 College Life
the courses are difficult and our everyday schedule is tight. We have more than eight hours of classes and a few hours spent in the library. The kind of life I envisioned is still a dream. Besides, in a sea of talented students from all over the country, I’m no longer the pride of my teachers as I used to be. I have to work hard in class and try even harder to work on the assignments of different courses. Anyway, I do make progress, which makes me feel good about myself.
2 Happy College Days
Sample
• The most impressive experience for me is running for the chair of the Student Union. I used to be very timid. That experience, however, helped me gain much confidence. For the first time, I made a public speech and realized, all at once, that I had the potential to organize and to lead. One thing that shouldn’t be left out is that my friends and classmates gave me enormous support. I did appreciate what they had done for me.
• I believe that the New Year’s Eve of the last year can never be erased from my mind. Thousands of students gathered in the auditorium waiting for the New Year. We held lit-candles in our hands, our hearts beating with the rhythm of the music. Minutes went by. When the hands of the big clock finally turned straight upward, cheers and laughter resonated in the hall. We hugged and blessed each other. It was such a thrilling moment.
3 Ten “Cs” Essential for College Students
1 Creativity 2 Commitment 3 Connection 4 Confidence 5 Courage 6 Cooperation 7 Curiosity 8 Competence 9 Consideration 10 Communication
PART 2 Reading-Centered Activities
In-Class Reading
Pre-Reading
1 I 2 F 3 J 4 B 5 G 6 C 7 A 8 E 9 D 10 H
Passage Reading
Words, Phrases and Grammatical Points Passage I
1 You have spent four years supposing that failure leaves no record. (Lines 4-5, Para. 1) The word “leave” here means “make a mark that remains afterwards”.
e.g. I) The shoes left muddy marks on the floor.
II) He staggered to the door, leaving a trail of blood.
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2 Confronting difficulty by quitting leaves you changed. (Lines 9-10, Para. 1)
This sentence means “Dealing with a difficult situation by quitting will make you a different person.” Here “leave” means “let sth. remain in a particular state, position, or condition”, and
“changed” is the object complement in the sentence.
e.g. I) The terrible floods left thousands of people homeless.
II) Far from improving things the new law has left many people worse off than before.
3 When you tossed on our desks writing upon which you had not labored… (Lines 4-6, Para. 4) The object “writing” has an attributive clause. In order to keep it close to the attributive clause, it is put behind the adverbial “on our desk”. And in the attributive clause, the preposition “upon” is put before “which”.
4 … it was not even that we wanted to be liked by you. It was that … (Lines 1-2, Para. 5)
In both cases, “it” is used to give a reason why the professors do all this (see the question at the end of Paragraph 4).
e.g. I) It’s not that I didn’t want to be with my family.
II) It may be that you will prove to be the best man.
III) No, no, it couldn’t be that they were interested in him.
Passage II
5 … then I don’t know what could be. (Lines 16-17, Para. 3)
Here “what could be” is an elliptical clause; the whole clause should be “what could be useful for the real world”.
参考译文
Passage I