Unit6復(fù)旦研究生綜合英語(yǔ)2(修訂版)

U6AdditionallnformationfortheTeacher’sReferenceTextMatriculationFixationWarm-upActivitiesFurtherReadingWritingSkillsAdditionalWorkWarm-upActivitiesWarm-up1Inhighereducation,collegeanduniversityrankingsarelistingsofuniversitiesandliberalartscollegesinanorderdeterminedbyanycombinationoffactors.Rankingscanbebasedonsubjectivelyperceived“quality〞,onsomecombinationofempiricalstatistics,oronsurveysofeducators,scholars,students,prospectivestudents,orothers.Universityandcollegerankingscanbebaseduponthefollowingcriteria：“howwellitperformsasanengineofsocialmobility(ideallyhelpingthepoortogetrichratherthantheveryrichtogetvery,veryrich)〞Warm-upActivitiesWarm-up2b.“howwellitdoesinfosteringscientificandhumanisticresearch〞c.“howwellitpromotesanethicofservicetocountry〞1.JoeQueenanJoeQueenan(bornNovember3,1950)isacontemporaryhumorist,criticandauthorfromPhiladelphiawhograduatedfromSaintJoseph’sUniversity.HehaswrittenfornumerouspublicationssuchasSpyMagazine,Movieline,TheGuardianandtheNewYorkTimesbookreview.Queenandescribeshimselfasa“HatchetMan〞.HehaswrittenseveralbooksincludingBalsamicDreams,ascathingcritiqueoftheBabyBoomers,andRedLobster,WhiteTrash,andtheBlueLagoon,atouroflow-browAmericanPopCulture.AIFTTR1.1AdditionallnformationfortheTeacher’sReferenceAIFTTR1.22.prepschoolInNorthAmerica,prepschoolisaprivatesecondaryschool,typicallycharginghighfees,designedtopreparestudentsaged14-18forhighereducationatauniversityorcollege.IntheUK,prepschoolisaprivateschooldesignedtopreparepupilsunder13forentryintothefee-requiredpublicschoolsthataretheequivalentofthecollege/universityprepschoolsinNorthAmerica.3.Princeton(University)PrincetonUniversityisaprivatecoeducationalresearchuniversitylocatedinPrinceton,NewJersey.ItisoneoftheeightuniversitiesthatcomprisetheIvyLeague.OriginallyfoundedinAIFTTR1.31746atElizabeth,NewJerseyastheCollegeofNewJersey,itmovedtoPrincetonin1756andwasrenamed“PrincetonUniversity〞in1896.PrincetonwasthefourthinstitutionofhighereducationintheU.S.toconductclasses.Theuniversity,unlikemostAmericanuniversitiesthatwerefoundedatthesametime,didnothaveanofficialreligiousaffiliation.Atonetime,ithadclosetiestothePresbyterianChurch,buttodayitisnonsectarianandmakesnoreligiousdemandsofitsstudents.TheuniversityhastieswiththeInstituteforAdvancedStudy,PrincetonTheologicalSeminary,andtheWestminsterChoirCollegeofRiderUniversity.AIFTTR1.44.matriculationMatriculation,inthebroadestsense,meanstoberegisteredoraddedtoalist,fromtheLatinmatrix.Themostcommonmeaning,however,referstotheformalprocessofenteringauniversity,orofbecomingeligibletoenterbyacquiringthemeetingprerequisites.TextMatriculationFixationNotesIntroductiontotheAuthorandtheArticlePhrasesandExpressionsExercisesMainIdeaoftheTextMainIdeaoftheTextMainIdeaoftheTextJoeQueenan’sbrief“MatriculationFixation〞ischieflyaboutparentalobsessionswithchildren’seducationalpaths.Heclaimsthatnoteverychildneedstoattendthemosttoplevelcollegeandmanypeoplewhohavegraduatedfromlesserknowncolleges,droppedoutofcollegeornotevenattendedcollegewentontolivesuccessfulandfulfillinglives.Inotherwords,therearenumerousexamplesthatprovethatthereisnotastronglinkbetweenpersonalsuccessandthelevelofuniversitiestheychoosetoattend.IntroductiontotheAuthorandthearticleIntroductiontotheAuthorandtheArticleJoeQueenan(1950)isanAmericancriticandwriter.Formerlyaneditorat“Forbes〞and“Spy〞,Queenanhaspublishedmanyarticlesandstoriesinnumerouspublicationssuchas“TheNewRepublic,〞“Time,〞“Newsweek,〞“RollingStone,〞“People,〞“Men’sHealth,〞“Us,〞“Cosmopolitan,〞“Esquire,〞“Vogue,〞“Allure,〞“NewYorkMagazine,〞and“George.〞HismajorworksincludeTheUnkindestCut,IfYou’reTalkingtoMe,YourCareerMustBeinTroubleandImperialCaddy.ThisessayMatriculationFixationischosenfromBestAmericanEssays2002.Inthisessay,QueenanfixesacynicalIntroductiontotheAuthorandthearticle2eyeonAmericanboomersobsession,whobelievesecuringadmissiontoatop-flightuniversitywillprovidetheirchildrenanirrevocablepassporttosuccess,guaranteeingalifeofuninterruptedeconomicmirth.Heclaimsthatnoteverychildneedstoattendthemosttoplevelcollegeintheworldandmanypeoplewhohaveattendedlesserknowncolleges,droppedoutofcollegeordidnotevenattendcollegewentontoliveverysuccessfulandinspiringlives.Part2_T1Twoyearsago,IwaslanguishinginthewaitingroomofaPhiladelphiahospitalwhenacompletestrangerunexpectedlybegantellingmeabouthisdaughter’scollegeplans.Asmy79-year-oldmotherwasrecoveringfrommajorsurgerythatafternoon,Icouldnotgivehimmycompleteandundividedattention.Butasthebriefingsessionworeon,Ididmanagetogarnermostoftherelevantdetails.JoeQueenanMatriculationFixationTextThegirl,brightbutnotbrilliant,hadbeenacceptedtoafirst-tieruniversitywithoutfinancialaidbuthadalsobeenacceptedtoalocal,second-echelonuniversitywhereshewaspromisedafreeride.Moneybeingtight,withothercollege-boundchildreninthefamilyqueue,themanhadpersuadedhisdaughtertoaccepttheseconduniversity’soffer.Nowhewasworriedthatshewouldonedayruethisdecision.Becauseshewouldbegraduatingfromalessprestigiousinstitution,fewercontactswouldbemadeandfewerdoorswouldbeopened.Herdegreewouldputherwithinstrikingdistanceoftheyellowbrickroad,butnotphysicallyontheroaditself.DidthismakeherfatherthespawnofSatan?Part2_T2ItoldhimthatImyselfhadgraduatedfromasecond-echelonPhiladelphiauniversitynotunliketheonehisdaughterwasentering,andhadmanagedtocarveoutanicelittlenicheformyself.Itoldhimthatmycollegedayshadbeenamongthehappiestofmylife,thatthesunneversetwithoutmythankingGodfortheilluminationandinspirationprovidedbymytalented,Part2_T3Asamanoftheworldaccustomedtobeingtoldthemostintimatedetailsaboutcompletestangers’marriages,careersandhobbies,Ihadlongagoacquiredtherequisiteskillstomediatethiscrisis.Itoldthemanthatmanyofmyhighschoolchumshadgraduatedfromthesecond-tieruniversityinquestionandhadgoneontoliverich,fulllives.

Part2_T4dedicatedprofessors.Pressedforbiographicaldata,IexplainedthatIwasafreelancewriter,tickedoffalistofmycredentialsandsaidIwasprettyhappywiththewaymycareerhadturnedout.Themanhadneverheardofme,hadneverreadanythingI’dwritten.Thoughhetriedtofeigninterestinmypatheticcurriculumvitae,Icouldseethathewasdevastated.Byfollowinganacademicpathsimilartomine,hisdaughter,whowasalsoplanningacareerinjournalism,wasgoingtoendupasbigafailureasI.Ineverdidfindoutwhyhewasvisitingthehospital.Imentionthisincidentbecauseitillustratestheneuroticgabbinessthatafflictsparentswhenitcomestimetosendtheirchildrentocollege.IknowwhereofIspeak.Nextfall,myPart2_T5daughtergoestocollege.Threeyearslatermysonwillfollowsuit.Iwillbesorrytoseethemgo;overtheyearstheyhaveprovedtoberemarkablyamusing.Buteverydarkcloudhasasilverlining.Oncemychildrenhaveleftthehouse,Iwillneveragainhavetoparticipateinamindnumbingdiscussionaboutwheremychildrenormyfriends’childrenormyneighbours’childrenaregoingtocollege,andwhy.Onthissubject,Iamcompletelytappedout.Thislackofinterestdoesnotstemfrompureselfishnessorunalloyedcontemptforotherpeople’soffspring.Rather,IfeelthiswaybecauseIfindalmostallconversationsaboutthecollegeselectionprocesstobebanal,self-aggrandizing,self-flagellatoryorpunitive.I’drathertalkaboutcribbage.Part2_T6Themostinfuriatingconversationistheonewheretheparentclearlyseeksadecisive,career-validatingmomentofemotionalclosure.Suchindividualsbelievethatsecuringadmissiontoatop-flightuniversityprovidesachildwithanirrevocablepassporttosuccess,guaranteeingalifeofuninterruptedeconomicmirth.ParentssuchastheseupwardlymobilechuckleheadsexudeanalmostPrussianbelligerencewhenannouncingtheirchildren’sdestinations,congratulatingthemselvesonajobwelldone,whileissuingasottovocetaunttoparentsofthelessgifted.Forthem,thehardpartofchildrearingisnowover.Juniorwenttotherightprepschool,madetherightfriends,signedupfortherightactivitiesandisnowheadedfortherightschool.NowwecangettheheckoutofhereandmovetoTuscany.Part2_T7Butinreality,lifedoesn’tendatage17.Or21.Inreallife,somechildrengetthefinesteducationsbutstillbecomefirst-classscrew-ups.Myownprofessionisfilledwithpeoplewhowenttotherightschoolbutendedupinthewrongcareer.(Theyshouldhavebeenflacks;thephoneringinginthenextroomisnotandneverwillbethePulitzercommittee.)Someofthoseboysandgirlsmostlikelytosucceedaregoingtoendupon80welfareorskidrow.Atwhichpointthey’llneedparentalinput.Orcash.Aparent’sresponsibilitydoesn’tendoncethekidsleave.Aparent’sresponsibilityneverends.That’swhyNaturegivesyouthejob.Part2_T8Asecond,farmorenumerousclassofobsessivesconsistsofpeoplewhosuddenlyrealizethattheirBrandXchildrenaren’tgoingtomakethecut.Seventeenyearsofunreadtextbooks,unvisitedmuseumsanduntakenA.P.Coursesarenowfinallytakingtheirtoll,andthosegrandiosedelivery-roomdreamsofAmherst,BardandDukearesuddenlygoingupinsmoke.Bashfully,shamefacedly,miserably,theseparentsnowmumblethenamesoftheglamourlessinstitutionstheirprogenyareskulkingoffto.Invariably,theyarecollegesyouneverheardofintownsnoonewantstovisitinstateswhosecapitalsonlyrepeatwinnerson“Jeopardy〞canname.Themarkethasspoken,theglumparentalexpressionsseemtosay.Mychildisanidiot.Butonceagain,realityhasawayofupsettingtheworstlaidplansofmiceandMensa.Somekidsarelatebloomers.Somekidsarebetteroffinalesscompetitiveenvironment.Lotsofpeopleachievehugesuccessinthissocietywithoutadegreefromaprestigiousuniversity.Justbecauseyourchildhasfailedtoclearthefirst,oreventhe20th,hurdledoesn’tmeanyoushoulddisownhim.Matissedidn’tgetrollinguntilhewasinhis40’s.BillGates,DavidGeffen,MichaelDell,GraydonCarterandMadonnaareallcollegedropouts.RonaldReaganattendedtinyEurekaCollege,whileWarrenBuffetwenttoFootballUinLincoln,Neb.DespitewhatyoumayhavereadinF.ScottFitzgerald(whodroppedoutofPrincetonin1917),lifedoesn’thavejustoneact.ThereisoftenActII.AndActV.Nottomentionthesequels.Part2_T9Matriculationfixationreachesitsdottiestformduringtheobligatorycampusvisit.Hereitisneverentirelyclearwhatparentsarelookingfor,particularlyinhigh-profileinstitutionswhoserenownhasinsomewayprecededthem.DuringarecentvisittoM.I.T.,Iwatchedthefirstsecondsofanadmissionsofficevideopokingfunattheuniversity’sreputationasanerdfactory.Whilemywifeanddaughterwatchedtherestofthevideo,whichassuredapplicantsthatM.I.T.nerdswerehardtofind,Itookastrollaroundthecampus.Isawalotofnerds.AndIdonotmeanthisasacriticism.Part2_T10Part2_T11Laterthatmorning,aguideshowedabunchofusaroundcampus.Atonejuncture,shepointedoutarestaurantwherestudentscouldgrabafast,inexpensivemeal.“Howmuch?〞askedonehigh-strungmother.“Abouteightbucks,〞shewastold.Thewomanshuddered,notingthatforkingoverfordinnereverynightcouldgetprettydarnedexpensive.“It’sgoingtocostyougrandtosendyourkidtoschoolhere,〞Iinterjected.“Don’tstartworryingaboutdinnerprices.〞Sincethatvisitthisfall,thisincidenthasbecomeaninvaluablepartofmyrepertory.Now,wheneverIamdragoonedintothe30,000thinterminableconversationaboutthecollegeselectionprocessIindicatethatsedulousmonitoringofon-campusrestaurantpricesshouldbeavitalcomponentofthewinnowingprocedure.Peoplewhohearmesaythingslikethiscan’tdecidewhetherIaminsensitiveororneryorflat-outdumb.Well,let’sjustputinthisway:IwasneverM.I.T.material.Part2_T12Herdegreewouldputherwithinstrikingdistanceoftheyellowbrickroadbutnotphysicallyontheroaditself.DidthismakeherfatherthespawnofSatan?:Hercollegedegree,becauseitwasfromalesswell-knownuniversity,wouldgiveherthepossibilityofsuccess,butnotguaranteehersuccess.Becauseherfatherpersuadedhertoaccepttheofferfromthelowerlevelcollege,doesthismeanthatheisabadman?Onthissubject,Iamcompletelytappedout:IhavetalkedaboutthissubjectsomuchthatIamcompletelyexhaustedandhavesaidallthatcanbesaidaboutit.

NotesPart2_TA_Notes1Part2_TA_Notes2I’drathertalkaboutcribbage:Iwouldrathertalkaboutanyothersubjectthantheselectionofschools....whileissuingasottovocetaunttoparentsofthelessgifted:Whenspeakingabouttheirchildren’sschooling,parentswhosechildrenhavemadeitintoworld-classuniversities,oftentimesmakeakindofchallengetowardparentswhosechildrenareattendinglesserknownuniversities.NowwecangettheheckoutofhereandmovetoTuscany:Nowthatourchildhasgoneofftoschoolandmadealltherightdecisionsinlife,wecanretireandmovetoTuscany(abeautifulplacetoretireandliveoutyourlife).NotesPart2_TA_Notes3Inreallife,somechildrengetthefinesteducationbutstillbecomefirst-classscrew-ups:Whilesomechildrenmaygetaveryhighleveleducation,theymaystillbecometerriblepeopleormakemanymistakesinlife.theirBrandXchildrenaren’tgoingtomakethecut:theirchildrenarenotgoingtomakeitintotheuniversityoftheirchoiceA.P.courses:AdvancedPlacementCourses.Usuallytheyareofferedinhighschooltogivehighschoolstudentsachancetoearncollegecreditforadvancedworktheydowhileinhighschool.Part2_TA_Notes4Notes...thosegrandiosedelivery-roomdreamsofAmherst,BardandDukearesuddenlygoingupinsmoke:thosedreamsthatparentshadfortheirchildrenofattendinghighleveluniversitiesarenotcomingtrue...whosecapitalsonlyrepeatwinnerson“Jeopardy〞canname:Thesentencemeansthatthechildrenwhocouldnotmakeitintothemostfamousuniversitiesarenowattendingschoolsinveryremote,unknownplaces.Part2_TA_Notes5Notes...theworst-laidplansofmiceandMensa:eventhemostcarefulplansmadebythesmartestpeople：Thiscomesfromthesaying:“Theworst-laidplansofmiceandmenoftengoawry〞,meaningthateventhemostcarefulplancangowrong.Heretheauthormakesaplayonwordsandusestheword“Mensa〞insteadofmen.Mensaisasocietyforintellectuals,scientistsandothersmartpeople.Matisse(1869-1954):famousFrenchartistBillGates:founderofMicrosoftDavidGeffen:AmericanrecordcompanyownerandfilmproducerMichaelDell:founderofDellcomputercompanyPart2_TA_Notes6NotesGraydonCarter:CanadianwriterMadonna:AmericanpopularsingerRonaldRegan(1911-2004):American40thPresident(1981-1988)WarrenBuffett:astockbrokerandUnitedStatesRepresentativeF.ScottFitzgerald(1896-1940)AmericannovelistandshortstorywriterM.I.T:MassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyPart2_TA_Notes7Notes...sedulousmonitoringofon-campusrestaurantpricesshouldbeavitalcomponentofthewinnowingprocedure:acarefulconsiderationofthepricesoffoodinrestaurantsaroundthecollegeshouldbeanimportantpartofthedecisionofwhetherornottoattendtheschool.Heretheauthoristeasingtheparentswhoaregettingreadytosendtheirchildrenofftoexpensiveschools.wearonpassslowly(oftime)carveoutestablishorcreatethroughpainstakingefforttickoffputacheckmarkonornearornexttofollowsuitdoasanotherhasdone;followanexamplelatebloomerapersonwhodoesnotdiscoverhisorhertalentsandabilitiesuntillaterthannormallyexpectedpokefunatridiculeinamischievousmanner;teaseforkoverpayPhrasesandExpressionsPart2_TA_PhrasesandExpressions1選擇大學(xué)的焦慮：可憐天下父母心Part2_TA_t1兩年前，我單獨(dú)坐在費(fèi)城一家醫(yī)院的候診室里憔悴傷神，不想一位陌生人過(guò)來(lái)跟我講起他女兒念大學(xué)的方案。我那79歲高齡的母親當(dāng)天下午剛做完大手術(shù)，正在恢復(fù)之中，我無(wú)法全神貫注于陌生人的談話。不過(guò)，他說(shuō)著說(shuō)著，我還是盡量記住了大局部細(xì)節(jié)。他女兒聰明但成績(jī)并不出色，已經(jīng)被一所一流大學(xué)錄取，只是沒(méi)有獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，同時(shí)錄取她的還有一家本地的二流大學(xué)，承諾學(xué)費(fèi)全免。由于家里經(jīng)濟(jì)并不寬裕，還有幾個(gè)弟弟妹妹要上大學(xué)，這位陌生人說(shuō)服了他的大女兒選擇后者。不過(guò)他現(xiàn)在擔(dān)憂的是女兒將來(lái)恐怕會(huì)為這個(gè)選擇懊悔不已，因?yàn)閺亩鞔髮W(xué)畢業(yè)，所接觸的視野和關(guān)系會(huì)狹窄很多，時(shí)機(jī)也就會(huì)少很多。她所拿的文憑也會(huì)是一塊敲門(mén)磚，可終究不是開(kāi)門(mén)的那把金鑰匙。如今父親讓女兒做出這樣的選擇，是不是害了她呢？TranslationoftheText喬·昆南Part2_TA_t2我這個(gè)人向來(lái)通達(dá)世故，也習(xí)慣了聽(tīng)陌生人主動(dòng)道出他們婚姻、事業(yè)、癖好上最隱私的秘密。很早以前我就掌握了化解危機(jī)的必要技巧。于是我告訴那位父親，我有很多高中好友，念的大學(xué)恐怕連二流都算不上，如今卻過(guò)著相當(dāng)富足的生活。我告訴他我本人就是從二流的費(fèi)城大學(xué)畢業(yè)的，和他女兒要就讀的那所差不多，憑借自己的努力我如今也算事業(yè)有成。我的大學(xué)生活是這輩子最開(kāi)心的一段日子之一，那些才華橫溢、專(zhuān)注學(xué)問(wèn)的教授們給了我無(wú)窮的啟發(fā)和靈感，為此，我每時(shí)每刻都在感謝上帝。他急于知道我的詳細(xì)經(jīng)歷，我解釋說(shuō)自己是作家，向他列舉了我的教育和工作背景，告訴他我對(duì)于自己在事業(yè)上的開(kāi)展感到非?？鞓?lè)。這人從來(lái)沒(méi)聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)我的名字，也沒(méi)讀過(guò)我寫(xiě)的東西。盡管他想方設(shè)法假裝對(duì)我那慘淡的人生經(jīng)歷頗有興趣，我還是能看得出來(lái)他已經(jīng)完全喪失了信心。想想他女兒和我擁有相似的大學(xué)教育經(jīng)歷，也想從事新聞這一行，大概最終會(huì)淪為和我一樣的失敗者。Part2_TA_t3我完全不知道他為什么到醫(yī)院里來(lái)。我之所以提到這件事，是因?yàn)樗f(shuō)明談到送孩子上大學(xué)這件事，父母?jìng)兙筒挥勺灾鞯厣窠?jīng)兮兮起來(lái)。我知道自己在說(shuō)什么，因?yàn)槊髂昵锾煳遗畠阂惨洗髮W(xué)，三年后就是我兒子了。他們離開(kāi)我身邊我會(huì)感到遺憾，因?yàn)檫@么多年來(lái)他們始終那么有趣。不過(guò)凡事都有好的一面，一旦孩子們離開(kāi)了家，我就再也不用去討論到底我的孩子，我朋友的孩子，我鄰居的孩子到哪里去上大學(xué)及其原因，這些讓人頭皮發(fā)麻的問(wèn)題了。這個(gè)話題我是完全不想談了。我對(duì)此缺乏興趣，并非因?yàn)槲易运阶岳?，也不是看不起別人的孩子，而是因?yàn)槲矣X(jué)得幾乎所有有關(guān)選大學(xué)這個(gè)過(guò)程的談話都是老生常談，自吹自擂要么就是痛批自己，苦不堪言。我寧可談?wù)劶埮朴螒?。最令人怒不可遏的談話就是參與探討的父母明顯是在為炫耀自己感情找個(gè)場(chǎng)合。這些父母認(rèn)為孩子如果能夠被一流大學(xué)錄取，就相當(dāng)于拿到了開(kāi)啟成功人生的金鑰匙，今后一輩子的富足生活就完全不用愁了。這些只知道往上爬的愚蠢父母得意地宣稱(chēng)自己的子女要去哪里Part2_TA_t4念書(shū)，陶醉在自己的成功之中，殊不知這種近乎普魯士式的挑釁做法，卻是對(duì)那些兒女并不出色的父母?jìng)兊奈耆韬统爸S。對(duì)于那種父母來(lái)說(shuō)，撫育孩子最艱難的局部到此結(jié)束。孩子上的好學(xué)校，交的好朋友，參加的好活動(dòng)，現(xiàn)在馬上就要去好大學(xué)了；我們就可以拍拍屁股走人，搬到意大利托斯卡納去享受人生了?？墒?，實(shí)際上子女的生活并非在17歲或者21歲就告以終結(jié)。在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中，有些孩子接受的是最好的教育，可還是成了一流垃圾。從事我這個(gè)職業(yè)的很多人都是上的好學(xué)校卻入錯(cuò)了行當(dāng)。(他們應(yīng)該去做新聞宣傳員；隔壁房間響了但絕對(duì)不會(huì)是普利策評(píng)獎(jiǎng)委員會(huì)的獲獎(jiǎng)通知。)有些男孩女孩們本來(lái)很有希望成功，現(xiàn)在看上去會(huì)是在貧民窟里靠救濟(jì)金終老。孩子們總有時(shí)候需要父母的幫助，有時(shí)候是經(jīng)濟(jì)上的支持。父母的職責(zé)絕不是在孩子離開(kāi)家以后就終止了。父母的責(zé)任永遠(yuǎn)沒(méi)有終結(jié)的時(shí)候，這就是為什么大自然讓你為人父母。Part2_TA_t5另一種偏執(zhí)狂父母數(shù)量更多，他們突然意識(shí)到孩子們不可能走那條他們規(guī)定好的路。17年來(lái)沒(méi)有好好念課本，沒(méi)有參觀過(guò)博物館，沒(méi)有選修過(guò)跳級(jí)班的課程，現(xiàn)在報(bào)應(yīng)來(lái)了。想當(dāng)年孩子出生的時(shí)候，夢(mèng)想著他們有朝一日進(jìn)入名牌大學(xué)(阿姆赫斯特、巴德、杜克)的希望如今已灰飛煙滅。這些父母?jìng)冎挥行呃?、丟臉而且痛苦地念叨著他們的孩子即將偷偷摸摸去念書(shū)的學(xué)校名字。這些名字總是你聞所未聞的，所在的小鎮(zhèn)也是誰(shuí)都不想去的，所處的州首府只有記憶力大賽的優(yōu)勝者才說(shuō)得出。事實(shí)擺在這里，這些父母臉上陰郁的表情似乎在說(shuō)：我的孩子是個(gè)白癡?？墒?，現(xiàn)實(shí)總是一次又一次地證明了“人算不如天算〞。有些孩子是大器晚成，有些孩子在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)不那么劇烈的環(huán)境下更能夠脫穎而出。很多在這個(gè)社會(huì)取得巨大成功的人并沒(méi)有名牌大學(xué)的文憑。你的孩子這次沒(méi)有越過(guò)第一個(gè)障礙，或者是第二十個(gè)障礙，并不意味著你可以完全否認(rèn)他這個(gè)人。馬蒂斯到40多歲才開(kāi)始聲名鵲起。比爾·蓋茨、戴維·格Part2_TA_t6芬、麥克爾·戴爾、格雷頓·卡特還有麥當(dāng)娜全是大學(xué)都沒(méi)念完的。羅納德·里根讀的是不起眼的尤里卡大學(xué)，沃倫·巴菲特上的是內(nèi)布拉斯加州林肯鎮(zhèn)上的橄欖球大學(xué)。別去管斯各特·菲茨杰拉德的小說(shuō)里寫(xiě)了什么(這位作家1917年從普林斯頓大學(xué)退學(xué))，生活這出戲并非獨(dú)幕劇，常常會(huì)有第二幕，甚至第五幕，更別提續(xù)集了。父母對(duì)子女大學(xué)錄取的偏執(zhí)態(tài)度在參觀校園的時(shí)候會(huì)到達(dá)荒唐可笑的頂峰。我們從來(lái)都不知道父母?jìng)兙烤乖谛@里尋找什么，尤其是那些一流的大學(xué)，這些學(xué)校的卓著聲譽(yù)在誘惑他們。最近我去了一趟麻省理工學(xué)院，看了學(xué)校招生辦公室制作的一份音像資料的前30秒，里面開(kāi)玩笑地稱(chēng)這所名校為“書(shū)呆子工廠〞。而我太太和女兒把片子看完了，得到的是校方保證在麻省理工很難找到書(shū)呆子。我在校園里轉(zhuǎn)了轉(zhuǎn)，看到了不少書(shū)呆子，在我看來(lái)這并非是一種批評(píng)。Part2_TA_t7接下來(lái)那天上午，一名導(dǎo)游帶著我們一堆人參觀了校園。她指著兩條道路交匯處的一座餐廳告訴我們學(xué)生們可以在這里方便地就餐，價(jià)格也不貴。某個(gè)緊張兮兮的母親馬上問(wèn)道：“多少錢(qián)？〞“大概八塊錢(qián)吧，〞導(dǎo)游答復(fù)。那位母親嚇得發(fā)抖，每天的晚餐就要花掉八塊錢(qián)簡(jiǎn)直是天價(jià)了。我忍不住插了一句：“你把孩子送到這里來(lái)可是要花掉四萬(wàn)塊哦。別擔(dān)憂晚飯的價(jià)格。〞自從今年秋天這次參觀以后，這件小事就成了我的素材庫(kù)里一件無(wú)價(jià)之寶。如今不管何時(shí)有人第三萬(wàn)次強(qiáng)拉我沒(méi)完沒(méi)了地討論給孩子選哪所大學(xué)，我都會(huì)告訴他們一定要不辭辛勞地查清學(xué)校餐廳的價(jià)格，這個(gè)應(yīng)該是遴選學(xué)校的決定性因素。那些聽(tīng)我這么說(shuō)的人都搞不清楚我是麻木冷漠還是心胸狹窄還是傻瓜一個(gè)。好吧，我們可以這么說(shuō)：我從來(lái)都不是念麻省理工的料。Part2_TA2_Herdegreewould

Herdegreewouldputherwithinstrikingdistanceoftheyellowbrickroad,butnotphysicallyontheroaditself.Herdegreeisprobablynotthesurestwaytogetherontheroadtosuccess.Part2_TA3_...andhadmanaged

...andhadmanagedtocarveoutanicelittlenicheformyself....andhadgotaquitesuccessfulcareerformyself.Part2_TA9_Somekidsarelatebloomers.

Somekidsarelatebloomers.Somekidsdon’tdiscovertheirtalentsandabilitiesuntillaterthannormallyexpected.Part2_TA9_IwasneverM.I.T.material.IwasneverM.I.T.material.IwasneverfitforM.I.T.Part2_TA13_Iverymuch

Iverymuchdoubtifthiswouldhavebroughthertheoryofarighttohappinessintoplay.Ijustwonderedifthiswouldhavemadehertheoryofarighttohappinessmakeanysenseinpractice.

Part2_TA1_garnerExamples:garnervt.—acquirebyone’seffortsoractionsHe’sgarneredsupportforthecandidate.Bytheendof2003,thedatabasehadgarneredinformationon210millionpeopleacross42cities.Part2_TA1_rueExamples:ruevt.—feelremorsefor;feelsorryforRozelleruedhisdecisiontohavetheNFLplay,andfrequentlystatedpubliclythatithadbeenhisworstmistake.AlotofpeopleIknowhaveruedtheirdecisiontogetinvolved.Part2_TA7_curriculumvitae

Examples:curriculumvitaen.—alsoknownasresume,anditisadocumentthatcontainsasummaryorlistingofrelevantjobexperienceandeducationRealMadridhashadabarrentwoseasons.ThehighlandshereinthestateofOaxacaareburdenedwithsomeofthemostbarrenearthinMexico.Part2_TA5_silverliningExamples:silverlining—anelementofhopeoraredeemingqualityinanotherwisebadsituation;ahopefulorcomfortingprospectinthemidstofdifficultyMaryisapositivegirlbecauseshealwaysseesasilverliningintheclouds.Whenitseemslikethereisnosilverlining,hecaneventuallyworkthingsout.Part2_TA_exercises1.1ExercisesI.Comprehensionquestions1.2.3.4.5.6.Whatisthestranger’sproblem?Whatisthedilemmahefaces?Whatistheauthor’sattitudetowardtheproblem?Doesheofferasatisfactorysolution?Howdoesthestrangerrespondtowhattheauthorsays?Whydoestheauthortellsuchananecdote?Whydoestheauthorfindtheconversationsaboutcollegeselectionprocesstobebanal?Whydoparentsbelieveintheprestigiousuniversities?Part2_TA_exercises1.27.8.Whatrealitiesofhumannaturedoesthe“matriculationfixation〞ignore?WhydoestheauthormentionhisvisittoMIT?Part2_TA_exercises2.1II.TopicsforDiscussion1.2.Doyouagreethatthecollegeapersonattendsisasignificantfactorinthatperson’sfuturesuccess?Whyorwhynot?Manyparentsencouragegruelingstudyhabitsandlotsofextracurricularactivitiesduringhighschool,oftenintheguiseofofferingchildren“opportunities〞butnonethelessnudgingthemtowardgettingintotheprestigiouscolleges.Isithealthyforparentstopressuretheirchildrentosucceedontheparentsterms?Part2_TA_exercises2.1II.TopicsforDiscussion3.4.Somebelievethatinpressurizingtheirchildrenintogettingintotheleadinguniversitiesparentsaresimplytryingtoshifttheirownloadofresponsibilitiestotheirchildrenandaremakingself-centereddecisions.Doyousharethisview?Didyourparentsspendalotoftimeworryingaboutwhichuniversityyouwouldattend?Whyorwhynot?ruedhigh-strung1.()Ireallydon’tunderstandwhyheregrettedthedeletionofalongparagraphinthestatementthatdenouncedtheslavedtradeandthewholeinstitutionofslaveryas“acruelwaragainsthumannatureitself.〞III.VocabularyA.Replacetheitalicizedpartsinthefollowingsentenceswithwordsorphrasesfromthetextthatbestkeeptheoriginalmeanings.2.()Janehasbeenveryedgyrecently,waitingfortheresultsoftheentranceexaminations,whichwereheldlastmonth.banalfeignirrevocable3.()Somewell-knownartistshadbeenrepelledbythepopartists’concentrationonthemostboringaspectsofathoroughlycommercialsociety. 4.()OnemorningJackwantedtowatchabasketballgameanddidn’twanttogotoschool,sohedecidedtoaffectaheadache.

5.()Theconflictshighlightthevalueoflandasaresourceandtheneedforlong-termplanningtoprotectitfromirreversibledegradation.mirthexudedbelligerence6.()Mr.Hutchinsoncametothepartydressedinayellowsuitandpinkbowtie,whichcausedgreathilarityamongtheotherguests.7.()Togetherwithhercaptivatingsmile,thefamousAmericanactressoozedoutthestarpowerofapolishedentertainer.8.()Heearnedareputationfordiplomacyandalevelheadatatimewhenmostumpiresreliedonpugnacitytomaketheirpoint.disownedmumbled9.()Thebookdealswithastorysetinthelastcenturyaboutagirlwhoseparentsrefusedtohaveanyconnectionwithherwhenshemarriedaforeigner. 10.()Sherecountedthatatthedinnertable,hehadturnedtoherandmutteredsomething,thenslowlyleanedforwarduntilhisfacefellintothepastaonhisplate.languishedgarneredB.Findthewordsfromthetextthataremostnearlyoppositeinmeaningtothewordsinboldtypeinthefollowingsentences.1.()Earlyintheyear,thestockmarketflourished,butthenitwashurtbypunishinglyhighshort-terminterestrates.2.()Richard’sarticledissipatedrespectablereviewsbutgeneratedlittlerealenthusiasmamongreaders.Manywhitepeopleofevenreasonablygoodwillsimplyknowtoolittleoftheagonyofghettoexistencetomakeslumsasdispensableassegregatedlunchcounters.Somepropertydevelopershaveearnedtheirinfamyinrecentyearswhenthecountryfeelslikeahugebuildingsite.Itwasextremelydifficulttosootheherbecauseshewasveryfrightenedaftertheterroristattack.requisiterenowninfuriate3.()4.()5.()Heissillynotcomingtoourmeetings—hehasnothingtobeproudabout—weareallthesame.Theformationin1967ofASEANwashailedbytheparticipatinggovernmentsasapreludetojointpermanentorganizationstofostercooperativedevelopmentinfieldssuchasfoodproduction,communications,shipping,andaviation.

shamefacedsequel6.()