哈佛大學(xué)校園英語情景對話22：購課周

Han Meimei visits Li Lei and is asking Li Lei about his first week at Harvard.

H: You’ve told me about your life in the first week, now tell me something about your study. Do you have class in the first week?

H:你紿我講了第一周的生活情況，現(xiàn)在給我說說學(xué)習(xí)吧。你們第一周有課嗎?

L： The first week is the Shopping Week. It’s one of best things at Harvard in my opinion.

L:第一周是“shopping week",我認為這是哈佛最好的事情之一。

H： Shopping Week? I’m curious about it. How do you buy classes?

H: "shopping week" ?我很好奮，你們怎么買課?

L: We don’t buy. All the classes are for free. In the first week, you can go to any class as you want. You can go to as many classes as you want, and see whether you want to take that class.

L:不是買，所有的課都是免費的。在第一周，你可以去上任何你想去的課，去上多 少課都可以，看看你是不是想選那門課。

H: That’s wonderful. But why do you call it “shopping week” since you are not actually “buying” classes?

H:那很好呀。但既然也不是真的"買”課，為什么還叫"購課周”呢?

L: Because the way we choose classes is like the way we choose goods.

L:因為我們選課的方式和選擇商品的方式 很_樣。

H: Sounds interesting. But is it feasible? I mean you may not have enough time to go to every class. So you may miss some classes that you’re really interested in.

H:聽起來很有趣。但可行嗎?我的意思是 你們可能沒有足夠的時間去聽每個課，所以有可能錯過一些你真正感興趣的課。

L： We don’t have to sit through the whole class. If I feel that the class doesn’t interest me and is boring, it’ll be a waste of time to continue to sit there.

L:我們不必聽完整節(jié)課。如果我感覺這個課沒意思，很無聊,坐在那兒就是浪費時間。

H: So, you can just leave?

H：所以說，你可以就那樣走開?

L： Yes. We call it “shopping week” because during this period, the whole university is like a market. Students come and go. It’s bustling with noise and excitement.

L:是的，我們之所以叫它"購課周”就是因為在這段時間內(nèi)，整個學(xué)校就像一個市 場。學(xué)生來去匆匆，很熱鬧。

H: What if the professors feel unhappy or angry?

H:如果教授感到不高興或是生氣呢?

L: They’ve experienced a lot of things like this, they won’t mind. No professor can ask students to stay quietly in the first week.

L:他們已經(jīng)經(jīng)歷過很多類似的事情了，不會介意的。在第一固里，沒有哪個教授可 以要求學(xué)生安靜地呆著。

H： Is there really no constraint condition?

H:真的沒有限制條件嗎?

L: Almost no. The only mandatory class for freshmen is an expository writing class. There are other requirements for graduation, but there are four long years during which I can get those out of the way.

L:幾乎沒有。新生唯一必須上的課是說明文寫作課。對于畢業(yè)也有其他要求，但我 有四年足夠長的時間來達到這些要求。

H: You can arrange your own classes every semester as long as you meet the minimal requirements for education? Cool!

H:只要你滿足了最低的畢業(yè)要求，你毎學(xué)期都可以安排自己的課?太酷了丨

L： In this way, we, to some extent, can design our own education. It，s a challenge but a benefit at the same time.

L:這樣在某種程度上，我們就可以設(shè)計自己的敎育。這是個挑戰(zhàn)，同時也是個好處。

H： I believe most students will love the shopping week.

H:我相信大部分學(xué)生都會喜歡購課周。

L: Yes, the first week is full of excitement. But students begin to get down to business in the second week. Studying at Harvard is not a piece of cake.

L:是的，第一周充滿了激動和興奮。但學(xué)生第二周就開始做正事了，在哈佛學(xué)習(xí)可 不是件容易的事。

H; That’s for sure, or it will not be Harvard.

H:那肯定了，要不然就不是哈佛了。

L: I could hardly imagine the scene that many student stay up all night in the library.

L:我以前很難想象很多學(xué)生在圖書館里整晚不睡這一情景。

H: Really? I only know that Harvard students may sleep less than students in other universities. Don't they sleep at all?

H:真的嗎?我只知道哈佛的學(xué)生睡得可能比其他大學(xué)的學(xué)生少。他們都不睡嗎?

L: They’re not immortal and need sleep, that’s out of question. However, they often study and sleep in the library several nights of a week, in particular during the exam weeks.

L:他們也是人，當(dāng)然需要睡覺。只是，他們經(jīng)常幾個晚上都在圖書館里學(xué)習(xí)和 睡覺，特別是在考試周。

H: The point is, are the libraries open all night?

H:關(guān)鍵是，圖書館整晚都開門嗎?

L： Surprised? My friends in China often complain that they can’t even find a place where they can study without being disturbed. The libraries open late in the morning and close early in the afternoon,

L:嚇一跳?很多在國內(nèi)的朋友經(jīng)常抱怨找不到一個不被打擾、可以學(xué)習(xí)的地方。圖 書館早上很晚才開，下午很早就關(guān)門了。

H: A university must provide students with the atmosphere of study. Otherwise, students may tend to be lazier. For example, if they can't find a place to study, they will find a place to play.

H: 一個大學(xué)必須為學(xué)生提供良好的學(xué)習(xí)氣氛。否則，學(xué)生可能就傾向于變懶了。比 如，假如他們找不到可以學(xué)習(xí)的地方，他們就會去找可以玩的地方。

L: Definitely! Although internal cause is the fundamental cause, external cause may play a role and even can change the result.

L:肯定了!雖說內(nèi)因才是根本原因，但外因會起作用甚至改變結(jié)果。