2015年ESL之日常生活 21 Paying for College

Paying for College 

Chris: Which colleges are you applying to? 

Marcella: None. I can’t afford to go to college. Even if I lived at home, tuition, fees, and books are just too expensive. 

Chris: You could apply for financial aid. 

Marcella: I don’t want to get a bunch of loans and be in debt for the next 10 to 20 years. It’s not worth it. 

Chris: Loans aren’t so bad, especially ones that are federally subsidized. Apart from that, you could get need-based grants or work-study. Put all of that together and college can be affordable¹. 

Marcella: I don’t want to go into debt of any kind. 

Chris: You could go to a community college and transfer to a four-year university after two years. Community college tuition is much lower. 

Marcella: But who has the time? I have to work full-time² to pay my bills. 

Chris: Then think about a program that has a service commitment. 

Marcella: What do you mean? 

Chris: There are teaching, military, or community service programs that will forgive or pay off your loans if you work for the organization for a few years after graduating. 

Marcella: And be an indentured³ servant? No, thank you! 

Chris: Okay, but most good jobs nowadays require a college degree. 

Marcella: Not if you really have talent 

Chris: Talent? 

Marcella: Yeah, haven’t you seen me mime⁴? That’s my ticket to a great career. 

Chris: I’m happy to hear you have such a practical plan mapped out for your future. 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

2 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

3 indentured   

v.以契约束缚（学徒）( indenture的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Africans became indentured servants, trading labor for shelter and eventual freedom. 非洲人成为契约上的仆人，以劳力交换庇护及最终的自由。 来自互联网
• They are descendants of indentured importees. 他们是契约外来工的后代。 来自互联网

4 mime   

n.指手画脚，做手势，哑剧演员，哑剧；vi./vt.指手画脚的表演，用哑剧的形式表演

参考例句：

• Several French mime artists will give some lectures this afternoon.几位法国哑剧表演艺术家将在今天下午做几场讲座。
• I couldn't speak Chinese,but I showed in mime that I wanted a drink.我不会讲汉语，但我作摹拟动作表示要一杯饮料。