【英语趣味课堂】大学生活-University Life

Todd: Miki, you went to UC Berkeley, a very famous university in the U.S. What is your university like? Why is it famous?

 

Miki: Why is it famous? Well, I suppose historically it's kind of famous, recent history, because it was a center for the freedom of speech movement in the 1960's and the civil rights movement, and it's pretty much where multi-culturalism, feminist¹ studies and those sorts of so called liberal political movements were born and they're still quite strong today on campus and so students kind of get drawn² to that, the political aspect of it I suppose, also the, it's a research university and it attracts nobel laureates, very famous professors, at the top of their field, it's also quite a beautiful campus, I love the campus, it's not, it's not, how do you say?

 

Todd: It's not like maybe a college town, or?

 

Miki: Ah, no, it's not really a college town, of course, because it's right smack³ in the middle of a metropolitan⁴ area which is the Bay Area, and just right across the bay from San Francisco. The natural scenery is quite beautiful. There's the ocean to the west. There are mountains to the east and just beautiful gorgeous sunsets going down into the Golden Gate. The natural scenery is just beautiful, and the architecture of the campus is quite beautiful too, and apparently⁵ during the war, World War II, a number of tests were done on campus in terms of integrating floral species with each other, and so you have firs next to cedar⁶ which is a strange combination. The idea was would they kill each other.

 

Todd: Oh, Wow! That's awful!

 

Miki: Yeah, no, so there's some scientific engineering going on on campus.

 

Todd: But the trees survived?

 

Miki: Yes, as a matter of fact.

 

Todd: Well, that's good. You can't fool nature.

 

Miki: No. no, but it is a beautiful campus, and I went there for four years as an undergrad. I lived in the dormitory for the first year and I lived in the co-ops from the second through the fourth year and the co-ops are kind of a housing community that's owned by students, it's run by students and is there for quite cheap so it attracts poor students who work, while they go to school at the same time, and that's who I was. I worked at a restaurant, I worked at a sandwich shop, I worked at a toy store, I worked as a secretary to put myself through school and lived quite cheaply in these co-ops which incidentally also had marvelous parties and almost every weekend there was some party somewhere that one of these co-ops was putting on, and it was really wonderful.

 

Todd: Wow! Sounds like a good time.

 

Miki: Yeah!

 

学习内容：

 

movement

 

It was a center for the freedom of speech movement.

 

A 'movement' is a group or association of people who all believe in the same thing and who are working towards the same cause. 'Movement' can also be used to describe a particular action by a group or association.

 

Notice the following:

 

I think he belongs to some sort of political movement. 

There was a march through the city to do with the freedom of speech movement. 

get drawn

 

Students kind of get drawn to that, the political aspect of it.

 

When you 'get drawn' to something it means that you become interested in something or feel a pull to be a part of it. 

 

Notice the following:

 

Don't get drawn into an argument as it is pointless. 

I got drawn into a group of people who were not good for me. 

metropolitan

 

It's right smack in the middle of a metropolitan area which is the Bay Area.

 

A 'metropolitan' area is a large city and usually includes the suburbs around it.

 

Notice the following:

 

The metropolitan transport system is very good. 

I don't really want to live in an metropolitan area.

can't fool

 

Well, that's good. You can't fool nature.

 

When you 'can't fool' something it means that you cannot trick it or deceive it.

 

Notice the following:

 

You can't fool me!

You can't fool her as she has a lot of common sense. 

put myself through school

 

I worked as a secretary to put myself through school.

 

When you 'put yourself through school' it means that you finance your own studies. Maybe you do this by saving a lot of money before you start school or maybe by working while you are in school.

 

Notice the following:

 

I had to work in a bar in my spare time so that I could put myself through school. 

A lot of people are having trouble putting themselves through school these days, as the fees are getting more and more expensive. 

 

1 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。

4 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。