【英语趣味课堂】朋友圈-Circle of Friends

Todd: Now, Keiko, maybe you can help me. I teach at university. My students are university students and they are so devoted¹ to their circle, their clubs. Why? Why are they so - ? To them, it's more important than class.

Keiko: Well, I think it's because, in a way they have been like a prisoner², you know, a prisoner of, you know, the cram³ schools. They couldn't have much social life until they get into university, and finally they have this freedom after they got into university and now is there, actually, the first and the last chance to have fun with their friends because after four years they have to start working, and before the school years and university, they have to study everyday, so I think they are trying to get the most out of their school years.

Todd: So, when you were at university, was your circle or club more important to you than your actual studies?

Keiko: No, actually, I was a bit different, cause I always heard about how Japanese students don't study hard in university, so I said to myself, OK, I won't be like that.

Todd: Oh, wow, that's very admirable⁴.

Keiko: But then, I did, I was one of the university organizers⁵, university festival organizers. I was a member of that. I had done that for two years but also I tried to study as much as I could, which you know, by getting the teaching⁶ certificate⁷ from primary schools and did my thesis⁸, my graduation thesis. It was very strange because a lot of my friends told me their graduation thesis was about 20 pages long and they just finished it in two weeks.

Todd: Man!

Keiko: And my professor didn't let us, allow us to do that so we had to spend two years on the research. We had to write at least a hundred pages so I learned⁹ quite a lot from that program and I was glad that I could balance out my university life between fun and study.

Todd: One thing that shocked me at university is that a lot of times kids sleep in class, or they read books. They don't even listen to the professor and the professor doesn't look upset.

Keiko: Yeah, it's true.

 

Todd: Why? Like, how come the professor doesn't get mad?

Keiko:I think they understand what the students have come through. I mean, I think it depends on the professors. For example, my professor was quite strict but a lot of the professors don't care because they know what they've gone through. They know their situation when they came to university. "Ah, yeah, let them have fun." And if they can still pass the class as long as their in the class, they don't have to do much work and even for the exams they can just pass around the notes, and somebody who ever took the notes, studied in the last two days, and they can just pass the class, so.

Keiko: I guess that's a good way to look at it. I guess that they still have to be responsible¹⁰ for the work at the end.

1 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

2 prisoner   

n.俘虏，囚犯，被监禁的人

参考例句：

• The soldier reported that a prisoner was at large.士兵报告说一名囚犯在逃。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 cram   

v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习

参考例句：

• There was such a cram in the church.教堂里拥挤得要命。
• The room's full,we can't cram any more people in.屋里满满的，再也挤不进去人了。

4 admirable   

adj.可钦佩的，优良的，令人惊奇的

参考例句：

• His behaviour is always admirable.他的行为很令人钦佩。
• The soldiers showed admirable bravery.士兵们表现出了令人钦佩的勇敢。

5 organizers   

n.组织者( organizer的名词复数 )；备忘记事本，电子笔记本

参考例句：

• We need fewer organizers and more doers. 我们需要的是少些组织者，多些实干者。
• The organizers of the march were charged with assault and riotous assembly . 游行组织者被控侵犯人身及暴乱性非法集会。

6 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

7 certificate   

n.证书，证明书；vt.发给证明书，认可，鉴定

参考例句：

• She proudly displayed her degree certificate to her parents.她自豪地向父母展示了学位证书。
• No one had seen her marriage certificate.没人看到过她的结婚证书。

8 thesis   

n.论题，论点，论文

参考例句：

• His thesis is being finished off.他的论文快写完了。
• He argued his thesis well.他为他的论点进行了有力的辩论。

9 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

10 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。