【英语趣味课堂】推荐信-Letters of Rec

Todd: OK, so you didn't have to do the test but you had to do letters or recommendation?

Nydja: I did have to do three letters of recommendation and ...

 

Todd: Can I ask? Who did you ask? Professors?

 

Nydja: I did ask a few professors, an employer, and a long time family friend.

 

Todd: So you had a quite diverse mix?

 

Nydja: Yes.

 

Todd: One professor, one friend, family friend, and one employer.

 

Nydja: Yes.

 

Todd: Now, were you worried about what they were going to say?

 

Nydja: Well, when you ask for a reference you definitely want to ask from somebody you trust to write a good one for you. I've know people who have just randomly¹ asked people, and not gotten the results that they had wanted. But even still, you kind of wonder like, what good do they have to say about me. What are they going to pick and choose because sometimes you want them to mention certain things, and it's best to actually ask them to.

 

Todd: So you kind of feed them what to say?

 

Nydja: Yes. A little bit.

 

Todd: So you took the test. You got the letters of recommendation. Is there any other part that you have 

to do to get in to grad school? Like show your transcripts³? Summit transcripts?

 

Nydja: Yes, you have to pay your undergrad, wherever you got your degree for your undergrad, you have to pay them all this money for them to send an official transcript² to your new school that you want to go to.

 

Todd: Now, do they actually send you the transcript as well, or do they just send it straight to the school?

 

Nydja: No, they send it straight to the school because the schools require an official transcript, so they don't trust you to send it in cause they figure you might mess with your grades.

 

Todd: You might fidget or something.

 

Nydja: Yeah.

 

Todd: So is that it then? The transcripts?

 

Nydja: Transcripts, letters of recommendation, essays, letter of intent.

 

Todd: Letter of intent. Is there a difference between the essay and the letter of intent?

 

Nydja: An essay can sometimes just be a writing sample, whereas a letter of intent ... they want to know like your life goals, and your purpose of being on this earth. I don't like writing those personally, but ...

 

Todd: Why not?

 

Nydja: Cause it just changes, and I think it's just contrived⁴ really. I don't see ... I can sum it up in a couple of sentences, but they want, you know, a three page paper on your life goals and I just don't like to have to write something.

 

Todd: Right, right, especially most people are quite young, so like they really know right?

 

Nydja: Yeah, yeah.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

letter of recommendation

 

I needed three letters of recommendation.

 

A letter of recommendation is a letter written for someone as a reference for a job or application process. In the letter of recommendation, the writer lists good points about the person being recommended. A letter of recommendation often is written by someone of authority or higher status, such as a professor, teacher, or boss. Notice the following:

 

I asked my professor to write me a letter of recommendation for grad school.

My old boss wrote me a great letter of recommendation for my new job.

a diverse mix

 

There's quite a diverse mix.

 

A mix of something is a collection of different things or substances. Diverse means varied⁵ or different. Actually, a mix is already diverse but we say diverse mix for emphasis. You could say "quite a mix" and mean the same thing. Notice the following:

 

There is quite a diverse mix of students in class.

The video store has a diverse mix of movies.

feed

 

 

You feed them what to say.

 

Normally, feed means to give someone or something food, such as when you feed a baby or feed a dog. But you can feed other things such as items or information that will be used later. Notice the following:

 

I fed the machines all my quarters but it still did not give me my drink.

The teacher fed the students the answers for the test.

mess with

 

 

You might mess with your grades.

 

When you mess with something, you interfere⁶ with it, or change it from it s normal condition. Notice the following:

 

Don't mess that. You will break it.

Someone has been messing with my computer. Was it you?

sum up

 

 

I can sum it up in a few sentences.

 

When you sum something up, you give a summary of what happened or will happen. A sum is also the total of all the parts.

 

Can you sum up the lecture for me. I missed class.

To sum up most marriages: boy meets girl, boy falls in love, boy gets married.

 

1 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

4 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

• There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
• The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

5 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

6 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。