VOA慢速英语2016--埃默里大学寻求支持

Seeking Support at Emory University 埃默里大学寻求支持 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of a new ongoing¹ series about international student life at colleges and universities across the U.S. Please join us over the next several weeks as we bring you stories about these amazing individuals and the American higher education system as a whole.

Ruofei Chen’s family is from China and she grew up in Lima, Peru. She knew those parts of the world and studied for her undergraduate degree in Asia and Latin America.

When Ruofei Chen chose to start a master’s degree program in 2015, she says she wanted something really different.

Ruofei Chen chose a new field of study called development practice. This field tries to explain how economic development can help solve poverty and other issues around the world.

As this field is so new, only a few universities around the world offer a degree program for it. For Roufei Chen, it has also meant new challenges.

Because the U.S. is involved in development around world, Ruofei Chen wanted to study at a U.S. university. She chose Emory University, a private research university just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

Founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1836, the school is now home to over 14,700 students. The founders² of the Coca-Cola Company helped build the current campus in 1914.

When Ruofei Chen arrived at Emory, she had no idea what to expect. This caused some problems for her right away.

"Grad school in (the) U.S. can be really busy -- like, really busy, depending on how much elective classes you are enrolled³ in."

Ruofei Chen studies in the hours between her classes, at night and on the weekends. She also has to make connections with people and work on group projects.

She is also planning a trip to Nicaragua in the summer of 2016 to help prevent diseases that affect people in poverty. This is part of an Emory Global Health Institute project.

All of this happens in English, which is not her native language.

But Ruofei Chen has found that Emory wants her to succeed. For over 20 years, Emory’s Laney Graduate School English Language Support Program has offered special English lessons.

Once a week Ruofei Chen meets one-on-one with Peggy Wagner, a teacher with the program. Together, they work on more than just English grammar or vocabulary. Wagner helps Ruofei Chen examine how her voice sounds and how to use the language in different ways.

"What’s really fun for me is how to find ways to engage in discussions in a more professional way so that they can let their intellect⁴ shine and really express the intent⁵ that they want."

Sharon Chen found similar support when she began her undergraduate studies at Emory in 2014.

From Wuhan, China, Sharon Chen says she did not know what she wanted to study when she started looking for schools. She only knew she wanted to study at a U.S. university.

Sharon Chen began her research by looking at the U.S. News and World Report. The U.S. News and World Report is a media company that creates a list of what it calls “America’s Best Colleges.”

She saw Emory high on this list and chose to study business at the university.

But Sharon Chen was not fully⁶ prepared for her U.S. college experience either. She says high school classes in China are not interactive⁷. When her professors at Emory first asked her to speak in class she felt lost.

Some of her classes had as many as 36 students in them, but others were as small as six students. These classes required her to engage with native English speakers in unfamiliar⁸ ways.

Luckily, Natalie Cruz, the director of international student life, was there to support Sharon Chen.

Cruz says it is a continuing problem for international students to communicate or make friends with students from the U.S.

Cruz began working in the Office of International Student Life at Emory in 2013. She says right away she began looking to solve this problem.

"So I was able to come in and really work with students to find out what their needs were, how could we really best serve students at Emory?"

Cruz organizes programs that build relationships between foreign and domestic⁹ students. The Conversation Partners program is one example. International students and students from the U.S. join this program and agree to meet once a week to talk.

The Office of International Student Life often holds events that celebrate the food and culture of different countries.

For her efforts, Cruz was the winner of Emory’s Advisor¹⁰ of the Year award for the 2015 school year. Sharon Chen speaks very highly of the help Cruz has given her.

"Natalie is my mentor¹¹ and my friend. She taught me a lot and we organize events together. So I enjoy working with her a lot."

Ruofei Chen has no regrets about her decision to come to Emory. She loves how personal her learning experience has been. But she does have some advice for international students considering a U.S. education.

She says that U.S. universities provide lots of support for their students. But students must be willing to look for that support themselves.

She also says students should learn as much as they can about a school before choosing to attend it.

"Get to know the place before you come. It will help you to minimize¹² the gap between your expectations and what you will actually find here."

Words in This Story

undergraduate degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

master’s degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional study following a bachelor's degree

challenge(s) – n. a difficult task or problem

campus – n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

grad(uate) school – n. one or two years of additional study following completion of an undergraduate degree

elective – adj. not required in a particular course of study

class(es) – n. a series of meetings in which students are taught a particular subject or activity

enroll(ed) – v. to enter someone as a member of or participant in something

one-on-one – adv. involving two people who are dealing¹³ with or competing against each other directly

engage in – p.v. to do something

intellect – n. the ability to think in a logical way

intent – n. the thing that you plan to do or achieve

interactive – adj. requiring people to talk with each other or do things together

advisor – n. an employee of a school who gives opinions or suggestions to students about what should be done

minimize – v. to make something bad or not wanted as small as possible

gap – n. a difference between two people, groups, or things

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

3 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 intellect   

n.理智，才智，有才智的人，知识分子

参考例句：

• Newton is a man of great intellect.牛顿有非凡的才智。
• It is not often that one so young has such a giant intellect.年纪这样轻、智力又如此高的人可不多。

5 intent   

adj.急切的，专心的，专注的；n.意图，意向

参考例句：

• He was intent on the job he was doing.他专心致志于正在做的工作。
• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

8 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

9 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

10 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

11 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

12 minimize   

vt.使减（缩）小到最低，极力贬低，最低估计

参考例句：

• To minimize the risk of burglary,install a good alarm system.安装可靠的报警设备以减低被盗的风险。
• To minimize the public expenditure of this country.把该国的财政支出减少到最低限度。

13 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。