新世纪大学英语综合教程第一册第1单元Text B

College Pressures

Text

1 As master atBranford College, I see four kinds of pressure working on college studentstoday: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-inducedpressure. It is easy to look around for villains (罪犯) — to blame the colleges for charging too muchmoney, the professors for assigning too much work, the parents for pushingtheir children too far, the students for driving themselves too hard. But thereare no villains; only victims.

2 Students todaylive in a brutal (残忍的)economy. Tuition, rooms, books and various kinds of fees have come to such agreat sum that it is not unusual for a student, even if he works part time atcollege and full time during the summer, to accumulate $5,000 in loans afterfour years — loansthat he must start to repay (偿还)within one year after graduation.

3 For those luckyfew who can get financial help from their parents, money may not be a toughproblem, but they will suffer from the pressure that comes from their parents.

4 I see manystudents taking pre-medical courses with joyless determination. They go off totheir labs as if they were going to the dentist. It saddens me because I knowthem in other corners of their life as cheerful people.

5 “Do you want togo to medical school?” I ask them.

6 “Not really,”they reply.

7 “Then why areyou going?”

8 “Well, myparents want me to be a doctor. They're paying all this money and …”

9 Poor students,poor parents. They are caught in one of the oldest webs of love and duty andguilt (罪过).The parents mean well; they are trying to steer their sons and daughters towarda secure future. But the sons and daughters want to major in history orclassics or philosophy (哲学) — subjects with no “practical” value. Where's the payoff (报偿) on the humanities (人文学科)? It's not easy to persuade such lovingparents that the humanities do indeed pay off. The intellectual facultiesdeveloped by studying subjects like history and classics are just the facultiesthat make creative leaders in business or almost any general field. Still, manyparents would rather put their money on courses that point toward a specificprofession — courses that are pre-law, pre-medical, pre-business, or, as Isometimes heard it put, “pre-rich.”

10 But thepressure on students is severe. They are truly torn. One part of them feelsobligated to fulfill their parents' expectations; after all, their parents areolder and presumably (可能，大概)wiser. Another part tells them that the expectations that are right for theirparents are not right for them.

11 Just likeeconomic pressure and parental pressure, peer pressure and self-inducedpressure are also closely intertwined (交织在一起), and they begin almost at the beginningof freshman year.

12 “I had afreshman student I'll call Linda,” one dean told me, “who came in and said shewas under terrible pressure because her roommate, Barbara, was much brighterand studied all the time. I couldn't tell her that Barbara had come in twohours earlier to say the same thing about Linda.”

13 The story isalmost funny —except that it's not. It's symptomatic (表明[某种]症状的) of all the pressures put together. Whenevery student thinks every other student is working harder and doing better,the only solution is to study harder still. I see students going off to thelibrary every night after dinner and coming back when it closes at midnight. Iwish they would sometimes forget about their peers and go to a movie. I hearthe clack (哒哒声) oftypewriters in the hours before dawn. I see the tension in their eyes whenexams are approaching and papers are due：“Will I get everything done?”

14 Probably theywon't. They will get sick. They will get “blocked.” They will sleep. They willoversleep.

15 Part of theproblem is that they do more than they are expected to do. A professor willassign five-page papers. Several students will start writing ten-page papers,and a few will multiply it to fifteen. Pity the poor student who is still justdoing the assignment.

16 “Once you have twenty or thirty percent ofthe student population deliberately overexerting (努力过度的),” one dean points out, “it's bad for everybody. When a teachergets more and more effort from his class, the student who is doing normal workcan be perceived as not doing well. The tactic (策略) works, psychologically.”

17 People around,professors, parents, and friends can help, but ultimately it will be thestudent's own business to break the circles in which they are trapped. They aretoo young to be prisoners of their parents' dreams and their classmates' fears.They must be jolted (使震惊，使猛醒) into believing in themselves as unique men and women who have the powerto shape their own future.

Text Translation

上大学的压力

威廉•津瑟

1    身为布兰福德学院的院长，我发觉当今的大学生面临着四种压力：经济压力，来自父母的压力，来自学伴的压力，以及自己给自己的压力。环顾四周，“罪魁祸首”轻而易举便可找到：学校收费太高，老师布置太多作业，父母逼迫孩子太紧，学生对自己要求太严。但在压力问题上，没有恶人，只有受害者。

2    当今的学生生活在一个残酷的经济现实中，学费、住宿费、书本费及这样那样的费用加起来数额不菲。即使一个学生在校期间做兼职，暑期做全职，四年内还是会欠下5,000美元贷款，毕业后一年内就要开始偿还。

3    少数幸运的学生能得到父母的经济援助，钱并不是一个棘手的问题，但是来自父母的压力让他们的日子也不好过。

4    我看到很多学生一门心思修读医学院预科课程，却毫无快乐可言。他们去实验室就像去看牙医一样痛苦。这让我很伤心，因为我知道在生活的其它方面他们是开朗快乐的人。

5    我问他们：“你想学医吗？”

6    他们回答说：“其实并不想。”

7    “那为什么还要进医学院呢？”

8    “嗯，因为我爸妈希望我当医生。他们一直在供我读书，而且……。”

9    可怜的学生，可怜的父母啊！他们被困在一张亘古以来由爱、责任和自责交织而成的网中，难以自拔。父母的本意是好的，他们想引导自己的孩子走向无忧无虑的未来，但孩子们却想攻读历史、古典文学或哲学，这些专业毫无“实用”价值。人文学科的专业有什么回报？要说服这些关爱子女的父母人文学科的专业确有回报并非易事。恰恰是攻读历史、古典文学等专业而开发出来的智能造就了商界及其他领域内富有创造力的领袖人物。然而，许多家长还是宁愿出钱供孩子攻读那些面向某一具体职业的课程，比如法律预科、医学预科、商务预科、或者是我有时听到的所谓“财富预科”。

10    可是，学生承受的压力太大，他们简直无所适从了。一方面，他们觉得有义务不辜负父母对自己的期望，毕竟父母比自己年长，该更有智慧吧。但另一方面，他们又觉得，父母认为合适的期望未必适合自己。

11    如同经济压力和来自父母的压力，来自同伴的压力和自己给自己的压力也是交织在一起，而且几乎是从大学一年级刚开学就开始存在了。

12    有一位系主任告诉我：“我知道这么一个大一的学生，姑且叫她琳达吧，她来向我诉说她正承受着可怕的压力，因为室友芭芭拉比她更聪明，一天到晚在学习。我不好告诉她，就在两小时前芭芭拉也来我这里，说了与琳达同样的话。”

13    这件事看来可笑，但实际上并不可笑，这表明所有压力都汇集在一起了。当每个学生都认为别人更为勤奋、成绩更好时，他唯一能做的就是更加努力地学习。我看到许多学生每天吃完晚饭就去图书馆，直到深更半夜图书馆关门才回来。我真希望他们有时能忘掉他们的学伴，去看场电影。我常常在拂晓时分还听到打字机在噼噼啪啪地响，考试来临或论文限期快到时，我能从学生的眼神中看到他们的紧张情绪：“我能把所有的事情做完吗？”

14    他们很可能完成不了。因为他们会生病，脑袋会“僵硬”，无法正常思维；他们要睡觉，而且会睡过头。

15    出现这一问题的部分原因是：他们会远远超额完成任务。老师布置一篇5页的论文，一些学生就会写上10页，而少数人甚至会增加到15页。可怜那些仅仅按照要求完成作业的学生。

16    一位系主任指出：“一旦20％或30％的学生刻意地过分努力，对每个学生来说都不是好事。当一位教师看到班上学生越发地努力，那些只是正常完成作业的学生就会被看作是表现不够好。就心理上而言，这个策略还是有效的。”

17    要打破这些学生陷入的“怪圈”，周围的人们、老师、父母、朋友都能给予帮助，但归根结底还是要靠学生自己。他们太年轻，不该成为父母的梦想和惧怕同学心理的俘虏。我们必须唤醒他们，使他们相信自己是独一无二的、有能力创造自己未来的人。

Word Study

Key Words:

economic a.	peer n.	self-induced a.	charge vt.
victim n.	economy n.	tuition n.	fee n.
sum n.	accumulate vt.	loann.	financial a
tougha.	determination n.	lab n.	dentist n.
web n.	steer vt.	secure a.	major vi.
classics a.	practical a.	faculty n.	creative a.
specific a.	profession n.	severe a.	truly ad.
obligated a.	fulfill vt.	expectation n.	dean n
dawn n.	tension n.	approach vi.	due a.
oversleep vi.	multiply vt.	deliberately  ad.	perceive vt.
psychologically  ad.	ultimately ad.	trap vt.	unique a.

economic  a.  [no comp.] connected to trade, industry, and the management of money; of economics ［无比较级］经济（上）的；经济学的 

e.g.  What has gone wrong with the economic system during the last ten years?

The country has been in a very poor economic state ever since the decline of its two major industries.

peer  n.  fml or tech a person of the same age, class, position, etc., as oneself 〖正式或术语〗同辈，等级、地位等相同的人；同龄人 

e.g.  Children are worried about failing in front of their peers.

These children scored significantly lower on intelligence tests than others in their peer group.

self-induced  a.  brought on by oneself or itself 自身引起的

e.g.  Most of the troubles he is now faced with are self-induced.

charge  1. vt.  [(for)] ask in payment [常与for连用] 要价；（向……）收费；索取（金额）

e.g.  I could not believe that the restaurant charged us 500 yuan for such a simple dinner.  

The local museum doesn’t charge for admission.

2.  v. rush (as if) in an attack （向……）进攻，冲锋；冲向

e.g. The children charged into the playground.

3. vt. bring an esp. criminal charge against; accuse 控告；指控

e.g. He was charged with the robbery.

4. vt. fml instruct or command; give as a duty or responsibility 〖正式〗指示；命令；使负责

e.g. She charged me to look after her son.

5. v. (cause to) take in and store electricity （使）充电

e.g. If the red light comes on, it means the battery is charging.

victim n.  [(of)] a person, animal, or thing that suffers pain, death, harm, destruction, etc., as a result of other people’s actions, or of illness, bad luck, etc. [常与of连用]牺牲者，受害者

e.g.  The children are the innocent victims of the fighting.

 There is no doubt that he looked upon himself as the victim of injustice.

   Collocations:

       an innocent victim of  ……的无辜受害者

       an accident / earthquake victim 事故/地震受害者

       fall victim to 受……之害

economy  n.  [C] the system by which a country’s wealth is produced and used 经济体制，经济情况 

e.g.  Tourism contributes millions of pounds to the country’s economy.

An atmosphere of pessimism pervades the economy.

 Collocations:

      a collective / free-market economy 集体/自由市场经济

      a national / planned economy 国民/计划经济

tuition  n.  esp. AmE the price of or payment for instruction 〖尤美〗学费

e.g.  Few can afford the tuition of $12,000 a term.

My uncle will pay my tuition and also provide for my living expenses.

fee  n.  a sum of money paid for professional services to a doctor, lawyer, private school, etc.  （付给医生、律师等的）专业服务费；（私立学校的）学费

e.g.  The doctor’s fee was fifty dollars for a complete physical examination.

I thought the accountant’s fee rather high.

sum n. [C (of)] an amount (of money); the total produced when numbers, amounts, etc., are added together [常与of 连用]金额；和；总数，总和 

e.g.  I had to spend a large sum of money to get my car repaired because I didn’t have insurance.

Huge sums of money are spent on national defense.

accumulate  vt.  make or become greater in quantity or size, esp. over a long period; collect or grow into a mass  积累，积聚

e.g.  I have accumulated a lot of things over the last four years.

As people accumulate more wealth, they tend to spend a greater proportion of their incomes.

loan  n.  sth. which is lent, esp. money 借出之物，借（贷）款

e.g.  We took out a loan with low interest to expand the business.

She’s trying to get a $50,000 loan to start her own business.

   Collocations :

      raise a loan 筹借一笔贷款

      make a loan to  贷款给……

      get / receive a loan 得到/获得贷款

      pay off / repay a loan 清偿借款

financial  a.  connected with money and finance 财政的；金融的

e.g.  The City of London is a great financial centre of the world.

We suffered huge losses in the financial crisis.

tough  a.  difficult to do or deal with; not easy; needing effort  难对付的，困难的，费力的 

e.g.  The company faces tough competition.

It’s one of the best colleges and it’s very tough to get into.

determination  n.  [U] the ability to make firm decisions and act in accordance with them; strong will to succeed 决断力；决心；决意，决定 

e.g.  She is a woman of great determination who always tries to get what she wants.

They’re pursuing their aims with great determination.

lab  n.  infml laboratory 〖非正式〗试验室

e.g.  Lab tests suggest that the new drug may be used to treat cancer.

I don’t know the names of the objects in this lab.

dentist  n.  a person who has been professionally trained to treat the teeth 牙科医生   

e.g.  You should have your teeth checked by a dentist at least twice a year.

I must make an appointment with the dentist.

web  n.  a net of thin threads made esp. by spiders to catch insects （尤指蜘蛛的）网

e.g.  We watched a spider spin a web between three tall grass stems.

He had created a spider’s web of communications.

steer  vt.  make (esp. a boat or road vehicle) go in a particular direction 驾驶（车、船）朝……走；操纵（车、船的方向盘）   

e.g.  He steered the boat carefully between the rocks.

Our garage door isn’t very wide and it’s quite difficult to steer the car through it.

secure  a.  [(from, against)] safe; protected against danger or risk; closed, firm, or tight enough for safety  [常与from或against连用]安全的；没有危险的，受保护的；紧闭的；牢固的，可靠的

e.g.  Since I’m a college student now, my parents are able to feel secure about my future.

Car manufacturers ought to produce vehicles which are more secure against theft.

classics  n.  the languages, literature, and history of ancient Greece and Rome古希腊和古罗马的语言，文学及历史；（大学）古典学课程

e.g.  Students could choose between studying a second foreign language or classics.

practical  a.  connected with action, practice, or actual conditions and results, rather than with ideas 实践的，实际的

e.g.  You should find a more practical method of getting the job done.

What’s the use of theoretical knowledge that has no practical application?

faculty  n.  [(of)] a natural power of the mind or body; an ability or skill [常与of连用]天赋，才能，能力

e.g.  She has a faculty for inspiring confidence in people.

Each man is free to exercise his special faculty to the utmost.

creative  a.  apprec producing new and original ideas and things ; imaginative and inventive〖褒〗创造（性）的；有创造力的

e.g.  I like to do things in a creative way which is different from everyone else.

He has shown a creative genius since young.

specific  a.  particular; fixed, determined, or named 具体的，特有的，特定的

e.g.  The money was collected for a specific purpose.

Can you cite any specific evidence in support of your opinion?

profession n.  a form of employment, esp. one that is possible only for an educated person and after training (such as law, medicine, or teaching) and that is respected in society as honourable （尤指受过教育和专门训练的法律、医学、教育等脑力劳动方面的）专业，职业

e.g.  She decided on law as her ultimate profession.

He left the teaching profession in 1995 to set up his own business.

CF : profession, occupation, trade, vocation, business

这些名词都可表示“职业”。

Ø  profession常指受过相当高的教育才能达到的职业位置，而且指涉及人们创造性的脑力劳动，而不是体力劳动的职业。例如：She intends to make teaching her profession.

Ø  occupation指某人通常赖以谋生的并训练有素的工作职位，不一定指某人眼前正在干的工作。例如：By occupation, the unemployed is a teacher.

Ø  trade指一项谋生的方式，从手艺性职业，技艺劳动，到低微的仆役工作。例如：He is learning the carpenter’s trade.

Ø  vocation指人们愿意选择来长期从事工作的领域，它不一定是他们谋生的手段。例如：He chose painting as his vocation and earned his living by working as a waiter.

Ø  business指人们为了追逐利润而从事的职业，如商业、贸易、银行业等。例如：His business is foreign trade.

severe  a.  causing serious harm, pain, worry, or discomfort; not kind or gentle in treatment; not allowing failure or change in rules, standards, etc. 严重的；剧烈的；严厉的；严格的；严肃的；苛刻的

e.g. Doctors say that his head injuries are severe and an operation must be performed immediately.

 Lesley has been under severe pressure recently.

truly  ad.  really; exactly; in accordance with the truth 真正地；确实地，准确地，严格地 

e.g.  Mushrooms aren’t truly vegetables, but many people think they are.

I am truly grateful for all your help.

obligated  a.  morally or legally bound; constrained （感到）有责任的，有义务的

e.g.  Parents are obligated to support their children.

A witness in court is obligated to tell the truth.

fulfill  vt.  BrE carry out (an order, conditions, etc.); obey 〖英〗履行（条件等）；执行；遵守（命令等）  

e.g.  The conditions of the contract must be fulfilled exactly.

He has sacked his finance minister for “having failed to fulfill his job obligations”.

expectation  n.  the act of expecting or sth. that is expected 预期；预期的事物

e.g.  We thought Mary would pass the test, but against expectation, she didn’t.

Now that our two groups have merged we can all have great expectations for the future.

 Collocations:

    come up to / live up to / meet expectation 不负所望

    fall short of expectation 辜负期望

    great / high expectation 厚望

    beyond expectation 出乎意料地

dean  n.  (in some universities) a person in charge of a division of study or in charge of studies and their behaviour （某些大学的）学院院长；系主任；训导长，学监

e.g.  The Dean will be taking all freshmen on a tour of the department this afternoon.

He has obtained the consent of the dean for going abroad.

dawn  n.  the time of day when light first appears; the first appearance of light in the sky before the sun rises 黎明，拂晓   

e.g.  I’ve never seen a dawn as beautiful as the one this morning.

When dawn came, his bed lamp was still burning.

tension  n.  (a feeling of) nervous anxiety, worry, or pressure; an anxious, untrusting, and perhaps dangerous condition in the relationship between people, countries, etc.  紧张，焦虑，焦急（的心情）；（人与人，国家与国家等之间的）紧张关系，紧张局势

e.g.  You could feel the tension in the room as we waited for our exam results.

The incident has further increased the tension between the two countries.

approach  vi.  come near or nearer in time 临近

e.g.  New Year’s Day is approaching and we are planning a fancy-dress ball (化妆舞会).

Lunchtime is approaching, so let’s take a break now.

due  a.  (esp. showing arrangements made in advance) expected or supposed (to happen, arrive, etc.) 约定的；预期的，该发生的；应到达的

e.g.  The next train is due in twenty minutes.

The next meeting is due to be held in three months’ time.

oversleep  vi. sleep beyond the intended time for getting up  睡得过久，睡过了头

e.g.  John was late for work again because he overslept.

I missed the train this morning because I overslept again.

multiply vt.  greatly increase in number or amount; combine by multiplication （使）大大增加；乘，使相乘  

e.g.  Cigarette smoking multiplies the risk of cancer.

He said that combining the two field armies would multiply their strength not just by two but several times over.

deliberately ad.  done in a way that is intended or planned 故意地；深思熟虑地；盘算周到地

e.g.  She deliberately ignored me when I passed her in the street.

I’m sure he says these things deliberately to annoy me.

perceive  vt.  [not in progressive forms] fml (come to) have knowledge of (sth.) through one of the senses (esp. the sight) through the mind; become conscious of or understand ［不用进行式］〖正式〗察觉，发觉；意识到；领悟，理解

e.g.  He perceived a subtle change in her manner as they were having dinner together.

I perceived a note of unhappiness in his voice.

psychologically  ad.  as regards mental health and well-being 心理上；用心理学方法；精神上 

e.g.  Boys mature more slowly than girls both physically and psychologically.

I was psychologically unprepared for her refusal.

ultimately ad.  finally, after everything else has been done or considered 最后地，终极地

e.g.  A poor diet will ultimately lead to illness.

 Everything will ultimately depend on what is said at the meeting with the directors next week.

trap  vt.  place or hold firmly with no possibility of escape 困住，关住；使陷于绝境

e.g.  Linda was trapped in an unhappy marriage.

The two men died when they were trapped in a burning building.

unique  a.  [no comp.] being the only one of its type; unusual; greater or esp. better than any other［无比较级］唯一的，独一无二的；独特的，罕见的，不平常的

e.g.  None of these social problems is unique to this country.

Each person’s genetic code is unique except in the case of identical twins.

Expressions:

work   on	come   to
major   in	pay   off
after   all	under   pressure
put   together	point   out

work on  exercise influence on  对……施加影响；起作用于

e.g.  This medicine will work on the affected part.

Don’t worry. He might accept our suggestion if someone works on him properly.

come to  [no pass.] to arrive at a particular state or position ［无被动语态］达到（某种状态、状况）；结果是 

e.g.  It has come to my notice that the money is missing.

After many years, his plans have come to fulfillment.

major in  study as the chief subject(s) when doing a university degree （在大学）主修

e.g.  He majors in English, whereas his sister majors in medicine.

She majored in philosophy at Harvard.

pay off  (of a plan or an action, especially one that involves risk) to be successful and bring good results 取得成果，得到好结果

e.g.  Did your plan pay off finally?

It’ll be interesting to see if the investment pays off.

after all  in spite of everything 毕竟，终究

e.g.  Of course I admire her — after all, she is a great politician.

Don’t blame on him, after all, he is a green hand.

under pressure  in a condition of being forced or hurried; in or into a condition of being persuaded or influenced forcibly; not in one’s own will 在压力下；在强制下；被迫

e.g.  He’s felt under pressure since his wife had the operation.

Many students are under pressure to keep up with their schoolwork.

put together  form by combining parts or members 组成

e.g.  I think we can put together a very strong team for the open debate.

In only a hundred days, Henry and I put together a brand-new car.

point out  draw attention to the fact; show who or what (a particular person or thing) is, esp. by pointing 指出，指明；把……指出来（给……看）

e.g.  I would like to point out that if we don’t leave now we shall miss the bus.

The salesman pointed out all the new features of the hi-fi.

 

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