Passage 2 College Life Around the World
Background introduction: college life and personal growth
College is a time to learn and grow—both in and out of the classroom. And the longer you spend on campus, the more inclined you might become to try new things. Taking on a college leadership role can, plain and simply be one of the best ways to challenge yourself and learn some valuable skills that you can use both during and after your college years. Fortunately, there's no shortage of leadership opportunities in college. You can be resident adviser in your residence hall, or run for a leadership role in a club or organization you're involved with, or even chair, start or help organize a community service project.
Working with a professor can be an amazing opportunity. You'll demonstrate that you're an intellectual leader who is interested in pursuing new things while learning important skills that you can use after graduation (like how to research and how to follow through on a major project). Leading the way toward the discovery and exploration of new ideas are fascinating, too.
Para. 1
1.public transportation: 公共交通. It includes bus, subway, light rail, train, and other means of transportation which is open to the public and serve the general public. It is opposite to private transportation, mainly car.
2.quiz, test & exam: a quiz is a short test, while a test is less formal than an exam.
3.in some ways: to some extent, in a way.
4.subway (Am. E)—underground (Br. E): an underground urban railroad, a kind of public transportation.
5.certificates: a document testifying to the truth of something 证（明）书
Q1: Does student life differ a lot all round the world?
No. Basically it is quite similar all over the globe.
Q2: What aspects are included in student life in this paragraph? It includes a wide range of things, such as where they live, on or off campus, how they go to school, their study life,
Para. 2
Q1: What is the system of higher learning in America like?
In the United States, college students can go to two-year community colleges or the four-year state or private colleges or universities. They can get financial aid, like scholarships, grants or loans. After undergraduate study, they can attend graduate school.
Q2: What about the situation in Iran?
In Iran, students take an exit exam in their last year of high school. Students with the highest scores attend the best universities, and other students can go to other kinds of colleges or get jobs.
Q3: How about Germany?
In Germany, most graduates of academic high schools go to public universities or technical colleges, where they don’t charge high tuition or educational fees, and students can stay in school for many years.
1.differ: often appear with from in showing A is different from B. E.g. Mary differs from the other contestants in several aspects.
2.community college: a junior college funded by the government without residential facilities for students. As it is funded by the community or the government, the curriculum is fitted to the needs of the community. Students learn for two years and complete the academic requirements to get an associate degree. If possible, on the qualification of the academic records, students can be transferred to a four-year university to apply for a Bachelor’s Degree.
3.financial aid 经济资助
4.scholarships: a financial aid awarded to a student, as for the purpose of attending a college. 奖学金
5.grants: an amount of money given to students in financial difficulties by the government. 补助金
6.loans: a sum of money lent at interest.贷款
7.take an exit exam: an exam similar to the national entrance examination in our country. 毕业考试.
8.These schools don’t charge high tuition or educational fees, and students can stay in school for many years.
For several decades, German colleges and universities do not charge tuition or educational fees from the college students (although they do now). High school graduates do not have to take the entrance exams to get into universities. Instead, a graduation certificate from high school is enough. Due to its specific features in college education, the higher education adopts the principle of “loose enrollment, strict graduation”, which means that it may be easy to enter into colleges and universities but the graduation will be far more difficult so as to ensure the quality of students. According to the rules, the shortest academic term is 4-5 years. However, in fact, the average term for college graduates is 6 years. As the government and schools do not clearly put a limit on the academic terms, students can stay in the universities as long as they like, hence, the “professional” college students, who have stayed on campus for nearly 20 semesters.
Para. 3
Q: Are there any differences in the teaching and learning styles? Support your answer with proper evidence from the text.
Yes. For example, the atmosphere in classrooms can be formal and informal. In the former case, students use titles for their instructors, like professor, Mr., Mrs. and so on. Some teachers wear business clothes and give academic lectures. In the latter case, instructors dress casually, and students use their first names. The atmosphere is quite relaxing with class members working together in groups. They give their opinions and talk about their ideas.
Still, there are teachers who always follow a course plan or the textbook. They give a lot of assignments. They give points, scores, or grades for homework. In their courses, students take many quizzes, tests, and exams. However, some teachers might be more open or casual in the course design.
1.business clothes: formal dress.
2.points & scores: the score is the total number or the adding up of points. E.g. The score of Lily’s English exam is 85 points.
3.casually: informally. It can refer to someone’s style of behavior and his clothes as well, as in casual wear.
Para. 4
Q: What about the facilities and services available to students at college and university campuses around the world?
We should acknowledge that in many colleges and universities students have access to resources for learning and recreation. The libraries offer books and other materials for learning, and the learning resource centers have opportunities to work on computers. Educational software programs or the World Wide Web or Internet, and sometimes audio or video equipment are available. Campus stores have books, supplies, and other things. Also, learners can get advice from counselors and individual help with their courses from tutors. Recreational facilities like swimming pools, tennis courts and other sports facilities are available. Most have snack bars, cafeterias, or other eating places. Some schools even offer Internet courses to their students who can learn at home or wherever they can log onto the internet.
1.counselor: a person who gives advice; an adviser. The counselor, esp. career counselor, plays an important role in students’ life. Career counselors often help students get a clear understanding of themselves and the social situation before they make their career choices, which provides good guidance and orientation in job hunting and effectively reduces the chances of wrong or improper choices.
2.court: in English, the names for the places of various sports games are different. Court is an open area marked with lines for games such as basketball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, etc. Places for baseball and football are called “fields” while the golf games have “course” as its game ground.
3.facilities: (often in plural form)equipment that make the process easier or convenient.
4.resources: an available supply that can be drawn on when needed. 资源
5.swimming pools 游泳池
6.tennis courts 网球场
7.distance learning 远程教育，网络教育
