英语时文泛读 Current News Articles for Extensive Reading

1. 英语时文泛读Current News Articles for Extensive Reading BOOK II

2. College and Responsibility

3. I. Overview • This unit focuses on the responsibilities and problems of university education in the US.

4. Structure • In this unit, you will read 3 passages about different aspects of the responsibilities colleges and universities should take. Read them with a critical eye and think about what social responsibility college students in China should take.

5. What Exactly Does GW’s President Do? It’s a self-account of the duties and responsibilities of the GW president. Text A

6. It’s about growing gambling problems affecting US university students. Campuses Slow to Deal with Growth in Gambling Text B

7. It’s about Bill Gates’ Commencement speech delivered at the annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association in June 2007. Gates Urges Graduates to Tackle Global Inequity Text C

8. Focus of this session

9. II. Text A What Exactly Does GW’s President Do? • Main Idea of the Text • The GW president describes the duties and responsibilities of an American university president as is exemplified in his own experiences.

10. Author Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (1937-) is a former President of The George Washington University and currently holds the title of President Emeritus and University Professor of Public Service. He assumed this title on August 1, 2007. Trachtenberg is a native of Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Columbia University in 1959, and earned a Juris Doctor from Yale in 1962 and a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard in 1966. Background Information

11. Source The GW Hatchet is an independent student newspaper at The George Washington University. Founded in 1904, it is the second-oldest newspaper in the District of Columbia, behind only The Washington Post. It also serves as the newspaper of record for the University’s archives. The Hatchet is currently the best non-daily student newspaper in the country, as awarded by the Society of Professional Journalists. The paper derives its name from the implement apocryphally used by George Washington to chop down his family’s cherry tree. Background Information

12. The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private, coeducational university located in Washington, D.C., United States. The school was chartered on February 9, 1821 as The Columbian College in the District of Columbia by an Act of Congress and since that time has developed into a nonsectarian research institution. Located four blocks from the White House, GW is known for its undergraduate International Affairs, International Business, Political Science, and Political Communications programs, as well as its graduate and doctoral programs in business, social sciences, international affairs, medicine, education, public health, and law. Cultural Notes

13. The main GW campus consists of 43-acres in historic Foggy Bottom and is located a few blocks from the White House and the National Mall. Barring a few outlying buildings, the boundaries of campus are delineated by Pennsylvania Avenue, 19th Street, E Street, and Virginia Avenue. The University owns much of the property in Foggy Bottom and leases it to various tenants, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Foggy Bottom campus contains most of the residential dormitories in which GW students live. The most notable include: Thurston Hall, Potomac House, Fulbright Hall, Mitchell Hall, Schenley Hall, Munson Hall, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Hall, New Hall, Ivory Tower, and The West End, among others. Cultural Notes

14. Cultural Notes • Located in the Marvin Center (student union), J Street gets it’s name from the layout of DC; there is an I Street and a K Street, but nothing in between the two. This is the main campus dining area and is the center of a lot of social activity. Between classes, one will see the area packed with students grabbing a bite to eat before their next lecture. • “Eat, socialize, and study in the heart of the Foggy Bottom campus with easy access to a wide assortment of tempting food choices which include healthy and special dietary needs dining options. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, you can easily find a hot, fresh, and home-made balanced meal or your name brand favorites individually prepared for a delicious quick refueling.” --advertisement of GW’s J Street

15. Language Points Key Words & Expressions • … makes my blood run very cold (para. 10): • If something makes someone’s blood run cold, it makes him very frightened. • e.g. • I heard a scream which made my blood run cold. （我听到一阵尖叫声，使我感到毛骨悚然。 ）

16. Language Points • to keep a vigilant eye on a reality that ... (para. 11): • To keep your/an eye on something/someone 或to watch or look after something or someone表示密切关注、照看、监视的意思，to keep a vigilant eye on 是强调形式，也可以换成keep a close eye on… • e.g. • Could you keep an eye on the baby for me for a while? （你能替我看一会儿小家伙吗？ ） • e.g. • I kept my eye on him all the time as I felt sure he was about to do something stupid. （我一直在盯着他，因为我觉得他肯定会做傻事。 ）

17. Language Points • to project the University’s image (para. 12): • To project sth means to convey an impression of something to an audience or to others. • e.g. • a posture that projects defeat （ 表示出失败的姿态）

18. Language Points Difficult Sentences • Wasn’t it obvious that I was performing my duties in what amounted to a six-day week and a sixteen-hour day, and dealing with countless emergencies in the process—a few of which could actually threaten the future of the University? (para. 3) • 这句话的主句是：Wasn’t it obvious；它带一个that从句；从句中的主语是I，带有两个谓语成分，即was performing和and dealing with；它们分别有自己的宾语成分；而第一个宾语成分中又带有一个介宾结构，即介词和what从句；而第二个宾语成分用破折号引导出一个同位语从句。全句的意思是：我履行自己的职责，每周六日，每日十六个小时，在履行职责的过程中，处理数不清的紧急情况，其中一些情况会实际上威胁到大学的未来——这难道还不清楚吗？

19. Language Points • But as you might expect if you’re a university located in Foggy Bottom, brilliant and innovative ideas often cost a lot as they turn into classrooms, laboratories and studios—all staffed by faculty members whose salaries are competitive with those being offered by other top schools. (para.8) • 这句话的主要部分是brilliant and innovative ideas often cost a lot；围绕这个主要部分是附属成分，它的前面是一个条件从句as you might expect，这个条件从句带一个假设从句if you’re a university located in Foggy Bottom；主要部分的后面是一个状语从句，as they turn into classrooms, laboratories and studios；这个状语从句又由一个破折号引导出一个同位语从句，all staffed by faculty members这个同位语从句又带一个定语从句，whose salaries are competitive而这个定语从句还有一个介宾结构with those being offered by other top schools。全句的意思是：然而，如果你的大学坐落在“雾谷”的话，正如你可能预料的那样，奇妙的创新点子变成教室、实验室和工作室往往成本很高，这些地方所聘用教师的薪酬水平，与别的顶尖大学相比，也是具有竞争力的。