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 I

2. Education

3. I. Overview • In this unit, you will read passages concerning education. Read them and think about the purpose of education.

4. Structure • Teachers, universities and even the whole educational system have been faced with various challenges, some of which are forever topics for educationalists all around the world.

5. Battling the One Bad Apple It’s a new professor’s experience of teaching and the lessons he draws from his relationship with one “bad” student and the whole class. Text A

6. Colleges and universities are in fierce competition in the admission process. But the competition is not just which school has a highly professional faculty, but the facilities to entertain students. Which College Brings the Bling Text B

7. It’s a discussion of advanced placement exams and the ways different educationalists perceive it. Mixed Results on Paying City Students to Pass Tests Text C

8. Focus of this session

9. II. Text A Battling the One Bad Apple • Main Idea of the Text • It’s a story between a young professor who just begins his teaching in college and a student in his class who is regarded as a bad apple.

10. Author Eric was a staff writer at the Washington Post from 1993 until 2002. He has written for the Metro, Style and the Sunday Magazine sections of the paper and has written numerous front-page stories about the changing cultural shifts in American society. In 1999 he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. Background Information

11. Source The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated newspaper in Washington, D.C. It is also one of the city’s oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. It is widely considered to be one of the most important newspapers in the United States due to its particular emphasis on national politics, and international affairs, and being a newspaper of record. Background Information

12. Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy where the performer speaks directly to the audience, with the absence of the theatrical “fourth wall”. A person who performs stand-up comedy is known as a stand-up comic, stand-up comedian (comedienne if female) or more informally stand up. It is usually performed by a single comedian, with the aid of a hand-held microphone. The comedian usually recites a fast-paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes, and one-liners, which comprise what is typically called a monologue, routine or act. Cultural Notes

13. Nemesis, at her sanctuary at Rhamnous, north of Marathon, in Greek mythology was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris, vengeful fate personified as a remorseless goddess. Nemesis is now often used as a term to describe one’s worst enemy, normally someone or something that is the exact opposite of oneself but is also somehow similar. Cultural Notes

14. Language Points Key Words & Expressions • forge (para. 2): • to develop something new, especially a strong relationship with other people, groups, or countries 建立（联系） • e.g. • In 1776 the United States forged an alliance with France. （美国与法国于1776年建立了联盟关系。） • e.g. • Back in the 1980s, they were attempting to forge a new kind of rock music. （在上个世纪八十年代，他们那时正尝试着创造一种新的摇滚音乐。）

15. Language Points • unnerving (para. 3): • upset or frightening so that someone lose their confidence or their ability to think clearly 让人紧张的，令人害怕的 • e.g. • Kara DioGuardi admits it wasn‘t easy being the new fourth judge on American Idol. “It was a little unnerving,” she told reporters during a press call Thursday. “I didn’t know where I was going to sit and when I was going to speak. “ （凯拉·迪奥卡迪 承认作《美国偶像》新的第四评委并非易事。“有那么点儿紧张，”她在周四记者招待会上对记者说：“我不知道我该坐到哪里，也不知道什么时候我该讲话。”）

16. Language Points • hone (para. 4): • to improve your skill at doing something, especially when you are already very good at it 锤炼，训练 • e.g. • He set about honing his skills as a driver. （他已开始着手训练，进一步提高自己的驾驶技术。） • e.g. • She honed her delivery by long practice. （她花了好长时间练习发言。）

17. Language Points Difficult Sentences • After he dropped the course, I felt terrible. And terrific. (para. 8) • 此句难点在中文的翻译，如何使译文既能准确传达原文的含义又能保留原文的修辞手法。 • 参考译文：在他不来上课之后，我感到既痛苦又痛快。