Unit 6 Matriculation Fixation

1. Unit 6 Matriculation Fixation By Joe Queenan Obsessive Interest in attending elite universities.

2. Text Explanations ★ Offers his sincere advice to parents who have college-bound children. ★ He first criticizes some parents who try to select universities for their children. He points out that a good university does not necessarily guarantee a successful career.(the example of his friends) ★ Then he tells those disillusioned parents whose children are unlikely to enter prestigious universities that many people achieve huge success in this society without a degree from a prestigious university. (exams of celebrities)

3. Detailed Study of Paras1—2 • These two paragraphs make up the introductory part in which the author uses an anecdote['ænɪk,dot]趣闻, 轶事as a starting point of the essay.

4. Language Work—para1 to be forced to stay somewhere/suffer sth unpleasant for a long time languish v.: • She continues to languish in a foreign prison. 她被继续囚禁在一所外国的监狱里。 • to languish in poverty 为贫穷所困

5. If something languishes, it is not successful, often because of a lack of effort or because of a lot of difficulties. (由于不努力或困难太多) 未成功 • 例：Without the founder's drive and direction, the company gradually languished.

6. Not brought to bear on more than one object or objective get/have sb’s undivided attention • I’ll just finish writing this sentence, and then you can have my undivided attention. 让我先把这句话写完，我就可以全心全意招呼你了。 • 学生们正在专心地听讲。 The students are listening with undivided attention.

8. pass slowly (of time) • wore on egs. Months wore on and still he heard no news of his family. —collect, after too much work/with difficulty; acquire garner v. 收集并贮藏;获得 egs. Squirrels garner nuts for the winter. 松鼠为过冬储存松果。 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert.

9. But as the briefing session wore on, I did manage to garner most of the relevant details. —Though I listened absentmindedly, I managed to grasp most of the important information in his speech.

10. Para. 2 • "bright but not brilliant"(Para 2) smart but not outstanding.

11. bright vs. brilliant Intelligent very intelligent • bright: • brilliant: • clever: (BE) • smart: (AE) Intelligent Intelligent

12. 2) "with other college-bound children in the family queue" (Para 2) —with a number of children in a family who are going to go to college one after another in a fewyears.

13. QUESTION What does the sentence. "fewer contacts would be made" mean in para 2? The sentence means that since it was a local university, there would be fewer chancesto establish a network of interpersonal relationships that could be potentially helpful in thefuture.

14. Her degree would put her within striking distance of the yellow brick road, but not physically on the road itself. yellow brick road—theroad of gold, a metaphor for success. within striking distance: very near to egs. We live within striking distance to both Baltimore and Washington. 我们完成该辞典为期不远。 We are within striking distance of completing the dictionary. How to Paraphrase?

15. Paraphrase • After she graduates from a second-class university, she will be close to the path to success, though not directly on it, but still there will be a gap between.

16. Paragraphs 3 & 4 As a response to the man's story, the author tries to give some advice by relating his ownexperiences, i.e. his high school friends, his university days, and his present career.

17. Para 3 • "a manof the world" --- a man who has lots of experience in coping withcertain situations or people. 2) "the most intimate details" --- most personal or confidential details. 3)Mediate --- act between parties with a view to reconciling differences

18. "in question" • - being talked about, under discussion; open to doubt or suspicion

19. Language Work I told the man that many of my high school friends had graduated from the second-tier university in questionand had gone on to live rich, full lives. ----I told the man that manyof my high school friends had graduated from the second-class university his daughter would be attending, and now they are all living full and fruitful lives.

20. in question • now in consideration or under discussion egs. I was out of town on the night in question. I have no idea of the man in question.

21. Paragraph 4 4) "to carve out a nice little niche for myself" --- secure myself a good andcomfortable position by hard work and great effort. If you carve out a niche or a career, you succeed in getting the position or the career that you want by your own efforts.

22. carve out • to successfully create/obtain sth 艰苦创业；奋斗取得（事业、名声） egs. He hopes to carve out a niche for himself as a successful writer. She has ～a place in the fashion world. • 在土木工程业方面, 他孜孜以求为自己赢得了声誉。 He carved out a name for himself in the engineering business. carve out a niche

23. I told him that …not unlike the one his daughter was entering, and had managed to carve out a little niche for myself. —I told him that I myself had graduated from a second-class university in Philadelphia, just like the one hisdaughter was entering, and had managed to establish quite a successful career for myself.

24. QUESTION What does the author mean by "... the sun never set without my thanking God for ... "? —The author means that every day he felt grateful to God for what he learnt from his talented and dedicated professors.

25. 5) "Pressed for biographical data" --- urged to give personal information.

26. tick off The teacher ticked off a name on the list . 老师在名单上的一个名字旁打勾。 tick off the right answer 勾出正确选项 勾出主题句 tick off the topic sentence

27. credentials n. documents that prove that you are who you claim to be, and can therefore be trusted 资格证明书，证件 n. credence If something lends or gives credence to a theory or story, it makes it easier to believe.

28. Paragraph5--6 The man is not very responsive and interested in the author's account, which evokes the author's comment "I never did find out why he was visiting thehospital. "

29. Though he tried to feign interest in my pathetic curriculum vitae, I could see that he was devastated. --- Though he acted as if he was interested in my pitiable CV, I could see that he was upset.

30. feign • V. to pretend that you have a particular feeling 佯作，装作 feign death feign indifference egs. She responded to his remarks with feigned amusement. I don't want to go tonight -- I think I shall feign an excuse.

31. 1. ADJA fake fur or a fake painting, for example, is a fur or painting that has been made to look valuable or genuine, usually in order to deceive people. 伪造的 • 例： The bank manager is said to have issued fake certificates. 据说这个银行经理曾出具过伪造的假凭证。 • 2. N-COUNTA fake is something that is fake. 膺品 • 例： The gallery is filled with famous works of art, and every one of them is a fake. 画廊里满是极好的艺术名品，每一件都是膺品。

32. 3. V-TIf someone fakes something, they try to make it look valuable or genuine, although in fact it is not. 伪造 • 例： It's safer to fake a tan with make-up rather than subject your complexion to the harsh rays of the sun. 用化妆来伪造棕褐色的皮肤比让皮肤暴露于强烈的太阳光线更安全。 • 例： ...faked evidence. …伪造的证据。 • 4. V-TIf you fake a feeling, emotion, or reaction, you pretend that you are experiencing it when you are not. 假装 • 例： He tried to fake sincerity as he smiled at them. 当他朝他们笑的时候，他设法假装真诚。

33. fake vt. • to make sth false appear to be genuine • to pretend to have a particular feeling • feign: to pretend to have a particular feeling • masquerade as: pretend to be sth that you are not • pretend:

34. curriculum vitae n. • a summary of your academic and work history • (synonym) CV, resume • <正>简历,个人履历 • Have you brought your curriculum vitae and certificates with you? 你有没有把个人履历和证书带来呢？

35. "he was devastated" --- he was extremely upset and worried. (He regarded me as an example of failure who graduated from a local university ) • Note the shift of viewpoint in Paragraph 5: "pathetic curriculum vitae" and "hisdaughter ... was going to end up as big a failure as I" are both from the man's point of view.

36. pathetic curriculum vitae • Hypallage ( /haɪ’pælədʒiː/) is a literary device that is the reversal of the syntactic relation of two words • One kind of hypallage, also known as a transferred epithet(转移修饰语）, is the trope or rhetorical device in which a modifier, usually an adjective, is applied to the "wrong" word in the sentence. • The effect often stresses the emotions or feelings of the individual by expanding them on to the environment.

37. 移人于物 • 移人于物。把描写人的词语移用来描写物，从侧面衬托人的思想感情，增强语言的表达效果。如： • 他留着浓黑的胡须，目光明亮，满头是倔强得一簇簇直竖起来的头发，仿佛处处在告白他对现实社会的不调和。（唐弢《琐忆》） • 　　“倔强”一般是用来刻画人物的性格，这里却用来修饰“头发”，而正是这种错位移用，表现出了鲁迅先生倔强的性格品质和不屈不挠的斗争精神。 • http://www.elanso.com/GroupTopic/KUPKSYQcSYUUT3IYG9R6RRIi.html

38. 最是那一低头的温柔， 　　像一朵水莲花不胜凉风的娇羞， 　　道一声珍重，道一声珍重， 　　那一声珍重里有蜜甜的忧愁—— 　　沙扬娜拉！ 这是徐志摩于1924年陪泰戈尔游历东瀛岛国日本时的长诗《沙扬娜拉十八首》中的最后一首。 这首玲珑之作表现了浪漫诗人的灵动与风流情怀。诗中末尾的“密甜的忧愁”作为全诗的诗眼，就是运用了矛盾修辞法。这里，诗人采用对立情绪产生的矛盾效果，浪漫地表达了自己的情感，真可谓悠悠离愁，万种风情，一切尽在不言中。 赠日本女郎 徐志摩

39. A Dream of Red Mansion • “You’ve already got one,” Baochai chuckled, “Much Ado about Nothing is just the name for you.” • 宝钗笑道：“你的绰号早有了，‘无事忙’三个字恰当得很。” • 在此例中，much ado 和nothing的语义是相互矛盾的。译者正是巧用这一特点把对贾宝玉“终日瞎忙，无所事事”的讥讽传神地表现出来，具有画龙点睛之效果。

40. Paragraphs 7 & 8 These two paragraphs play an important role in the essay. On the one hand, they are the author’s comments elicited by the incident; on the other hand, they function as a transition to further discussion on the matter.

41. Paragraphs 7 • Gabbiness • excessive talkativeness • whereof: • of what， about what • follow suit: • to do the same thing as others

42. the neurotic gabbiness --- tendency to talk excessively because of oversensitivity to or over-indulgence in certain topics

43. afflict • If you are afflicted by pain, illness, or disaster, it affects you badly and makes you suffer. 困扰 • 例：There are two main problems which afflict people with hearing impairments. • 有两大问题困扰有听觉障碍的人。 • 意大利受政治腐败困扰已数十年了。 • Italy has been afflicted by political corruption for decades.

44. 2) I know whereof I speak --- I know what I speak of 3) I’m completely lapped out --- I have no interest inthis subject at all. "be lapped out": be eliminated in a race

45. QUESTION Why does the author say that he will never participate in a mind-numbing discussion about college selection process, once his kids haveleft home? • The author believes that such discussions are meaningless or even harmful. Here, he seems to suggest that for those parents who happen to make the right selections for their children or whose children go to prestigious universities such a topic would be self- aggrandizing, but for those who fail to make the right selections or whose children go to less prestigious universities such a topic would be self-flagellatory.

46. Para 8 • unalloyed: • pure • banal: • boring • self-aggrandizing: • arrogant • self-flagelatory: • punishing • punitive: • inflicting punishment

47. LANGUAGE WORK This lack of interest does not stem frompure selfishness or unalloyed contempt for other people's offspring. stem from: to be the result of sth来自, 起源于 Her problems stem fromher difficult childhood. He said that children's bad behavior often stems from boredom.

48. unalloyed[,ʌnə'lɔɪd] • unalloyed happiness 真正的幸福 • unalloyed relief 完全的解脱 We had the perfect holiday - two weeks of unalloyed bliss.

49. Paraphrase ---The reason why I am not interested in it is not because I am selfish or look down upon other people's children.

50. What does cribbage stand for? • Cribbage is a card game. Here it is used in contrast to "mind-numbing discussion." Thus it stands for something entertaining, rather than boring or afflicting.