Mr. Bear and Mr. Rabbit

熊先生和兔子先生

Mr. Bear and Mr. Rabbit lived in the same forest, but they didn't like each other very much. One day, while walking through the woods, and they came across a golden frog. They were amazed when the frog talked to them. The golden frog admitted that he didn't often meet anyone, but, when he did, he always gave them six wishes, so he told them that they could have three wishes each.

Mr. Bear immediately wished that all the other bears in the forest were females. The frog granted his wish. Mr. Rabbit, after thinking for a while, wished for a crash helmet. One appeared immediately, and he placed it on his head.

Mr. Bear was amazed at Mr. Rabbit's wish, but carried on with his second wish. He wished that all the bears in the neighboring forests were females as well, and the frog granted his wish. Mr. Rabbit then wished for a motorcycle. It appeared before him, and he climbed on board and started revving the engine.

Mr. Bear could not believe it and complained that Mr. Rabbit had wasted two wishes that he could have had for himself. Shaking his head, Mr. Bear made his final wish that all the other bears in the world were females as well, leaving him as the only male bear in the world. The frog replied that it had been done, and they both turned to Mr. Rabbit for his last wish.

Mr. Rabbit revved the engine, thought for a second, then said, “I wish that Mr. Bear was gay!” and rode off as fast as he could.

 

Bull Grapevine

吹牛

Three bulls heard via the grapevine that the rancher was going to bring yet another bull onto the ranch, and the prospect raised a discussion among them.

First Bull: Boys, we all know I've been here five years. Once we settled our differences, we agreed on which 100 of the cows would be mine. Now, I don't know where this newcomer is going to get HIS cows, but I am not giving' him any of mine.

Second Bull: That pretty much says it for me, too. I've been here three years and have earned my right to the 50 cows we've agreed are mine. I'll fight him, run him off or kill him, but I'm KEEPING' ALL MY COWS.

Third Bull: I've only been here a year and so far, you guys have only let me have 10 cows to take care of. I may not be as big as you fellows (yet) but I am young and virile, so I simply MUST keep all MY cows.

They had just finished their big talk when an eighteen-wheeler pulls up in the middle of the pasture with only ONE ANIMAL IN IT: the biggest Son-of-Another-Bull these guys had ever seen. At 4,700 pounds, each step he took toward the ground strained the steel ramp to the breaking point.

First Bull: Ahem...You know, it's actually been some time since I really felt I was doing all my cows justice, anyway. I think I can spare a few for our new friend.

Second Bull: I have plenty of cows to take care of, if I just stay on the opposite end of the pasture from HIM. I'm certainly not looking for an argument.

They look over at their young friend, the 3rd bull, and find him pawing the dirt, shaking his horns, and snorting.

First Bull: Son, let me give you some advice real quick. Let him have some of your cows and live to tell about it.

Third Bull: Hell, he can have ALL my cows. I'm just making sure he knows I'm a bull.

 

The Aging Explorer

好汉不提当年勇

A young reporter went to a retirement home to interview an aged but legendary explorer. The reporter asked the old man to tell him the most frightening experience he had ever had.

 

The old explorer said, "Once I was hunting Bengal tigers in the jungles of India. I was on a narrow path and my faithful native gunbearer was behind me. Suddenly the largest tiger I have ever seen leaped onto the path in front of us. I turned to get my weapon only to find the native had fled. The tiger leapt toward me with a mighty ROARRRR! I soiled myself."

 

The reporter said, "Under those circumstances anyone would have done the same."

 

The old explorer said, "No, not then - just now when I went '''ROARRRR!'''

 

 

Four Men and Their Dogs

各有所长

 

Four men, an Engineer, an Accountant, a Chemist and a Government Worker were bragging about how smart their dogs were. To show off, the Engineer called to his dog and said, "T-Square, do your stuff."

 

T- Square trotted over to a desk, took out some paper and a pen and promptly drew a circle, a square and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was pretty smart. But the Accountant said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Slide Rule, do your stuff."

 

Slide Rule went out into the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies each. Everyone agreed that was good. But the Chemist said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Measure, do your stuff."

 

Measure got up, walked over to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces without spilling a drop. Everyone agreed that was good. Then the three men turned to the Government Worker and said, "What can your dog do?"

 

The Government Worker called to his dog and said, "Coffee Break, do your stuff."

 

Coffee Break jumped to his feet, ate the cookies, drank the milk, dumped on the paper, molested the other three dogs, claimed he injured his back while doing so, filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions, put in for Worker's Compensation and went home on sick leave.

 

Words词汇

 

rev v. 加速；加快转速

grapevine n. 葡萄藤

virile adj. 有男子气概的

gunbearer n.持枪者

soil v. 失禁

T-square n. 丁字尺

slide rule n. 滑尺

measure n. 量度器

美国《新闻周刊》（Newsweek）与卡普兰教育机构联手推出的《卡普兰大学指南》，选出2006年度全美二十五间最受欢迎的大学。各校除提供上乘教育，还各具特色，迎合不同学子的需要。名单是经访问学生、处理入学申请的大学职员以及观察家们之后定出，部份国际驰名（如哈佛），部份则不为区外人士熟悉，但共通点是近年学术成绩斐然，报读人数增加。这份大学指南列出的最受欢迎大学，林林总总，有的专长于某学术或范畴，有的以校园特点取胜，而其中总有一间会令人向往。

 

OK, Harvard's on our list. But so are some other colleges you might not have heardof. Here are our top picks for the places that everyone's talking about for 2006.

 

Oh, serendipity. A generation ago, when Americans spoke of the best colleges, they had a pretty good idea: the oldest ones, a few of the biggest, and not much else. Even now, among the old guard, that focus often remains on the eight Ivies, a few small institutions like Amherst and some celebrated state schools like the University of California, Berkeley. But today's students, when they start looking for their own best schools to attend, often wind up discovering many colleges that are just as good, and often just about as difficult to get into, as the famous ones. And it's sort of cool to find out that a hot school doesn't need to be one Grandma and Grandpa have even heard of. With so much attention paid to college selection these days - as the number of high-school graduates reaches 3 million and beyond - families are looking for lesser-known schools that make the grade, along with those icons that live up to their reputations. All 25 colleges on the NEWSWEEK-Kaplan Hot List have one attribute in common: they're creating buzz among students, school officials and longtime observers of the admissions process.

 

Our choices, and corresponding categories, are inherently subjective: there are no equations for assessing the magic that makes a school sparkle. And the colleges suit a range of tastes and needs - big and small, urban and rural, private and public. But each reflects a place that is preparing students well for a complex world. Herewith, America's Hottest Colleges for 2006.

 

 

A.       HOTTEST FOR REJECTING YOU 最难进的大学

Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 哈佛大学，马萨诸塞州坎布里奇市

 

In 2004 Yale edged out Harvard as the most selective Ivy. But after Harvard announced that families earning less than $40,000 wouldn't have to pay the usual parental contribution to tuition, applications jumped to a record 22,796, and the acceptance rate in 2005 dropped to a new low for the Ivies, only 9.1 percent. The aid initiative increased the number of low-income students - 296 qualified. Bottom line: competition was tougher than ever. Harvard undergrads often mock themselves. "It's nice to know you're going to school with people who will control the world," says senior Simon Vozick-Levinson. But they also know how to take advantage. The student paper, the Crimson, is putting out a new book, "How They Got Into Harvard," which has profiles of successful applicants, along with a second book full of winning application essays.

 

 

B.        HOTTEST FOR SCIENCE 最热门理科大学

University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif. 加州大学圣地亚哥分校

 

Science can be fun. UCSD undergraduates mark the end of the school year with the Watermelon Drop, a 40-year-old tradition that began when physics students tested velocity by dropping a melon from seven stories up. On a campus where a quarter of the $1.8 billion in revenue is federal research funds, and where there have been eight Nobel laureates on the faculty, the science is also quite serious. UCSD chancellor Marye Anne Fox, an organic chemist, says welcoming undergraduates into labs is a priority. The school, she says, is also raising the quality of undergraduate education by offering new science majors like molecular synthesis or bioinformatics. Its coastal location, too, is a plus. "Where else can you collect samples from the beach, the desert and the mountains all in one day, and still have time to run genetic tests on them that night?" says Meg Eckles, a biology doctoral student. Faculty and alumni have spun off nearly 200 companies, including about a third of the region's biotech firms.

 

 

C.       HOTTEST FOR LIBERAL ARTS 最热门文科学院

Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn. 麦卡莱斯特学院，明尼苏达州圣保罗市

 

The 1,900-student campus in the middle of a vibrant metropolis has become a key recipient of the growing number of Harvard, Yale and Princeton applicants who are rejected for no other reason than that those schools don't have space for all the A-plus students who apply. Macalester has one faculty member for every 11 students and an emphasis on international affairs symbolized by one of its most famous alumni, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The college has six language residences: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. It offers the intimacy of the archetypal small-town campus - in the middle of the Twin Cities. Applications have increased 60 percent since 1995.

 

 

D.       HOTTEST SMALL STATE UNIVERSITY 最热门的小型州立大学

College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 威廉与玛丽学院，弗吉尼亚州威廉斯堡市

 

It still calls itself a college, even though it has significant graduate programs. William & Mary has only 5,700 undergraduates, which is small for a state school, and considers that a recruiting tool. All freshmen take a seminar with a senior professor and only 16 other students. Since 1999, applicants have jumped 34 percent.  

 

 

E.        HOTTEST BIG STATE UNIVERSITY最热门的大型州立大学

Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. 印地安那大学布鲁明顿分校

 

Much of the charm of life among the Hoosiers springs from tradition, like the Little 500 bicycle races and accompanying weekend partying dramatized in the 1979 film "Breaking Away." But what stokes increasing interest in Indiana from out-of-staters, who make up a third of the freshman class, is IU's eager embrace of the Information Age. The technology giant Intel ranked it first among U.S. universities for wireless connectivity. It doesn't hurt that IU also provides vast choices: 328 degree programs and 130 majors for 30,000 undergraduates.

 

 

F.        HOTTEST FOR COLD WEATHER 最热门的有着寒冷天气的大学

University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt. 佛蒙特大学，佛蒙特州伯林顿市

 

Junior Carly Lehrer uses a term, "chillaxed" - a combination of "chill" and "relaxed" - for the mood at UVM even when cold winds blow. That's when students head for Burlington's leading in-door attractions, like a concert at ClubMetronome or a burger at Sweetwaters. Eighty new tenure-track faculty members are being hired, and $300 million in capital improvements is underway. Applications are up 65 percent since 2000. UVM has 8,000 undergrads on a hilly campus overlooking Lake Champlain, with ski mecca Stowe not far away. The ski team is ranked No. 1 in the East.

 

 

G.       HOTTEST FOR SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING 最热门的自主学习大学

Brown University, Providence, R.I. 布朗大学，罗得岛州普维敦斯市

 

The 5,700-undergraduate school remains the only Ivy with no core requirements - very appealing to students who think they are bright enough to create their own concentrations. The Brown Curriculum, which gives this curricular freedom some structure, has been around since 1969. To graduate, students must still demonstrate competence in writing, successfully complete at least 30 courses and meet the requirements for their concentration.

 

 

H.       HOTTEST FRESHMAN YEAR 最受新生欢迎的学院

Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pa. 乌尔辛纳斯学院，宾夕法尼亚州学院村市

 

Located near Philadelphia, Ursinus has added something rare: a full-credit one-year course that all freshmen must take. It's called the Common Intellectual Experience (CIE), and it has become a sensation among the school's 1,500 undergraduates as a way of bonding in a literary journey. "I have walked in on my roommate reading the unassigned chapters of Nietzsche's 'The Genealogy of Morals' instead of her usual Wednesday-night reruns of 'Sex and the City'," says sophomore Sally Brosnan. The CIE reading list attempts to capture crucial moments in the human experience, from Genesis to the Bhagavad-Gita to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."

 

 

I.         HOTTEST MILITARY SCHOOL 最热门军事院校

The Citadel, Charleston, S.C. 要塞军校，南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿市

 

The 1,900 cadets whose Citadel forebears fired some of the first shots of the Civil War aren't required to join the military on graduating, but more than a third do. The state college didn't look good 10 years ago, when Shannon Faulkner sued to become the first female cadet and found less than a warm welcome. But women now make up 6 percent of the corps. The cadets call the school "El Cid," and say that the bonds formed during the first summer of training in the Iberia-like Charleston heat last a lifetime.

 

 

J.         HOTTEST FOR THE STUDY OF ART 最热门艺术研究学院

Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga. 沙瓦那艺术与设计学院，乔治亚州沙瓦纳市

 

SCAD, as it's called, has had to recover from a troubled period in the early '90s, when a pipe-bomb explosion forced cancellation of graduation exercises, disgruntled students filed a $12 million lawsuit and faculty accused the family who founded the school of running it like a private piggy bank. Since Paula Wallace became president in 1999, the school's long war with local journalists and officials has ended, and its enrollment has soared from 4,500 to 6,700. There are more than 3,000 computer workstations with the same high-end software used in the art and design industry. The Hollywood special-effects-company recruiters have SCAD on their speed dials, and graduates are working for Digital Domain, Pixar and Disney Imagineering, as well as more-traditional employers of artists like TV networks and Procter & Gamble.

 

 

K.       HOTTEST WOMEN'S COLLEGE 最热门女校

Scripps College, Claremont, Calif. 斯克利普斯学院，加州克莱蒙特市

 

After first noting that Scripps was a women's college on the eastern edge of L.A. County, and not the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego, recent graduate Allison Ryan says she often hears a version of this question: "Isn't it full of man-hating feminists/rich little daddy's girls/lazy chicks who couldn't get into 'insert favorite college here'?" A first look at the place suggests more fun than study - with Spanish-revival architecture, rooms with fireplaces and balconies, and a pool with a view of mountains and palm trees. But Scripps, with fewer than 1,000 students, is also part of the highly selective five-school Claremont University Consortium. The college requires a beginning battery of core courses one professor calls "intellectual boot camp," and then does something few other schools do - it makes everyone write a senior thesis.

 

 

L.        HOTTEST MEN'S COLLEGE 最热门男校

Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Ind. 瓦贝希学院，印第安纳州克劳斯维尔市

 

Wabash, praised by guidance counselors, is one of just four remaining U.S. men's colleges. The school recognizes its unusual position. "Being dubbed the Hottest Men's College is a bit like being named the home-school valedictorian," says spokesman Jim Amidon. Students say it works for them. "Time and effort that might otherwise be occupied with concern for the opposite sex or one's own appearance is instead spent studying or on campus activities," says recent graduate Jonathan Schwarz. Behavior is governed by the very old-fashioned Gentleman's Rule, which, says Amidon, is to "behave as a gentleman and responsible citizen at all times." Not that the modern world does not touch the nearly 850 undergraduates. Women come to fraternity parties on weekends.

 

 

M.      HOTTEST FOR STUDENT ENGAGEMENT 学生参与度最高的大学

Elon University, Elon, N.C. 艾隆大学，北卡罗来纳州艾隆市

 

Most colleges keep secret their results on the National Survey of Student Engagement, a comprehensive assessment of best practices in higher education. But Elon puts the link to its NSSE results on the top of its Web home page, since it regularly rates in the top 10 percent. The survey shows, for example, that 71 percent of students worked with classmates outside class to prepare assignments, compared with only 49 percent in all surveyed schools. For the 4,700 undergraduates, courses meet four hours a week, rather than the usual three, with the extra time devoted to putting theory into practice. Business students invest a portion of the university endowment. Engineering students make canoes. Senior Rachel Copeland says she's built houses in the Dominican Republic and worked on an AIDS documentary in Namibia.

 

 

N.        HOTTEST HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE 最热门的传统黑人大学

Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn. 费斯克大学，田纳西州纳什维尔市

 

Tiny Fisk, with fewer than 900 students, has the highest six-year graduation rate, 77.7 percent, among historically black colleges on the Education Trust's CollegeResults.org Web site - just ahead of the larger and better-known Spelman College in Atlanta. Fisk spokesman Ken West says applications are up 300 percent in just a year, and the school is producing more African-American physicists than any other university in the country. Former U.S. Energy secretary Hazel O'Leary (a graduate) became Fisk president recently, and has supported initiatives such as the Ethical Leadership Institute, new internships with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and a music-business major.

 

 

O.       HOTTEST FOR NO SAT/ACT REQUIRED 对SAT/ACT成绩最无要求的大学

Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa. 穆伦堡学院，宾夕法尼亚州阿伦镇

 

In 1996 the admissions staff at this small liberal-arts school, having become frustrated with the eccentricities of SAT and ACT scores, proposed it do away with the test requirement. The school emphasizes its theater-arts and dance program, its success in placing students in medical and law schools and the personal attention illustrated by its decision to eliminate the SAT/ACT requirement. Applications have risen 43 percent since the policy was changed. The school is "concentrating on a person's abilities that have developed as a result of their intelligence and individual choices, rather than focusing exclusively on an individual's scores," says junior Kim Nguyen.

 

 

P.        HOTTEST FOR RESORT LIVING 最像渡假胜地的大学

Paul Smith's College, Paul Smiths, N.Y. 保罗·史密斯学院，纽约

 

There's a simple explanation for the extraordinary look and feel of this career-oriented institution high in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. It began life not as a college but as Paul Smith's Hotel, a favorite of Teddy Roosevelt's. The main campus is 14,200 acres for 850 students, with bachelor's programs in subjects ranging from biology and business to forestry and ecotourism. The school's director of intramurals calls himself "the Dean of Fun" and organizes hikes in boots, skis and snowshoes. There's also a marathon canoe team and a coed woodsmen's team that throws axes and rolls logs. The school owns and runs the nearby Hotel Saranac.

 

 

Q.       HOTTEST CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 最热门的教会学校

Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill. 韦顿学院，伊利诺斯州韦顿市

 

This is not a Bible college, Wheaton officials say. Bible colleges mostly train ministers. Wheaton, with 2,400 students, instead is a place committed to evangelical Protestant Christian faith, as part of the education of students going on to hundreds of different vocations. "We all have one thing in common - our love and our devotion to Jesus Christ," says junior Erin Tanana. The school is known for strong academics and its honor code. Alumni range from evangelist Billy Graham, '43, to Michael Gerson, '86, a chief adviser and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush.

 

 

R.       HOTTEST FOR INTELLECTUALS 最热门的知识分子学校

Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa. 斯沃特穆尔学院，宾夕法尼亚州斯沃特穆尔市

 

It's difficult to avoid intellectual discussions with professors at Swarthmore, if for no other reason than that there are so many of them. The student-faculty ratio is 8 to 1, with three quarters of classes having fewer than 20 students. Swarthmore nurtures "the sort of all-encompassing inquisitiveness about the world that people here tend to have," says junior Samantha Graffeo. Some 600 courses are offered, a large number for a campus with only 1,500 students. The honors program allows undergraduates to do graduate-level work. Swatties, as they call themselves, can also enroll in engineering, a subject not often found on small liberal-arts campuses.

 

 

S.        HOTTEST FOR STUDENT RESEARCH 最热门的学生科研大学

Clark University, Worcester, Mass. 克拉克大学，马萨诸塞州伍斯特市

 

What impresses high-school guidance counselors and students most about Clark is how many of the 1,900 undergrads do original research. Students have done advanced research on stem cells in the new biosciences center, investigated depression in minority youth and visited Transylvania to trace the origins of the Pied Piper fairy tales. The Urban Development and Social Change concentration includes surveys of Worcester residents about quality of life. Undergraduate work is often published.

 

 

T.        HOTTEST FOR SOCIAL CONSCIENCE 最有社会良知的学校

Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. 吉尔福德学院，北卡罗来纳州格林斯博罗市

 

Asked why Guilford is unique, spokesman Lee Owen offers the tale of Nathaniel Heatwole, an undergraduate arrested in 2003 for planting box cutters and fake explosives on a jetliner - and then turning himself in to expose the security breaches. (A court gave him two years' probation.) "He's one of the latest in a long line of Guilford students to practice his brand of civil disobedience," Owen says. That tradition goes back to antebellum days, when the Quakers who established the liberal-arts school made it a stop on the Underground Railroad. During World War II, Guilford defied popular sentiment by welcoming Japanese-American students. These days, instead of going on a road trip for a weekend football game, Guilford students are more likely to organize caravans to D.C. or New York for a major protest. Guilford is the fastest-growing four-year college in North Carolina and supports many community-service projects. "I was recruited to Guilford to play football," says senior Jerome Evans, but by sophomore year he was running a tutoring program at a homeless shelter.

 

 

U.        HOTTEST FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES 最热门的国际研究及外语院校

Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt. 米德伯理学院，佛蒙特州米德伯理市

 

The hilly campus of wide meadows, beside a central Vermont village, has developed one of the strongest national reputations in teaching foreign languages. Middlebury's summer language schools are famous, providing total-immersion programs in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. It has Schools Abroad programs run by full-time Middlebury faculty in 10 countries. About 60 percent of the 2,350 undergraduates spend at least a semester studying abroad. Kathryn Boateng, a 2005 graduate who had a double major in French and international politics and economics, says she was drawn to the range of opportunities; they included research at the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs and language tables at lunch, where students can practice their linguistic skills with professors.

 

 

V.       HOTTEST LEGENDARY UNIVERSITY 最具传奇性的大学

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. 圣母大学，印第安纳州圣母市

 

As proof that Notre Dame doesn't rest on its reputation, the well-known nonprofit Education Trust in 2005 praised it for strengthening graduation rates by set-ting up special chemistry classes for low-performing students. But old values and habits are at the core of this proudly Roman Catholic university. (Only 15 percent of the 8,300 undergrads are non-Catholics.) Most students live on campus, usually in the same dorm all four years. Some residence halls have their own fight songs and mascots for intramural competitions. Ninety minutes before each Fighting Irish football clash, thousands line the route the marching band follows to the stadium.

 

 

W.     HOTTEST FOR PRE-MEDS 拥有最佳医学院预科的大学

Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans路易斯安那赛维尔大学，新奥尔良

 

Xavier is the nation's only institution of higher learning that's both historically black and Roman Catholic. Its impact on national medical care has been considerable. "It has produced a ton of doctors and pharmacists, and has great summer programs for high- school students, especially in sciences, math and computers," says Mary Ann Willis, the college counselor at Bayside Academy in Daphne, Ala. According to a 2004 study, the college of 3,500 students has produced more undergraduate degrees in biology and life sciences for African-Americans than any other school. Xavier continually ranks first in placing black students in medical schools and has educated nearly 25 percent of the approximately 6,000 African-American pharmacists in the country.

 

 

X.       HOTTEST FOR HISPANICS最受西班牙人欢迎的大学

Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles洛约拉马里芒特大学，洛杉矶

 

Los Angeles County has approximately 4.5 million Hispanics, and the largest population of Mexican descent outside Mexico. Loyola Marymount's Jesuit traditions have long attracted Latino families in the area, and as the local high schools add Advanced Placement courses and produce more college-ready students, many head for the 5,500-undergraduate campus. "LMU appeals to Hispanic students because it is very family-oriented and provides great support to students," says Matthew Fissinger, director of undergraduate admissions. About 20 percent of undergraduates are Hispanic. Nearly 96 percent of Hispanic students receive financial aid, and the Mexican American Alumni Association, working on behalf of all Hispanic students, administers special scholarships.

During Hispanic Scholars Day for prospective students and their families, information is dispensed in both English and Spanish. Courses average about 18 students per classroom. "This creates an environment of intensive mentoring and personal student-professor interaction, which is particularly important for first-generation college-bound students," says Sonia Roveri, manager of communications.

 

 

Y.       HOTTEST FOR HAPPY-TO-BE-THERE 最令人愉快的大学

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 宾夕法尼亚大学，费城

 

While other Ivy League schools deny that applying Early Decision or Early Action yields any advantage, Penn's admissions office has long acknowledged it's more likely to select students who declare the 9,700-undergraduate school to be their first choice. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Willis (Lee) Stetson says the more students he admits who are eager to be at Penn, the happier the campus. The university, like other very selective schools, has a world-class faculty and an array of activities, but sometimes that's not enough for the brand-conscious teenagers applying to college these days. The emphasis on picking students who've picked Penn means freshmen fit in quickly, and "by and large everyone here has found a niche," says senior Rachel Fersh, chair of the Undergraduate Assembly. Says sophomore Puneet Singh: "It's difficult to go down Locust Walk without seeing smiling faces."

各国专家点津留学语言关

周嘉蕾

 

5月6日，由北京市教育委员会批准、北京市国际教育交流中心和北京市联合国教科文组织协会主办、亚太地区联合国教科文组织协会联合会和北京市教育考试指导中心协办的“北京国际教育考试论坛暨备考、升学、培训展览会” 在中国国际展览中心举办。美国教育考试服务处、英国文化委员会、剑桥大学考试委员会、法国驻华使馆文化处、泰富环球中国区、日本国际交流基金会、日本口译协会等多家国外考试中心均临现场，相关负责人就大家关系的留学考试最新制度和考试政策等做了详细的解答。

 

英国文化委员会：雅思如何达到好的考试要求

发言者：英国文化委员会马德兰先生

 

近些年来口语在中国得到了快速的发展。就剑桥对中国的英语学习者在雅思学习中的研究显示，在2004年到2005年，中国学生的听说读写这四项在全球的平均成绩很高，在接受性的能力，比如阅读和听力方面表现很好，而在口语方面稍有不足，但是也在逐步的赶上。

　　
中国学生在口试当中，在人际交流的领域，通常会提到“我”和“你”；尤其是在被动态的篇章中提到“我”和“你”，就会使原本比较正规的回答更像对话，而不是报告；从另一方面说，这像是对听者的一个挑战。另外，中国的考生还要学会用问句和祈使句，比如说做这个行不行？有的时候考生也知道是不合适的，不适用于考试的对话。至于“我”和“你”这个问题，在程度比较低的学生中用的太多了，但是这并不是英语写作或者习惯中的讲法。

材料准备方面，大家可以从剑桥的网站上看到。其中有一些研究和教学的信息，有一些模板。教师可以从中采取一些活动，促进学生技能的发展，是综合性的，也可以单独运用，大家可以以此循序渐进。还有书籍的参考，综合性技能的考试。

雅思是不是要考察综合性的技能呢？最重要的是考试的时候要听清楚再回答，这就是互动，综合性的能力。在阅读方面，要看不同的篇章和段落，有的时候还要边读边写，当然这是大家选择性要做的。写作的时候要看出的要求，把作文写的能够切中要害。在考察综合性的能力方面，必须要确保它的可靠性，也要确保首要的重点。

提问：你好，据我所知，以前雅思有一个规定，参加完一次考试之后，必须最少经过三个月才能进行下一次的考试，我知道从5月1日开始取消了这个规定，雅思会不会在出题方面有一些变化呢？

马博兰：非常感谢你提的问题，从5月1日开始大家就不用再等三个月之后再考试了，也就是每个月都可以参加考试。三个月的差距已经被取消了，我们可以使考生或者考试机构更加具有灵活度。

提问：雅思考试和托福考试的不同点和相同点在哪儿？

马博兰：新的托福考试是有些不同的，旧的考试都是一样，考察四个，新托福是依赖网络的，我们不是这样的，他们更强调四个能力的整合，我想非常切合下一代人的需求，所以我想ETS做的非常好，他们运用了新的媒体。托福考试更加注重的是四项技能的整合，结合起来的考试。他们也非常重视三个技能的考察，所以我想特别是新客户，他们是很成功的。

 

英国剑桥大学考试委员会：剑桥ESOL考试的核心理念

发言者：剑桥大学考委员会ESOL考试部研究与评估部主任尼克·塞福先生

 

为了能够有一个好的考试结果，一个有效性，首先我们要描述语言测评的有效特点，并且提供证据，显示出系统是有效的，是可靠的。关于这些考试的几个特点，这是VRIP四个核心的理念，体现在这几个方面：

第一点是Validity，考试的结构要真正的能够体现出学生的水平。

第二点是Reliability，考试要准确。考试的分数如何更科学，如何能得高分，要有可靠性，要使用常规的常模。比如说口语考试很难进行非常客观的评分，所以可靠性是非常重要的，特别是在写作和考试中。

第三点是Impact，就是影响力。我们的考试被纳入到整个教育的过程中来，因为它对教育本身而言也是非常重要的。如果考试很好的话就可以举出学生哪里做得好，哪里做得不好，就可以很有针对性。如果考试不好的话，那就会带来负面的影响。同样考试也会影响社会，因为它会使人们产生对测评的某种态度，对这种考试是持有积极的还是消极的态度呢？这也是将会给社会带来一些影响。

第四点Practicality，是切实可行的。因为这些考试一定要非常可行，比如口语考试要找到可行的方法进行口语考试，也就是说使考试真正能够实行不会太难，让人容易却步等等。

 

美国教育考试服务中心：交流式英语及能力考查

发言者：美国教育考试服务中心亚太区执行董事巴斯卡尔·潘特先生

 

交流性的英语和竞争性会帮助人们非常好的利用英语，如何教授这种可以交流的英语也是非常重要的，我想完美并不是我们的目标，而交流才是我们的目标。这才是在现实生活中语言才能进行的真正的形态，真正的交流是有各种各样的任务的，比如说阅读肢体语言、听力理解等等，还有语言是各种能力的综合，如果把注意力放在语言本身上，我们要注意语言其他的元素，并不仅仅是大量的背单词和了解语法结构，所以多项选择题并不能帮助大家在现实中交流，我们要真正学习的是真正的应用英语进行交流，所以交流性的语言是和其他人互动的过程，在互动中学习。每年都有大量毕业的中国的学生到美国或是别的国家进行教育，他们的障碍也是语言问题，如果语言不好将会限制他们的学习进程，如果语言水平不好的话也会限制中国在全球化进程中的发展。所以英语的学习者必须要把自己的能力整合起来。

英语的能力并没有单独的使用，为什么我们要考察它的能力呢？我们现在非常有信心能够以一种多种技能相结合的考试，特别是强调语言能力，这将会显示出语言的交流作用。我们要学习语言、使用语言，我们语言的考试要真正的能够体现这种标准，我们必须要保证考试是可靠的、是公正公平的。ETS过去60年里做出的成绩还是非常好的，我们现在已经开始进行网考，这个模式是我们现在正在推进的，所有的技能，我们利用四项技能模拟一个真实的生活的场景，因为我们有网络，这样我们的考试才能更有保证，这是非常安全的考试系统。我们要把写作、听力等等各种方面的能力，都要进行良好的整合，同时在考试的过程中我们也要进行监测，看看效果怎么样。

提问：考试的质量是考试组织单位最关注的问题，ETS作为一个庞大的机构，如何保证多种考试的质量，能给我们提一点建议吗？

巴斯卡尔·潘特：您问的这个问题是对我们的工作非常重要的，大家可以看到，我们对于公正、有效性、可靠性都是非常重视的，这么多年我们都这么做，我们不会具体谈到考试的有效性，但是大家要清楚，我们每一次的考试要经过20次的审查，对于ETS来说，我们要进行很多的示范性的考试的项目，这样可以检测我们的考试是否能达到目标。我们花了数十年来保证我们的考试是有效的，不受到任何的损害。

 

 

日本国际交流基金会：日本语能力测试

发言者：日本国际交流基金会副所长盐泽雅代女士

　 

现在在国外学习日语的人数在急剧的增加，在这些学日语的外国人当中，使用日语的机会也在增加。学习日语和使用日语就产生了如何把日语学好产生了需求，为了满足这种需求，从1984年开始诞生了日本语能力测试的考试。这个考试无论是在日本国内和国外都是以日语不是母语的人为对象，测定他们日语学习的水平和能力。现在日本语能力测试在世界范围内每年进行一次考试，考试时间为每年12月份的第一周周日。

　　
考试的主办单位在日本国内是由财团法人，日本国际教育支援协会举办的。在日本国外主办单位变成了日本国际交流基金会与所在国的相关机构进行合办。中国是由日本国际交流基金会和考试中心共同举办这个考试。

　　
日语能力测试分成一级到四级四个不同的级别，参试人员可以根据自己的能力选择相应的级别，在评估自己的级别的时候，可以由一个大概的参照，也就是说用自己曾经学习日语所用的时间来参照自己的级别，其中四级大概是学了150个小时，三级是学习了300个小时，二级学600个小时，一级学900个小时。在每一级的考试中都分三个部分，第一个部分是词汇，第二个部分是听解，第三是文法。考试时间随级别不同而稍有不同，具体的时间是四级100分钟，三级140分钟，二级145分钟和一级180分钟。

　　
日语等级测试在中国是由教育部的考试中心和日本国际交流基金会共同协办的考试。日本国际交流基金会负责出考试题，考题的递送和阅卷，最后是审核。教育部的考试中心负责考生的报名、考场的选定、考试的监考以及其他的一些考试具体内容。

从2003年开始，因为人数的增加，日本与水平能力测试的申请报名方式改为网上报名，目前也仅限于网上报名。为了满足不断增长的考生需要，2005年日中双方进行了新的协议和磋商。首先是增加了11个考场，现在在全国变成了43个考场。由于考场的增加，考生的容量也得到了很大的增加，但是目前的情况仍然不能满足所有考生的需求。2005年的考生报考人数增长到了145270人，实际考生数是12622人，相比2004年，2005年增加了14%。

现在国际交流基金会总会在考虑今后改革日本语能力测试的事宜，总的方向是希望今后的日本语能力测试更多的考察考生的交流能力，此外，还希望改革机构内的体制，使得它能够更加的满足国内外考生的需求。

 

法使馆文化处：法语考试在华当前形势及发展

发言者：法国驻华使馆文化处杜博先生

 

法使馆文化处目前在中国提供的考试是TEF和TCF。法使馆文化处开始着手做一些改进，希望能使中国的学生更方便到法国留学，让他们更好的意识到自己的语言能力。由于当地基本都是用法语教学的，很少用其他的语言，所以建议中国学生还是应该掌握很好的法语能力然后再去法国。

在中国，大学之前的学校通常不提供法语语言教学，大学中学习法语的学生也多是法语专业的学生。大多数的学生在申请签证的时候，只是经过了六到七个月的法语学习。法语考试的只是通过结果来看这个学生是否有能力到法国的大学学习，可以说，这在目前只是为了获得签证才进行法语的考试。

法使馆文化处正在考虑是否能够进行在线的考试，以更方便广大考生。正在考虑的是一直在使用的TEF考试，以为它已经有了很好的结构，很好的模式。采用这个模式也是因为对于真正的初学者，TEF可能是更好的方式评价学生，现在我们看到TCF，它不仅仅是一个语言考试，同时也是由教育部CREB等等对考试进行的界定。6月1日TEF和TCF两个考试都可以进行。大家可以想象，如果同时有两个考试的话，如果这次参加TEF考试通过情况不是很好的话，下次可以再参加另外一个考试了。

在签证发放的过程中，我们跟每个中国学生都进行面对面的接触，但是有些学生并不能够非常有效的用法语表达自己的观点。有时候法国大学会愿意接受这样的学生，看他们的能力和学习背景是否能适合这个大学的学习。同时签证官还要评价这个学生对于口语的理解能力，所以我们感觉到我们并不用这些非常完整的考试，因为还有其他的程序可以弥补这些考试。中国正在发生巨大的变化，更因为如此，我想并不能要求考生严格，当然使馆的目标是为了能够鼓励更多的中国人来学习法语，但是我们想到的是促进法语的学习。我想重新再引入TEF和TCF，这正是有利于强调我们的目标的。希望在中国能够有更多的人学习法语，他们的目标也许并不是到法国进行读书，也许也不是为了到法国学习，只是把它当做语言工具，学一门语言。

另外一个因素也是和刚才相关的，我们非常希望中学也有法语的教学，能够教一点法语，IEB，也就是给中学生的考试。我想这和我们平时的考试是非常类似的，但是它的适用群体更加针对中学的学生。这样的话，中国就可以引入更多的法语的证书，在中国的中学教法语。因为我们之前并没有做这方面的工作，我们现在想，能够针对某个方面进行这方面的工作，这样可以帮助法语在中国的推广。IEB是这个证书的所有者，他们可以在6月份或者今后更多的时间推进这方面的工作。

 

雅思口语考试缘何中国学生垫底

北京新东方学校英联邦考试项目主管  孙涛

 

在“五一”黄金周举行的“国际教育考试论坛暨备考、升学、培训展览会”上，英国文化协会驻华办事处考试业务总监马博兰透露了一项调查结果：从2004、2005年对全球考生雅思考试成绩进行的统计看，中国考生平均成绩明显低于全球总平均成绩，口语考试成绩更是在各国成绩中垫了底。

   
当然，平均分只是一个通过简单计算方法得出的数字，平均分垫底未必就说明中国考生的英语水平最差，因为简单平均分计算法最大的问题就在于它无法考虑到中国考生的个体差异，也没有把这两个事实考虑在内：1，没有哪个国家拥有像中国一样数目众多的雅思考生，而且有近一半是初、高中学生；2，有相当多的中国考生（尤其是成绩不理想的考生）会参加2次或2次以上的雅思考试，而这无疑会降低中国考生的平均分数。

   
事实上，从发展的角度来看，中国考生的平均成绩是在不断提高的，以2003、2004年度学术类考试为例，无论是分项还是总分，考生成绩都有所提高，尽管四项涨幅不同：

 

（来源于雅思考试官方网站www.ielts.com）

 

当然，尽管中国考生的成绩在不断上升，尽管平均成绩低未必就说明中国考生语言水平低，从中国考生四项成绩的比较以及口语平均成绩在各国排名中垫底来看，口语的确是中国考生的一根软肋。虽然我国的英语教育越来越重视听说能力，交际教学法也越来越流行，中国英语学习者的口语水平依然是提高缓慢，没有太大的起色。

   
导致这种结果的原因有很多，有大环境方面的，也有具体的英语学习法方面的。单就雅思口语考试而言，考生无法很好的完成考试四大评分标准的要求无疑直接导致了口语成绩不理想。在雅思口语考试中，考官着重考察考生口语表达的流利度和和连贯性、词汇的使用、语法的使用和语音。笔者在教授雅思和其它英语的过程中发现这四个方面几乎都点中我们中国考生的“死穴”：中国的教育体制中缺乏对公共演讲能力的要求，学生缺少持续表达自己观点的经验；词汇记忆太依赖机械背诵，不了解单词的确切含义和使用方法；语法方面更是每况愈下，一遇到时态和性别就错误百出；语音方面的问题不像其它三项那么突出，但由于平时张口较少，单词重音容易把握不准，语调受汉语影响较大。

这些问题的解决需要很长的时间，甚至可能要求考生去改变一些多年培养起来的学习习惯，比如如何学习词汇、如何去积累语言素材等。当然，对于没有太多时间去准备雅思考试的考生而言，短时间内参加培训班以增加对考试的了解、掌握一些考试技巧也可以帮助他们在考试中更好的发挥已有的水平。

那么如何才能提高我们的雅思口语成绩呢？ 雅思考生都知道雅思口语包括了四大评分标准：流利和连贯、用词、语法及发音。其实在正式的口语考试中，有很多细节也是绝不可以忽略的，而且会成为考官打分的关键。

A．保持眼神交流——中国人的含蓄在交流中经常体现在眉眼之间。眼神的飘忽不定，眼睑的自然下垂被看成是一种内敛、谦虚和礼貌。与之相反，欧美人在谈话过程中眼神一直保持坚定的交流。在他们看来，闪烁的眼神、回避的眼光反映的是一种没有安全感、不自信的心理状态。在雅思口语考试中，所有的考官在提问时并不看着问题提问，他们在考前已经将所有问题熟记于心，在提问时，一直和考生保持眼神交流。这样的提问方式不仅可以保证交流的自然性，也符合西方人的交流习惯。这一点是很多考生忽略的细节，因为平时在家练习时，缺乏交流对象；或者在考试时，由于紧张而造成的。坚定的眼神可以将考生的自信传达给考官，从而留下良好的印象。考生在家自己复习时可以时常照照镜子，检查一下自己的眼神。在正式考试的十多分钟内，考生一定要记住和考官保持一定的眼神交流，自信地看着对方说话。即使心里很慌张，也不要从眼睛里泄露出来。

B．仔细听题快速反应——相当多考生在复习时依照参考书中列举的问题看一个答一个，以为这样就可以准备充分了。他们忽略的重要一点是口语交流的前提是听懂问题。虽然答案准备的很充分，但是他们却忘了同时加强听力练习，以至于口语考试时出现因听力障碍而交流不畅的情况，这样当然就做不到快速反应了。口语复习的最好方法是找一个可以交流英语的朋友，由一问一答的形式来模拟正式考试。这样的复习方法不仅可以真实有效地模拟考试现场，锻炼听力和反应能力，而且可以培养眼神交流。但是如果没有办法实现双人对话，考生可以将所有雅思问题事先录音，然后边听边回答，尽可能还原真实互动的交流方式。

C．巧用停顿技巧——每个人在生活中都会时不时地用到停顿技巧，因为每个人都可能遭遇一些不想回答的尴尬问题。一个考生即使准备再充分，也不免被考官问到一些冷僻或棘手的问题，这个时候恰当使用停顿技巧就变得非常重要了。使用停顿技巧的目的很明显，是说话人思想断档，为了争取时间思考而做出的一种不直接回答问题的迂回方法。考生在使用停顿技巧的过程中可以非常灵活，如“让我想一想”、“这是一个很有意思的问题”，这句话并不是要告诉考官，这个问题很有趣，而是要给考生足够多的时间来思考如何回答问题。这是在交流中常用的一种技巧，在雅思口语考试中是被考官认可的。只要使用恰当，考生完全可以从中受益。

D．提供细节扩展答案——考官给考生打分的前提是考生要提供足量的语言素材以达到分析和判断的底线。可惜有些考生惜字如金，让考官颇感头痛，考官根本无法给出评估，因为这几个简单的单词无法说明考生的交流能力。所以如果考生想取得比较理想的成绩，在考试中就应该主动积极的交流，尽量通过提供细节信息来扩展自己的答案。

 

法国高等教育的卓越性，就像法国文化的特性一样, 显然很难用一种通常的尺度来比较、衡量。然而, 法兰西民族在历史和当今世界上的地位, 充分地证明了这种卓越的力量和价值。因此, 选择赴法兰西留学, 是一个非常明智的决定。

法国留学费用比美、英、澳都低，但不表示它完全是免费的。学语言肯定是要花钱的，商科学校、技术类学校也都要付学费，从一万到十万法郎不等。法国的“大学”免学费———University类的，法语叫Université，但这些大学只有不到百所，而且这些学校要求法语水平很高，专业背景要很优秀，对中国学生来说，申请难度比较大。还有一些精英大学可以免学费，但中国学生能够申请到的也很少。

为了大家更好地了解留学法国的具体细节，本杂志对法国教育国际协作署上海办事处负责人Philippe CINQUINI 先生进行了专访，内容涉及留学法国的具体把握、整体情况、留法费用、语言问题等问题，希望给大家留法的道路添一分光明与坦荡。

 

专访法国教育国际协作署上海办事处负责人

Philippe CINQUINI 先生

年初，在上海的国际教育展上结识了法国教育国际协作署上海办事处的工作人员，继而便有了专访的念头，负责人Philippe CINQUINI 先生就大家普遍关心的30个关于留学法国的问题做出了详细、客观的解答。如果你对留法的具体情况还不是十分了解，你将受益匪浅；如果你了解留法的一些情况，或许，你能从中得到更多、更广泛的信息。

 

Brief introduction

CEF

During the Chinese-French Years, the French Embassy in China decided to establish an official institution - CELA (Center of Linguistic and Academic Evaluation) - to satisfy the needs of the increasing number of Chinese students wishing to pursue their higher education in France. Since March 2006, our name changed for CEF (Centre pour les Etudes en France): Center for Studies in France.

All the students wishing to apply for a student visa must first pass through the CEF. However, CEF belongs to the Education department of the French Embassy and not to the Visa Service. We cooperate with EduFrance, hoping to see more Chinese students further their study in France.

CEF’s purpose is to help the students with the procedures before applying for a student visa. For that, we offer advices and instructions to prepare materials, personal interviews with each student, and we answer everyday to all your questions on our website www.cefchine.org.

 

 “Going abroad”:  Why study in France?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: For the quality of the educational system: Internationally recognized diplomas, degrees, and certificates; 400 internationally renowned institutions of higher education and research; a system of accreditation that ensures quality education.

France devotes almost 20 percent of its annual national budget to education–about 6,000 Euros per student! Domestic and international students are treated equally at French institutions of higher education.

For scientific, industrial, and economic know-how: France is the source of technological marvels such as the high-speed train, the smart card, the Ariane rocket, and Airbus planes. France is also the world's fourth largest economy, home to world-class manufacturing groups such as Renault, Michelin, L'Oréal, Total, France Telecom, and Carrefour, and many thousands of promising start-ups and thriving smaller businesses.

For the quality of French life: a superb system of public transportation, modern and affordable health care, cities in which you feel safe and secure.

For culture and savoir-vivre: France has a long and rich cultural heritage, and a lively cultural scene featuring festivals, theater, fashion, and good eating. France produces 120 - 150 films a year, and Paris has the world's highest density of cinemas.

For the language: French – the official language of almost 200 million people – opens doors in 47 countries on 5 continents.

 

“Going abroad”: How Many international students in France?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Accepting international students is a tradition in France. In 2003-2004, 176 838 international students studied in the institutions of higher education in France. International students occupy 8.9% of the total students.

International students have the same positions and pay the same university tuitions as the French students. They also have the equal rights in insurance, housing.

 

“Going abroad”:  How much does it cost?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Studying in France is relatively inexpensive because the government funds a significant share of the cost. Annual tuition in a public university is between 126 and 692 Euros, depending on the program. A meal in a university restaurant costs about 2.40 Euros. Costs in private institutions are higher. Annual tuition in a private university is between 5 300 and 20 000 Euros.

Remember, international students are treated just like French students.

But the courses designed for international students are more expensive. Since they are entirely account for the needs of international students: French language course, group-taught course, additional course on your major, service in finding house… They are not paid by the government, but cost 3,200- 8,000 Euros in two semesters (this cost is not the most expensive). 

 

“Going abroad”:  What about the cost of living in France?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Most students need 600 to 800 Euros each month to cover the costs of food, transportation, and housing. The amount you will need depends on where in France you live and on what type of housing you select.

The rent fee varies from 122 to 500 Euros according to the comfort, service quality and public/private house. Remember that the cheaper public apartments are occupied fast, and many French students live out of universities. 

 

“Going abroad”: Are grants and scholarships available?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Applications for the study grants offered by the French government are made through the cultural service of the French embassy in Beijing or the nearest French consulate in which you reside.

Applicants are assessed according to the terms of binational agreements. Most grants are made for graduate study, usually at the doctoral level. The length of grants varies by program. Review of applications begins in March for programs beginning in the fall of the same year, so applications should be submitted as early as possible.

Scholarship students receive administrative assistance from the Centre National des Oeuvres Universitaires (CNOUS).

The best source of information on scholarships is the cultural service of the French embassy and the website of EduFrance.

 

“Going abroad”:  May I work in France?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: International students may work half-time as long as they are registered at an institution approved by the French social security system. Even first-year students and students coming to France for the first time have the right to work half-time.

 

“Going abroad”:  Can Chinese students have internship in the enterprises?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: In the recent years, one feature in French higher education is requiring students to have the internships in the enterprises. Students can start internships within study or at the end of study, which last about 1-6 months. Some enterprises offer intern-students subsidies.

 

“Going abroad”:  How will I find housing in France?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Students enrolled in universities may not have living place in France.

Universities throughout France offer rooms and studio apartments at reduced rates (between 120 to 300 Euros per month) in student residences managed by CROUS, the regional affiliates of the French national student-service agency, known as CNOUS. Students can apply on the internet from the 1 January to the 30 April and send the application files to the regional offices of CROUS.

Look for housing on the private market, a task complicated by the requirements of property owners. Let EduFrance take care of the details. Several housing plans are available for international students enrolling at French institutions through EduFrance.

 

“Going abroad”:  What visa status will I have as a student?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: International students coming from countries outside the European Union must obtain a long-term student visa from a French consulate.

Chinese students can apply for a long-term student visa from the French Embassy in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wuhan. All the materials can be found on the website of French consulate in China. Remember, preparing visa is the first thing.

Upon arrival in France, international students must first register with their educational institution and then obtain a student residency permit from the local authorities.

 

“Going abroad”: Health insurance is mandatory. Why?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: France's system of social protection is one of the world's best. The system covers all or part of the health-care costs of insured parties.

Students under the age of 28 are covered by social security when they register with an approved educational institution. Students 28 and older must obtain individual coverage.

 

“Going abroad”:  Do I have to be able to speak French?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Although the EduFrance catalog does contain programs taught in English (mostly management and engineering programs) and some taught in Spanish, knowledge of French will enable you to benefit more fully from your stay and to get more out of life in France.

If your French isn't as good as you'd like, take some courses in France or in your home country.

If you apply for the French-taught programs, the requirement for visa is:

You must have a TEF score, the requirement of score varies from different universities and specialties. In fact, students with a TEF below 150 can hardly obtain a visa.

If you apply for the English-taught programs, the students need to participate in a test of English ability, such as TOEFL, IETS, and GMAT.

 

“Going abroad”:  And if I want to learn French in China?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: The Alliance Française covers in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Dalian and Xian, offering French language course in different levels. Many Chinese universities also offer high-quality French courses. You may consult the nearest universities or visit the website of Alliance Française http://www.alliancefrancaise.org.cn.

France's cultural and development-assistance offices abroad may be able to suggest other learning opportunities.

 

“Going abroad”:  Where can I learn French in France?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes a catalog of programs in French as foreign language–including specialized French in various disciplines–for students at all levels.

Many universities and private institutions have ‘FLE’, but this kind of inscriptions can not allow you a long-term student visa. If you have not achieved TEF 500, the language level required to take French courses, you’d better consult your university in French.

 

“Going abroad”:  What is E-TEF?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: TEF is short for official test of French language, all the students who choose the French-taught programs must participate TEF in order to obtain a long-term student visa. Now China has begun E-TEF (test on computer)

All the questions in E-TEF are question of choices.

E-TEF has 3 parts, 150 questions totally (full score: 900), lasts 2,5 hours. 

l         reading comprehension (50 questions, time: 60 minutes, full score: 300)

l         listening comprehension (60 questions, time: 40 minutes, full score: 360)

l         vocabulary/structure (40 questions, time: 30 minutes, full score: 240)

E-TEF score is valid in 1 year.

 

“Going abroad”:  Can I study in institutions of higher education in France, if I haven’t take part in the Bac (baccalauréat)?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Institutions of higher education in France open to the students who have been admitted in Chinese institutions of higher education. Only those who have higher score of Bac can be admitted in Chinese universities. That is to say, only the students admitted in Chinese universities can have the opportunity of studying in France.

 

“Going abroad”: Is it possible if I interrupt my study in China and start study in France?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: It is better for a student to obtain a degree in China first. Chinese students can have large opportunity of learning in the universities, but can hardly success in foreign countries. For example, in some specialties, nearly 50% students cannot pass exams after 2-year study of DEUG. If you have considered your plan carefully, we recommend you consult related department before carrying on your plan, since some universities only give approve of visa-applying to the students with a degree in hand. 

 

“Going abroad”: What type of institution is right for me?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: The French educational system is distinguished by the variety of its institutions, each with its own goals, structure, and admission requirements.

To bring order to the variety, we'll separate the field into two broad types: universities and specialized schools.

The universities offer academic, technical, and professional degree programs in all disciplines, preparing students for careers in research and professional practice in every imaginable field. The universities offer dozens of different national diplomas.

France's universities are public institutions. Enrollment is open to any student holding a French baccalauréat or its foreign equivalent - that is, a degree that entitles its holder to begin university study in his or her home country

 

“Going abroad”: What is the difference between varieties degrees?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: In France, there are different degrees. Only parts of them are admitted in China or in other countries. If you have some questions, you can contact with the nearest EduFrance.

Les diplômes nationaux: awarded by public higher education institutions, for example, bachelor, master, national diploma of arts. These degrees are qualified as national and admitted by national ministry of education (bachelor, master) or ministry of culture (national diploma of arts). They have equivalence of foreign diplomas.

Les diplômes d’université (DU): awarded by universities, not according to national standards. In general, many courses designed for international students obtain this kind of diplomas. For example, adaptation diploma of science study (DUAES-Diplôme d’Université d’Adaptation aux Etudes Scientifiques). They have not equivalence of foreign diplomas.

Les diplômes d’école: not national level, awarded by private institutions or some public institutions that don’t belong to ministry of education. This kind of diplomas and educations are self-controlled. These diplomas awarded in public institutions value very high. But those in private institutions are sometimes not admitted or legal.

Les diplômes homologues: usually awarded by public or private non-university institutions. The highest specialized commercial schools offer this kind of diplomas.

Les diplômes vises: same as diplômes homologues, awarded by public or private non-university institutions. But the difference is this kind of diploma has to be esteemed by ministry of education. They have equivalence of foreign diplomas.

Les diplômes reconnus: most important is to know what the offering institution is. The levels of diplomas are controlled by non-university institutions. They have equivalence of foreign diplomas.

 

“Going abroad”: What is the difference among public universities, private universities and schools of commercial associations?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Public universities are regulated by French government, belonging to a department. Since government is responsible for part of the university tuitions, students afford less than other kinds of institutions. Most diplomas awarded are national recognized or admitted by official institutions.

Private universities rely completely on the tuitions from the students. So the tuitions reflect levels of universities, teachers, educations and quality of service. Private universities can be a member of association in order to control their education quality.

Schools of commercial associations（Un establishment consular）belong to the regional commercial association and under its control. The commercial association is a public institution. Most funds come from students’ tuitions. The enterprises in the association sometimes subsides a certain discipline. Education and degree levels are controlled by commercial associations. These kinds of schools mainly contain three disciplines: management, engineering, technology.

 

“Going abroad”: French government admits MBA?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: MBA appears earliest in American universities. Now it can also be awarded in France and other countries. Except cooperation programs between French and American universities, all MBA diplomas in France are university’s diploma. But EQUIS and AMBA are responsible for education quality standard, and estimate the best MBA institution in Europe.

 

“Going abroad”: Four universities give me admission offer, how can I choose the best?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: In this moment, there is no class and up-down boards of French universities. But among all the universities, only the public universities offer the national diplomas. You can get help from the website of ONISEP or the nearest EduFrance to assure of university’s quality. The better university should meet your own needs and your study purpose; especially offer you some service, such as housing service and French language course. Besides, you’d better have consideration of location, culture and economy.

 

“Going abroad”: How about the Equivalence between French diploma and Chinese diploma?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: There is no official standard in French.

But in 1999, 29 ministry of European countries approved the Declaration of Bologne/Sorbonne, and definitely go into a uniform diploma of 3-5-8 Bachelor: 3 years; master: 5 years; doctor: 8 years.

For Chinese students, it refers to compared instruction of two education systems:

- Students with a university admission in China can apply for the higher education institutions in France.

- Students with a diploma of DAZHUAN can apply for bachelor of the same specialty.

 

“Going abroad”: How to change a specialty?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: The requirement for students who want to change their specialties is strict. Generally, they must study from the first or the second of bachelor degree, it depends on working experience and choice on bac in China.

The exception is Professional Master Diploma, since it is designed for all kinds of students. Professional Master, CAAE and International Business Diploma accept almost all kinds of students with a bachelor degree.

Every university has its own admission standard; the enrollment depends on a wide-range consideration. In some situations, delegations of French universities come to China to take interviews in students’ selections.

 

“Going abroad”: How to prepare an interview of admission?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Every university, every teacher has his own way of interview.

In the interview, students should speak French as much as possible, clearly introduce their study purpose, and exactly express their ideas and qualities.

 

“Going abroad”: How to enter CELA?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Entering CELA, students should first register on CELA website www.cela-cn.org. Holding a CELA registration number, students can raise different kinds of questions through CELA’s electronic information system, for well-establishing their own study plan.

 

“Going abroad”: What is an interview of CELA?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: All the students applying for visa need to have a interview held by CELA. This is a face-to-face interview about student’s personal status. It charges 1,500 RMB. During the interview, the student should state his study plan actively and clearly. Through this interview, we can synthesized and reasoned evaluate a student’s language level, academic level, working experiences and study plan. After examining all the materials, educational consul will propose an academic advice before transferring materials to Visa place.

 

“Going abroad”: How can I know the processes of my materials?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: Students can learn about processes of materials by their registration number online, until the materials go to Visa place.

 

“Going abroad”: Does student visa have limitation of age?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: No. but students should choose the specialties according to their experiences. It is hardly possible for students to change specialty at the age of 30-35.

 

“Going abroad”: What can EduFrance do for me?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: EduFrance can assist at every stage of your stay in France–helping you analyze your study plans, choose and apply to programs, and improve your French.

You can count on EduFrance:

• For help with administrative and regulatory matters - banking, residency permit, social benefits and assistance
• For help finding a room with a French family (in Paris), or a room or studio apartment in a university residence hall (outside Paris)

 

“Going abroad”: How do I get help with applications?

Mr. Philippe CINQUINI: The accuracy of our advice will depend on the information you give us. So before asking an EduFrance adviser to help you apply to a program, think about your goals and preferences. If possible, indicate the reference number of the program(s) that interest you and describe your background. Ask specific, focused questions.

 

 Useful website:

l         French Embassy in China:                   www.consulfrance.org.cn

l         Information for international student:          www.EduFrance-china.com;  

www.egide.asso.fr

l         Cela:                                                              www.cela-cn.org

l         Alliance francais:                                               www.alliancefrancaise.org.cn

l         Information of higher education in France:       www.edufrance.fr

l         Information of housing:                                         www.cnous.fr

l         Information of  higher specialized schools:       www.cge.asso.fr

l         Information of management schools:               www.fnege.net

l         Information of engineering scholls:            www.cefi.org

l         MBA association:                                        www.mba.org.uk

 

 

Contact Information:

Beijing: espace.pekin3@edufrance.cn

Shanghai: espace.shanghai2@edufrance.cn

Nanjing: espace.nankin@edufrance.cn

Guangzhou: espace.canton2@edufrance.cn

Wuhan: espace.wuhan@edufrance.cn

 

Key Words 单词注释

EduFrance 法国教育国际协作署

Centre National des Oeuvres Universitaires (CNOUS) 法国大学生事务管理中心

CROUS (Centre Régional d'Oeuvres Universitaires et Sociales) 大区大学与学校事务管理中心

TEF (Testd ‘EvaluationdeFrancais) 法语水平测试

Alliance Française 法语联盟语言学校

FLE (Foreign Language Education) 对外法语教学

French baccalauréat 法国业士证书制度，也即高中毕业会考试度与高校招生制度

EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) 欧洲质量发展认证体系

AMBA (Association of MBAs) 国际MBA协会

ONISEP (Office national d’information sur les enseignements et les professions) 法国教育与职业资讯服务署

Declaration of Bologne/Sorbonne布劳涅/ 索邦宣言 (1999年6月19日，29位欧洲国家的部长达成的一个共同宣言，在这项宣言中最终确定了普通建筑专业在欧盟国家实行统一的教学和学位)

CAAE (Certificat d'Aptitude à l'Administration des Entreprises) 企业行政管理能力证书

 

French Chanson Goes International

Chanson（香颂），在法语中的原意就是歌曲，但是它同时还有另一种含义——不受其他乐风影响而独立的一种风格。今日一般所谈到的香颂，系指现代法国流行歌曲的香颂而言，此种歌曲亦有各种的曲调与气氛，歌词以故事性的内容居多，唱尽了人间的悲欢离合。

 

香颂作为法语无可救药的糖衣、世界上最美的歌曲，骨子里渗透了巴黎的优雅与浪漫。近年来在演唱形态上虽也受到美国流行歌曲的相互影响，但其本质与法国的民族性格从未丧失.

 

In the wake of techno, house and world music, a new generation of French artists is at last beginning to find success abroad.

作为高科技舞曲、浩室舞曲以及世界音乐的余波，新一代的法国艺术家终于在海外开始获得成功。

 

To an outsider, it must seem as if French popular music disappeared into a black hole during the years between Piaf and Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the beginning of the nineties. Those French pop singers who blandly adapted British and U.S. standards were the object of ridicule, as were French variety shows. While France enjoyed a good reputation in more elitist fields (jazz, contemporary music...), it rarely seemed capable of producing pop music that appealed abroad, with the exception of isolated cases such as Charles Aznavour, Mireille Mathieu, Serge Gainsbourg... The disco era at the end of the seventies was its only moment of glory (Cerrone, Patrick Hernandez, not to mention a few stars of the sixties who underwent an image makeover: Claude François, Sheila...).

 

 

The full spectrum of musical styles exported by France

由法国出口的丰富音乐类型范围

 

In February 1999, it was estimated that some 9 million French albums had been sold abroad in 1998, and the figures are on the increase. In 1998, French variety accounted for 54.5% of the French market (compared with 45.5% for international variety).

 

In the nineties, the French music landscape began to diversify, supported by developments at both the legislative level (in particular the 1994 law on the quotas of French songs played on the radio)* and the technical level (the spread of new promotion media from Internet to satellite), as well as a change of strategy by the major players in the record industry, who more and more preferred to delegate head-hunting activities to independent labels (and then harvest the fruits of their efforts as soon as success set in).

 

Paris has today become a stronghold of techno and house music. Well before the techno wave began, Jean-Michel Jarre had already established himself as an internationally recognized forerunner. But it was not until the mid-nineties that an entire scene began to emerge. Paradoxically, it was in Britain that the "French Touch", the term used to refer to the wave of DJs from the other side of the Channel, was finally consecrated.

 

Following in the footsteps of Laurent Garnier, Daft Punk burst onto the influential UK music scene at the beginning of 1997, with one album, Homework (Virgin), which sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. A whole rack of artists (Air, Cassius, Stardust, Bob Sinclar, Dimitri from Paris, Mr Oizo, Kojak...) subsequently rushed into the breach, brilliantly imposing the "French Touch" as a lasting movement, from London to Berlin, as well as Rome, New York, Sydney, Amsterdam, Ibiza, Toronto...

 

After the "French Touch" and the US success of the Gipsy Kings, the "world" scene - traditional or modern - has also gained respect and acknowledgement. As a host country, France has been able to discover and replicate talents from cultures far removed from the UK or US spheres of influence (Cesaria Evora, Lhasa, Wes, Alabina...). Besides certain countries in the West (Germany, United States, Canada...), world music has provided access to regions less in the media, such as Africa or Latin America. French artists are not insensitive to this multi-cultural mix: the Hispanic-influenced album Clandestino by Manu Chao (ex Mano Negra) went platinum in Spain; and Deep Forest and Era have sold millions of albums.

 

 

Variety, rap and opera 多样化、说唱音乐和歌剧

 

Other musical styles are rarely of any great interest outside the French-speaking countries - give or take a few exceptions. In the world of chanson as it currently stands, and leaving aside the exception of Quebec singer Céline Dion (whose album D'eux - written almost entirely by Frenchman Jean-Jacques Goldman - became the highest selling French album in the world, with 6 million copies), only Florent Pagny, Mylène Farmer, Francis Cabrel and Patricia Kaas can claim to have had any impact in Europe, as has Anggun, from Indonesia, who sings in French and in English and whose career has rocketed over the past year.

 

Rap, whose entire raison d'être are its lyrics, suffers in the same way from the language barrier. However, its popularity is growing within the French-speaking countries, especially in Africa. Last year IAM picked up gold and platinum discs in Belgium, Switzerland and Canada, as had MC Solaar a few years previously. In 1998, Manau, which performs Celtic rap variety, even went beyond the borders of the French-speaking regions with the album Tribu de Dana, which became popular in Holland and Poland.

 

French rock is largely ignored even if Mano Negra, after a multitude of concerts, has acquired some fame in Latin America and even if young groups such as Autour de Lucie have benefited from some good word-of-mouth propaganda among the US urban set (selling almost 80,000 albums). French jazz unites a more limited - albeit passionate - audience. Since Jean-Luc Ponty, only Michel Petrucciani, who died in January 1999, has made any impact among jazz listeners.

 

The same goes for classical music, where France has few mass audience artists. Richard Clayderman retains a faithful following in Asia and in eastern Europe. But the real revelation of 1998 has to be Emma Shapplin. Carmine meo, the first album by this young diva, picked up gold and platinum discs in thirteen countries (including Argentina, Greece, the Lebanon and New Zealand).

 

Behind this creative impetus, new structures have been set up and organized. The techno sector has given rise to a network of independent labels, most of which achieve three quarters of their sales outside France. Export departments have developed - and not just among the majors. The music industry professionals and the corporate players have also sized up the potential, both cultural and economic, of this international art.

 

* Radio stations are obliged by law to broadcast a minimum of 40% of French-language songs, of which 50% must be new talents or new productions.

 

 

Key words 注释

techno n. 高科技舞曲

house n. 浩室舞曲（於八十年代沿自DISCO发展出来的跳舞音乐）

spectrum n. 领域；范围；系列

legislative adj. 关于立法的

head-hunting n. 猎头

forerunner n. 先驱

consecrate v. 奉为神圣；神圣化

Hispanic-influenced adj. 受西班牙影响的

word-of-mouth adj. 口头的

propaganda n. 宣传；传播

albeit conj. 虽然

size up v. 符合要求

 

Mr. Bear and Mr. Rabbit

熊先生和兔子先生

Mr. Bear and Mr. Rabbit lived in the same forest, but they didn't like each other very much. One day, while walking through the woods, and they came across a golden frog. They were amazed when the frog talked to them. The golden frog admitted that he didn't often meet anyone, but, when he did, he always gave them six wishes, so he told them that they could have three wishes each.

Mr. Bear immediately wished that all the other bears in the forest were females. The frog granted his wish. Mr. Rabbit, after thinking for a while, wished for a crash helmet. One appeared immediately, and he placed it on his head.

Mr. Bear was amazed at Mr. Rabbit's wish, but carried on with his second wish. He wished that all the bears in the neighboring forests were females as well, and the frog granted his wish. Mr. Rabbit then wished for a motorcycle. It appeared before him, and he climbed on board and started revving the engine.

Mr. Bear could not believe it and complained that Mr. Rabbit had wasted two wishes that he could have had for himself. Shaking his head, Mr. Bear made his final wish that all the other bears in the world were females as well, leaving him as the only male bear in the world. The frog replied that it had been done, and they both turned to Mr. Rabbit for his last wish.

Mr. Rabbit revved the engine, thought for a second, then said, “I wish that Mr. Bear was gay!” and rode off as fast as he could.

 

Bull Grapevine

吹牛

Three bulls heard via the grapevine that the rancher was going to bring yet another bull onto the ranch, and the prospect raised a discussion among them.

First Bull: Boys, we all know I've been here five years. Once we settled our differences, we agreed on which 100 of the cows would be mine. Now, I don't know where this newcomer is going to get HIS cows, but I am not giving' him any of mine.

Second Bull: That pretty much says it for me, too. I've been here three years and have earned my right to the 50 cows we've agreed are mine. I'll fight him, run him off or kill him, but I'm KEEPING' ALL MY COWS.

Third Bull: I've only been here a year and so far, you guys have only let me have 10 cows to take care of. I may not be as big as you fellows (yet) but I am young and virile, so I simply MUST keep all MY cows.

They had just finished their big talk when an eighteen-wheeler pulls up in the middle of the pasture with only ONE ANIMAL IN IT: the biggest Son-of-Another-Bull these guys had ever seen. At 4,700 pounds, each step he took toward the ground strained the steel ramp to the breaking point.

First Bull: Ahem...You know, it's actually been some time since I really felt I was doing all my cows justice, anyway. I think I can spare a few for our new friend.

Second Bull: I have plenty of cows to take care of, if I just stay on the opposite end of the pasture from HIM. I'm certainly not looking for an argument.

They look over at their young friend, the 3rd bull, and find him pawing the dirt, shaking his horns, and snorting.

First Bull: Son, let me give you some advice real quick. Let him have some of your cows and live to tell about it.

Third Bull: Hell, he can have ALL my cows. I'm just making sure he knows I'm a bull.

 

The Aging Explorer

好汉不提当年勇

A young reporter went to a retirement home to interview an aged but legendary explorer. The reporter asked the old man to tell him the most frightening experience he had ever had.

 

The old explorer said, "Once I was hunting Bengal tigers in the jungles of India. I was on a narrow path and my faithful native gunbearer was behind me. Suddenly the largest tiger I have ever seen leaped onto the path in front of us. I turned to get my weapon only to find the native had fled. The tiger leapt toward me with a mighty ROARRRR! I soiled myself."

 

The reporter said, "Under those circumstances anyone would have done the same."

 

The old explorer said, "No, not then - just now when I went '''ROARRRR!'''

 

 

Four Men and Their Dogs

各有所长

 

Four men, an Engineer, an Accountant, a Chemist and a Government Worker were bragging about how smart their dogs were. To show off, the Engineer called to his dog and said, "T-Square, do your stuff."

 

T- Square trotted over to a desk, took out some paper and a pen and promptly drew a circle, a square and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was pretty smart. But the Accountant said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Slide Rule, do your stuff."

 

Slide Rule went out into the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies each. Everyone agreed that was good. But the Chemist said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Measure, do your stuff."

 

Measure got up, walked over to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces without spilling a drop. Everyone agreed that was good. Then the three men turned to the Government Worker and said, "What can your dog do?"

 

The Government Worker called to his dog and said, "Coffee Break, do your stuff."

 

Coffee Break jumped to his feet, ate the cookies, drank the milk, dumped on the paper, molested the other three dogs, claimed he injured his back while doing so, filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions, put in for Worker's Compensation and went home on sick leave.

 

 

Words

词汇

 

rev v. 加速；加快转速

grapevine n. 葡萄藤

virile adj. 有男子气概的

gunbearer n.持枪者

soil v. 失禁

T-square n. 丁字尺

slide rule n. 滑尺

measure n. 量度器

 

 

 

名人榜

The World's Most Powerful Women in Politics

全球政坛铿锵玫瑰

 

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel

德国总理安吉拉•默克尔

Angela Merkel，leader of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), became Germany's first woman chancellor on November 22, ending months of political uncertainty and ushering in a fragile new coalition of left and right that must prove it can revive Europe's biggest economy.

Merkel, the 51-year-old pastor's daughter, started her political career after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989: she joined democracy movements and soon entered conservative politics. Former conservative Chancellor Helmut Kohl launched her early career by making her family and youth minister in his Cabinet. Fifteen years later, Merkel has reached Germany's highest political office; a breathtaking rise which was confirmed by a parliamentary vote in which 397 of the Bundestag's 614 members backed her -- easily enough for the majority she needed in the lower house.

 

Ireland's President Mary McAleese

爱尔兰总统玛丽·麦卡利斯

President Mary McAleese has always been a breaker of barriers--and she has needed to be. For all her strong views on the need for change, the President remains firmly rooted within her church. `We love our churches,' she says. `They are our hearth and home. We want them to be places of open, not locked, doors.' And this not just within Ireland. She sees the meeting of Western religions with those from the East not as a dilution but an enrichment. `Reconciliation in Christ frees us from anxiety about our identity,' she says. `We exist in relation to him, not through comparison with those who differ from us.'

 

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark

新西兰总理海伦·克拉克

Helen Clark was elected Prime Minister of New Zealand on 27 November 1999. Her rise to the top of New Zealand politics is the culmination of almost thirty years of involvement with the Labor Party, and the latest chapter in a remarkable story which began in New Zealand's provincial, conservative heartland.

Helen Clark was born in 1950, in Hamilton, and spent her first twelve years on the family sheep and cattle farm to the west of the city. She is the oldest of four girls. Away from politics, Helen Clark is a keen concert goer and opera lover and an enthusiastic supporter of the arts in general. Helen Clark is married to Dr Peter Davis, Professor of Sociology and head of the Sociology Department at Auckland University.

By serving as Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage as well as Prime Minister, Helen Clark intends to give the arts in New Zealand a degree of prominence and support they have not previously enjoyed at the top political level. Helen Clark likes to keep fit through regular visits to the gym and has a passion for hiking and cross-country skiing. In January 1999 she climbed Africa's highest peak, the 5895m Mt Kilimanjaro.

 

Latvia’s President Vaira Vike-Freiberga

拉脱维亚总统瓦伊拉·维凯-弗赖贝加

After retiring in 1997, she boarded a plane and returned to Latvia to head the Latvian Institute. A year later, she’s been drafted in as a dark-horse candidate for president; shocking observers, she won. Some doubted the red-headed woman who had no political experience and who spent almost 55 years outside Latvia could make it in the male-dominated world of Latvian politics. But she now heralded as Latvia’s most popular and arguably most competent leader. She’s up for reelection in 2003.

When Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga took office last year, observers were quick to point out similarities between her and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Not only are both highly intelligent and strong-willed—with their swirling stacks of red hair, they even look a lot alike. For Vike-Freiberga, the comparisons led to the inevitable label: Latvia’s Iron Lady.

 

 

Finnish President Tarja Halonen

芬兰总统哈洛宁

 

Tarja Halonen was elected the 11th President of Finland in February 2000 and assumed office on 1 March 2000. She is Finland’s first female head of state.

President Halonen was born in Helsinki in 1943. She joined the Social Democratic party in 1971. Her political career began in 1974 when she was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister, a post she held until 1975. President Halonen was elected to the Parliament in 1979 and held her seat in five consecutive elections until she assumed the office of the President of Finland.

 

President Halonen is married to Pentti Arajärvi and has one daughter. She is interested in theatre and has held several honorary positions in this sphere. Her other interests include the history of the arts, and painting and drawing are among her hobbies. She has also been closely involved in rhythmic competition gymnastics and swims regularly.

 

The Philippines’ President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

菲利宾总统阿罗约

 

The President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, holds many records. Elected as Senator during her first try in politics in 1992, she was re-elected Senator in 1995 with nearly 16 million votes, the highest number of votes in Philippine history.  She was elected Vice President of the Philippines in 1998 with almost 13 million votes, the largest mandate in the history of Presidential or Vice Presidential elections.  She was sworn in as the 14th President of the Philippines on January 20, 2001 by Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. after the Supreme Court unanimously declared the position of President vacant, the second woman to be swept into the Presidency by a peaceful People Power revolution.

The President is the daughter of the late President and Mrs. Diosdedo Macapagal, who were well known for their integrity and simple but dignified lifestyle. During the Presidency of Diosdado Macapagal, the Philippines was second only to Japan in economic progress in Asia.

 

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Khaleda Zia

孟加拉国卡莉达•齐亚

Khaleda Zia was born to Iskandar Majumder, a businessman, and Taiyaba Majumder at Dinajpur district in north-western Bangladesh in 1945. In 1960, she got married to Ziaur Rahman. Her husband, one of the prominent heroes of the country's liberation war, later became the President of the Republic and formed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Even when her husband was propelled to power after the political changes in 1975, she remained a shy and withdrawn housewife who devoted most of her time grooming up her two sons.

In 1991, she became the country's first woman Prime Minister through a free and fair general election on 27 February 1991 and formed the government. She became Prime Minister for the second consecutive term after the BNP had a landslide victory in 15 February 1996 general election to the sixth Jatiya Sangsad. The election was, however, boycotted by all other major parties.

 

Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

利比里亚总统埃伦·约翰逊•瑟利夫

 

From Liberian cabinet minister to senior UN administrator and now presidential election winner at the second attempt, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's career has never stood still. Having served as a finance minister in William Tolbert's True Whig government in the 1970s, Johnson-Sirleaf announced her intention to stand as senatorial candidate in the 1985 elections in opposition to the military rule of Samuel Doe. For a brave speech heavily critical of Doe, she was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, of which she served two short periods of detention, one before and one after the 1985 election, before fleeing the country. Doe went on to win the election through widespread intimidation and almost certainly fraudulent counting.

 

 

Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet

智利总统巴舍莱

 

Chile elected socialist Michelle Bachelet to be its first woman president on Sunday, making her only the second woman elected to head a South American state as Latin America cements a shift to the left. A former defense minister, Bachelet is only the second woman elected to head a South American nation after Janet Jagan of Guyana was chosen to succeed her husband as president in 1997 after he died.

A Bachelet victory consolidates a shift to the left in Latin America, where leftists now run Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela, some with politics more extreme than others. Socialist Evo Morales will soon take office in gas-rich Bolivia, and a leftist is favored to win Mexico's July presidential election.

 

Key words

词汇

 

goer n. 行人

unanimously adv.全体一致地

imprisonment n. 关押

Uruguay n.乌拉圭

Venezuela n.委内瑞拉

 

挑战新托福需要过交际英语关

 

《出国与留学》记者专访ETS全球高级副总裁Paul Ramsay

 

几个月前，中国学生纷纷抢报最后一次旧托福，以至于2006年5月托福的报名情况极为火爆。而相应的托福培训业内从培训模式之争到官方指南之争、从教师资格论到模考体系正统论各类机构纷纷抢滩新托福培训希望能够一改托福培训市场被一家垄断的局面。面对新托福，一方面信息不对称的中国学生还是表现出了某种焦虑和担忧，绝大多数的学生更倾向于选择原有的考试模式而不愿意尝试改革过的托福网考。另一方面占有信息优势的培训机构则鱼龙混杂解构各类信息以期混淆视听从而面对无知的考生获得爆利。担忧也好，怯喜也好，该面对的总是要面对的。为了让广大的中国学生能更好的了解新托福，美国教育考试服务中心（ETS）全球高级副总裁Paul A. Ramsay来到中国，4月20日在清华大学进行了题为《交流式英语》（communicative English）的讲演。Ramsay先生此次中国行的目的地还有复旦大学和武汉大学。而《出国与留学》杂志社记者周嘉蕾（以下简称记）则站在中国学生的角度专访了保罗-拉姆齐先生（以下简称保）。

 

新托福培训谁是正宗？

记：保罗先生请问ETS中国授权方是哪家？目前市场上出现的模考题目和师资是否来源于ETS？

　　

保：ETS在中国有三家合作机构，包括中国教育部考试中心、中国职业考试中心、和泰德，但是ETS并没有完全授权给国内的任何一家机构。ETS与泰德共享部分TOFEL和GRE资料，泰德在国内的主要权限为资料分销和组织教师研讨会等。所以说“授权”是不合适的。泰德有我们的部分资料，但是他们也自己研发了一些题目。至于老师，我们并没有提供。

　　

记：那么目前泰德和国内的一些机构所说的模考试题和模考师资均来自于ETS是不正确的？因为国内比如紫铭留学机构向学生们推荐上他们与泰德合作的培训课，并推荐学生说他们与泰徳合作的模考题目和师资均来源于ETS授权，并且说学生最好参加3次以上的模考才会考好新托福，而每次模考的费用需要240元人民币，这对中国学生来说是在惧怕新托福的基础上又增加了备考成本。

　　

保：我要说的是ETS没有授权这些行为，ETS不会与世界上的任何一所包括中国在内培训学校有授权模考关系，但我想说的是泰德确实是我们在中国的一个很好合作伙伴，但尽管如此ETS也不是向泰德授权了所有内容就像我前面所说的那样。

　　
新托福内容增加如何应对

　
记：改革后的托福在听力和口语部分会涉及到课堂教学—也就涉及到了专业的领域，那么在面对对部分学科的学生有利的题目的时候，“公平性”体现在哪里呢？

　　

保：在设计题目的时候最重要的是将题目设计的尽量多样化，要涉及各种各样的问题。考题是给全球85万学生设计的，不管什么样的题目，总有一些学生会比较熟悉这个问题。我们要尽量保证学生在回答问题的时候不需要准备额外的知识，只需要通过考试中提到的信息就可以回答。这样的测试并不需要学生对相关题目有所了解。

　　

记：学生们该怎么得到关于网考托福的帮助？市场上的资料是否可信？

　　

保：关于托福网考，目前市场上流行的各种软件都属于各机构自行研发，与ETS并没有任何关系。ETS官方网站为广大考生提供一次免费模考的机会，关于托福网考的更多消息，请参阅www.ets.org网站。

　　

新托福改革的目的？——让英语真正成为交流的工具

　　
以下是保罗-拉姆齐先生在清华演讲的部分内容（讲座录音整理）

　　

美国教育考试服务中心提出了“交流式英语”的概念，美国教育考试服务中心（ETS）全球高级副总裁Ramsay先生对这一概念进行了详细的说明：“为了帮助学生在英语教学环境中进行有效的交流，我们应该认识到，尽管语言的准确性很重要，但学生不需要把词汇和语法学习得很精深就可以用英语进行有效的交流。学生真正需要的学会的是如何综合掌握所有的思想基本语言机能，即听、说、读、写。”全球高级副总裁保罗-拉姆齐先生就新托福改革的意义和如何准备新托福等自爱清华大学进行了如下演讲：

　　

问题回到我们最初学习英语的时候：“为什么我们要学习英语并愿意为学习这门语言付出努力？”仅仅是因为我们喜欢英语国家的文化，想听得懂、看得懂那些我们热衷的歌曲和电影吗？还是因为，我们想自如的使用这种不是我们母语的语言？如果你的答案是后者，那么你可以使用英语或是用英语进行交流吗？

　　

交流式英语与新托福

　　

“交流式英语”强调听、说、读、写四种基本语言技能的平衡，在这点上，与传统的英语学习有较大的不同。传统的英语学习强调的是词汇、语法以及文章的翻译，在这样的模式之下，多数的中国学生并不善于使用这种已经学习了很多年的语言。但同时，英语成绩却是逐年攀升——学与用的矛盾在英语学习这个问题上显得格外突出。为了解决这个日益严峻的问题，ETS在过去的25年里与各大高校和研究机构合作，共同普及“交流式英语”的理念并开发“交流式英语”相关的能力测试项目。“交流式英语”理念强调综合提高语言的四项基本技能，并于互动方式开展英语教学，新托福就是“交流式英语”的一种测试方式。

　　

基于互联网的新一代托福考试（托福网考）已于2005年9月首先在美国推出，代表了一种全新的学习和测评高等教育环境中使用英语的方法。在大量研究工作的基础上，托福网考模拟大学真实场景，综合考察全部思想与研究流技能，同时能指出考生语言能力的优势和弱势，提供能力反馈信。托福网考将于2006年8月正式登陆中国。新托福分为听力、阅读、口语、写作四个部分，每部分0——30分，满分120分。与旧托福相比，新托福取消了语法部分，新添口语；作文也由原来的一篇增加为两篇。考试时间延长为4个小时。

　　

　

听力与口语：两座大山

　

听到托福考试调整的消息后，很多同学形容之为“噩耗”。对学了多年的哑巴英语和类哑巴英语的中国学生来说，说成“噩耗”有点过，但这倒真是个挑战。过分注重于词汇和语法使很多同学忽略了听力和口语的练习，也许你对一种语言十分熟悉，但依然无法使用它。心里有一个很好的句子、很好的观点，单词在脑子里飞来飞去，嘴巴上却说得连自己都听不懂。新托福的“交流式英语”旨在推进交流能力的学习，并增加了考试的口语部分。ETS希望能以此影响英语的教学方法，促进老师和学生注重交流式英语的学习。

　　

还不不放心？那我们来举个例子。以口语考试中的综合口语表达为例：

　　

首先，阅读一篇短文章；然后你会听一段跟这个文章主题相关的演讲，演讲结束后回答相关问题。这个部分的思考时间为30秒，问题回答时间为1分钟，分数从0—4分。好的标准是你可以准确地听出文章的重点并用流利的语言表达出来，准确地使用词汇和语法，这期间即使有一点小错误也不会妨碍成绩。

　　

但是你的最终分数并不是你的原始分数，就是说即使得了满分也不意味着考生答对了所有问题。ETS基于希望每一分都能反映出学生真实能力的想法划定了分数范围，以此来平衡所有地区的考生分数，力求能最真的体现学生的真实能力。与GRE的评分标准很相似，托福网考的口语部分将测试的分数相加后根据特定的公式进行换算。

　　
划定分数范围的话也可以帮助有关大学根据自己的要求选择合适的学生。如果是一个学习数学的学生、在国外承担的教学工作也不多，那么学校侧重的很可能是学生英语成绩中的听力和阅读部分。如果学校需要的是一个教学助理的话，那么口语成绩就很可能会成为校方重点考虑的部分了。

　　
口语是很多考生最担心的部分，多听广播、看看电影会对你的口语和听力有很大的帮助。但是，最有效的方法还是与别人多使用英语交流。Ramsay先生提到，在过去考试中，中国学生表现得很好，因此他相信，不论什么困难摆在考生面前，中国学生都能克服的。

　　

　　

托业：物美价廉

“交流式英语”是未来英语发展的必然趋势。ETS主要考试中托福、GRE都要调整，托业（TOEIC）的改革也是剑在弦上了。2006年5月，托业考试会现在日本和韩国地区进行听力和阅读部分的改革。改革后的托业考试将取消现行的要求学生孤立回答问题的模式，听力部分的问题会由原来的就一幅画或一个问题做出回答转变为听对话后回答多个问题。但这些变动只是“小动”，真正的改革将于今年的12月份开始实行，增加口语和写作部分。

　　
与托福相比，托业侧重的是职场环境中的英语运用能力。其考察内容也以职场需要为主。托业的改革原因同托福类似，在决定改革之前，ETS也做了充分的准备，希望能以此逐步改变现在考生的“开口难”问题。

　　
对广大的在校大学生而言，托业考试是就职前的英语水平测试方式之一，同时这项考试可谓是“物美价廉”。经过26年的发展，托业考试已经成为全球职业英语测评首选标准，考试及其成绩分析理论通行60多个国家，在5300多家大型跨国公司和院校广泛应用。但是它的考试费用相对来说不是很高，而且在中国就业培训技术指导中心和劳动和社会保障部职业技能鉴定中心的合作下，托业向高校大学生（每年限五万名）提供校园助学计划，助学期间大学生报名考试费为374元（节省249元）。

posted @ 2006-05-15 19:26 《出国与留学》 阅读(2272) | 评论 (1) | 编辑 收藏

Hillary Clinton

希拉里——这个女人不寻常

 

 

I want to be who I want to be

我要成为我想成为的人

 

"I want to be who I want to be and I don't want to be told I can or cannot do something that is natural and part of my life." --Hillary Clinton

“我要成为我想成为的人，我不愿别人告诉我该做什么不该做什么。这是我的天性也是我生活的组成部分。”希拉里·克林顿

 

No one can deny she keeps busy: Lawyer, alleged "feminazi," bestselling author, working mother, Senator, cookie-baker, First Lady and quite possibly future president of the United States.

没有人可以质疑她的繁忙：她是律师、所谓的“女权主义者”、销量最佳的作者、职业妇女、参议员、家庭主妇、第一夫人，除此之外，她还极有可能成为美国下一任总统。

 

Hillary Rodham was born in Chicago, on October 26, 1947, the first of three children. Her early upbringing betrayed little of what was to come: She was a typical bright kid, into school sports, Girl Scouts, going to church and getting good grades. She went to Wellesley College and subsequently on to Yale Law School, which is when life became a little more complicated. As the free-love 1960s were coming to a close, she met a young Bill Clinton.

      
希拉里1947年10月26日出生在芝加哥，在家里三个孩子中排行老大。启蒙时期的教育并未表露出即将发生的一切：她是个典型的聪明孩子，加入学校的运动队、女童子军、去教堂做礼拜，并且成绩优异。她完成韦尔斯利学院的学业之后进入了耶鲁大学法学院深造，就此，希拉里的生活开始变得复杂起来。随着六十年代性开放渐近结束，她邂逅了年轻的克林顿。

 

She moved to Arkansas and married Bill in 1975. A short while later, she took a job with the Rose Law Firm, where one can only assume from the volume of later news coverage that she immediately began a full-time effort to compile damning records on herself and her husband, perhaps before they even did anything especially bad. In 1980, she took a break from compiling massive incriminating dossiers to have the Clintons' only daughter, Chelsea. Actually, it was 1978 when the fun really started. Clinton opened a commodities trading account with $1,000, as her husband's gubernatorial campaign was heating up, and had made $100,000 by the time she closed it the next year.  While her husband was clawing his way to the top of the Arkansas political food chain, first as attorney general and then as the state's youngest governor in 1978, Hillary Clinton was forging a name for herself as a formidable attorney.

 

1975年，希拉里与克林顿结为伉俪并移居阿肯色州。没过多久，希拉里便在罗丝律师事务所找到了工作，我们只能从日后铺天盖地的新闻报道中猜测，她很快成为了一名专职案卷整理员，编辑整理着她和丈夫的那些不良记录，或许，这是在他们没有任何劣迹之前。1980年，希拉里停下了手中大量的犯罪卷宗整理工作，来迎接他们的唯一女儿——切尔西的出生。事实上，1978年希拉里便以一千美金起家，开始做日用品生意，随着丈夫克林顿参加州长选举的不断加温，她的生意在第二年赚得了十万美金。与此同时，从最初的总检察长到1978年荣升为美国最年轻的州长，她的丈夫爬上了阿肯色州的政坛金字塔顶峰，而希拉里则自嘲地称自己为大律师。

 

Hillary served as Arkansas's First Lady for 12 years, balancing family, law, and public service. She chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, and the Children's Defense Fund.

      
希拉里在阿肯色州做了12年的第一夫人，她巧妙地权衡着家庭、律师工作和公共性服务事务之间的关系。希拉里主持管理阿肯色州教育标准委员会的工作，帮助建立阿肯色州家庭与子女联盟，她还效力于阿肯色州儿童医院和儿童保护基金会。

 

People are alleging that the president is a sex addict -- is this true?

人们断言总统是个色狼——这是真的吗？

 

"I just put it in a little box. That's how I deal with it. I put it in a box in my mind and I just don't think about it." --Hillary Clinton

“我只是将它放在一个小盒子里。这是我处理它的方式。把它收拾进我心中的盒子里，然后不去想它。”希拉里·克林顿

 

As the Clintons moved to the national stage with Bill's run for president in 1991, Hillary Clinton almost instantly became a lightning rod for criticism. No, wait, criticism is too pale a word for it. Unbridled hate is much more accurate. Man, did people hate Hillary! And if they didn't hate her, they really, really loved her. In fact, the only other person in American history ever to inspire as much violent love and rabid hate was her husband.

1991年克林顿参选美国总统，克林顿夫妇登上了国家舞台，希拉里几乎立即成为了批评的避雷针。不，“批评”这个词用在这里过于苍白。“无边的憎恨”或许更为恰当。男人，让人们憎恨希拉里，但如果人们并不憎恨希拉里，那他们就是真的热爱她。事实上，在美国的历史里只有另外一个人激起了如此强烈的爱和狂躁的愤怒，这个人就是她的丈夫。

 

In an interview with "60 Minutes," Clinton responded to questions about Bill's dalliances by explaining that she wasn't "some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette." The media went nuts, repeating the clip endlessly and quizzing random citizens on the street about exactly how pissed off this statement made them. It was never exactly clear why this was supposed to piss people off, but after the sixth or seventh week of coverage it was just assumed that it did.

      
在接受“60分钟”节目的采访时，希拉里回答了关于克林顿性丑闻的问题，希拉里这样解释自己：她并不是那种“像特米·温奈特一样站在她男人身边的女人。”媒体开始发狂，他们反复播出录有这段话的剪辑，在大街上展开随机访问，询问民众希拉里的言辞到底使他们有多反感。虽然永远无法搞清为什么希拉里的言辞会引发众怒，但经过六到七个星期的反复报道，这似乎成了众口铄金的事实。

 

By summer 1994, everyone was getting kind of pissed off about this whole scandal thing, so an illustrious and impartial legal expert named Robert Fiske was brought in as a special counsel to investigate Whitewater. Investigations by Fiske, the Washington, D.C., police, the national park service, the Resolution Trust Corp., various House and Senate committees, at least one grand jury, all failed to turn up any compelling criminal case which could effectively be levied against the Clintons.

1994年的夏天，似乎每个人都开始对此丑闻事件感到反感，作为调查白水事件的特殊辩护人，杰出、公正的法律专家罗伯特·菲斯科介入其中。通过菲斯科对华盛顿地区、警察机关、国家公园管理局、清理信托公司、各个议院和参议院委员会以及至少一个大陪审团的调查，这些人都未能找出强有力的罪证证明克林顿有罪。

 

Hillary’ Marriage Attitude

希拉里对婚姻的看法

 

"Marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage always has been, between a man and a woman." - Hillary Clinton

“婚姻有着历史性、宗教性和道德性的含义，这些含义可以追溯到人类的最初，而且我认为婚姻一直只是一个男人和一个女人之间的事情。” 希拉里·克林顿

 

By doing nothing, Clinton dramatically reinforced the polarized reactions that had followed her every move since her husband's election. For the people who hated her, the stony silence reinforced her image as an ice queen; for those who loved her, it was a reaffirmation of her personal strength.

      
丈夫参加竞选以来，民众对希拉里的看法就南辕北辙，保持缄默使得希拉里戏剧性地加剧了这种两极分化。对于那些憎恨她的人，无情的静默强化了她冷若冰霜的冰雪皇后形象；对于那些热爱她的人，这更进一步肯定了她的人格魅力。

 

Somehow Hillary Clinton and the nation itself survived Bill Clinton's presidency. The First Family exited the White House with an extremely tiny scrap of dignity, a couple truckloads of merchandise and (in what has now become a presidential tradition) a funny-smelling cloud of last-minute presidential pardons. The couple moved to New York, where they had lived their entire lives. At least, that was how they tried to pitch it to the New York voters, as Clinton made the jump from First Wronged Woman to wearing the political pants in the family.

不知不觉，希拉里同这个国家一起挺过了克林顿的任期。带着几货车的物品和（现在似乎成了总统惯例的）滑稽可笑的总统特赦权，第一家庭搬出白宫，极大限度地保住了颜面。克林顿夫妇搬到了纽约，他们曾在这里渡过大半生。至少，他们用这种做法取悦了纽约的选民，因为此时，在这个家庭里，希拉里已经从被男人欺骗玩弄的第一夫人转型成为掌权当家的政治明星。

 

As the nation's First Lady, Hillary continued to balance public service with private life. Her active role began in 1993 when the President asked her to chair the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She continued to be a leading advocate for expanding health insurance coverage, ensuring children are properly immunized, and raising public awareness of health issues. 

作为美国的第一夫人，希拉里继续调和着私人生活和公共性服务事务之间的平衡关系。1993年，总统邀请希拉里负责管理国民医疗服务改革特别工作组的工作。她不断成为增加健康保险、保障儿童免疫接种、加大普及公共人群医疗卫生知识等问题的主要倡导者。

 

But we're talking about a woman who survived seeing the most intimate details of her husband's transformed into four straight years of Tonight Show monologues. Nearly two years into her Senate tenure, Clinton appears to be settling in as a pretty average Senator. Early polling showed her to be the front-runner among Democratic candidates for the 2004 presidential election, but she opted to stay put and build her resume for a while.

      
但是，我们是在谈论一个女人，一个看到自己丈夫在四年王牌脱口秀节目独角戏中不断蜕变的隐秘细节，而从中生还的女人。在将近两年的参议员任期中，希拉里的表现可圈可点。早期的2004年总统竞选民主党候选人选举显示，希拉里的票数一直位居前列，但她却选择了等待，选择了养精蓄锐。

 

Hillary Clinton 2008

希拉里的2008

 

And you thought your choice was limited with Bush vs. Kerry. We're already seeing clear indicators and trends for an Arnie vs. Hillary 2008 election. God help us all. -N.Y. Times

可能你认为你的选择仅仅局限于布什和凯利。我们却在2008年的选举中倍加推崇阿尼（阿诺·施瓦辛格的昵称）和希拉里。上帝将帮我们做出抉择——《纽约时报》

 

"Hillary now becomes a natural rallying point for the party," Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist, told the Times. "Hillary has a national constituency, a top-tier political organization and shrewd political skills." Clinton supported both the Iraq war and the $87 billion authorization for Iraq. Asked in recent months by ABC News if "knowing what we know now" about Iraq would have caused her to change her votes, Hillary said she still would have voted for the war and the $87 billion.

民主党谋士汉克·谢英考波夫对纽约时报说：“希拉里现在成了党内的天然聚集点，她拥有众多支持者、上等的智囊团和高明的政治手腕。” 希拉里不仅支持伊拉克战争并且支持向伊拉克提供八百七十亿美元援助。在近几个月的美国广播公司采访中，当被问及关于伊拉克，如果“当时了解我们现在所知道的真相”是否会使她改变自己的投票决定，希拉里回答说她将坚持支持伊拉克战争以及八百七十亿美元的援助。

 

Hillary has one more hurdle before throwing her hat into the ring. She needs to win re-election in 2006. That seems likely in solidly Democratic New York. One sign to watch for is in 2000 Hillary did surprisingly well in Republican areas of the state. Still, not all Democrats are enthralled by Hillary's candidacy. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, clearly telegraphed that he does not think Hillary in 2008 is a good idea.

 

在参加竞选前，希拉里还有一个障碍。她必须获得2006年的竞选连任。民主党在纽约有着夯实的基础，值得注意的是2000年，希拉里在共和党占优势的地区获得了出人意料的成功。尽管如此，并不是所有民主党人士都被希拉里的候选资格所吸引。新墨西哥州州长比尔·理查森就打电报明确指出：他认为希拉里参加2008年总统竞选不是个好主意。

 

feminazi n. 女权主义者

betray v. 露出……迹象

subsequently adv. 后来，随后

dossier n.档案，卷宗

gubernatorial adj. 地方长官的，州长的

claw his way 登上

attorney general n. 总检察长

forge v. 编造

formidable adj. 强大的，令人敬畏的

unbridled adj. 放肆的

rabid adj. 狂暴的，激烈的

dalliance n. 调戏, 调情

levy v. 征集

polarize v. 使两极分化

reinforce v. 加强，加剧

reaffirmation n. 再断言, 再肯定

presidential pardons 总统特赦权

Wronged Woman 被男人欺骗玩弄的女人

monologue n. 独角戏

opt v. 选择

rallying point 聚集点

constituency n. 支持者

throw one’s hat into the ring 作为候选人参加选举

re-election 连任

solidly adv. 坚硬地，稳固地

enthrall v. 迷惑，迷住

New York City--- Bigalopolis, the Big Apple
纽约——大都会，大苹果

No place else is quite like New York. Simply stated, we have more of the best to delight and entertain than anywhere in the world: 150 world-class museums, 18,000 restaurants of all types and price ranges, scores of Broadway theaters, and an unbelievable array of shopping. And no other city has such a diversity of people and cultures. Where else can you see Chinese dragon dancers, Caribbean stilt dancers, and Moroccan belly dancers in the same day? Where else can you hurl darts in an Irish pub and then try your skill on a Neapolitan bocce court right down the street? Are there other places where you can’t way to a reggae beat on your way to hear a German opera? Or go from a room full of Dutch Old Master paintings to one filled with cutting-edge fashion? And where else in the world can you lunch on Japanese sushi and enjoy hearty Brazilian feijoada for dinner? Welcome to New York, where the only limit is your imagination.

纽约，美国第一大都市，全世界人民都想潇洒走一回的地方。对大多数中国人来说，曼哈顿、布鲁克林、布朗克斯、昆斯和里士满五个区虽然不像北京的朝阳、海淀那样耳熟能详，至少不会没听说过。自由女神像、第五大道、曼哈顿的夜景、华尔街的金融……没有意外的话早已成为各个城市竞相模仿的旗舰建筑。那就这样吧，我们来观摩一下大都会的风范，感受一下大城市的魅力。

Seasons New York City
四季景，纽约城

Winter
New York City is magical in winter: Midtown turns into a wonderland of skaters making figure eights, the towering tree sparkles with thousands of lights in Rockefeller Center, the world’s largest menorah lights up Central Park South at Fifth Avenue, Rocketed kick up their heels at Radio City, Sugar Plum Fairies dance across stages, store windows create magical worlds of their own, and holiday lights, music, and decorations spread joy and peace.
If you’re lucky enough to be here for a big snowfall, there’s nothing like strolling through Central Park surrounded by quiet broken only by the sounds of children laughing as they sled down hills. Just try to resist making snow angels.

Spring
Springtime in New York City marks the return of championship baseball to Yankee and Shea stadiums and the start of a second season for their A teams the Staten Island Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones. The parks and botanical gardens in every borough burst into bloom. Daffodils and azaleas crowd Central Park, tulips parade up Park Avenue’s center mall, and there are glorious flower shows such as Macy’s Flower Show, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens? Cherry Blossom Festival, and the Greater New York Orchid Show.

Summer
Summer brings New Yorkers and visitors outdoors to enjoy free outdoor film festivals, opera and popular music performances, and the many parades, parks, gardens, and beaches throughout the five boroughs. Many of New York’s finest restaurants offer discounted three-course prix-fixe lunches and dinners throughout the summer as an extension of our popular Summer Restaurant Week. The baseball season continues; tennis fans cheer at the U.S. Open Tournament in Queens. Summer fun also includes Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center, a citywide beach volleyball tournament, Harlem Week, the Taste of Times Square, food festivals, crafts fairs, street fairs, and much, much more.

Fall
New York City bursts with blockbuster exhibits, world-class music and Broadway shows not to mention great sightseeing, shopping, and special events. Opening nights for the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera are in September, and October brings such highlights as the Columbus Day Parade, Belmont Park’s Breeder’s Cup, and the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular kicks off November, followed by the New York City Marathon, the New York Chocolate Show, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Garden Train Show, and the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center.

City Look
城市一瞥

New York is one of the most famous cities in the world, probably due to the huge number of landmarks, museums, shops and entertainment there is on offer. If you didn't quite believe that Americans always have to be that bit bigger and better than the rest of the world, after a visit here, you will understand.

Times Square（时代广场） is packed full of enough dazzling entertainment to amuse you for hours. Home to the famous flashing advertisements and millions of other bright lights, it is not surprising that this is where the action is. There are a variety of restaurants, cinemas and nightclubs.

Theatre district Broadway（百老汇戏剧中心） is just around the corner, which of course offers the biggest and best shows. These come at a hefty price, but are well worth it. The shows get less expensive as you move further out, but they are obviously not running on a budget quite as spectacular as the more famous musicals.

For even more entertainment, Radio City Music Hall（剧院无线电音乐城） is the largest movie theatre in the world. It has a capacity for over 6000 people and offers stage shows, which change their themes seasonally.

For shopping funs, Fifth Avenue（第五大道） is a must. Mansions were built by the newly rich in the late nineteenth century along this avenue. After World War 1, the section opposite Central Park became more popular. Quality department stores such as Macy's, which is the largest in the world, sprung up here to feed the shopping funs of the twentieth century. If you've got any money left, over on the East Side is Bloomingdales

From Battery Park（巴特里公园）, take the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty（自由女神像）. The 15 minute crossing leaves every half hour and is well worth the trip, especially as you can even explore inside the statue as well as admire it. You can then move on to Ellis Island where you can visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum（艾利斯岛移民博物馆）.

Museum Mile
艺术馆大道

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (82nd Street) has more than 3.3 million priceless ancient and modern treasures from all over the world.

The Goethe Institut New York/German Cultural Center (83rd Street) organizes and supports a wide range of international cultural exchange programs ranging from the arts and humanities through science and technology and including exhibits, films, concerts, and lectures. The information center and library provide comprehensive information about contemporary Germany.

The Neue Galerie New York (86th Street) is a new museum devoted to German and Austrian art, especially that of the early 20th century.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (89th Street) displays mostly modern art in the unique ramped building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Alumni of the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts (89th Street) include John Singer Sargent, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Thomas Eakins. It specializes in American art, in its permanent collection and in traveling shows.

The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (91st Street), a branch of the Smithsonian Institution, focuses on the decorative arts. Its setting is a splendid Beaux-Arts mansion, with garden, built by Andrew Carnegie.

The Jewish Museum (92nd Street) has one of the largest and most beautiful collections of Judaica - including paintings, photographs, manuscripts, and antiquities - in the country. (If you're interested in Jewish history, you should also visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust downtown.

The Museum of the City of New York (103rd Street) is a wonderful local-history museum. It includes exhibits of theatrical memorabilia, period toys and dollhouses, volunteer firefighters, and the original Dutch settlement.

The New York City You Did Not Know
你所不知道的纽约

Why is NYC Called the Big Apple?
In the 1920s, a sportswriter for the Morning Telegraph named John Fitzgerald overheard stable hands in New Orleans refer to NYC's racetracks as "the Big Apple." He named his column "Around the Big Apple." A decade later, jazz musicians adopted the term to refer to New York City, and especially Harlem, as the jazz capital of the world. There are many apples on the trees of success, they were saying, but when you pick New York City, you pick the big apple.

The Bronx: How Swede It is
The Bronx was settled in 1639 and is named for the Swedish settler Jonas Bronck. There are more than 60 landmarks and historic districts in the Bronx, including the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage on the Grand Concourse and the stately Van Cortland House Museum in Van Cortlandt Park.

Why Cabs Are Yellow
John Hertz, who founded the Yellow Cab Company in 1907, chose yellow because he had read a study conducted by the University of Chicago that indicated it was the easiest color to spot.

Where the Famous Go to Rest
Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, is one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries. With a spectacular harbor view and 478 acres filled with trees and flowering shrubs, Green-Wood is the eternal resting place of a who’s who of famous folks, including Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Morse, F.A.O Schwartz, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Charles Tiffany, and "Boss" Tweed.

Looking for Main Street?
You won’t find it in Manhattan. There is, however, a Main Street in each of the other boroughs and on Roosevelt Island.

A City of Islands
Manhattan and Staten Island are islands; Queens and Brooklyn are on the western tip of Long Island. So, of New York City’s five boroughs, only the Bronx is part of the mainland. However, there is an island that’s part of the Bronx and yet feels like a New England fishing village: City Island, a marine-related community offering fishing, boating, and a wide range of restaurants and snack bars.

Statue of Liberty Stats
The Lady in the Harbor is 101 feet tall from base to torch, 305 feet tall from pedestal foundation to torch. She has a 35-foot waist and an 8-foot index finger, and she weighs 450,000 pounds.

City Guide
城市资讯
Restaurateur

Lucky Chengs
24 First Avenue
Phone: (212) 473-0516
Website: www.planetluckychengs.com
For a special night out in New York, whether to shock your "wild" friends from Des Moines, or to host a birthday party, a bachelorette party, even an office party, try Lucky Cheng's, the original drag queen restaurant, or its sister restaurant, Waikiki Wally's, a 50's 60's Hawaiian restaurant and tiki bar, with tropical birds and a waterfall, it is truly an escape from the mundane.

Umberto’s Clam House
178 Mulberry Street (& Broome Street)
Phone: (212) 431-7545
Website: www.umbertosclamhouse.com
Fax: (212) 343-0197
It's synonymous with legendary Little Italy: Umberto's Clam House. It offers flavors and ambience of old world Italy. The easy-going atmosphere, combined with the freshest seafood, has attracted clientele for the past thirty years - including a roster of celebrities. Umberto's has been open since 1972, and the only thing that has changed is the location.

Shopping
Christo Fifth Avenue
574 Fifth Avenue
Cross Street: 5th Floor
Phone: (212) 997-8800
Website: www.curlisto.com
In 2002, Christo opened his first salon on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. All guests receive individualized and specialized services upon their visits. Christo has formed an international team of hair designers who continuously share ideas and revolutionary techniques. Inspired by the different textures of curly hair, Christo and his team provide clients with creative haircuts, beautiful colors and necessary treatments that support the texture of their hair. The staff of Christo Fifth Avenue salon is dedicated in servicing clients. Working together as a team, they take the time to listen and provide guests with excellent service.

Ella Bache Spa
8 West 36th Street, off 5th Avenue
Phone: 212.279.8562
Website: www.ellabache.com
Gentle, personalized, non-invasive treatments--just as it has always been--with an emphasis on French techniques and ingredients. Facials aim to balance the skin, body peels and scrubs soften and five types of body massage relax and treat, as does the reflexology session with foot bath. Waxing is followed by a special Modulating Gel to help prevent ingrown hairs.

Theater
All Shook Up
Palace Theatre
Cross Street: 1564 Broadway
Phone: 212-307-4100
Website: http://www.broadway.com
All Shook Up is a Broadway phenomenon: Get ready to rock to the music of The King at this brand-new romantic musical comedy. All Shook Up tells the all-new story of a square little town in the middle of a square state in the middle of a square decade where a lonely young girl dreams of hitting the open road. Into her life rides a guitar-playing roustabout who changes everything and kick-starts a hip-swiveling, lip-curling' musical fantasy that will have you jumping' out of your blue suede shoes.

Avenue Q
Golden Theatre
Cross Street: 252 West 45th St.
Avenue Q is the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice.

Words
词汇
bigalopolis: n. 大都市
reggae: n. 雷鬼乐
feijoada n. 费约果（植物）
menorah n. 犹太宗教仪式所用的烛台之一种
Shea n.非洲酪脂树
cyclone n. 旋风
daffodil n. 水仙花
prix-fixe 客饭或客饭的定价
Botanical Garden 植物园
hefty adj. 重的
racetrack n. 赛马, 赛狗的)跑道
bachelorette n. 未婚女子
ingredient n. 成分
reflexology n. 反射论
elusive adj. 难懂的