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疫情之下选择
添加时间:2020-06-28 15:44:29 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • Devon Tyrie had a plan for the 2020-2021 academic year. The Massachusetts native wanted to take a gap year between graduating from high school and starting university, combining volunteer work, international travel and internships. But with the world still in the grip of Covid-19, it's clear her year will not pan out as envisaged1.

    来自美国马萨诸塞州的德文·泰瑞原本对2020-2021学年的计划是在高中毕业后休整一年再开始上大学。她打算在这个间隔年做志愿者、出国旅行和实习。但由于世界依然笼罩在疫情的阴影下,显然她的间隔年不会像设想的一样顺利。

    Tyrie, 18, says she's had to make a decision based on worst-case scenarios2. She's been accepted by Middlebury College in Vermont, which like many US institutions, has not yet released plans for the upcoming semester. But some higher education institutions in both the US and the UK have already said they will shift to a predominantly online learning environment for part or all of the next academic year. Tyrie says she's had to weigh up the risks; if she goes straight to college her first year may be far from the traditional experience, yet if she takes a gap year, her activities will likely be limited. In the end, she's applied3 for a deferral4 to the next academic year. "It's kind of tough right now, not knowing, but I'm doing my best to make a plan," says Tyrie.

    18岁的泰瑞表示,她必须基于最坏的情况来做决定。她已经被佛蒙特州的明德学院录取。和许多美国高校一样,明德学院还未发布新学期的计划。但是美国和英国的一些高等教育机构都已经表示,下一个学年的部分或全部时间会转换成以线上教学为主的模式。泰瑞说,她必须权衡风险;如果她直接去上大学,她的第一年也许会和传统的大学经历大不相同,然而如果她休整一年,她的活动将很可能受到限制。最终,她申请了延期入学。泰瑞说:“现在挺难办的,因为一切都不确定,但我会尽力做好计划。”

    Her reluctance5 to start her university education virtually is by no means unique. For students, it's not an attractive prospect7, especially given most universities continue to charge full tuition fees. Madelyn Mackintosh, 17, was looking forward to studying physiology8 and political science at McGill University in Canada. "Five months ago, a gap year was definitely not in the cards," she says. But McGill is in Montreal, Canada's Covid-19 hotspot, leaving Mackintosh anxious. Then she found out that McGill was making most of its classes online. "That morning, I wrote to the deferral department and I requested a deferral."实际上,她对于是否开始上大学的犹豫不决不是个例。对于学生来说,这时候上大学不是很令人向往,尤其是在多数大学继续收取全额学费的情况下。17岁的麦德琳·麦金托什本来很期待在加拿大的麦吉尔大学学习生理学和政治学。她说:“五个月前,我想都没想过休间隔年。”但是麦吉尔大学位于加拿大的新冠疫情重灾区蒙特利尔,这让麦金托什感到焦虑。接着她又发现,麦吉尔大学的大部分课程都要在线上进行。“那天早上,我写信给入学部,申请延期入学。”

    Taking a gap year between high school and university is fairly common in many parts of Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In the US, the practice is less common, but attracted mainstream9 attention in 2016 when Barack Obama's daughter Malia took a gap year before attending Harvard University. Critics point out that the gap year is often an opportunity reserved for the wealthy. Yet the concept – and its pros6 and cons10 – is under increased scrutiny11 now as students all over the world weigh up their options for the year ahead.

    在高中和大学之间休一个间隔年在欧洲多地、英国、澳大利亚和新西兰都相当普遍。在美国,这种做法没那么常见,但是在2016年吸引了主流媒体的关注,当时奥巴马的女儿玛利亚在入读哈佛大学前休了一个间隔年。批评人士指出,间隔年通常是富人才能享有的机会。不过现在间隔年的概念——及其利弊——随着世界各地的学生都在权衡新学年的选择,正受到越来越多的审视。

    In a recent study on Covid-19 and university access, the London-based Sutton Trust found that one in five university applicants12 (19%) in the UK had changed their mind about university attendance for the 2020 academic year – whether in terms of their preferred university or by deferring13 a place in favour of a gap year.

    总部在伦敦的萨顿信托在最近的一项针对新冠肺炎和大学入学的研究中发现,英国有五分之一(19%)报考大学的学生已经改变了主意——或者是心仪的大学改变了,或者是选择延期入学,先休整一年。

    In the US, a survey conducted in April by Baltimore-based consulting firm Art & Science Group found that 17% of students had changed their college plans due to Covid-19. Of those students, 16% indicated that they would take a gap year, while 17% said they would wait until the spring semester (which would start in January 2021) to enrol14 in university full-time15. A third said they would enrol in university on a part-time basis.

    在美国,总部在巴尔的摩的咨询公司艺术和科学集团四月份开展的一项调查发现,疫情导致17%的学生改变了上大学的计划。在这些学生当中,16%的人表示他们会休一个间隔年,17%的人表示他们会等到春季学期开学时(2021年1月)再入学进行全日制学习。三分之一的学生表示他们会采取非全日制的形式入学。

    It's far from being an easy decision. Gabriel Hostin, 17, had decided16 before Covid-19 that he would take a gap year before attending Harvard. Now, he says, there are uncertainties17 surrounding his plans to travel internationally – something he hopes will change at the start of 2021. In terms of the immediate18 future, he's looking at domestic volunteer programmes including community work closer to the New York area, where he's from. For his peers who are going straight to university, he says there's concern about not being able to be on the campus when the academic year starts. "For me, that's not college," says Hostin.

    这绝不是一个轻松的决定。17岁的加布里埃尔·霍斯汀在疫情暴发前就决定要在入读哈佛大学前休一个间隔年。现在,他表示自己出国旅游的计划有太多不确定性——他希望这一情况能在2021年初发生改变。眼下他计划在国内参加一些志愿项目,比如,在他所在的纽约附近参加社区工作。对于他那些打算直接上大学的同伴,他表示新学年开始时恐怕无法进校园。霍斯汀说:“对我来说,这不是大学生活。”

    It's a sentiment that Joshua Kim and Edward Maloney, authors of Learning Innovation and The Future Of Higher Education, understand. But Kim, the director of online programs and strategy at Dartmouth College, says, "I think you really have to distinguish between true gap year experiences and simply stopping for a year or waiting for a year."《学习创新和高等教育的未来》一书的作者约书亚·金和爱德华·马龙尼能理解这种感受。但是在达特茅斯学院担任在线课程和策略部主任的金表示:“我认为你真的必须将真正的间隔年经历和停一年或等一年区分开来。”

    Kim, whose daughter took a gap year in South Korea through a US-government funded initiative, says that for a gap year to be valuable, it needs to be educational and ideally have a structured component19. That's extremely difficult to do right now, says Maloney, with social distancing rules and travel restrictions20 likely to be in place for the foreseeable future. Having an unplanned and unstructured gap year that essentially21 equates22 to a "leave of absence" can be detrimental23 to students, say Kim and Maloney, because they're more likely to lose their momentum24 and decide not to attend college altogether.

    金的女儿通过参加美国政府资助的一个项目在韩国度过了间隔年。金指出,要度过一个有价值的间隔年,必须有教育意义,理想的情况下应该有组织有条理。马龙尼说,现在要做到这点极为困难,因为在可预见的未来应该还会有社交隔离规定和旅行限制令。金和马龙尼说,没有计划、没有组织的间隔年本质上等同于休假一年,这对学生是有害的,因为他们很可能会失去动力,最后干脆决定不上大学。

    "The good news is there is no wrong decision. The bad news is there is no right decision either," says Michelle Dittmer, president and co-founder of the Canadian Gap Year Association.

    加拿大间隔年协会的主席和共同创立者米歇尔·迪特默说:“好消息是没有错误的决定。坏消息是也没有正确的决定。”

    For those who struggle to find meaningful activities, Dittmer suggests thinking about using the skills you have to help organisations that might benefit.

    对于那些正在努力寻找有意义的活动的学生,迪特默建议他们考虑运用自己拥有的技能去帮助那些有需要的机构。

     11级    双语 


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    1 envisaged [inˈvizidʒd] 40d5ad82152f6e596b8f8c766f0778db   第7级
    想像,设想( envisage的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • He envisaged an old age of loneliness and poverty. 他面对着一个孤独而贫困的晚年。
    • Henry Ford envisaged an important future for the motor car. 亨利·福特为汽车设想了一个远大前程。
    2 scenarios [sɪ'nɑ:ri:əʊz] f7c7eeee199dc0ef47fe322cc223be88   第7级
    n.[意]情节;剧本;事态;脚本
    参考例句:
    • Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者,根据一些事故解说,石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
    • Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样,我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
    3 applied [əˈplaɪd] Tz2zXA   第8级
    adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
    参考例句:
    • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics. 她打算学习应用语言学课程。
    • This cream is best applied to the face at night. 这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
    4 deferral [dɪ'fɜ:rəl] 2b404e1bd13bf3d990af08f47e46ae88   第7级
    n.延期,缓役
    参考例句:
    • It also calls for the deferral of a share of bonuses. 协议还要求一部分奖金延期发放。 来自互联网
    • Even implementing the interest-deferral scheme for homeowners has proved inconveniently tricky. 甚至是对房主实行的推迟利息的方案,结果证明也是极不方便的。 来自互联网
    5 reluctance [rɪ'lʌktəns] 8VRx8   第7级
    n.厌恶,讨厌,勉强,不情愿
    参考例句:
    • The police released Andrew with reluctance. 警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
    • He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply. 他表示很不愿意答复。
    6 pros [prəʊz] pros   第8级
    abbr.prosecuting 起诉;prosecutor 起诉人;professionals 自由职业者;proscenium (舞台)前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 );赞成的理由;抵偿物;交换物
    参考例句:
    • The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前,应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    7 prospect [ˈprɒspekt] P01zn   第7级
    n.前景,前途;景色,视野
    参考例句:
    • This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect. 事态呈现出可喜的前景。
    • The prospect became more evident. 前景变得更加明朗了。
    8 physiology [ˌfɪziˈɒlədʒi] uAfyL   第8级
    n.生理学,生理机能
    参考例句:
    • He bought a book about physiology. 他买了一本生理学方面的书。
    • He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology. 他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。
    9 mainstream [ˈmeɪnstri:m] AoCzh9   第8级
    n.(思想或行为的)主流;adj.主流的
    参考例句:
    • Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion. 他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
    • Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment. 民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。
    10 cons [kɔnz] eec38a6d10735a91d1247a80b5e213a6   第7级
    n.欺骗,骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗,哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )
    参考例句:
    • The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前,应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    11 scrutiny [ˈskru:təni] ZDgz6   第7级
    n.详细检查,仔细观察
    参考例句:
    • His work looks all right, but it will not bear scrutiny. 他的工作似乎很好,但是经不起仔细检查。
    • Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny. 很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。
    12 applicants [ˈæplikənts] aaea8e805a118b90e86f7044ecfb6d59   第7级
    申请人,求职人( applicant的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
    • He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。
    13 deferring [dɪ'fərɪŋ] d2cd9fb6ccdde7a0a9618fb4ae1b4833   第7级
    v.拖延,延缓,推迟( defer的现在分词 );服从某人的意愿,遵从
    参考例句:
    • Recently, the Supreme Court has focused on an additional reason for deferring to administrative agencies. 最近,最高法院强调了尊重行政机构的另一种理由。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
    • Think of it as deferring part of the compiler's job to runtime. 可以认为这是将编译器的部分工作延迟到了运行时。 来自互联网
    14 enrol [ɪnˈrəʊl] do2xx   第8级
    vt. 登记;卷起;入学;使入会 vi. 注册;参军
    参考例句:
    • I like your institute but I do not want to enrol. 我喜欢你们学院但我不想报名去你院。
    • They decided to enrol him as a member of the society. 他们决定吸收他成为会社的成员。
    15 full-time [ˈfʊlˈtaɪm] SsBz42   第8级
    adj.满工作日的或工作周的,全时间的
    参考例句:
    • A full-time job may be too much for her. 全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
    • I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job. 既要照顾家庭又要全天工作,我不知道她是如何对付的。
    16 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] lvqzZd   第7级
    adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
    参考例句:
    • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents. 这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
    • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting. 英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
    17 uncertainties [ʌnˈsɜ:tnti:z] 40ee42d4a978cba8d720415c7afff06a   第8级
    无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 ); 不确定; 变化不定; 无把握、不确定的事物
    参考例句:
    • One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
    • Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告
    18 immediate [ɪˈmi:diət] aapxh   第7级
    adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
    参考例句:
    • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call. 他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
    • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting. 我们主张立即召开这个会议。
    19 component [kəmˈpəʊnənt] epSzv   第7级
    n.组成部分,成分,元件;adj.组成的,合成的
    参考例句:
    • Each component is carefully checked before assembly. 每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
    • Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife. 刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
    20 restrictions [rɪˈstrɪkʃənz] 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf   第8级
    约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
    参考例句:
    • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
    • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
    21 essentially [ɪˈsenʃəli] nntxw   第8级
    adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
    参考例句:
    • Really great men are essentially modest. 真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
    • She is an essentially selfish person. 她本质上是个自私自利的人。
    22 equates [ɪˈkweɪts] 7b5a7f0640b2cedfd39d5d5473d911d4   第10级
    v.认为某事物(与另一事物)相等或相仿( equate的第三人称单数 );相当于;等于;把(一事物) 和(另一事物)等同看待
    参考例句:
    • He equates success with material wealth. 他认为成功等同于物质财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • This equates to increased and vigor, better sleep and sharper mental acuity. 也就是说可以起到增强活力,改善睡眠,提高心智的作用。 来自互联网
    23 detrimental [ˌdetrɪˈmentl] 1l2zx   第9级
    adj.损害的,造成伤害的
    参考例句:
    • We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk. 我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
    • He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health. 他不相信吸烟有害健康。
    24 momentum [məˈmentəm] DjZy8   第7级
    n.动力,冲力,势头;动量
    参考例句:
    • We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way. 我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
    • The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law. 动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

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