99e热国产最新地址获取,成人一a毛片免费视频,一级a爱看片免费观看,最近最新中文字幕大全免费一

 
 
 

該不該上大學?

英語學習雜志 2016-04-15 15:56

分享到

 

無論是美國還是中國,考大學都是千軍萬馬過獨木橋的一個難關。考上了大學往往還要支付高昂的學費。決定這些的是苛刻的就業市場,沒有大學學位就寸步難行。觀之今日美國的大學被種種弊端所累,不再是一心向學的象牙塔,倒更像開門做生意的店家,失去了應有教育的初衷。

該不該上大學?

By Amirah Ahmad

黃湘淇 注

It was only the other day when I asked myself the rather epistemological question: Is college really necessary?

When applying for colleges during my senior year, I thought college was simply another step in the process of life. First came elementary school , then middle school, high school, and finally college. I firmly believed college was the only option for me, and I thought it was the best decision I could make at the time.

After several eye-opening classes, professors, and stimulating discussions, I’ve realized that college may certainly be one of the biggest mistakes 18-year-olds can make.

The first of many drawbacks to modern-day college is the astronomical cost. Since 1980, American college tuition has risen about 75.7%. What’s more, the average student debt after graduation is $33,000. Is education this expensive even worth it? Putting an outrageous price tag on higher education is absurd, since it immediately deters low-income, struggling families from considering college. Even for the middle-class and upper-middle-class, paying college tuition is no easy feat . All of us college students are aware of the incredibly high price of our education, which puts many of us under unnecessary stress to do well. Additionally, these high costs have transformed college. Rather than being a haven for enlightenment, truth-seeking, and self-discovery, college is an investment.

Today, college is a transaction between the student and the school. Recently, my professor asked the entire class of about 100 people whether we feel like students or customers at our university. About three people raised their hands for feeling like a customer. However, I have no doubt that many of us, including myself, were too scared to admit the truth: students are merely customers.

By no means am I invalidating college in general. College in its most natural form is a magnificent idea. It’s a place that fosters intellectual thought, deep discussions, questioning of societal ideals and norms, and more. Today, however, fierce competition, business-minded executives, and money have contaminated the very idea of college in America.

When I mention the issue of business-minded executives, I am referring to the prominent leaders and contributors of various colleges that are more concerned with business and wealth than the genuine advancement of the institution. Take the example of Mitchell Daniels, president of Purdue University . Prior to this position, Mr. Daniels was the Governor of Indiana, the CEO of the Hudson Institute, and President of the North American Pharmaceutical Operations of Eli Lilly and Company. Does this man sound like an academic to you? Should he be trusted with managing an education institution when he’s been so involved with professions in business and politics, professions that are obsessed with gaining favor and profit?

Recently, there has also been backlash against the billionaire Koch brothers that have been donating to colleges and universities across America, and allegedly influencing the curriculum. It is said the Koch brothers donate to colleges and universities with liberal faculty and patrons in order to counteract the left-leaning biases. Through their donations, the Koch brothers are indirectly preaching pro-business civics to American college students.

This absolutely sickens me.

It is unnerving to find out that money and business have taken over colleges and universities. The fact that such vice has an influence on college curriculum tarnishes my faith in humanity.

Competition between colleges has also created an atmosphere of constant construction, artificial improvement, and rising costs. It seems like colleges and universities are enhancing their aesthetic appeal more than they are hiring more qualified professors and obtaining more resources for student learning and research. For example, Texas Tech has a lazy river, in which students simply drift atop the water in tubes. It is 645 feet long and cost a total of $8.4 million. University of California at Berkeley offers to its students a skate park, rope course, and even water sports like kayaking and sailing. Every college essentially tries to outdo the other with luxuries students do not ask for or need. These amenities do not contribute to a student’s education and are hiking up college costs unnecessarily.

An easy solution to the problems I’ve listed is to skip college entirely, to refuse to pay into the system that is poisoning the sacred action of learning. The problem is that it’s not as easy as that. Society is structured in such a way that a college isn’t an option. It’s required. There are few employers that would consider hiring an individual without at least a college degree. There’s always the option of inventing something revolutionary and starting a business, but the risk associated with such an action can often be exponentially higher than the reward.

If society hadn’t dictated college was essential for future success, I would have dropped out a long time ago. The information available on the Internet suffices for an entire college education. Furthermore, travelling and experiences like internships and fellowships can replace modern-day college education. In fact, I could argue that these experiences surpass college education in numerous ways.

Although I’ve spent a considerable amount of time and thought dissecting the issues that pervade modern-day college education, I realize the benefits of college. The networking experiences, the amazing professors, and the stimulating discussions make college worthwhile. The people I have met and the organizations I have been involved in are incredible experiences. Had I not gone to college, I’m not sure if I would have landed my summer internships and fellowships.

Therefore, I am suggesting a modification and not a transformation of college. First of all, patrons and donors of colleges must never have the ability to influence the curriculum being taught. Presidents of colleges and universities must only care about the wellbeing of the students and faculty and the preservation of education at their institution; moreover, they mustn’t be business people looking to enhance the reputation or overall wealth of their respective college.

Lastly, and most simply, we must remember what college is and why we have it. College is a place to instill critical thinking, analysis, doubt, and inspiration in the minds of our nation’s young people. College should be the home of new thought. Only after we realize the true merits of college can we begin to preserve its integrity.

Vocabulary

1. epistemological: 認識論的。

2. elementary school: 小學。

3. stimulating: 激勵的,刺激的。

4. drawback: 缺點;astronomical: 極大的,天文數字的。

5. tuition: 學費。

6. outrageous: 無法容忍的,令人吃驚的;price tag: 價簽;absurd: 荒謬的;deter: 阻止;struggling: 窮苦不堪的。

7. no easy feat: 絕非輕而易舉。

8. haven: 天堂;enlightenment: 啟迪。

9. transaction: 交易。

10. by no means: 決不,并未;invalidate: 證明……錯誤,使站不住腳。

11. magnificent: 宏大的。

12. foster: 培養;ideal: 理想;norm: 規范。

13. fierce: 激烈的;business-minded: 商業頭腦的;contaminate: 污染,損害。

14. 當我論及有生意頭腦的主管這個問題時,我指的是各個大學里有頭有臉的領導和捐助人,比起學校真正的進步,他們更在乎生意和財富。prominent: 杰出的;genuine: 真正的;advancement: 進步。

15. Purdue University: 普渡大學,美國的一所世界級名校,被譽為“美國航空航天之母”。

16. prior to: 在……之前;Governor: 州長;Indiana: 美國印第安納州;pharmaceutical: 制藥的。

17. 任他如此躋身于商業與政治領域,醉心于獲得好處和利益的行業,還能信任他去管理一個教育機構嗎?be obsessed with: 醉心于。

18. backlash: 強烈反對;Koch brothers: 科赫兄弟,美國石油產業大亨,旗下的企業集團以石油、能源、化工產業為主;donate to: 捐贈;allegedly: 據說;curriculum: 課程。

19. liberal: 自由派的;faculty: 教員;patron: 資助人;counteract: 抵消;left-leaning: 左傾的; bias: 偏見。

20. preach: 灌輸,鼓吹;pro-business: 支持(自家)生意的;civics: 公民教育。

21. sicken: 使厭惡。

22. unnerving: 使人緊張不安的;take over: 掌控。

23. vice: 道德敗壞,墮落;tarnish: 玷污;humanity: 人性。

24. atmosphere: 氛圍;constant: 經常的;artificial: 人造的。

25. 看起來,比起招攬更多合格的教授和為學生學習和研究爭取更多的資源,學院和大學更傾向于美化自己的吸引力。aesthetic: 美學的,審美的;qualified: 合格的。

26. Texs Tech: 得克薩斯理工大學;lazy river: 懶人河,漂流河;drift: 漂流;atop: 在……上;tube: 內胎。

27. University of California at Berkeley: 加州大學伯克利分校;kayaking: 皮劃艇。

28. outdo: 超過。

29. amenity: 設施;hike up: 上漲。

30. sacred: 神圣的。

31. 還是總有條發明革新、自起爐灶的路,但這一舉措所帶來的風險往往大于回報數倍。exponentially: 成指數地。

32. dictate: 規定,要求;drop out: 退學。

33. suffice: 足夠,使滿足。

34. internship: 實習職位;fellowship: (大學的)研究員職位。

35. surpass: 超過;numerous: 數不清的。

36. considerable: 相當大的;dissect: 仔細分析;pervade: 遍布,滲透。

37. modification: 改良。

38. 大學校長必須只關心機構中學生和教員的福利,以及教育的維護;另外,他們絕不能是著眼擴大自家名聲和總體財富的生意人。preservation: 維護;respective: 各自的。

39. instill: 灌輸;critical thinking: 批判性思維。

40. merit: 價值,優點;integrity: 誠信,正直。

(來源:英語學習雜志 編輯:丹妮)

上一篇 : 心理學的花樣療法
下一篇 :

 

分享到

中國日報網英語點津版權說明:凡注明來源為“中國日報網英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創作品,除與中國日報網簽署英語點津內容授權協議的網站外,其他任何網站或單位未經允許不得非法盜鏈、轉載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883561聯系;凡本網注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉載,請與稿件來源方聯系,如產生任何問題與本網無關;本網所發布的歌曲、電影片段,版權歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權,請提供版權證明,以便盡快刪除。

中國日報網雙語新聞

掃描左側二維碼

添加Chinadaily_Mobile
你想看的我們這兒都有!

中國日報雙語手機報

點擊左側圖標查看訂閱方式

中國首份雙語手機報
學英語看資訊一個都不能少!

關注和訂閱

本文相關閱讀
人氣排行
熱搜詞
 
 
精華欄目
 

閱讀

詞匯

視聽

翻譯

口語

合作

 

關于我們 | 聯系方式 | 招聘信息

Copyright by chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved. None of this material may be used for any commercial or public use. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 版權聲明:本網站所刊登的中國日報網英語點津內容,版權屬中國日報網所有,未經協議授權,禁止下載使用。 歡迎愿意與本網站合作的單位或個人與我們聯系。

電話:8610-84883645

傳真:8610-84883500

Email: languagetips@chinadaily.com.cn