Text B & Translation

Unit 1
What University Taught Me?
Beeth Trueman

The change from high school to university life could be challenging. However, it may be a good idea to
make the most of it by joining clubs and not being afraid to ask for help when necessary. Sometimes,
listening to someone with a similar experience could help ease ( 减轻) our own fears.

1 A week on from my graduation, I figured it was the perfect time to look back and reflect on my time at university. At
one point I honestly didn’t think I would ever graduate and complete my degree. My health did throw a spanner in the
works (that’s a little understatement) but I did it, and I’m honestly so proud that I stuck with it and didn’t give up.
2 Now I’m not going to lie, university for me wasn’t an easy ride. There were lots of ups and downs, but it has taught me
a lot and shaped me to be who I am today. I have met some amazing people, had some absolutely incredible experiences,
learnt a lot and achieved more than I ever thought I would. On the other hand, at times it absolutely sucked and I totally
wanted to drop out on more than one occasion. I wanted to share what university has really taught me because it has
honestly been the most life changing experience, and has shaped me to be who I am today.

It’s not what you will expect

3 University isn’t what you may expect. It is definitely not what is portrayed in films and prospectus and no amount of
college assemblies and university open days can prepare you for it. It’s a big scary thing to move away, live in a brand-new
city and spend 90% of your time with complete strangers. Honestly, I went to university not really knowing what to expect.
I was funneled into university without even really knowing what I wanted to do, other than go. It took me a while to settle
in, and feel at home — but once I embraced living away, and found my independence, it really was amazing. Looking back,
university was everything I could have hoped for and more — the possibilities are endless, and it really is what you make of
it.

You learn to be truly independent

4 When you go to university, you are pretty much forced to become independent. You get thrown in at the deep end, and
you either sink or swim. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can truly prepare you for the first night alone in a flat with 10
random strangers after 18+ years of living with your parents. University teaches you how to cook, how to clean, how to iron
and how to make ￡10 spread for two weeks of food shopping because you accidentally spent too much money on
yesterday’s night out. You soon realize you can’t survive off pot noodles and pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you
realize you definitely need more than three hours of sleep to function properly in the morning lectures.
5 Trust me, you basically wing your way through your first year — I definitely did. But in all seriousness, the Beeth that
went to university in 2012 and the Beeth who you all saw graduate last week are two very different people. University
definitely shaped me to be the person who I am today. It forced me to grow up and become an adult, teaching me valuable
life lessons that I honestly don’t think I would have learnt without it. It helped me find my inner passions, and basically
helped me grow into the person that I have wanted to be, and a person that I am truly proud to have become.

It’s tough, but it’s okay to struggle

6 Now this is one thing that university has taught me — that it is okay to ask for help. When I first became ill, I was so
stubborn and didn’t want to admit I was struggling. I felt like a burden, and didn’t want any of my problems or difficulties
to be someone else’s problem too. However, my studies were affected, my attendance was limited and my grades started to
decline once my health got worse. But once I opened up and spoke with university, they went above and beyond to ensure I
was able to study despite my health condition. I got the support I needed to ensure I was able to learn and progress along my
course, along with support from an amazing mental health and well-being practitioner who truly helped me understand my
health condition more.
7 This transfers across to everyone and everything, sickness or health — struggling alone is not necessary. There is
always someone, or something that can help alleviate some pain or pressure and a way out of the problem at hand. The
support staffs have ultimately ensured I got the support I needed to try and manage my health, manage my studies and as a
result ensure I was able to graduate. That is something that I will always be forever grateful for.

It’s possible to achieve anything

8 Honestly, looking back at what I have achieved during my time at university just blows my mind. It’s not until you stop
and think about everything you do at university that you realize just how much you’ve actually done and achieved. It has
definitely taught me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Once you’ve written 10,000 words for a dissertation
you can write ANYTHING. That being said, university most definitely isn’t an easy breeze. I just remember getting to
university straight out of college and expecting it to be pretty much the same, just about a topic I was passionate about. OH
HOW I WAS WRONG. The level of depth and standard of work at university is much higher than at college, and at first I
just remember feeling so out of depths with it all. However, I personally believe that you get out of university what you put
into it. If you work hard, you reap the reward. University definitely taught me that working hard is something you should
always do, and that wanting to achieve and learn is not something to be ashamed of. If you are choosing to go to university,
work hard, put in the study time, be open to new ideas and learning and you will go far.

Culture Notes
University Open Days (Para. 3)
It refers to a period of time when a university opens to the general public and allows people to look
around the campus. Universities hold these traditional activities to attract prospective (潜在的) students,
familiarize them (and their parents) with the facilities, and meet others.

Translation of the text

大学教了我什么
比思·特鲁曼
从高中到大学生活的转变可能充满挑战。但是，充分利用这个转折期不愧为是个好点子：你可以加入学生俱乐部，并在必要时不害怕寻求帮助。有时，倾听别人讲述类似经历可以帮助我们减
轻自己的恐惧。
1 毕业一周了，我觉得这是回顾和反思大学时光的最佳时机。我一度认为自己无法毕业并完成学位。我的健康状况确实给我带来了麻烦（这有点轻描淡写），但我做到了。真的，我很自豪我坚
持了下来，没有放弃。
2 坦白说，上大学对我来说不是件容易的事情。有很多起伏，但它教会了我很多东西，让我成为我今天的样子。我遇到了一些了不起的人，有过一些绝对令人难以置信的经历，学到了很多东西，
取得了比我想象的更多的成就。另一方面，有时它真的很糟糕，我不止一次地想退学。我想分享大学真正教给我的东西，因为它确实是最能改变人生的经历，并塑造了我今天的样子。
大学不是你期望的那样
3 大学不是你可能期望的那样。它绝对不是电影和招生手册中所描绘的那样，再多的大学集会和大学开放日也无法让你为此做好准备。离开家，住在一个全新的城市，90%的时间都跟完全陌
生的人在一起，这是件非常可怕的事情。老实说，我上大学时并不知道会发生什么。我被送进了大学，甚至不知道除了去之外，我还想做什么。我花了一段时间才安顿下来，有宾至如归的感觉—
—但是一旦我接受了离开家的生活，找到了独立自主，那感觉真是太棒了。回想起来，大学是我所希望的一切，甚至更多——无限的可能性，完全由你做主。
你要学会真正独立
4 当你上大学时，你几乎被迫独立。你被扔进深渊，要么下沉，要么游泳。没有什么，我的意思是真没什么可以让你准备好如何在与父母生活 18 年多之后，与 10 个被随机分配到的陌生人
共同在一套公寓度过第一晚。大学教会你如何做饭，如何清洁，如何熨烫，以及如何把 10 英镑分摊到两周的食物采购上，因为你前一天晚上在外玩乐不小心花了太多的钱。你很快就会明白，早、
中、晚都吃泡面和比萨饼，你是活不下去的。你也明白，想要在早上的课堂中正常学习，你肯定需要三个小时以上的睡眠。
5 相信我，你的第一年基本上一眨眼就过去了——我就是这样。但说真的，2012 年入校的比思和你们上周看到的毕业的比思是截然不同的两个人。大学无疑塑造了今日的我。它迫使我
长大成人，教给了我宝贵的人生经验。我真的认为，如果不是大学，我都学不到这些经验。它帮助我找到了我内心的激情，基本上让我成长为我一直想成为的人，一个我真正感到自豪的人。
它很艰难，但挣扎一下没关系
6 这是大学教会我的一件事情——可以寻求帮助。第一次生病时，我非常固执，不想承认自己在苦苦挣扎。我觉得自己是个负担，不希望自己的问题或困难也成为别人的问题。然而，一旦我
的健康状况变差，我的学业就受到了影响，我不能上课，我的成绩开始下滑。但是，一旦我敞开心扉与大学沟通，他们竭尽所能，确保我能够在健康状况不佳的情况下学习。我得到了我需要的支持，
以确保我能够继续学习课程并不断进步。此外，在一位了不起的心理健康和幸福治疗师的支持和帮助下，我更了解了自己的健康状况。
7 这适用于任何人和任何事，无论是疾病还是健康——单打独斗是没有必要的。总有人或事可以帮助减轻一些痛苦或压力，并找到解决手头问题的方法。提供帮助的工作人员最终确保我获得
了所需的支持，能够管理好我的健康，管理好我的学业，从而确保我能够毕业。这是我将永远感激的事情。
任何事情都有可能实现
8 老实说，回顾我在大学期间所取得的成就，真是让我大吃一惊。直到你停下来想想你在大学里所做的一切，你才意识到你到底做了多少，取得了多少成就。它明确地告诉我，只要你用心去做，
任何事情都是可能的。相信我，一旦你写了一万字的论文，你就有能力写任何东西。尽管如此，大学绝对不是一件容易的事。我只记得自己从专科院校进入大学时，期待大学跟专科院校一样，都只是
研究我所热爱的话题。天哪，我真错了。大学功课的深度和水平远比专科院校要高得多，在刚开始时，我记得自己真的无法应付。然而，我个人认为，你在大学里投入多少就能得到多少回报。如果你
努力工作，你就会收获回报。大学明确地教会我：努力是你一直该做的事；想要取得成就和学习并不是件难为情的事情。如果你选择上大学，努力学习，投入时间学习，接受新思想和学习，你会有长
足的进步。

Unit 2
How Writing 365 Thank-You Notes Helped Me Reconnect with What’s

Important in My Life
Gina Hamadey

Writing “Thank You” notes is a good technique (方法) to noticing all the kindness of others and the
impact that has on your life. Gina takes us on a year-long journey of thanking everyone who positively
affected her life, including everything from neighborly (友好的) acts to advice from mentors.

1 In January 2018, I was commuting from Brooklyn to New Jersey. I have two little kids and a busy consulting business,
so a quiet train ride felt like a mini-vacation. Yet I found myself spending that precious time slack-jawed scrolling through
my social media feeds. One day, I put down my phone and started writing thank-you notes to people who had contributed to
a fundraiser I had organized.
2 When I got off the train that day, I was in a noticeably better mood. The next day, I wrote more thank-yous — and felt
the same afterglow. When I finished writing the notes, I counted them up. There were 31 — one for every day of the year so
far. Something clicked. What if I kept it up?
3 I decided to write one thank-you note for every day of that year. I had no shortage of people I was grateful for. So I
picked out a different theme for each month to keep on task. January was charity — and, thankfully, I had already
completed that goal.
4 February would be dedicated to neighbors, I decided, and I thought of a dozen names right away. I remembered when
the owners of our local bookstore let me and my five-year-old son, Henry, in before the store opened and offered to play his
favorite soundtrack (Mary Poppins). I recalled when our 14-year-old babysitter dropped off a bag of old board games for
our kids to play.
5 Writing the notes wasn’t all that time-consuming: Each was two or three sentences long, taking just a few minutes to
compose. I focused on the person I was writing to and what I wanted to say, and the words came fairly easily. I quickly
learned I couldn’t do it while listening to a podcast or toggling between articles. That focus felt refreshing. It was good for
my brain, which had been trained to wander, alighting on this feed or that e-mail, darting from app to app. It felt meditative
to look at a blank white space with a pen in my hand, thinking about a person and the way he or she had helped me.
6 While writing the notes, I eventually realized why this task was the perfect antidote to my social feeds. What was I
actually doing when I scrolled through Facebook? Too often, I was spiraling into rage. Writing thank-you notes was time
spent on something purely positive. What was I doing when I scrolled through Instagram? More often than not, I was
admiring other people’s lives — their beach vacations, their chubby babies, their organized kitchens. Writing thank-you
notes was an act of noticing and honoring my own life.
7 After handing the first batch of notes to my neighbors, I spent a few days trying to remember times when other
neighbors did something nice for me. And funny enough, I started noticing kindnesses that were happening in real-time.
8 There was the driver who waited for me as I bolted down the street to catch his shuttle bus. There was the cashier at
Trader Joe’s who chased me with a bag of groceries I’d left behind.
9 On the day I delivered that card to Trader Joe’s, my mother-in-law, Louise, dropped off a week’s worth of dinners. OK,
I thought, Louise is not technically a neighbor. But if I was going to thank grocer Pete for three minutes of his time, I
needed to acknowledge Louise for hours of hers.
10 It was important for these months to be flexible, I decided. I would use each month’s theme as a starting point, but I’d
also watch for anyone going above and beyond, regardless of whether he or she fit into the monthly theme.
11 So in the ensuing months, as I wrote to friends, doctors, career mentors, and parenting role models, I also dashed off
missives to my husband, Jake, as well as my siblings, in-laws, and parents. And I found that doing so changed the
fundamental dynamics of these relationships in small but impactful ways. I was smoothing out any prickly bumps and
buffing them to a new shine. It is a powerful thing, I learned, to fully appreciate and feel fully appreciated by the people
closest to you.
12 By the time I got to July, my “food” month, I had become fairly adept at retrieving memories and identifying people to
thank. Among that month’s recipients was a chef, Julie, who had cooked at my favorite but now-defunct restaurant. Here’s
what I wrote to her:
Dear Julie,
I’ve been finding myself missing Little Giant lately, as if it were a person. Thank you for creating such a warm and special
place, and for hosting me and cooking beautiful and thoughtful food. The Little Giant menu has informed my cooking — I
am always trying to re-create some of that magic. Jake and I will never forget when you sent out biscuits shaped into the
Roman numeral VI for our sixth anniversary. We talk about it every year.
Thank you. We miss Little Giant and you.
Love,
Gina
13 I was delighted to receive a note back from her. Julie replied, “I don’t think I’ve ever received such a touching letter
before. Out of the blue and incredibly thoughtful. And so needed at a time when I’m struggling professionally. Your letter
was a fabulous reminder that looking back is a good motivator for moving forward.”
14 It was one of many responses throughout the year that said something along the lines of, “I’m going through a tough
time right now, and this helped.” It turns out a lot of people are going through something a lot of the time. And I wouldn’t
have known if I hadn’t reached out.
15 Part of the magic of what I am calling my Thank-You Year was reconnecting with people like Julie — people on the
periphery of my life who nevertheless made a lasting impact. And here’s another huge bonus: I was reminded to
acknowledge people in the moment, too — to smile or say hello, or thanks, or “Here, let me help you with that.”
16 I admit I fell behind more than once during the year. But I completed my goal with hours to spare — writing my last
card (to Jake) on December 31. That night, we hosted a big New Year’s Eve dinner, and I looked around at my guests. There
was Alonso from Berlin, whom I’d written to in my “travel” month. There were Nick and Ro from Minneapolis, who’d
received cards in my “friends” and “career mentors” months. There was Mollie, who racked up notes as a mentor, friend,
and neighbor. There was Jake, of course. Henry had fallen asleep on the couch; his brother, Charlie, was upstairs in bed. I
snapped a picture of the scene so I could remember the feeling welling up inside me. Gratitude.

Culture Notes
About the author
Gina Hamadey is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in many publications, including O, The Oprah Magazine and
Women’s Health. She is the author of the book I Want to Thank You (2021).

Translation of the text

 365 封感谢信如何帮助我重新认识生活中的重要事情
吉娜·哈马迪
写感谢信能让你留意到他人的善良以及对你生活的影响。吉娜带我们踏上了为期一年的旅程。在这一年里，她感谢了所有对她生活产生积极影响的人，包括邻居的友好、导师的建议。

1 2018 年 1 月，我通勤在布鲁克林和新泽西之间。我有两个小孩和一家业务繁忙的咨询公司，所以安静的火车之旅就像是个小假期。然而，我却发现自己把这些宝贵的时间浪费在
浏览我的社交媒体推送上面，这些推送常常让人吃惊不已。一天，我放下了手机，开始给那些给我筹办的募捐活动捐款的人写感谢信。
2 那天下火车时，我的心情明显好转。第二天，我写了更多的感谢信——并感受到了同样的美好。写完后，我数了数，一共 31 封，到目前为止，几乎是一天一封。我灵机一动，如
果我坚持下去会怎样呢？
3 我决定为那一年的每一天写一封感谢信。我要感激的人太多了。所以我为每个月挑选了一个不同的主题来继续任务。一月是慈善事业——谢天谢地，我已经完成了那个目标。
4 我决定将二月献给邻居们，并马上想到了十几个名字。我记得当地书店的老板让我和我五岁的儿子亨利在书店开张之前进去，并为我们播放了他最喜欢的电影配乐（《欢乐满人
》 14 岁的临时保姆背来一袋旧棋盘游戏，给我们的孩子们玩。
5 写感谢信并不费时：每封都是两三句话，只需要几分钟就可以完成。只要专注于那些我要写信的人以及自己想说的话，这些话很容易就想出来了。我很快发现，在做这些事的时候我
不能同时听播客或浏览文章。那种专注的感觉让人耳目一新。这对我的大脑有好处，因为大脑已经被各种社交媒体搞得无法专注，一会看这条信息，一会读那封邮件，从一个应用程序快速切
换到另一个应用程序。手里握着笔，眼睛看着空白的纸张，想着某个人以及他或她帮助我的方式，这使我可以静心沉思。
6 在写感谢信时，我终于意识到为什么这项任务能让我远离社交信息。当我浏览脸书时，我实际上在做什么呢？我经常是愤怒无比。写感谢信则是把时间花在那些完全积极的事情上。
当我浏览照片墙时，我又在做什么呢？多数情况下，我在羡慕别人的生活——他们的海滩度假、他们胖乎乎的婴孩以及他们井井有条的厨房。而写感谢信是一种关注和尊重自己生活的行
为。
7 将第一批感谢信交给邻居后，我花了几天时间努力回想其他邻居曾为我做过哪些好事。有趣的是，我开始关注现实中发生的善意。
8 当我在街上狂奔去赶穿梭巴士时，司机停下车来等我。当我在乔氏超市落下一袋杂货时，有一位营业员追上来送给我。
9 在我把那张感谢卡送到乔氏超市的那天，我婆婆路易丝给我送来了一周的晚餐。好吧，严格意义上，路易丝不是邻居。但是，如果我要感激杂货店的皮特给我的三分钟时间，我也需
要感谢路易丝花的几个小时的时间。
10 我觉得这几个月的主题很有必要需要灵活处理。我会使用每个月的主题作为出发点，但我也会留意任何超出这一主题标准的人，无论他或她是否适合当月的主题。
11 所以在接下来的几个月里，当我给朋友、医生、职业导师和育儿榜样写感谢信时，我也会写给我的丈夫杰克，我的兄弟姐妹以及夫家的亲戚和父母。我发现这样做改变了我们之间关
系的根本格局，变化虽然微小却非常有力。我正在抚平人际关系中的一些刺痛的肿块，将它们打磨出新的光泽。我认识到，诚心诚意地感激你最亲近的人，也诚心诚意地感受他们给予你的感
谢，真是一件非常有力量的事情。
12 到了 7 月我的“食物”月，我已经非常擅长回想并确认我要感谢的人。当月要感谢的人中有一位名叫朱莉的厨师，她曾在我最喜欢但现已倒闭的餐厅工作。我是这样写的：
亲爱的朱莉，
我最近很怀念小巨人餐厅，就好像它是一个人一样。感谢你们创造了这样一个温暖而特别的地方，感谢你们的招待以及美妙而用心的食物。
餐厅的菜单给我自己的烹饪带来了好点子——我总想尝试着去再现其中一些神奇的菜肴。杰克和我永远不会忘记你为我们的结婚六周年纪念日做了罗马数字 VI 形的饼干。我们
每年都会提起。
谢谢你。想念小巨人餐厅和你。

爱你，
吉娜
13 我很高兴收到她的回信。朱莉回信说：“我从未收到过如此感人的信。真是让人意外，真是体贴周到！此时此刻我的职业生涯遇到困难，我太需要这封感谢信了。你的来信是个美好
的提醒——回顾过去是前进的巨大动力。”
14 这是一年中众多的回复之一，其表达的意思是“我现在正在经历一段艰难的时期，这很有帮助。”事实证明，很多人很多时候都在经历着生活的不易。如果我没有主动联络，我就不会
知道。
15 我称之为“感谢年”的魔力还包括与像朱莉这样的人重新建立联系——这些人在我生活的边缘，但仍然产生了持久的影响。另一个巨大的好处是：我此刻也被提醒向人们表示感谢
——微笑或打招呼，或说声谢谢，或者是“来，让我帮你解决这个问题”。
16 我承认这一年我不止一次延误。但是我在接下来的几个小时内完成了我的目标——在 12 月 31 日写了我的最后一张感谢卡片（给杰克）。那天晚上，我们举办了一场盛大的除
夕晚宴，我看了看周围的客人，有来自柏林的阿隆索，我在“旅行”月写信给他；来自明尼阿波利斯的尼克和罗，他们在我的“朋友”和“职业导师”月收到了卡片；有莫莉，她以导师、朋
友和邻居的身份收到了感谢信。当然还有杰克。亨利在沙发上睡着了；他的弟弟查理在楼上的床上。我拍了一张现场的照片，这样我就能记住我内心涌动的感觉。感恩。

Unit 3
The Legends Behind the Dragon Boat
 Festival Jeninne Lee-St. John

One of the most celebrated holidays in China is the Dragon Boat Festival. This interesting tradition has an equally
interesting origin story deep within Chinese history. This article helps provide the reasons for eating sticky-rice balls and
racing boats. Is it all fun and games or is there a lesson behind the customs?

1 There are many competing explanations for Duanwu Jie, the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the
fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. All involve some combination of dragons, spirits, loyalty, honor and food. The
festival’s main elements — now popular the world over — are racing long, narrow wooden boats decorated with dragons
(scholars say the dragon boats were first used hundreds of years before the 5th century) and eating sticky-rice balls wrapped
in bamboo leaves, called zongzi in Mandarin.
2 And so the story goes with Qu Yuan, an advisor in the court of Chu during the Warring States period of ancient China
who was exiled for perceived disloyalty. Qu Yuan had proposed a strategic alliance with the state of Qi to fend off the
threatening state of Qin, but the emperor didn’t believe it and sent Qu Yuan off to the wilderness. Unfortunately, Qu Yuan
was right about the threat presented by the Qin, which soon captured and imprisoned the Chu emperor leading to the
surrendering of the state to their rivals. Upon hearing the tragic news, Qu Yuan in 278 B.C. drowned himself in the Miluo
River in Hunan Province.
3 In the first origin story of zongzi, told during the early Han dynasty, Qu Yuan became a water spirit after his death.
“There are a variety of ways one might appease a ghost but the most enduring is to give it food,” explains Chittick, a
professor of East Asian Humanities at Eckerd College in Florida.
4 For years after Qu Yuan’s death, his supporters threw rice in the water to feed his spirit, but the food was always
intercepted by a water dragon. (Master Chef Martin Yan, author and host of the pioneering Yan Can Cook TV show,
suggests there may have been truth to this: “Some fresh water fish grow so huge that the Chinese considered them
dragons.”) After a couple of centuries of this frustration, people began to wrap the rice in leaves, or put it into a bamboo
stalk, so the dragon couldn’t eat it. It was only generations later that people began to start the rice-ball-tossing tradition.
5 To make sense of how the water dragon gets into the story, or indeed of the boats carved with dragons on them, we
need to go back more than 6,000 years, the earliest dated figure of a dragon found within China. “One of the most important
mythical creatures in Chinese mythology, the dragon is the controller of the rain, the river, and all other kinds of water; in
the imperial age it was identified as the symbol of imperial power,” writes Deming An6, Ph.D., a professor at the Institute of
Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in Beijing, and co-author of Handbook of Chinese Mythology.
6 On the lunar calendar, May is the summer solstice period, the crucial time when rices were transplanted. To ensure a
good harvest, southern Chinese would have asked the dragons to watch over their crops, says Jessica Anderson Turner, a
Handbook of Chinese Mythology contributor who holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University. They would have decorated their
boats with beautiful dragon carvings, “and the rowing was symbolic of the planting of the rice back in the water,” Turner
explains. This jibes with Yan’s explanation of the symbolism behind the shape of zongzi: tetrahedral. “The points are
intended to resemble the horn of a cow,” Yan says, “which was a sacred symbol in the ancient agrarian culture for blessings
and abundant crops.”
7 In another interpretation, Chittick argues that the dragon boat races were “initially a military exercise” in the Hubei
area, home of the state of Chu. “Small boats were an important part of warfare. Then they turned it into a spectator sport.”
8 “The combining of stories is how people make sense of things,” says Turner. “Myths are always changing to fit the
needs of the community. For a lot of people, you can have both history and culture; both can be authentic and true.”
9 Even the Qu Yuan story isn’t the only legend behind the celebration of Duanwu Jie. Some northern Chinese, Chittick
explains, told the tale of a man who fled to the woods after being wronged by his lord. Trying to flush the man out, the lord
burned down the forest and accidentally killed the loyal servant. Another competing myth, from what is now the southern
province of Fujian, is that of Wu Zixu, who was also wronged by his king. As a final act to his story, he asked that, once
dead, his head be removed and placed on the city gate so he could watch the invaders take over his betrayers. The body of
Wu Zixu was tossed in the river and his fury is said to create raging tides, and so he is worshipped as a river god in parts of
China — which is why some connect him with the Dragon Boat Festival.
10 But Qu Yuan became the face of Duanwu Jie, because he was a prolific polemical poet whose work was studied and
loved by generations of Chinese scholars who followed him. “One reason Qu Yuan wins the war is that his story was written
in historical texts — over and over,” says Turner. Having demonstrated both love for his country and contempt for the
ungracious ruling class, he is known as the People’s Poet. For the Chinese, Qu Yuan has transcended the simple story of his
self-sacrifice, coming to represent the very embodiment of patriotism.
11 Likewise, both the dragon boat races and zongzi have become much bigger than just the holiday. In many places, if you
head to a waterway on the weekend of May 28, you’ll find the intricately decorated boats manned by two rows of paddlers
egged on by loud drummers. There is also the International Dragon Boat Federation which assists rowing clubs all over the
world to compete year round.
12 As part of the festival, zongzi has become just as ubiquitous as the dragon boats, thanks to the great Chinese diaspora.
Today you can get the sticky rice balls anywhere there’s a Chinese population. Yan says: as zongzi in convenience stores in
New York’s Chinatown, as bite-size delicacies in tea houses in Hong Kong, as an on-thego snack for tourists in Cambodia,
or wrapped in a pandan leaf in Malaysia.
13 As the evolution of Qu Yuan’s story proves, traditions change. Back in the day, Turner notes, rowers who fell out of the
dragon boats were left to fend for themselves or drown because their fate was seen as the will of the dragon. “I haven’t
talked to any contemporary dragon boat racers and asked why they do save people who fall out now,” she says. “But I’d bet
they could reconcile doing so with keeping to the spirit of the story.”

Culture Notes
1. About the author
Jeninne Lee-St. John is now the Editor-in-Chief of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, a high-quality travel and lifestyle
magazine in Southeast Asia.
2. Qu Yuan (Para. 2)
Qu Yuan (340–278 BC) is a Chinese poet and politician in the State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known
for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and verses (韵文), especially through the poems of the Chu Ci (《》).
Together with the Shi Jing (《》), the Chu Ci is one of the two greatest collections of ancient Chinese verse.
3. Wu Zixu (Para. 9)
Wu Zixu was the advisor of Fuchai, the King of Wu during the late Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). He suggested
the king guard against the deceptions of Gou Jian, the King of Yue, but was ignored and sentenced to death. It is said that
his last wish was to have his head hung on the eastern gate where he could witness the destruction of Wu. His body was
thrown into the river.

Translation of the text

端午节背后的传说
詹宁·李-圣约翰
端午节是中国最著名的节日之一。这个有趣的传统在中国历史上有着同样有趣的起源故事。这篇文章解释了人们为什么要吃糯米团和举办龙舟赛。这到底只是一个游戏，还是说在传
统背后有什么值得学习的地方？
1 每年的农历五月初五是中国的端午节，也叫龙舟节。端午节有很多不同的解释，但都跟这样一些元素有关：龙、灵魂、忠诚、荣誉，还有食物。现在世界上流行的跟端午节有关的主
要内容是用一种狭长、木质的龙舟比赛（有学者说，龙舟早在 5 世纪前的数百年里就开始使用），以及食用一种用竹叶包裹的糯米团，中文叫“粽子”。
2 故事也跟屈原有关。他是中国战国时期楚国的一位大臣，因被认为不忠而遭流放。屈原曾提议与齐国结成战略联盟，以抵御秦国的威胁。但楚王不信，将屈原流放荒野。不幸的是，
屈原对来自秦国的危险判断正确，秦国很快俘虏并监禁了楚王，导致楚国投降。屈原在听到这个不幸的消息后，于公元前 278 年在湖南汨罗江自溺身亡。
3 在汉代早期流传的第一个关于粽子的起源故事中，屈原死后变成一个水鬼。“人们可以通过各种方式安抚鬼魂，但最持久的方式是给它食物，”佛罗里达埃克德学院东亚人文学教授奇
蒂克解释说。
4 屈原死后的几年里，他的支持者向水中扔米饭给他的灵魂，但食物总是被一条水龙拦截。（名厨、开拓性电视节目“甄能煮”的作者兼主持人甄文达认为，这可能是真的。他说：“一
些淡水鱼可以长得很大，有些中国人把它们当作龙。”）经历了几百年的懊恼后，人们开始用叶子包裹大米，或者把米饭塞进竹筒，这样龙就吃不到了。又过了几代人，人们才开始有往水里
扔饭团的传统。
5 要了解故事里为什么有水龙，或者说为什么船上要刻龙，我们要追溯到 6000 多年前，中国最早出现龙形象的时期。中国社会科学院文学研究所教授、《中国神话手册》编者之一
安德明博士写道：“作为中国神话中最重要的神兽之一，龙掌管雨水、河流和其他所有水域；在帝王时代，它是皇权的象征。”
6 《》·安德森·特纳认为：为了确保丰收，中国南方人会请龙来看守他们的庄稼。他们用华丽的龙纹雕饰他们的船，“划船的动作象征着把水稻种到水中，”特纳解释说。这与甄文达解
释粽子四面体形状的象征意义是一致的。甄文达说：“粽子的角类似于牛角，在古代农业文化中，牛角是圣物，象征着祝福和丰收。”
7 在另一种解释中，奇蒂克认为赛龙舟最初是在楚国所在地的湖北地区开展的“军事演习”。“小船是战争的重要组成部分，后来人们才把它变成了一项具有观赏性的运动。”
8 特纳认为：“把各种故事结合起来是人们理解事物的方式。神话为了适应社会的需要不断变化。对很多人来说，历史和文化不分彼此，两者都千真万确。”
9 屈原的故事也不是端午节庆典背后的唯一传说。奇蒂克解释说，在中国的北方流传着另一个故事：有一个大臣被主公冤枉逃进森林。主公为了赶他出来，烧毁了森林，不小心烧死了
这个忠诚的大臣。现在的南方省份福建有另一个神话版本：伍子胥的故事。他也被国君冤枉。在故事的结尾，他请求死后，人们割下他的头颅悬挂于城门之上，这样他就可以亲眼看到背叛他
的人最后被入侵者打败。据说伍子胥的尸体被扔进河里时，他的愤怒使河水汹涌翻滚，因此中国部分地区把伍子胥尊为河神，这就是为什么他的故事也与端午节联系在一起的原因。
10 但屈原成为端午节的代言人，是因为他是一位能言善辩的多产诗人，他的作品受到一代又一代追随他的中国学者的研究和喜爱。正如特纳所说：“屈原之所以能从竞争中胜出，是因
为他的故事被不断地写入历史文本。”他被称为“人民的诗人”，表现出了对国家的热爱和对粗野的统治阶级的蔑视。对中国人来说，屈原的故事超越了简单的自我牺牲，他是爱国的象征。
11 因此，龙舟赛和粽子的意义也比节日本身更重要。在许多地方，如果你在今年的 5 月 28 日，一个周末，走到一条河边，你会看到很多装饰华美的小船，小船上，两排划桨手按照
响亮的鼓点划动双桨。还有一个叫做“国际龙舟联合会”的组织，全年都会协助世界各地的赛艇俱乐部举办比赛。
12 作为节日一部分的粽子就像龙舟一样无处不在，这得感谢散居海外的华人。如今，不管你在世界的哪个角落，只要有中国人就有这种糯米团子。甄文达说：（它）是纽约唐人街便利
店里的粽子，是中国香港茶餐厅里的精致小点心，是柬埔寨的游客随身携带的零食，也是马来西亚用班兰叶包裹的小吃。
13 屈原故事的演变证明，传统一直在变化。特纳说：很久以前，划桨手如果从龙舟上掉落，要么被淹死，要么只能自己爬上来，因为人们认为他们的命运是神龙的意志。“我还没有问
过当代的划桨手：现在划桨手跌落水中，为什么大家都会去救。但我肯定，他们这样做与故事的精神是一致的。”

Unit 4
The Power of a Pastime
Chris Woolston

It seems that many with professional degrees or even Nobel prize winners also have hobbies which help them continue to be
well-rounded (全面发展的) people. This article shares some of those interesting hobbies enjoyed by many members of the
academic community.

1 Albert Einstein mastered the violin. Richard Feynman banged bongos. Following in the tradition of multi-talented
physicists, Federica Bianco likes to take a break from her research to punch people in the face. Bianco, an avid boxer who is
also an astrophysicist at New York University, flew to Richmond, California, for her first professional boxing match in
April. Bianco pinned her competitor to the ropes with a few punches and did not let up until the referee called the fight. It
took just one minute and twenty seconds. “I didn’t want to stop, but she was taking too much punishment,” Bianco says.
2 For Bianco, boxing is not just a hobby; it is a total mind-and-body escape from her work. “As a scientist, I’m thinking
about all sorts of things all the time,” she says. “The ring is quiet. You get tunnel vision.” At a time when competition for
science funding and job promotions sometimes resembles a boxing match, many researchers have trouble conceiving of an
active life outside the lab. Indeed, there can be subtle — or not so subtle — pressures to sacrifice leisure time and put aside
other interests for the sake of the next experiment, paper or conference talk. But many scientists say that their pastimes
make them better researchers by sharpening their minds, building confidence and reducing stress. Their experiences should
offer hope to researchers who are feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of their jobs. Release can be just a ride, jump, joke
or punch away.
3 To be sure, some senior researchers still look askance at hobbies or leisure activities. Ryan Raver, now a product
manager at the biotechnology firm Sigma-Aldrich in St Louis, Missouri, recalls that he had a much easier time following his
outside passions once he left academia for an industry job. “Professors and academics want you to believe that the more
hours you put in, the more likely it is that you’ll have quality data,” he says. “But people aren’t machines. They need to take
breaks and reset their minds when things get tough.”
4 There is plenty of evidence that scientific research and leisure pursuits can coexist. A study published in 2008 found
that Nobel prizewinners were more likely than other scientists or members of the public to have long-standing hobbies.
Notably, the prizewinners were about 1.5 times more likely to actively pursue arts and crafts than were members of the US
National Academy of Sciences. For this sample, hobbies turned out to be better predictors of Nobellevel greatness even than
reported IQ, which does not vary much between “top” and “average” scientists.
5 Robert Root-Bernstein, a physiologist at Michigan State University in East Lansing, says that it is hard to know
whether hobbies themselves help to fuel genius or whether geniuses are simply more likely to take up hobbies. “It’s
probably some combination,” he says. He also notes that, contrary to public opinion, scientific masterminds tend to be more
adventurous and physically vigorous than are members of the general public. “An unexpectedly large number of Nobel
laureates took up surfing when it came into fashion in the 1960s,” he says.
6 Some in academia do appreciate the value of hobbies and leisure pursuits for early-career researchers, perhaps because
they have discovered it for themselves. Tony Ryan, a chemist at the
University of Sheffield, UK, has hired many scientists over the years. He has always been reluctant to offer a position to
anyone who is so focused on research that she or he has no time for anything else. “We want to know that you’re an A-1
excellent scientist, but we also want to know that you’re a well-rounded person whom students will relate to,” he explains.
7 He has his own obsession: Despite the demands of his job, he logs about 8,000 kilometers on his bicycle every year. He
bikes to and from work, and rides with a group of enthusiasts — who call themselves “Common Lane Occasionals” —
every Saturday morning. While cycling, he likes to talk about prime numbers with a computer scientist, sometimes to the
annoyance of other members of the group, which includes a tree surgeon, a plumber and a physician.
8 Adam Ruben, a researcher with the biotechnology company in Maryland, has had some scary moments of his own
while practicing his hobby: stand-up comedy. As a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, he
would head to the city’s clubs and bars to try out some jokes in front of often less-than-impressed crowds. “I’d go to open
mic nights where there were 30 other comedians and 5 audience members. It was terrible,” he says. After moving to nearby
Washington DC, he started to perform for bigger audiences that were receptive of the occasional foray into science humor.
9 Ruben still takes time away from his work to develop his act and perform live shows. In addition to one-liners, he often
tells stories about his time as a PhD student. For example, he talks about the time that he worked three straight 21-hour days
to provide data for an adviser’s presentation. The twist — as many scientists in his audiences might guess — is that the data
never got used. He says that he is generally happy with his education and scientific career, but he is also grateful that he has
a platform through which to joke about its flaws. “Academia could use more humor,” he says, even if some of that humor
has a sharp point. “Only by complaining about
something can you actually do something about it.”
10 Like Ruben, Bianco is actively looking for gigs. She has yet to schedule her next boxing match, but is still devoting
many hours to the ring. “Getting a PhD in physics made me a competitive person,” she says. At first, she was worried that
her fellow researchers might look down on her hobby. But the word is out about how she spends her time outside the lab,
and she has been pleasantly surprised by the positive responses from both the boxing and physics communities. Boxers
whom she meets are always amazed to learn that she is an astrophysicist, and physicists have been completely supportive of
her boxing. “Everyone is amused, interested and somehow, even proud,” she says.
11 Depending on the setting, she is either a physicist-boxer or a boxer-physicist. Either way, she is proof that scientists
can be more than their work, especially if they happen to have a wicked right hook.

Culture Notes
1. About the author
Chris Woolston is a freelance (自由职业的) writer and editor who specializes in science, health and travel. He is a regular
contributor to Nature. In Oct. 2018, he delivered a TED talk at the University of Luxembourg about the mental health
struggles of scientists.
2. Richard Feynman (Para. 1)
Richard Feynman (1918–1988) is an American physicist. He shared a 1965 Nobel Prize for research in quantum
electrodynamics (量子电动力学) and is known for his writings on physics, especially The Feynman Lectures on Physics (3
volumes) (《(1–3 全集)》, 1963).
3. open mic (Para. 8)
An open mic (open microphone 开放麦) is a live show at a coffee-house, nightclub, comedy club, or pub at which audience
members who are amateur or professional may perform on stage, often for the first time. Typically, as the name suggests,
the performer is provided with a microphone which is plugged into a PA system (扩音装备), to make the performance loud
enough for the audience to hear.

Translation of the text

休闲娱乐的力量
克里斯·伍尔斯顿
许多拥有专业学位的人甚至诺贝尔奖得主似乎也有一些爱好，这些爱好使他们成为全面发展的人。本文分享了许多学术界人士的一些有趣的爱好。
1 阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦精通小提琴。理查德·费曼喜欢敲手鼓。继承了物理学家都多才多艺这一传统，费德丽卡·比安科喜欢在研究中休息一下，练练拳击。比安科是一名狂热的拳击手，
同时也是纽约大学的天体物理学家，她于 4 月飞往加利福尼亚州里士满，参加她的第一场职业拳击比赛。比安科几拳就将她的对手逼至围绳边，直到裁判宣布比赛结束才住手。比赛只用时
一分二十秒。“我不想停下来，但她受到了太多的惩罚，”比安科说。
2 对于比安科来说，拳击不仅仅是一项爱好；它是一种彻底远离工作的身心放松。“作为一名科学家，我一直在思考各种各样的事情，”她说。“拳击场很安静，只需要专注某一件
事。”争取科研资金和工作晋升机会有时类似于拳击比赛，许多研究人员很难想象实验室之外的活跃生活。事实上，为了下一个实验、论文或会议演讲而牺牲闲暇时间并搁置其他兴趣，他们
常常有微妙的——或不那么微妙的——压力。但许多科学家也表示，休闲娱乐可以锐其心智、树立信心和减轻压力，从而成为更优秀的科研人员。他们的经历应该可以给那些被工作压
得喘不过气来的研究人员带来希望。压力的释放可以仅仅只是骑行、跳跃、开玩笑或挥上几拳。
3 当然，一些资深研究人员仍然对业余爱好或休闲活动持怀疑态度。瑞安·雷弗现在是位于密苏里州圣路易斯的生物技术公司西格玛-奥德里奇的产品经理。他回忆说，他一离开学术界
从事行业工作，就可以更轻松地追随自己的业余爱好。“教授和学者想让你相信，你投入的时间越多，获得高质量数据的可能性就越大，”他说。“但人不是机器。当事情变得困难时，他们
需要休息一下，重新思考。”
4 大量证据表明，科学研究和休闲活动可以共存。2008 年的一项研究发现，与其他科学家或公众相比，诺贝尔奖获得者更有可能拥有长期的爱好。值得注意的是，诺奖得主积极追求
工艺美术的可能性是美国国家科学院院士的 1.5 倍。从这个样本看出，爱好甚至比公认的智商更能预测科学家能否获得诺贝尔奖级别的成就，因为智商在“顶尖”和“普通”科学家之间没
有太大差异。
5 东兰辛密歇根州立大学的生理学家罗伯特·鲁特-伯恩斯坦表示，很难搞清是爱好有助于激发天才的活力呢，还是天才更容易拥有某种爱好。“或许两者都有，”他说。他还指出，和
公众认知相反的是，科学奇才们往往比普通人更具冒险精神，精力更充沛。“20 世纪 60 年代，冲浪运动风靡一时，出人意料的是，很多诺奖得主也投身于冲浪这一爱好之中，”他说。
6 休闲爱好带给处于职业生涯早期的研究人员的价值，已经得到了学术界一些人的认可，也许是因为他们自己有亲身经历。英国谢菲尔德大学的化学家托尼·瑞安有着多年聘请科学家的
经验。他一直不愿意为那些只专注于研究而没有时间做其他事情的人提供职位。“我们想知道你是一名优秀的一流科学家，但我们也想知道你是一个全面发展的人，这样才会和学生们产生共
鸣，”他解释道。
7 他有自己的爱好：工作之外，他每年骑行约 8000 公里。他骑自行车上下班，并在每周六早上，和一群自称“普通车道偶尔使用者”的爱好者一起骑行。骑行途中，他喜欢与一个计
算机科学家谈论质数，这有时会惹恼团队中的其他成员，其中包括树木修整专家、水管工和内科医生。
8 亚当·鲁本是马里兰州生物技术公司的研究员，他在练习他的业余爱好——脱口秀时有过一些可怕的经历。作为马里兰州巴尔的摩约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的一名研究生，他会前往该
市的俱乐部和酒吧，在通常不怎么感兴趣的人群面前尝试讲一些笑话。“我会去开放麦之夜，那里有其他 30 位喜剧演员和 5 位观众。这太可怕了，”他说。搬到附近的华盛顿特区后，他
开始为更多的观众表演，这些观众偶尔能接受科学方面的幽默。
9 鲁本仍然会从工作中抽出时间来练习他的表演和进行现场秀。除了“一句一个梗”这种脱口秀技巧之外，他还经常讲述自己读博时的故事。例如，他谈到他曾连续三天每天工作 21
小时为导师的演示文稿提供数据。正如听众中许多科学家可能猜到的那样，这段脱口秀的突然转折是：这些数据没被用上。他说他总体上对自己的教育和科学生涯感到满意，但他也很庆幸自
己有一个平台来取笑它的缺点。“学术界可以使用更多的幽默，”他说，即使其中一些幽默非常尖锐。“只有抱怨某件事，你才能真正为它做点什么。”
10 和鲁本一样，比安科也在积极寻找演出机会。她还没有安排下一场拳击比赛，但她仍然在拳击场上投入了很多时间。“攻读物理学博士学位使我成为一个争强好胜的人，”她说。起初，
她担心她的学术界同行可能会看不起她的爱好。但是关于她如何在实验室外度过休闲时光的消息一经传出，来自拳击界和物理学界的积极回应令她感到惊喜。她遇到的拳击手总是惊讶地得知，
原来她是一名天体物理学家；物理学家们也完全支持她的拳击爱好。“每个人都被逗乐了，对此很感兴趣，甚至感到自豪，”她说。
11 根据不同的场景，她要么是物理学家兼拳击手，要么是拳击手兼物理学家。无论哪种方式，她都证明了科学家可以不仅只有工作，特别是如果他们碰巧有“漂亮的右勾拳”。

Unit 5
Three Amazing Stories of Language Learners Who Changed the
World
Yassir Sahnoun
Much can be learned from studying the methods of successful language learners throughout history, at a time when it wasn’t
commonplace (寻常的). Zhao, Lomb, and Hale each have some words of wisdom to share from their many years of passion,
dedication (奉献) and hard work in the pursuit of spreading the many languages of the world to as many people as possible.
1 Some people say that it takes some secret talent to learn languages. But would they say that about someone who can
sing, play an instrument and keep rhythm? Using a language is really just a skill like any other, and as long as you’re
interested in that skill and you keep practicing, you’ll see amazing results.
2 Ever since I started being interested in languages, I’ve loved reading stories about people who have been able to
dedicate their lives to the same passion. Some people have gotten really good at learning languages. These people generally
don’t just learn languages — they live them. And to me, the stories of amazing polyglots from the pre-internet age are the
most impressive of all. Just think of the discipline it took to learn a language without the convenience of online courses and
videos! Learning about people who accomplished so much linguistically in less-than-ideal circumstances can be both
inspirational and instructive: It can help increase your motivation to learn languages as well as understand how you might
structure your life and time in order to do it.
3 So below are the stories of three great language lovers who overcame life’s challenges to achieve incredible success in
the fields of languages and linguistics.

Zhao Yuanren
4 Zhao Yuanren was born in 1892 in Tianjin, northern China. From a young age, he moved around a lot with his family,
and learned to speak and understand different dialects of Chinese, including Changshu and Mandarin — which differ as
much as English and German do! Not long before the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, he went to America for the first time
to study at Cornell University. There, he formally studied mathematics and physics while also staying interested in
linguistics and corresponding with linguists in China. He had already achieved fluency in English before leaving China, and
by the time of his graduation, he could speak French and German, and read Greek and Latin.
5 At that time, the new Chinese government was beginning to agree on a standard for the official national language, and
in the 1920s, he recorded several sets of phonograph records designed as models of the Mandarin language. After that
project, he performed an extensive study of Chinese dialects in several different provinces. He learned enough of the local
dialect wherever he went so that the locals wouldn’t have to speak Mandarin with him. He was apparently able to pick up
some dialects in just two months, thanks to his extremely refined ear for phonetics.
6 He eventually returned permanently to the U.S. and became a citizen, but not before interpreting Bertrand Russell’s
philosophy lectures into Chinese and writing widely-used textbooks for Mandarin and Cantonese. In the U.S., he taught
Chinese to university students and applied his own personal method for learning languages: Focus on the spoken language
first, and read aloud as much as possible. As long as you’re pronouncing things correctly, you’re building important
pathways in your brain by associating your speech with the image of the word on the page as well as the sounds coming out
of your mouth.

Kató Lomb
7 Kató Lomb was born at an exciting time. It was 1909 in Budapest, and the world that she grew up in was on the brink
of irreversible change. After obtaining her PhD in chemistry, she saw that the economic depression was making job
prospects dire for those in the scientific fields. So she decided to teach English. She just had to learn it first. In her language
learning, Kató plunged into reading cheap yet thrilling romance novels, armed only with a dictionary and unbridled
enthusiasm. Her strategy was sound — if the story is exciting enough, it can keep you going past what you don’t
understand. Eventually, you can pick up what you need through context. These principles took her further than she could
have imagined.
8 After the end of the Second World War, she began a long and successful career of interpretation and translation. In fact,
she was one of the first professional simultaneous interpreters in the world — simultaneous interpretation is a job arguably
significantly more challenging than translation or consecutive interpreting as all the work happens in real time. Not stopping
at English, she acquired French, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Japanese and quite a few other languages that she used to work as
a translator.
9 Kató believed that enthusiasm was the most important part of language learning. Accent and grammar could always
come later if you were simply thrilled about learning and understanding new words in the language. No matter what
language she was speaking, she always had faith in herself to complete her assignment along with the energy to keep
studying her whole life.

Ken Hale
10 Ken Hale was born in 1934 and grew up in the rugged American Southwest. As a boy, he kept his ears open for as
many foreign languages as he could. He picked up Spanish, Navajo, Tohono O’odham, Hopi and more from his friends and
roommates at boarding school. In fact, he got in trouble at school for focusing more on languages than homework.
11 Later on, he gained fame and respect for publishing a truly staggering amount of research on many Australian
aboriginal languages. Even more fascinating, he became so fluent in one, Warlpiri, that he raised his two sons speaking it.
12 Ken was always extremely sensitive to the needs and wants of the local language communities. He established schools
of linguistics and language revitalization programs across the world so that native speakers could lead their own
communities in reviving their languages.
13 All his life, even during his long tenure teaching at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he had a legendary
ability to learn languages quickly and accurately. To him, speaking to somebody in their own language was a mark of
respect. If only we could all be so respectful!
14 These three polyglots have sadly all passed away by now, but they’ve left us a treasure trove of writings and recordings
to remember them by.

Culture Notes
1. About the author
Yassir Sahnoun is a freelance writer specializing in languages, business and travel. He is also a marketer and translator.
2. Bertrand Russell (Para. 6)
A British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and social critic. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.
Russell’s contributions to logic, epistemology (认识论), and the philosophy of mathematics established him as one of the
foremost philosophers of the 20th century.
3. romance novel (Para. 7)
A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the
relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an “emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending”.

Translation of the text

语言学习者改变世界的三个精彩故事
亚西尔·萨努恩
研究下历史上成功的语言学习者的学习方法，从中我们可以学到很多东西——在他们的年代，学习多种语言并不常见。赵元任、卡托·隆布和肯·黑尔每人都有一些智慧之言与我们
分享，他们多年来为向尽可能多的人传播世界上的多种语言而展现出激情、奉献和努力。
1 有人说，学习语言需要一些秘密天赋。但他们会这样说一个会唱歌、演奏乐器、保持节奏的人吗？就像其他技能一样，使用一门语言实际上只是一种技能，只要你对其感兴趣并不断
练习，你就会看到惊人的效果。
2 自从我开始对语言感兴趣以来，我就喜欢读也把自己的一生热情奉献给语言的那些人的故事。有些人在学语言方面真的非常出色。这些人通常不只是学习语言，而是生活在其中。对
我来说，前互联网时代那些了不起的多语言者的故事是最令人印象深刻的。想想看，没有网络课程和视频的便利，学习一门语言需要多大的自律啊！了解那些在不太理想的环境下取得了如此
大语言成就的人，既是鼓舞，又是启发：它有助于提高你学习语言的动力，也可以帮助你了解如何为语言学习安排你的生活和时间。
3 因此，以下是三位伟大的语言爱好者的故事。他们克服了生活的挑战，在语言和语言学领域取得了惊人的成功。

赵元任
4 赵元任 1892 年出生于中国北方的天津。从小，他就随家人经常搬家，学会了说和听懂不同的中国方言，包括常熟话和普通话——这些方言之间的差异就像英语和德语的差别一
样大！1912 年清朝灭亡前不久，他首次赴美，在康奈尔大学学习。在那里，他正式学习数学和物理，同时也对语言学感兴趣，并与中国的语言学家保持联系。在离开中国之前，他已经掌
握了流利的英语。毕业时，他能说法语和德语，能读希腊语和拉丁语。
5 当时，中华民国政府开始制定国家官方语言的标准，在 20 世纪 20 年代，他录制了几套留声机唱片，旨在设计成普通话的模型。之后，他对几个不同省份的汉语方言进行了广泛的
研究。无论他到哪里，他都能学到足够的当地方言，这样当地人就不用跟他讲普通话了。很明显，他在短短两个月内就能学会一些方言，这要归功于他对语音极为敏锐的耳朵。
6 他最后永居美国并成为美国公民，但在此之前，他将伯特兰·罗素的哲学讲座翻译成中文，编写的普通话和广东话教科书也被广泛使用。在美国，他教大学生中文，并传授其学习语言
的独特方法：首先关注口语，尽量大声朗读。只要你发音正确，你就能把讲话、书页上的单词图像以及口中发出的声音联系起来，在大脑中建立重要的路径。
卡托·隆布
7 卡托·隆布出生在一个激动人心的时代。那是 1909 年的布达佩斯，她成长的世界正处在不可逆转的变化边缘。在获得化学博士学位后，她看到经济萧条使科学领域的人就业前景黯
淡，所以她决定改教英语。她只需先学会。在学习语言的过程中，只凭着一本字典和无限的热情，卡托一头扎进了阅读廉价却又惊心动魄的爱情小说中。她的学习策略很合理——如果故
事足够精彩，它可以让你跳过那些不理解的部分而读下去。最终，你可以通过上下文找到你需要的东西。这些原则使她走得比想象的更远。
8 第二次世界大战结束后，她开始了漫长而成功的口笔译生涯。事实上，她是世界上最早的专业同声传译员之一，而同声传译可以说是一项比笔译或交替传译更具挑战性的工作，因为
一切都是实时进行的。她不仅学习了英语，还学习了法语、俄语、波兰语、汉语、日语和不少其他语言，并担任这些语言的笔译员。
9 卡托认为热情是语言学习中最重要的部分。如果你只对学习和理解新单词感到兴奋的话，那么口音和语法总可以慢慢来。不管她说什么语言，她总是对自己充满信心：能完成任务，
也有精力学习一辈子。

肯·黑尔
10 肯·黑尔生于 1934 年，在崎岖的美国西南部长大。小时候，他一直在倾听尽可能多的外语。他从寄宿学校的朋友和室友那里学了西班牙语、纳瓦霍语、托霍诺奥德姆语、霍皮语等。
事实上，他在学校遇到了麻烦，因为他更专注于语言学习而不是完成家庭作业。
11 后来，他发表了大量关于澳大利亚原住民语言使用的研究报告，并因此声名鹊起。更有意思的是，他对其中一种语言——瓦尔皮里语掌握得非常熟练，以至于他的两个儿子都在这
种语言下长大。
12 肯非常能够理解当地语言社区的需求和愿望。他在世界各地设立了语言学校和语言振兴项目，以便母语使用者能够引导自己的社区振兴他们的语言。
13 在他的一生中，甚至是在麻省理工学院长期任教时，他都有一种出了名的能力，即快速而准确地学习语言。对他来说，用对方的语言和他们说话是表示尊重。如果我们都能如此尊重
他人就好了！
14 遗憾的是，这三位多语言者现在都不在人世了，但他们给我们留下了文字和录音的宝库，让我们铭记不忘。

Unit 6
Holding on to Heritage Before It Slips Away
Rachel L. Swarns
Is it important to pass on the flavors of your childhood onto the next generation? According to Rachel, it is a necessity. She
mentions the connection food has with her cultural background and how this link, if broken, may deprive her children of the
rich and sweet experiences she shared with her family.

1 Mention the Bahamas, and most people naturally envision idyllic seascapes with pearly beaches and turquoise waters.
For me, though, any talk of my mother’s homeland always brings to mind the tang of sour limes and the sweetness of
freshly cut coconut, the tastes that flavored my childhood.
2 My mother left Nassau as a little girl and traded her lilting accent for outer-borough New Yorkese. Our ties to the
islands dwindled over the years as relatives migrated or died, but we maintained our connections in other ways, sharing
meals of conch fritters and coconut candy, boiled grouper and johnnycakes with friends and family.
3 It is only now, in my 40s, that I feel those ties slipping through my fingers. There are no close relatives left in Nassau.
My mother lives more than 200 miles from me. I have a husband who prefers pasta to pigeon peas with rice, and two little
boys who turn up their noses at fried plantains. My children have never known what it is like to squeeze into a kitchen full
of Bahamian women serving up fried fish and family stories. Suddenly, I’ve found myself grappling to hold on
to something I never imagined I might lose.
4 I want to recapture the way that food once connected me to my Bahamian grandmother and great-aunts. I want my
boys to savor the flavors that simmered in their pots.
5 For inspiration, I reached out to several children and grandchildren of immigrants, who also considered the kitchen a
place where traditions and family connections could be passed from one generation to the next. They knew exactly what I
longed for. “I found myself trying to remember the things that you can’t write down,” said Ana, 37, the daughter of Cuban
immigrants, who started a blog inspired by her grandparents’ Caribbean cuisine. She said she started yearning for the savory
aroma of simmering bell peppers, garlic and onions that wafted through her grandparents’ home in Miami. “I didn’t want
that to be part of my past,” she said.
6 This is, in many ways, another shading of the familiar immigrant story. As a nation, we often celebrate the culinary
treasures that newcomers have carried to these shores, the pastas, noodle soups, and jerk chickens. But change and loss are
also part of the experience. Over generations, palates evolve and customs fade. The old ways of cooking are quietly
forgotten.
7 Ana’s grandparents were gone by the time she realized how much she was missing. She had moved from her
hometown, Miami, to New York, graduated from Barnard College and found work as a film production coordinator. In the
stretches between projects, in her apartment in Brooklyn, her mind flew back to her days as a little girl in her grandparents’
bright yellow kitchen.
8 She dreamed of the oxtail stew that her grandfather prepared for her. She longed for her grandmother’s sweet, delicate
custard that seemed to take an eternity of stirring in a bubbling pot. Ana hadn’t done much cooking in college: “I thought of
it as an indulgence.” But that changed once the memories started flooding back.
9 She dug up a handful of faded index cards that her grandparents had left behind, with treasured recipes written in neat
script. And she started to cook. Sweet sauces that reminded her of her grandmother. Savory black beans that seemed to bring
her grandfather back to life with their familiar flavors. Nowadays, she cooks Cuban dishes several times a week.
10 “I got a sense of my culture and where I was from through those meals,” said Ana, whose blog emerged from her
nostalgia for her grandparents’ table. “I felt like it was something I needed to hold on to.”
11 Nena knows the feeling. She is a daughter of Serbian immigrants but has never been to Serbia. Her children do not
speak much Serbian and she lives far from the close-knit Serbian community in Chicago where she grew up.
12 “Everything revolved around food,” Nena said of the family gatherings of her childhood. “I try to keep the traditions
going for my children. I want them at least to taste what we ate.”
13 So she cooks the dishes by taste and tradition, something she learned as a girl in her mother’s kitchen: cabbage leaf
stuffed with ground beef and a hearty soup made of pinto beans, northern beans, ham hocks and diced vegetables.
14 I know from my own family’s experience the flip side of that sense of pride, the aching feeling of culinary loss. After
my grandmother died, my mother spent almost a year baking the same raisin cake again and again. Her mother had
perfected that buttery, light cake, though she failed almost every time. I believe her quest reflected her deep longing to be
close again to her mother.
15 After all, food is never just food. It stirs so many memories: The smell of grouper bubbling on my family’s stove in
Staten Island always meant that my tart-tongued Bahamian grandmother had arrived with a suitcase full of frozen fish and
fresh fruit. Sweet mangos on the kitchen counter always marked the start of summer, the time of year when my mother
could finally find some of her favorite tropical fruits in local bars.
16 Most children of immigrants have memories like that. I wish my children did, too. I feel guilty that I have not done
more to help them savor the tastes of their immigrant heritage.
17 So I will hold on the best way that I know how. I will sing the songs of the islands to my little boys. I will call my
mother in Staten Island and try to learn how to infuse our Sunday afternoons with the sweet smell of coconut candy. And I
will try to make peace with the notion that some of my favorite flavors may end with me.

Culture Notes
1. About the author
Rachel L. Swarns (1967– ) is a journalist, professor, and a contributing writer for The New York Times. She is an associate
professor of journalism at New York University.
2. Bahamian cuisine
It refers to the foods and beverages of the Bahamas. It includes seafood such as fish, shellfish, lobster, crab, and conch, as
well as tropical fruits, rice, peas, pigeon peas, and pork. Popular seasonings commonly used in dishes include chilies (hot
pepper), lime, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, rum(朗姆酒), and coconut.
3. Caribbean cuisine
It is a fusion of many traditions, such as African, American, European, Latin American, etc. Ingredients are rice, plantains,
beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and coconut, to name a few, and any of various meats that are locally
available like beef, poultry (家禽肉), pork, or fish.
4. Cuban cuisine
It is a blend of African, Spanish, Taino (泰诺人) and other Caribbean cuisines. Rice and beans offer sustenance (营养) and
comfort as a side dish to almost every meal. It’s typically prepared as black beans and white rice in hearty portions.
Plantains are another Cuban staple (主食).
5. Serbian cuisine
It is characterized by highly diverse, solid and spicy food, which can be roughly described as a mixture of Greek, Bulgarian
(保加利亚的), Turkish and Hungarian cuisine. The use of meat, dough, vegetables and dairy products is predominant (主导的) in it.

Translation of the text

在传统消失之前留住它
雷切尔·L·斯沃恩斯
将童年的味道传递给下一代是否重要？在雷切尔看来，很有必要。她提到了食物与她的文化背景之间的联系。这种联系一旦断了，她的孩子可能就无法体会她与家人分享的丰富而甜
蜜的经历。
1 说起巴哈马，大多数人自然会想到美丽的海景、珍珠般的白色海滩以及青绿色的水域。然而，对我来说，任何关于母亲家乡的谈论总是让我想起味道强烈的酸柠檬和新切好的甜椰子，
这些便是我童年的味道。
2 我母亲年幼时离开拿骚，她抑扬顿挫的口音换成了纽约市外区的口音。这些年来，随着亲戚的移居或去世，我们与家乡的联系逐渐减少，但我们以其他方式维系这层关系：与朋友和
家人共享海螺煎饼、椰子糖、煮石斑鱼和玉米烤饼。
3 而现在，在我 40 多岁的年纪，我感觉到那些纽带从我的指间溜走。拿骚已没有近亲了。母亲住在离我 200 多英里的地方。丈夫喜欢意大利面多过木豆煮饭。两个男孩拒绝吃油炸
大蕉。厨房里挤满炸鱼和讲家族故事的巴哈马女人——而我的孩子们根本不知道挤进这样的厨房是什么感觉。突然间，我觉得自己在努力抓住一些我从未想过会失去的东西。
4 食物曾经将我与巴哈马外祖母和姑婆联系起来，我想用同样的方式让我的孩子们尝尝她们炖锅里的味道。
5 为了激发灵感，我联系了一些移民的后代。他们也认为厨房可以将传统和家庭关系代代相传。他们完全知道我想要什么。“我发现自己在尽力回忆那些你无法用文字记录的东
西，”37 岁的安娜说道。她是古巴移民的女儿，受祖父母加勒比美食的启发，创建了一个博客。她说，她开始渴望飘荡在迈阿密祖父母家中青椒、大蒜和洋葱炖在一起的香味。“我不想让
这成为我过去的一部分，”她说。
6 在很大程度上，这是大家所熟悉的移民故事的另一面。作为一个国家，我们经常庆祝新移民者带来的美味佳肴：意大利面、面条汤和木火烤鸡。但变化和损失也是经历的一部分。世
世代代，味觉不断演变，风俗习惯逐渐消失。老式烹饪方法被悄悄地遗忘。
7 当安娜意识到自己失去了什么的时候，祖父母都已去世了。她从家乡迈阿密搬来纽约，从巴纳德学院毕业，现在是一名电影制作协调人。在项目之间的空闲期，她待在布鲁克林的公
寓里，但她的思绪却飞回到了小时候祖父母那间亮黄色厨房里。
8 她梦见了祖父为她准备的炖牛尾。她想念祖母做的甜蜜细腻的蛋奶沙司，似乎要在冒泡的锅里搅个不停。在大学里安娜没怎么做过饭：“我认为做饭是一种嗜好。”但一旦回忆开始涌
上心头，她的看法就改变了。
9 她费尽周折终于找出了她祖父母留下的几张褪色的索引卡，上面写着珍藏的食谱，字迹工整。于是她开始了做饭。甜甜的酱汁让她想起了祖母。美味而熟悉的黑豆味让她感觉祖父仿
佛还活着。如今，她每周要做上几次古巴菜。
10 安娜说：“通过这些饭菜，我开始了解自己的文化，知道自己来自何方。”她的博客源于她对祖父母餐桌的怀念。“我觉得这是我需要留住的东西。”
11 尼娜懂这种感觉。她虽是塞尔维亚移民的女儿，却从未去过塞尔维亚。她的孩子们不太会说塞尔维亚语。她在芝加哥一个彼此关系紧密的塞尔维亚社区长大，但现在却住在离那很远
的地方。
12 “一切都是围绕食物进行的，”尼娜谈到她童年的家庭聚会时说，“我努力让孩子们了解塞尔维亚传统。我希望他们至少尝一尝我们吃过的东西。”
13 于是，她根据口味和传统来烹饪菜肴，这是她小时候在母亲厨房里学到的东西：卷心菜叶卷碎牛肉，还有由花腰豆、菜豆、蹄髈和切丁蔬菜制成的浓汤。
14 我从自己家人的经历中知道那种自豪感的另一面，那就是烹饪文化失传的心痛。外祖母去世后，母亲花了将近一年的时间反复烘烤葡萄干蛋糕。外祖母已经把松软的黄油蛋糕做到极
致，但母亲却几乎每次都失败。我想她每一次的尝试其实表达了她想再次亲近母亲的深切愿望。
15 毕竟，食物绝不仅仅是食物。它唤起了许多回忆：每当斯塔腾岛家里的厨灶上炖着冒着气泡的石斑鱼，它散发出的香味便意味着我那讲话尖刻的巴哈马外祖母来了，她总是带来一满
箱的冷冻鱼和新鲜水果。厨房台面上的甜芒果总是标志着夏天的开始，一年中的这时候我母亲终于可以在当地的酒吧里找到一些她最喜欢的热带水果。
16 大多数移民的孩子都有那样的记忆。我希望我的孩子也有。我感到内疚的是，我没有做更多的尝试让他们品尝到移民文化传统的味道。
17 所以我将坚持以我所知道的最好方式来留住传统。我会为我的男孩们哼唱巴哈马群岛之歌。我会打电话给住在斯塔腾岛的母亲，试着学习如何让椰子糖的甜香弥漫整个周日的下午。
我会试着去接受：我最喜欢的一些口味可能会到我而止。