(单词翻译:单击)
情景对话
Todd: Now, Keiko, maybe you can help me. I teach at university. My students are university students and they are so devoted to their circle, their clubs. Why? Why are they so — To them, it's more important than class.
托德：惠子，我想也许你能帮我。我在大学教课。我的学生是大学生，他们更热衷于交际圈的活动，为什么呢？对他们来说，他们的圈子比课堂学习更重要。
Keiko: Well, I think it's because, in a way they have been like a prisoner, you know, a prisoner of, you know, the cram school. They couldn't have much social life until they get into university, and finally they have this freedom after they got into university and now is there, actually, the first and the last chance to have fun with their friends because after four years they have to start working, and before the school years and university, they have to study everyday, so I think they are trying to get the most out of their school years.
惠子：我想是因为他们觉得他们之前的生活像囚犯一样受限制，你知道他们之前要上补习班。在进大学之前他们没有多少社交生活，上大学以后他们终于自由了，这是他们第一次也是最后一次和朋友们玩乐的机会，因为四年以后他们就要步入职场，而上大学之前他们每天都要努力学习，所以我认为他们是在试图最有效地利用他们的大学生活。
Todd: So, when you were at university, was your circle or club more important to you than your actual studies?
托德：你上大学时，你的交际圈也比学习重要吗？
Keiko: No, actually, I was a bit different, cause I always heard about how Japanese students don't study hard in university, so I said to myself, OK, I won't be like that.
惠子：并不是这样的，我的情况有些不同，我经常听别人说日本学生在大学里学习并不努力，所以我对我自己说，好，我不会那样的。
Todd: Oh, wow, that's very admirable.
托德：哦，哇，那值得赞扬。
Keiko: But then, I did, I was one of the university organizers, university festival organizers. I was a member of that. I had done that for two years but also I tried to study as much as I could, which you know, by getting the teaching certificate from primary schools and did my thesis, my graduation thesis. It was very strange because a lot of my friends told me their graduation thesis was about 20 pages long and they just finished it in two weeks.
惠子：所以我就这样做了，我是大学庆典组织者之一。我是其中一名成员。这项工作我做了两年，当然我也有尽最大努力学习，你知道，我要获得小学任教资格证书，还要准备毕业论文。我有许多朋友说他们的毕业论文有20页长，但是只用了两周的时间就完成了，我觉得这很奇怪。
Todd: Man!
托德：天哪！
Keiko: And my professor didn't let us, allow us to do that so we had to spend two years on the research. We had to write at least a hundred pages so I learned quite a lot from that program and I was glad that I could balance out my university life between fun and study.
惠子：我的教授不允许我们那样做，所以我们要花两年的时间进行研究。我们的毕业论文至少要写100页，而我也从研究项目上学到了很多知识，能平衡大学生活和学习我感到很高兴。
Todd: One thing that shocked me at university is that a lot of times kids sleep in class, or they read books. They don't even listen to the professor and the professor doesn't look upset.
托德：大学有一点令我很震惊的是，学生经常会在课堂上睡觉或者看其他的书。学生根本没有听教授讲课，而那些教授看起来也并不沮丧。
Keiko: Yeah, it's true.
惠子：对，是这样的。
Todd: Why? Like, how come the professor doesn't get mad?
托德：为什么会这样？教授为什么不生气呢？
Keiko: I think they understand what the students have come through. I mean, I think it depends on the professors. For example, my professor was quite strict but a lot of the professors don't care because they know what they've gone through. They know their situation when they came to university. "Ah, yeah, let them have fun." And if they can still pass the class as long as their in the class, they don't have to do much work and even for the exams they can just pass around the notes, and somebody who ever took the notes, studied in the last two days, and they can just pass the class, so. I guess that's a good way to look at it. I guess that they still have to be responsible for the work at the end.
惠子：我认为教授了解学生们的大学生活。这要取决于教授的态度。举个例子，我的教授非常严格，但是许多教授对此并不在意，因为他们知道学生们经历的事情。他们了解学生进入大学以后的状态。他们会想：好，就让他们开心玩乐吧。如果他们不听讲也能通过考试，那他们就不用做太多功课，学生们在考试前会互相传递课堂笔记，所以那些从来不记笔记的人，在考试前两天突击一下也能通过考试。我认为从好的方面来看是这样的。我想他们最后仍要负责一些工作。
Keiko: Yeah.
惠子：对。
Todd: Well, that's very interesting.
托德：嗯，有意思。
译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
重点讲解
重点讲解：
1. be devoted to 爱好的；热衷的；致力（于…）的；
例句：Horace is so devoted to his garden that he hasn't been away for 10 years.
霍勒斯对他的花园太过上心，都有10年没出过远门了。
2. balance out （使）平衡；（使）相抵；（使）抵消；
例句：The strenuous exercise undergone could balance out the increased calories.
所进行的剧烈运动可以消耗掉增加的热量。
3. be responsible for 对（某事物）负责的；
例句：He is directly responsible for it.
他直接负责那件事。
4. at the end 最后；
例句：At the end, they agreed to her arrangement.
最后，他们同意了她的安排。
