2019年高考总算是落下了帷幕。今年总报名高考的人数突破了1000万人！多达1031万，而18年的数据则为975万，呈现上升趋势。

　　今天主要想跟大家聊两个方面的问题：

　　1.外刊如何描述中国高考。

　　2.大学专业的选择要考虑什么方面（敲黑板！考研同理。）

　　这篇标题为：Is China’s gaokao the world’s toughest school exam的英国卫报文章中，首先描写了高考考场外的架势：工地停止施工；封路；救护车随时待命；警车巡逻保持场外安静。我们一起来看看用英语如何描述这些场景：

　　Literally the “higher examination”, the gaokao is a national event on a par with a public holiday, but much less fun. Construction work is halted(停止) near examination halls, so as not to disturb the students, and traffic is diverted. Ambulances are on call outside in case of nervous collapses, and police cars patrol (巡逻) to keep the streets quiet.

　　A is on a par with B 表示“两者相当，不分上下”。文章表示，高考这一全国性事件就好比一个公共节假日，言外之意就是全民行动，大家都参与其中，随后几句的描写就可以看出其阵势有多大。

　　高考可不仅和考生本人有关，考场外门口还有一大波操碎了心的亲友团等着呢，我们一起来看一看这段生动的描写：

　　A red banner above the barrier declared the school a “National unified gaokao examination point”. At the first sign of movement inside, the parents pushed in closer, craning their necks to spot their children emerging.

　　考场内刚有点动静，家长们便纷纷往前挤，脖子伸得老长，寻找着自家孩子。

　　Crane用作动词时有“伸长脖子，探着身子”的意思。比如在哈利波特与魔法石中，第一章介绍德思礼一家的时候，就用过crane一词来描写Mrs.Dursley：

　　Mrs Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences(栅栏), spying on the neighbours.

　　我们再来看看纽约时报是如何形容中国的高考制度的，通过这段文字我们可以学习到：

　　1. 外刊是如何形容人们对高考的重视程度的？

　　2. 如何表达“对...有很大影响？”

　　In a country where education is so highly prized, the score that a student earns after the days of testing at the end of high school is believed to set the course of one’s life. The score determines not just whether a young person will attend a Chinese university, but also which one-a selection, many Chinese say, that has a crucial bearing on career prospects.

　　在这个高度重视教育的国家里，人们认为，学生在高中末尾那几天的考试中取得的成绩，将决定他们一生的轨迹。这个分数不单单决定了一个年轻人能否上大学，而且决定了他们能上哪所大学。许多中国人表示，这次选拔，对未来的职业生涯前景有着巨大的影响

　　In a country where education is so highly prized, the score that a student earns after the days of testing at the end of high school is believed to set the course of one’s life.

　　XX is highly prized，在这里表示 “受到高度重视”，也可以用来表示某样东西很珍贵，重要。prize在这里是熟词僻义，用作动词，表示“重视，珍视”：to think that someone or something is very valuable or important.

　　[举一反三] 人工智能时代，数据受到高度重视，我们就可以这样来说：

　　In an era of artificial intelligence, data is highly prized.

　　set the course of one’s life 的意思是决定一生的轨迹。

　　The score determines not just whether a young person will attend a university, but also which one-a selection, many Chinese say, that has a crucial bearing on career prospects.

　　[写作推荐] Have a crucial bearing on sth 意思是“产生重大影响”，可以替换说到影响时我们常用的“influence，effect”,

　　比如说好不容易高考完了，请高三的学弟学妹们不要觉得万事大吉，大学专业选择非常重要，会对你的未来职业道路有很大的影响，就可以用到这个句型：

　　What you choose to stduy in university could have a crucial bearing on your career prospect.

　　前段时间给大家讲解过一篇题为”大学专业与钱途“的外刊精读，其中这篇经济学人文章中有一句话是这样来说的：

　　SCEPTICS OF HIGHER education often complain that universities offer too many frivolous degrees with little value in the workplace. Since elite universities tend to produce higher-earning graduates than less selective institutions do, you might expect them to teach more practical courses. Yet data from Britain’s department for education show the opposite. Undergraduate students at prestigious universities are more likely to study purely academic fields such as philosophy and classics, whereas those at less choosy ones tend to pick vocational topics such as business or nursing.

　　高等教育怀疑论者常抱怨大学提供了太多在职场上无甚价值的无用学位。相比招生标准较低的大学，名牌大学的毕业生一般收入更高，因此人们可能会以为名校开设的课程更实用。然而，英国教育部的数据显示情况正相反。名校的本科生更有可能学习哲学和古典文学等纯学术性专业，而在招生标准更宽松的大学，学生则倾向选择商科或护理等职业性专业。

　　那么如何用英语表示“千军万马过独木桥”？

　　我们中文里常常用“千军万马过独木桥”来形容高考，以体现其竞争之激烈，我们现在来看看外刊是怎么用英语怎么表达这句话的：

　　China may be changing at head-twirling speed, but the ritual of the gaokao remains as immutable(不变的) as chopsticks. One Chinese saying compares the exam to a stampede of “thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of horses across a single log bridge.”

　　中国也许正以另外头晕目眩之速发生改变，但高考的形式却和筷子一样，一尘不变。中国有句俗话把高考比作“千军万马冲过独木桥。”

　　这段话做了一个对比：变与不变

　　首先，文中以china may be changing at “head-twirling speed”—---令人“头晕目眩”的速度，来强调中国日新月异的变化。这也确实，近几十年来，中国无论是在经济，科技，还是国际地位上都有了翻天覆地的变化。衬托这种变化的是一尘不变的高考，

　　“thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of horses across a single log bridge.” 就是“千军万马冲过独木桥”的意思。

　　如何表达“全力以赴”？

　　高考现在已经不是考生一个人的事了，还是全家的头等大事，家长们为了让孩子能够提高成绩也算是费劲脑筋。

　　Families pull out all the stops to optimize their children’s score.

　　Put out all the stops，字面意思来看就是把所有的障碍物都清走，常常用来表示表示“全力以赴，用尽全力”。

　　谈到高考，不可避免的有赞有贬，我们来看看这篇外刊是如何描写人们对高考的负面看法的：

　　Critics complain that the gaokao illustrates the flaws in an education system that stresses memorization over independent thinking and creativity. Educators also say that rural students are at a disadvantage and that the quality of higher education has been sacrificed for quantity.

　　批评者指责说高考体现了教育体系中的缺陷，强调死记硬背而忽略了独立思考和创造力。教育者还表示，农村学生处于不利地位，高等教育为了数量而牺牲了质量。

　　[写作推荐]   Critics complain that

　　这个句型可以运用到我们议论文写作中。议论文常常需要论述一件事物的正反两面,我们可以用这个句型引出反方的观点。

　　an education system that stresses memorization

　　stress除了可以表示压力外，用作动词时还可以表示“强调”，近义词还有emphasize。

　　举个例子：He stressed/ emphasized the importance of a good education.他强调了接受良好教育的重要性。

　　文中的stress memorization 指的是强调记忆，“死记硬背”我们还可以用rote learning来表达。

　　不过，现在对于有钱的家庭来说，送孩子出国读书，而不挤破头皮参考高考也越来越成为一种趋势，我们一起看一看经济学人怎么描述的：

　　In recent years, along with the rapid growth of China’s middle class, the numbers seeking education abroad, mainly in the West, have soared. Last year more than 600,000 did so, four times as many as a decade earlier. Escaping the gaokao ordeal is often cited as a reason.

　　在另外一篇关于大学专业选择的外刊文章中，还提到了在选择专业时（考研同理），最好还考虑以下几点：

　　1.Your Interests兴趣

　　Of course, your interests are an important part of picking a major. If you really dislike what you are studying, you will be miserable. Additionally, you won’t be particularly motivated to complete your coursework. So it is essential that you are actually interested in what you are studying. 

　　2.Your Abilities能力

　　You should also consider what you’re good at when you think about how to choose your major.

　　This doesn’t mean that you should definitely major in whatever you are best at in high school. For one thing, you will probably discover new talents in college as you take courses in areas that weren’t available to you in high school. For another thing, the thing that you’re “best” at is not necessarily what aligns best with all your other priorities and goals.

　　The main principle here is that it’s probably not a great idea to major in something that you know you are pretty weak in. If you’ve barely pulled C’s in math all through high school, being a math major (or a similarly math-heavy major like engineering or physics) is probably not the best move.

　　（比如经过高中，小编深就知自己不是学数学物理的料...而同学却刷题刷得不亦乐乎；果断不考虑这类专业。）

　　3.Is it employable?工作好找吗？

　　When you think about how to pick your major, it makes sense to consider what kind of job prospects you will have once you have your degree. In other words, will you be able to easily and readily find employment in a related field after you earn the degree? 

　　4.Will it pay？钱途如何

　　You might be the most adamant固执 while saying that money doesn’t rank high in your decision-making process when deciding which major to pick. But let’s be honest - it does matter.

　　5.Particular Career Interests 特定的职业方向

　　You might also have a very specific goal, like becoming an astrophysicist, or a doctor, or a lawyer. Some (but not all) very specific career goals require specific majors, or at least specific courses and activities. For example, if you want to be a doctor, you have to get a degree in medicine. On the other hand, if you want to be a journalist, there are lots of majors that can accommodate that goal. And if you think you might want to go to business, you have plenty of leeway in your choice of undergraduate major.

　　（比如你以后就是想当老师，现在很多公立学校都要求专业对口）

　　2019高考总算落下帷幕，考生们后续也将迎来志愿报考的问题，很多考生考完试可能就会觉得万事大吉，结果大学专业就随便一报，万万不可。私以为专业的选择和高考成绩本身同样重要。

　　对于已经大学在读的同学，建议大家趁年轻多尝试，多试错。很多时候可能你只是以为自己喜欢，实际到岗位实践后才知道是不是同一回事。