【英语趣味课堂】在亚洲的学校生活-School Life in Asia

Todd: Nitya, (Yeah) you grew up in India (Yep) In India, what are things that school children like to do for fun?

 

Nitya: I think playing "hide-and-seek" and I think what all children like in the world, it's the same I guess, because like when I came here in Japan, there was one thing that I was really surprised, I was like, I went with the first and second grade kids one day to their school, and I was shocked that they play the same games which we play back in India, so I think that kids find all over the same things to play (right) I mean like jumping on their one leg and like holding hands and running and "merry-go" and things like that.

 

Todd: Yeah, it's always the same.

 

Nitya: All the same.

 

Todd: Now you went to a school in Japan, now you live in Japan, is school the same in Japan as it is in India?

 

Nitya: No, it's totally different there. The education system. The things. The whole administration¹, it's just very different from India I guess, yeah.

 

Todd: Yeah, like can you give us an examples of how India might be different?

 

Nitya: Yeah, like, the first thing is like, here one period is ninety minutes, but there we have 45 minute periods only.

 

Todd: Oh, I see.

 

Nitya: Like in the class system, and here it's like, even though if it's a quarter a system, you take a subject and you learn it only for two and a half months, but the same subject if it's back home in India, we do it like for one year, or six months so the length and the depth² is more than here I guess.

 

Todd: Now in India, in let's say primary school, or elementary school, normally³ how many students are in a class?

 

Nitya: Primary school is like 30 students, 30 or 35, but keep increasing as you go to secondary⁴, and it goes up to sometimes 60, yep.

 

Todd: Wow. Now in your town, in your village, is instruction in English or is it in another language?

 

Nitya: OK, like, though it's a small town, but we have a university with the second largest in India area wise in the whole world, (Wow) so I studied there my whole education and was there up to my high school, but then later I went to southern part of India for 4 years education

 

Todd: Uh-huh, and so the instruction was in English?

 

Nitya: In English and in Hindi, both because they are central government schools, so it's supposed to be in English.

 

Todd: Oh, I see.

 

Nitya: On the whole it turns out to be back in mother tongue when we speak in school and everything, but the teachers do give instructions in English.

 

Todd: OK, and how about, even to a Japanese school, what about school lunches? Like what do kids eat for lunch at a school in India?

 

Nitya: In India?

 

Todd: And how do they eat lunch? Is there a cafeteria⁵? Do they bring a lunch?

 

Nitya: I think most of them bring lunch, and the cafeteria is supposed to be considered unhygienic by mothers, so they are not very favored⁶ towards cafeteria food, but we love it, because there are so many snacks and oily things which usually kids like, you know, spicy⁷ kind of things with mothers always against it, so we do bring lunches, sometimes we take it back, or eat it in the cafeteria, or give it to somebody, things like that.

 

Todd: Well, in India, what is a typical lunch, that a mother would make for her children?

 

Nitya: OK, it is usually Chapatti, which is made by wheat flour, and some kind of, stew⁸ kind of thing, or you know, like potatoes, vegetables kind of thing.

 

Todd: Right, you said, Chapatti? (yeah) What is a chapatti?

 

Nitya: A chapatti, it's like a pizza base, and it's made by wheat flower, (so it's) a round thing. It's a round thing.

 

Todd: It's a thin round piece of bread.

 

Nitya: Yeah, exactly.

 

Todd: And is there something on it, or in it?

 

Nitya: Yeah, we eat it with some potato curry⁹, or things like that.

 

Todd: Is the curry on the outside or the inside?

 

Nitya: No, it's separate¹⁰.

 

Todd: Oh, really.

 

Nitya: You eat it this with this.

 

Todd: Oh, I see. Sounds pretty good. Alright. Anyway, thanks, Nitya.

1 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

2 depth   

n.深度；深奥；深厚，深切，深

参考例句：

• What is the depth of this lake?这个湖有多深？
• He was in the depth of despair.他处于绝望的深渊。

3 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

4 secondary   

adj.中级的，中等的，次要的；n.次要位置，副手

参考例句：

• It's a question of secondary importance.这是个次要的问题。
• Secondary school means junior school and high school.中学是指初中和高中。

5 cafeteria   

n.自助餐厅

参考例句：

• In the cafeteria we serve ourselves.在自助餐馆我们是自己拿菜的。
• I can't stand eating in the cafeteria.我实在不想在自助食堂吃了。

6 favored   

adj.受到优待的；有天赋的；受优惠的；有利的v.支持( favor的过去式和过去分词 )；赞成；照顾；促成

参考例句：

• We hoped to be favored with your early answer. 我们希望得到你尽早的回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment: conditional and unconditional. 最惠国待遇有两种形式：有条件的和无条件的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

8 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

9 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

10 separate   

n.分开，抽印本；adj.分开的，各自的，单独的；v.分开，隔开，分居

参考例句：

• Are they joined together or separate?它们是合在一起还是分开的？
• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering.洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。