【话匣子英语】采访杰德

今天来做客的嘉宾是杰德

 

Andrew: Did you have any special farming jobs? Like, I know some country kids have to wake up at the crack of dawn every day and go and milk the cows. Did you have any special farm chores?

Jade¹: Well, we actually didn’t have the farm for too long. It was a pretty-short lived hobby, I think, of my parents’. So when I was maybe three until seven was the only years our farm was really that active, so I mean, a three-year-old isn’t that functional² as a farmhand. But I did really like helping³ slaughter⁴ the chickens. I don’t know. Does that count?

Andrew: OK. That’s a little strange. Yeah, that definitely counts. That’s part of country life. Right? So I guess I wanna skip forward a little bit now. And when we first met was when we were both living on Vancouver Island, in Victoria. And we both moved there to go to the University of Victoria.  This is one of the bigger schools in British Columbia, and a lot of kids from the province actually move to Victoria just to go to UVic, and that’s what happened to both of us. So, what I would like to know is: Why did you choose Victoria? And what did you study at the University of Victoria?

Jade: When I was in my grade-12 year of high school, I challenged a lot of courses, and one of those being English 12, which is mandatory⁵ for applying to any university. And so the only university I actually applied⁶ to at the time was UBC, because I still wanted to remain relatively⁷ close to my family and I also couldn’t afford a huge move across country. And coming from a small town, I don’t know if that was really an interest of mine at the time.

Andrew: OK, So let me hold up here and explain. UBC is the University of British Columbia, which is in Vancouver. And it’s actually the biggest university in British Columbia – in the province. So if you had gone to UBC, it would have been very close to Chilliwack, your hometown.

Jade: Yeah. It would have only been about an hour drive or a two-hour commute⁸ by bus. But because I didn’t have an English 12 credit yet, because I hadn’t challenged the provincial⁹ exam, my application was deferred¹⁰ and my best friend at the time had applied to UVic, and so she suggested that I apply there just in case I don’t get accepted to UBC. And so I was immediately accepted to UVic, with a pretty substantial entrance scholarship and so I just accepted right away. And then a few weeks later, I was accepted into UBC once my provincial 12 exam came through, and I was also accepted there with another entrance scholarship as well. So to this day, I’m always wondering how my life would have turned out if I had just held off for a little bit and stayed in Vancouver and went to UBC instead. Guess I wouldn’t have met you.

Andrew: OYeah. I guess so. So, now we know why you decided¹¹ to go to UVic. But what did you study there?

Jade: I switched my major around quite often. I started in the Faculty¹² of Sciences and my focus was on biology and biochemistry. And then I moved from there into social work. And after my second year I moved into political sciences and economics and I ended up finishing with a double major in poli sci and econ.

1 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

2 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

5 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

9 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

10 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。