英语小达人 431 So Much to Learn(2)

 Three hours passed.  三个小时的考试时间过去了，

Then the professor began to collect the papers.  教授开始收试卷。

The students no longer looked confident.  学生们脸上的自信这时已经荡然无存了，

On their faces was a frightened expression. No one spoke¹.  显出手足无措的样子。没有人说话。

As papers in hand, the professor faced the class.  教授手持试卷，低头扫视着整个班。

He surveyed the worried faces before him,  他审视着面前一张张惶恐的脸，

then asked, How many completed all five questions?  问：有多少人完成了这五道题？

Not a hand was raised.  没有人举手。

How many answered four?  那么四道题呢？

Still no hands. 仍然没人举手。

Three? Two?  三道……两道呢？

The students shifted restlessly in their seats.  学生们这时在座位上发出了一阵不安的骚动。

One, then? Certainly somebody has finished one.  那么一道呢？肯定有人能完成一道吧。

But the class remained silent.  回答教授的仍然是沉默。

The professor put down the papers. That is exactly what I expected, he said.  不出我所料，教授放下试卷说，

I just want to impress upon you that,  我只是想让你们谨记，

even though you have completed four years of engineering.  虽然你们已经完成了四年的工程学课程，

There are still many things about the subject you don't know.  但在这个科目中仍有很多东西是你们所不懂的。

These questions you could not answer are relatively² common in everyday practice.  其实这些问题在你们的日常实践中相当常见。

Then, smiling, he added, You will all pass this course,  他又微笑着补充一句：这次考试你们将全部通过，

but remember — even though you are now college graduates, your education has just begun.  但请大家记住：大学毕业仅仅表示你们的教育才刚开始。

The years have obscured the name of this professor, but not the lesson he taught. 岁月流逝，教授的名字已经被淡忘，但是他的教导却为学生所铭刻于心。

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 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。