Going Back To Basics

 　　LIKE many other seniors, Wang Ying, at Wuhan University, has been busy preparing for the postgraduate¹ entrance exams since the new semester began. But in another way she's different. Her motivation comes not from wanting to get a master's degree to find a good job. She wants to pursue further studies because she hopes to learn more about the history and culture of her country.

　　Wang is majoring in Chinese traditional culture, an unusual major for college students all across the country. These majors are studying a way of life that existed thousands of years ago.

　　"We read articles loud together. And the teachers explain them word by word. It's quite similar to class in a private school in ancient times," says Ye Daiyin, a junior.

　　Wuhan established the major four years ago. The students take courses based on the classical culture of ancient China, such as literature, philosophy, and history. Their curriculum has classic works like the Four Books (Si Shu), the Five Classics (Wu Jing), the Song of Chu (Chu Ci), and Lao Zi.

　　There are interesting ways to study the classical culture.

　　Many of the students have joined the Chunying Poetry Association, which is open to anyone interested in classical poetry. They usually practise composing ancient poems.

　　Poetic²

　　According to Ye, who has joined the poetry association, the members once took a thin piece of sandalwood like a piece of incense³, in a classroom, and lit it. They then tried to compose a poem before the stick burned completely. It took about 20 minutes.

　　"It's interesting to play this kind of game. Now we can compose poems within a short time," Ye said.

　　The students also find challenges in their studies.

　　"The course was a little difficult at the beginning. The texts we use are in the original form. The characters are in their original complex form, the one used before they were simplified. And we have to read them from right to left," said Wang Ying, a senior. "It's taken me several months to get used to this."

　　Reciting the texts is even more challenging.

　　"It's our homework to recite all the parts of the Four Books, and some of the Song of Chu. It was hard for me to memorize them at first. But it got easier," Wang said.

　　In fact, she can now recite almost all of the "Dream of Red Mansions⁴" (Honglou Meng) from beginning to end.

　　Changing majors

　　In fact, students majoring in Chinese traditional culture were not asked to enrol⁵ in the major based on their scores in the college entrance exams.

　　They transferred into it after taking exams during the second half of their first year of study of other subjects.

　　Some of them have given up a popular majors, such as Wang. She was in law in her first year of study; others are science majors and now find themselves in a relatively⁶ new field. Ye, for example, started university life as a maths major.

　　And not all of them are convinced of the merits of this new course.

　　"The job prospects⁷ for the major are not promising⁸. It may be hard for graduates to get well-paid jobs," said a sophomore⁹ named Song.

　　Motivation

　　But the students doing the new course have their own reasons.

　　"Our motivation is not money but interest. What we've learnt is far from enough. Many of us hope to pursue postgraduate studies," said Tian Fang¹⁰, a junior.

　　The students' enthusiasm for the new major has impressed the teachers.

　　"It's good that they are serious about their studies. The job prospects may be uncertain for them, but they can succeed by working hard and having a good attitude," said one teacher named Xu who is in charge of the seniors.

1 postgraduate   

adj.大学毕业后的，大学研究院的；n.研究生

参考例句：

• I didn't put down that I had postgraduate degree.我没有写上我有硕士学位。
• After college,Mary hopes to do postgraduate work in law school.大学毕业后， 玛丽想在法学院从事研究工作。

2 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

3 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

4 mansions   

n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 enrol   

v.（使）注册入学，（使）入学，（使）入会

参考例句：

• I like your institute but I do not want to enrol.我喜欢你们学院但我不想报名去你院。
• They decided to enrol him as a member of the society.他们决定吸收他成为会社的成员。

6 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。

7 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

8 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

9 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

10 fang   

n.尖牙，犬牙

参考例句：

• Look how the bone sticks out of the flesh like a dog's fang.瞧瞧,这根骨头从肉里露出来，象一只犬牙似的。
• The green fairy's fang thrusting between his lips.绿妖精的尖牙从他的嘴唇里龇出来。