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时间:2016-06-14 23:12:31

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International Students Find ‘Gator Spirit’ at University of Florida 国际学生在佛罗里达大学寻找“短吻鳄精神”

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is the first part of a new ongoing1 series about international student life at colleges and universities across the U.S. Please join us over the next several weeks as we bring you stories about these amazing individuals and the American higher education system as a whole.

Beautiful beaches. Glamorous2 nightlife. These were the scenes Mandisa Haarhoff imagined when she learned the University of Florida had accepted her.

She was picturing Miami.

But Haarhoff quickly learned that the University of Florida is really in the city of Gainesville. Gainesville is a city of over 128,000 people in the northern part of Florida, an almost 5-hour drive from Miami.

Gainesville also has no beaches, only swamps3 — filled with alligators5.

Not Miami

Haarhoff is originally from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She applied6 to several schools across the U.S. to earn a doctorate7, or PhD, in English studies.

In 2012, the University of Florida invited her to join their program. Founded in 1854, the school is a top-ranked public research university. It is home to nearly 50,000 students, about 6,000 of whom are international.

The U.S. government gave Haarhoff a Fulbright scholarship to pay for her first two years there.

Haarhoff was excited to study in the U.S. and pursue her dream. But she also felt sad when she arrived at Gainesville. She was not sure she would enjoy living in this small Florida city. Her first days were difficult. She says she missed her family and the food back home.

But after a short time, she fell in love with Gainesville. She loved how green the city is. She enjoyed being able to ride her bike everywhere. And before long, she got into the "Gator spirit."

"So I was a big follower8 of the Gator spirit and that was a great way to get me into school spirit. ... You’d find me in the stadium literally9 screaming."

Gator spirit

Just about every college in the US has a symbol or image that represents the school. The symbol, usually an animal, is called the mascot10. The purpose of mascots11 is to make students feel like part of the school community.

The University of Florida’s mascot is an alligator4, or gator. Alligators can be found everywhere in Gainesville, even on the university’s campus!

The gator mascot represents the University of Florida’s sports program. The university has many sports teams, but its American football team is by far the most popular. The football stadium holds nearly 90,000 people.

Fans and students call their loyalty12 to the University of Florida “gator spirit.” The feeling unites them. It reminds them they are all part of the same school family. Haarhoff says the gator spirit made her feel welcome.

From Germany to Gainesville

Paula Roetscher is another foreign student at the University of Florida. She is from Buttst?dt, Germany. She came to Gainesville as an undergraduate student in 2012.

Roetscher struggled at first to adjust to a new culture. She says American students share their feelings and opinions with strangers much more than Germans do. She also says she had to learn to be more open-minded.

Roetscher also had to adjust to a foreign language. She says she was only somewhat prepared to study at the college level at an English-speaking university.

In high school, Roetscher studied at an International Baccalaureate, or IB, program. IB is an international organization that teaches international issues in different and more challenging ways than a traditional education does.

IB began in 1968 and reported having more 5,500 programs around the world in February 2016.

IB programs for high school students help prepare them for college. Students can also use IB classes as credit towards their degree.

Roetscher says she completed her IB program with strong English skills. But those skills were not good enough when she first arrived at the University of Florida. She says that doing everything in English is difficult, even for students who are well-prepared.

"One expectation, I think, is that if you’re good at writing and reading English back home in school, you think you’ll do well here, too. But then, of course, you have to speak English and that’s a big challenge for a lot of international students..."

Roetscher now speaks English like a native speaker. Her main challenge these days is the hot, humid weather in Florida.

"Germany has four distinct13 seasons. Florida does not have four distinct seasons."

Academic life

Her early difficulties she did not stop Roetscher from taking full advantage of the academic opportunities at the University of Florida.

Roetscher chose to seek two undergraduate degrees: one in sustainability studies and another in geography. She also chose to seek a minor14 degree in the Arabic language. She has been studying Arabic since she was 11 years old.

Roetscher says university students in Germany usually complete an undergraduate degree in fewer than four years. She also had some extra credits from her high school IB program. Therefore, she felt she could do more with the time she had.

Outside the classroom

Roetscher is also taking advantage of opportunities outside the classroom. She has a special interest in refugees15.

In 2015, she joined the Interfaith Alliance16 for Immigrant Justice. The group is collection of different religious organizations who fight for immigrant rights.

Roetscher and the organization work with the city government to make Gainesville an official “Welcoming America” city.

Welcoming America is an organization of U.S. cities that agree to provide resources for immigrant communities.

Haarhoff, the graduate student from South Africa, also succeeds outside the classroom. She says she has always been interested in acting17, singing and dance. So she joined the Actor’s Warehouse18, a local theater company. She has now won several awards for her part in the play called "Tshepang."

Haarhoff won the award for "Best Actress for Community Theater" at the Florida Theatre Conference in 2015 and again at the Southeastern Theatre Conference in 2016.

Looking ahead

Haarhoff still misses South Africa and plans to return when she completes her Ph.D. But she says making American friends along with international friends is the best advice for someone feeling lonely.

Now, with everything she has learned from her friends and her studies, she has a lot to share when she gets home.

Words in This Story

beach(es) – n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake

glamorous – adj. very exciting and attractive

swamp(s) – n. land that is always wet and often partly covered with water

alligator(s) – n. a large reptile19 that has a long body, thick skin, and sharp teeth, that lives in the tropical parts of the U.S. and China, and that is related to crocodiles

applied – v. asked formally for something such as a job, admission to a school or a loan, usually in writing

doctorate – n. the highest degree that is given by a university

scholarship – n. an amount of money that is given by a school or an organization to a student to help pay for the student's education

stadium – n. a very large usually roofless building that has a large open area surrounded by many rows of seats and that is used for sports events or concerts

scream(ing) – v. to suddenly cry out in a loud and high voice because of joy, pain or surprise

campus – n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

undergraduate – n. a student at a college or university who has not yet earned a degree

open-minded – adj. willing to consider different ideas or opinions

challenging – adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable

humid – n. having a lot of moisture in the air

distinct – n. different in a way that you can see, hear, smell or feel

taking (full) advantage of – idm. using something, such as an opportunity, in a way that helps you

academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education

sustainability – n. the ability to use something without completely using it up or destroying it

geography – n. an area of study that deals with the location of countries, cities, rivers, mountains and lakes

minor degree – n. a second subject studied by a college or university student in addition to a main subject


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ongoing 6RvzT     
adj.进行中的,前进的
参考例句:
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
2 glamorous ezZyZ     
adj.富有魅力的;美丽动人的;令人向往的
参考例句:
  • The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊,但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
  • It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差,并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。
3 swamps 862ad7e487b2220543f59c6aca1748c6     
沼泽(地)( swamp的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • On the floor of the basins lie deserts, lakes and swamps. 这几个盆地的底部有沙漠、湖泊和沼泽。
  • The lowest parts of the flood plain may form "back-swamps". 河漫滩最低的部分可以形成河漫滩沼泽。
4 alligator XVgza     
n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)
参考例句:
  • She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
  • Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。
5 alligators 0e8c11e4696c96583339d73b3f2d8a10     
n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
  • In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句
6 applied Tz2zXA     
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 doctorate fkEzt     
n.(大学授予的)博士学位
参考例句:
  • He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
  • Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士?
8 follower gjXxP     
n.跟随者;随员;门徒;信徒
参考例句:
  • He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
  • Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
9 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
10 mascot E7xzm     
n.福神,吉祥的东西
参考例句:
  • The football team's mascot is a goat.足球队的吉祥物是山羊。
  • We had a panda as our mascot.我们把熊猫作为吉详物。
11 mascots aecb9f35e21335e20c5eb14a9f5e4d45     
n.吉祥物( mascot的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • One of the mascots was the platypus. 吉祥物一是鸭嘴兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Information on all things Olympic, including logos, mascots, venues,and bid candidates. 所有事情奥林匹克,包括的标识语,吉祥物,地点,和出价候选人的信息。 来自互联网
12 loyalty gA9xu     
n.忠诚,忠心
参考例句:
  • She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
  • His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。
13 distinct Csoxs     
adj.种类不同的,有区别的,清楚的,明显的
参考例句:
  • I had the distinct impression that I was being followed.我清楚地感觉到有人跟踪我。
  • The party split into two distinct groups.该党分裂成两个截然不同的团体。
14 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
15 refugees ddb3b28098e40c0f584eafcd38f1fbd4     
n.避难者,难民( refugee的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
  • They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民,不是经济移民。
16 alliance MLDyt     
n.同盟,同盟国,结盟,联姻
参考例句:
  • China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
  • The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。
17 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
18 warehouse 6h7wZ     
n.仓库;vt.存入仓库
参考例句:
  • We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
  • The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。
19 reptile xBiz7     
n.爬行动物;两栖动物
参考例句:
  • The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
  • So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以,你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

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