六级阅读真题精读Passage22：家长们的名校情节

很多人心中都有名校情结，但实际上名校情结是否真的如我们所以为的那么有益呢？这篇文章从父母对孩子参加高等学校招生考试的担忧出发，经过分析，发现最后的结果其实并非如此。很多时候，家长们都在瞎忙活，为了面子，为了成为所谓的成功的家长，非让孩子挤破头皮往名校钻。让我们冷静下来看看情况究竟是怎样的吧。

[In the college-admissions wars], we {parents} are the true fights. We are pushing our kids [to get good grades, take SAT preparatory 1  courses and build resumes] [so they can get into the college (of our first choice).] I’ve [twice] been to the wars, and [as I survey the battlefield 2,] something (different) is happening. We see our kids’ college background <as a prize> (demonstrating how [well] we’ve raised them). But we can’t acknowledge that our obsession is more about us [than them]. [So] we’ve contrived 3 various justifications 4 (that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices 5 or myths.) It [actually] doesn’t matter [much] whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.
在高考大战中，身为父母的我们才是真正的战士。我们逼迫孩子考高分、参加SAT考前辅导、写简历，以便让他们进入我们首选的学校。我曾经历过两次这样的战争，而当我回头巡视战场的时候，我发现自己有了不同的想法。我们把子女的大学教育背景当成是检验我们如何成功培养子女的奖品，却不愿承认我们对此的痴迷与其说是为了孩子们，不如说是为了我们自己。于是我们编造各种看似正当的理由，而这些理由不过是半真半假的东西，是偏见或者是胡编乱造。艾伦和尼科尔不能去斯坦福大学上学，其实真的不重要。
注：1. preparatory adj. 预备的 ；n. 预料；预备学校。例：

It is this reflection that should be the starting point for our preparatory process.
这种反思正应是我们的筹备进程的出发点。
[选自：UNCTAD: Office of the Secretary-General]

美国的高考与中国的不一样，SAT学术能力评估测试（Scholastic Assessment Test）就相当于是美国高考。

2. battlefield n. 战场，沙场。例：

The commander countermanded the reinforcements to the battlefield.
司令员下令撤回派往战场的援军。
on the battlefield  在战场上

battlefield online 战地风云

3.contrive vi. 涉及，谋划，设法做到。例：

The oil companies were accused of contriving a shortage of petrol to justify price increases.
一些石油公司为了找借口提高油价而策划谎报是有短缺，因而被起诉。
[选自：柯林斯英汉双解大词典]

【同】design, engineer, style  涉及，发明，图谋

【派】contrived 人为的，做作的

contrivance 发明，发明物

contriver 发明者

4. justification n. 理由；辩护；认为有理，认为正当；释罪。例：

To me the only justification for a zoo is educational.
对我来说，动物园存在的惟一正当理由就是它的教育意义。
There is no justification for this horrific terrorist attack and people are angry and want justice.
没有理由为这场可怕的恐怖袭击辩解，人们都为此感到愤怒并希望伸张正义。
[选自：BBC: Your earlier comments on Koran and Country]

5. prejudice n. 偏见；侵害 vt. 损害；使有偏见。例：

It was born of a hope that we could increase understanding and reduce prejudice and antagonism.
我们天生就希望能互相增进了解，减少偏见和对立。
[选自：cnn: To Restore America]

There was a deep-rooted racial prejudice long before the two countries went to war.
早在两国交战之前就有了根深蒂固的种族偏见。
I think your upbringing has prejudiced you.
我认为你的教养使你抱有偏见。
racial prejudice种族偏见；种族歧视；偏见；侵害

We have a full-blown 1 prestige 2 panic; we worry that there won’t be enough prizes [to go around]. Fearful parents urge their children [to apply to more schools] [than ever]. Underlying 3 the hysteria is the belief {that scarce elite degrees must be [highly] valuable.} Their graduates must enjoy more success [because they get a better education and develop better contacts.] All that is plausible – and [mostly] wrong. We haven’t found any convincing evidence (that [selectivity 4 or prestige] matters.) Selective schools don’t [systematically 5  ] employ better instructional 6 approaches [than less selective 7 schools]. [On two measures] – {professors’ feedback and the number of essay exams} – selective schools do [slightly] [worse].
我们对名声有着极大的恐慌，我们担心没有足够的奖项让每个人都获奖。于是恐慌的父母逼着孩子们申请比以前更多的学校。在这种歇斯底里的症状下隐藏的是一种信念：即稀缺的精英学历肯定是非常有价值的。这些毕业生一定能获得更多成就，因为他们受到了更好的教育，建立了更好的人际关系。一切好像很有道理，但其实不然。我们还没有找到令人信服的证据来证明“拔尖”或“名牌”很重要。精英学校并没有系统地采用那些比普通学校更好的教学方法。从两个衡量尺度来看——教授的反馈和论文考试的数量方面——精英学校反而稍为逊色。
注：1. full-blown adj. 成熟的；（花）盛开的，（帆）张满的。例：

What started as a financial crisis is now a full-blown political crisis in two euro-zone states.
现今,这两个欧元区国家开始阶段的金融危机已经全面爆发为政治危机。
[选自：WSJ: Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy Have Lost Credibility]

Before becoming a full-blown director, he worked as an editor.
在成为一名完全成熟的导演之前，他曾是一名剪辑师。
full-blown depression  全面萧条

2. prestige n. 威望，声望，名誉。例：

“Of course, it also has an important value for the nation’s image and prestige,” he said.
“当然，一个国家的形象和威信也具有重要价值”，他说。
[选自：MSN: China astronaut calls for U.S. cooperation]

【派】prestigious  有声望额，享有声望的

3. underlying adj. 潜在的，在下面的；v.优先于；放在...的下面，为...的基础(underlie的ing形式)。例：

To stop a problem you have to understand its Underlying causes.
要解决问题，你得了解其潜在的原因。
And it reflects an underlying belief that higher marginal tax rates hurt economic growth.
这反映了一个基本的信念：即较高的边际税率损害经济增长。
[选自：WSJ: David Wessel: In Fiscal Skirmish, Code Words Provide Cover for Politicians]

4. selectivity n. 选择性，分离性，选择度 

【词根】select 精选的

【派】selective  选择性的；selectively  有选择地；selection  选择

5. systematically adv.有系统地；有组织地。例：

Nepal is one of the first countries in the region to engage in systematically assessing its media landscape.
尼泊尔是该地区第一个系统地评估其媒体景观的国家之一。
[选自：UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES]

【参】systematic adj.有系统的，成体系的

【词根】system 系统

systemize  使...系统化，把...分类

systematized  系统化的

systematization  系统化，组织化

systematist  组织主义者

6. instructional adj. 教学的，指导的；教育的。例：

Workforce also trains its leaders and supervisors with formal labor management instructional courses.
工作人员还对其领导者和监督者进行正规劳动管理教学课程的培训。
[选自：WHITEHOUSE: Educating Green Builders]

The materials are from real instructional situations such as a lecture or writing assignment.
考试内容来自真实的教学情境，例如一个演讲或写作任务。
【同】educational；directory  教育的，教学的，指导的

7. selective adj. 选择性的。例：

We seem to have a selective memory for the best bits of the past.
我们似乎对过去最美好的时光有选择性的记忆。
Selective eaters tend to like similar foods, with an emphasis on the bland and processed.
挑食者往往喜欢类似的食物，主要是清淡的和经过加工处理的食物。
[选自：MSN: Those with the condition prefer salty, bland foods]

[By some studies], selective schools do enhance their graduates’ lifetime earnings. The gain is reckoned [at 2-4%] [for every 100-point increase] [in a school’s average SAT scores]. But [even] this advantage is [probably] a statistical 1 fluke. A well-known study examined students (who got into [highly] selective schools and [then] went [elsewhere].) They earned [just] [as much as graduates] [from higher-status schools].
某些研究表明，精英学校的确能够提高其毕业生一生的收入。这反映在：如果一所学校的SAT平均分每高出100分，所带来的收入将增加2-4个百分点。但即使是这样的优势也完全可能是由统计数据上的偶然因素造成的。一项著名的研究曾经调查了那些本已经考入精英学校，后来又去了其他学校的学生。这些学生挣的钱跟排名更高的学校的毕业生一样多。
注：1. statistical adj. 统计的，统计学的。例：

The report contains a great deal of statistical information.
该报告包含大量的统计资料。
The scientists used a statistical analysis to examine the relationship between genetic and lifestyle factors.
科学家们使用统计分析的方法来研究遗传和生活方式等因素之间的关系。
[选自：MSN: Breast cancer genes not worsened by lifestyle]

Kids count [more] [than their colleges]. Getting into Yale may signify 1 intelligence, talent and ambition. But it’s [not] the only indicator 2 and, [paradoxically 3], its significance is declining. The reason: so many similar people go [elsewhere]. Getting into college is [not] life only competition. [In the next competition] – ^the job market, graduate school^ – the results may change. Old-boy networks are breaking down. Princeton economist {Alan Krueger} studied admissions [to one top Ph.D. 4 program]. High scores [on the GRE 5  ] helped explain who got in; degrees of prestigious universities didn’t.
孩子本身比他们所上的学校更为重要。能考上耶鲁大学可能意味着孩子本身聪明、有天赋、有抱负，但这并不是唯一的指标。而且让人意外的是，能否考上名牌大学变得不那么重要了。原因是：很多同样优秀的人去了其他学校。考上大学并非是人生唯一的竞争，在下一步的竞争中——比如说找工作或者是读研究生——结果可能截然不同。以前的校友网络正在瓦解。普林斯顿经济学家阿兰·克鲁格研究了一个顶尖的博士研究生项目的录取情况。GRE考高分有助于决定谁能获得录取资格，而名校学位却不能。
注：1. signify vt. 表示，意味；预示；vi.有重要性，要紧；冒充内行。例：

Profits signify that worth was added and the value gained exceeded production costs.
利润意味着增值而且获得的价值超过了生产成本。
[选自：FORBES: President Obama's Useful "Occupiers" Don't Understand Wealth]

Two jurors signified their dissent.
两个陪审员表达了他们的异议。
【词根】sign  迹象，符号，记号，手势

significant  重大的，有效地

significative  有意义的，表示...的

significance  意义，重要性

2. indicator n. 指示器；[试剂] 指示剂；[计] 指示符；压力计。例：

One key indicator of the value of any research is the number of times it is quoted by other scientists in their work.
任何研究的价值的一个关键指标是它被其他科学家在他们的工作中引用了多少次。
Being thin is not an automatic indicator of health, and neither is being overweight.
身材苗条和超重都不是显示健康的必然指标。
[选自：cnn: Chris Christie and our biases about weight]

3. paradoxically adv. 自相矛盾地，似是而非地。例：

Paradoxically, it may not look that way, at least at first.
自相矛盾的是，至少在最初看上去不是这样的。
But only if—paradoxically—you are prepared to serve their interests at the expense of your own.
矛盾的是，你必须愿意为了他人的利益而牺牲自己的利益。
[选自：FORBES: Most Popular]

4. Ph.D. 哲学博士（Philosophiae Doctor），需要注意的是，虽然表面上看是哲学的博士，但实际上，几乎所有学科的博士都是叫Ph.D.，但法学博士（JD）等某些学科的博士有特定的称谓。

5. GRE  美国研究生入学考试（Graduate Record Examination）；地面雷达设备（Ground Radar Equipment）

So, parents, lighten up. The stakes have been [vastly] exaggerated [up to a point 1], we can rationalize 2 our pushiness 3. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that, but too much pushiness can be destructive 4  . The very ambition (we impose on our children) may get some [into Harvard] but may [also] set them up [for disappointment]. One study found that, [other things being equal,] graduates (of highly selective schools) experienced more job dissatisfaction 5. They may have been so conditioned to being on top that anything [less] disappoints.
所以，家长们，放轻松点吧。我们在高考上下的赌注太大了，我们可以让我们一意孤行的行为变得不那么荒唐。美国是个竞争激烈的社会；我们的孩子要学会适应这种环境，但是太多的逼迫反而对孩子们非常不利。我们强加给孩子的雄心抱负可能让他们考进哈佛，但也有可能给他们带来失望。一项研究发现，在其他因素相同的情况下，精英学校的毕业生更容易对工作感到失落。他们已经习惯于高高在上，因而稍加不如意就怨天尤人。
注：1. up to a point 在一定程度上。例：

All of us have a price up to a point.
在一定程度上，我们大家都有一个价码。
It has certainly been profitable, up to a point, for foreigners.
这在一定程度上对外国人来说肯定是有利可图的。
[选自：WSJ: Bookshelf: Raising the Red Flag on Red Capitalism]

2. rationalize vt. 使...合理化，使...有理化；vi.行合理化，作辩解；合理地思考。例：

When people have them, they often think that they are being honest, but that's their Taker trying to rationalize what is actually cruel and destructive.
人们发怒是会以为他们是诚实的表现，但其实是站在索取者的角度试图把残忍且具有毁灭性的东西合理化。
Instincts don't rationalize such a situation.
不能用本能来合理解释这种情况。
[选自：WSJ: Adventure Travel in Queenstown, New Zealand]

3. pushiness n. 一意孤行，粗鲁。例： 

It’s time to let your charm take over not your pushiness.
是时候发挥你的魅力了，不要一意孤行啊。
Using publicity, politics and a bit of pushiness, Mr. Fernandes has now become a big dog of the Asian skies.
凭借宣传，政治活动，以及些许粗鲁的性格，费尔南德斯先生现已成为亚洲天空的保镖。
[选自：WSJ: Competition Takes Off in Asia's Budget-Airline Market]

4. destructive adj. 破坏的，毁灭性的；有害的。例：

Many also need help in resolving destructive conflicts and rebuilding a peaceful, productive society.
解决破坏性冲突并重建和平、多产的社会，还需要很多人的帮助。
[选自：UN: The Independent]

We all know how destructive viruses on our computer can be and how important it is to have virus protection installed.
我们都知道我们电脑里的病毒是多么有破坏性，而安装病毒防护是多么重要。
destructive power 破坏力

destructive effect 破坏性

5. dissatisfaction n. 不满；令人不满的事物。例：

That might be why we see this emerging at the beginning of the marriage for husbands, and their dissatisfaction might be affecting wives’ satisfaction over time.
这可能就是我们看到这种现象在新婚时发生在丈夫身上的原因，随着时间的推移，丈夫的不满可能会影响妻子对婚姻的满意度。
As with any change, users immediately began posting their dissatisfaction with the revisions.
当发生任何变化时，用户马上就开始发布他们对修订的不满。
[选自：FORBES: 3 Ways to Change With Facebook]