課外英語知識累積
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英語課外閱讀1
The admissions process is out of whack. Just ask theheartbroken applicant, rejected by her dreamschool. Ask high school counselors, who complainthat colleges don’t reward promising students fortheir creativity, determination or service to others. Even the gatekeepers at some famous institutionsacknowledge, quietly, that the selection system isbroken.
大學招生過程已經(jīng)亂了套。只需去問問被夢想中的學校拒絕的心碎的申請人。問問高中輔導員們，他們抱怨那些因為有創(chuàng)造力、毅力或樂于助人而前途遠大的學生，并不能得到大學的賞識。即使是一些著名學府的招生者也悄悄承認，篩選體系非常糟糕。
Ask five people how to fix it, though, and they’ll give five different answers. Sure, you mightthink colleges put too much stock in the SAT, but your neighbor’s kid with the near-perfectscore thinks it should matter a lot. More than half of Americans say colleges shouldn’t givechildren of alumni a leg up, according to a recent Gallup poll; yet nearly half say parentalconnections should be at least a “minor factor.”
然而，若是去問五個人該如何解決這個問題，他們會給出五個不同的答案。當然，你可能認為大學太過看重SAT考試，但是你鄰居孩子的SAT成績接近完美，所以他認為這個分數(shù)應該很重要。根據(jù)最近的一次蓋洛普(Gallup)民意調(diào)查，超過一半的美國人認為大學不應該給予校友子女優(yōu)先入學待遇;然而也有近一半的人認為招生時，父母的關系至少應該充當一個“次要因素”。
The debate about who gets into the nation’s competitive colleges, and why, keeps boilingover. The Justice Department has confirmed that it’s looking into a complaint, filed in 2015 bya coalition of 64 Asian-American associations, charging discrimination against high-achievingAsian-American college applicants. Also, students for Fair Admissions, which opposes affirmativeaction policies, has filed discrimination lawsuits against Harvard, the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas at Austin.
究竟什么人可以進入這個國家最優(yōu)秀的大學，為什么?這一直是個熱門話題。司法部已經(jīng)確認，它正在審查一個由64家亞裔美國人協(xié)會組成的聯(lián)盟于2015年提起的申訴，他們指控大學在招生過程中對成績優(yōu)秀的亞裔美國申請人存在歧視。此外，反對平權措施政策的“公平招生”(Fair Admissions)協(xié)會中的學生也向哈佛大學、北卡羅來納大學教堂山分校(University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)和德州大學奧斯汀分校(Universityof Texas at Austin)提起了歧視訴訟。
Although the Supreme Court affirmed last year that admissions officers may consider anapplicant’s race among other factors, polls show that a majority of Americans disagree withthat decision. Critics of affirmative action see plenty of room for future legal challenges.
盡管最高法院于去年裁定，招生負責人可以把申請人的種族納入考慮，但民意調(diào)查顯示，多數(shù)美國人不同意這一決定。平權措施的批評者認為，未來它在法律上還有很多可以質(zhì)疑之處。
Whatever happens, age-old questions about fairness in admissions will surely endure. For onething, the nation can’t come to terms with a tricky five-letter word: merit. Michael Young, aBritish sociologist, coined the pejorative term “meritocracy” over a half-century ago to describea future in which standardized intelligence tests would crown a new elite. Yet as RebeccaZwick explains in her new book “Who Gets In?” the meaning has shifted. The word “merit,” shewrites, has come to mean “academic excellence, narrowly defined” as grades and test scores.
不管怎樣，關于招生公平的古老問題一定會持續(xù)下去。別的不說，國家首先無法就“merit”(大意為優(yōu)點、才能、價值——譯注)這個棘手的詞達成一致。半個世紀之前，英國社會學家邁克爾·揚(Michael Young)創(chuàng)造了貶義詞“唯才是用”(meritocracy)，用來形容未來社會通過標準化智力測驗篩選來新的精英。然而，正如芮貝卡·茲維克(Rebecca Zwick)在她的新著《誰進去了?》(Who Gets In?)中解釋的那樣，這個詞的意義已經(jīng)發(fā)生了變化。她寫道，“merit”這個詞已經(jīng)成了“學習成績優(yōu)秀”的意思，“被狹隘地定義為”評級和考分。
But that’s just one way to think of an applicant’s worthiness. Dr. Zwick, professor emeritus atthe University of California at Santa Barbara, has long been a researcher at the EducationalTesting Service, which develops and administers the SAT. She disputes the notion that testingprowess — or any other attribute, for that matter — entitles a student to a spot at his chosencollege. “There is, in fact, no absolute definition of merit,” she writes.
但這只是衡量申請人價值的一個方面。茲維克是加州大學圣巴巴拉分校(University of California at SantaBarbara)榮休教授，長期以來，她一直在負責開發(fā)和管理SAT考試的教育考試服務中心(EducationalTesting Service)擔任研究員。她不認為一個學生能否進入自己選擇的大學，應該由應試能力或這方面的其他能力來決定。她說：“事實上，關于才能，沒有一個絕對的定義。
That brings us to you, the anxious applicant, the frazzled parent, the confused citizen, allwondering what colleges want. It’s worth taking a deep breath and noting that only 13 percentof four-year colleges accept fewer than half of their applicants. That said, colleges where seatsare scarce stir up the nation’s emotions. Each year, the world-famous institutions rejectthousands and thousands of students who could thrive there.
因此我們明白，你們——焦慮不安的申請人、心力交瘁的父母、一頭霧水的公民——都想知道大學究竟想要的是什么。我們有必要靜下心來想一想，在四年制大學中，入學率低于五成的僅占13%。話雖如此，牽動國人情緒的是那些競爭激烈的學校。世界諸多著名學府每年都會拒絕本可在那里茁壯成長的莘莘學子。
Yes, rejection stings. But say these words aloud: The admissions process isn’t fair. Like it ornot, colleges aren’t looking to reel in the greatest number of straight-A students who’ve takenseven or more Advanced Placement courses. A rejection isn’t really about you; it’s about amaddening mishmash of competing objectives.
是的，被拒絕令人傷心。但是大聲說出來吧：招生是不公平的。不管你喜不喜歡，大學要找的不是修讀了七門乃至更多大學預修課程并取得最好成績的全優(yōu)生。拒絕不是針對你個人的;招生是一個瘋狂的大雜燴，各種目標混雜在一起，互相競爭。
Just as parents give teenagers a set of chores, colleges hand their admissions leaders a list ofthings to accomplish. When they fail, they often get fired.
正如家長會讓青少年做些家務一樣，大學也會給招生負責人列出任務清單。如果他們不能完成，往往會遭到解雇。
“We don’t live in a cloud — the reality is, there’s a bottom line,” said Angel B. Pérez, vicepresident for enrollment and student success at Trinity College, in Hartford. “We’re aninstitution, but we’re also a business.”
“我們不是過著脫離現(xiàn)實的生活——事實是，我們有一個底線，”三一學院(Trinity College)負責招生和學生發(fā)展的副校長安吉爾·B·佩雷茲(Angel B. Pérez)說。“我們是一個學院，但同時也是一個企業(yè)。”
On many campuses, financial concerns affect decisions about whom to admit. A recent reportby the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that about half ofinstitutions said an applicant’s “ability to pay” was of at least “some importance” in admissionsdecisions. Among other targets is geographic diversity, which is now seen as an indicator ofinstitutional strength and popularity. (Some presidents have been known to gripe if thefreshman class doesn’t represent all 50 states.) A campus might also need a particular numberof engineering majors or goalies.
在許多學校里，財務問題會影響錄取決定。美國全國大學招生咨詢協(xié)會(National Association for CollegeAdmission Counseling)最近的一份報告發(fā)現(xiàn)，大約有一半的院校表示，申請人的“支付能力”在招生決定中至少“有一定重要性”。其他目標還包括地域多樣性，它現(xiàn)在被視為大學實力和受歡迎程度的一個指標。(有些校長會因為新生不是全國50個州的人都有而不滿)。學校也可能需要一定數(shù)量的工程專業(yè)學生或者球隊的守門員。
Indeed, a college could accept 33 percent of all applicants, but that doesn’t mean eachapplicant has a one-in-three chance. Success depends on what a student brings to the table.
事實上，一所大學可能會接收33%的申請人，但這并不意味著每個申請人都有三分之一的機會。申請成功與否，取決于學生能夠帶來什么。
Generally, nothing carries more weight in admissions than grades (plus strength of the highschool curriculum) and ACT/SAT scores. With limited time and resources, those metrics offera relatively quick way to predict who will succeed. But the measures have drawbacks. Gradeinflation has complicated the task of evaluating achievements, and so has the variance inhigh school grading policies. Standardized test scores correlate with family income; white andAsian-American students fare better than black and Hispanic students do. Also, when collegestalk about predicting “success,” they usually mean first-year grades — a limited definition.
一般來說，在錄取過程中，平時成績(加上高中課程的強項)以及ACT和SAT成績是最為重要的。在時間和資源有限的情況下，這些指標提供了一個相對較快的方式，可以預測誰能最終獲得成功。但是這種措施也有其弊端。成績的通貨膨脹令評估工作變得復雜，各高中的評分方式也不一樣。標準考試成績與家庭收入相關;白人和亞裔美國學生的表現(xiàn)要好于黑人和西語裔學生。另外，大學的所謂預測“成功”，通常指的是第一年的成績——這個定義是有局限性的。
And so, many colleges rely on “holistic” evaluations, allowing colleges to contextualizeapplicants’ academic records and to identify disadvantaged students who might lack thesparkling credentials of their affluent peers. Did they attend low-performing high schools orwell-resourced ones? Did they participate in extracurricular activities? Do they haveleadership experience?
因此，很多大學都要依賴“整體”評估，這讓它們能夠以申請者的學業(yè)成績?yōu)楸尘百Y料，識別出那些或許不像富裕的同齡人那樣擁有耀眼成績單的弱勢學生。他們上的是低水準的高中，還是資源充裕的高中?他們參加過課外活動嗎?他們有領導經(jīng)驗嗎?
What colleges look for sends a powerful message about what matters, not just to admissionsofficers but in life, and students often respond accordingly.
大學所尋求的東西清楚地表明，在招生人員眼里——以及在生活中——什么才是重要的，而學生常常據(jù)此做出響應。
Dr. Pérez, a first-generation college student who grew up in a low-income family, recentlyrevamped Trinity’s process to better identify promising students, particularly thedisadvantaged. While reading applications, its admissions officers now look for evidence of 13 characteristics — including curiosity, empathy, openness to change and ability toovercome adversity — that researchers associate with successful students. These are alsoqualities that the liberal-arts college values, inside and outside the classroom.
佩雷茲出身于一個低收入家庭，是家中的第一代大學生，他最近改革了三一學院的招生程序，以便識別出有前途的學生，尤其是弱勢學生?，F(xiàn)在，該學院的招生人員閱讀申請材料時，會尋找13個特質(zhì)，其中包括好奇心、同理心、樂于接受改變和有能力克服困境等。被研究人員拿來與優(yōu)秀學生掛鉤的這些特質(zhì)，也是諸多文理學院在課堂內(nèi)外所看重的。
Trinity’s officers can check as many qualities as apply using a drop-down box labeled “Predictors of Success.” They must note where they saw evidence of each quality in theapplication. “It can’t be just a hint,” Dr. Pérez said. He recalls a teacher recommendationdescribing how an applicant had taken a stand on a controversial social issue in class, eventhough other students vocally disagreed with him. Impressed, Dr. Pérez checked the box for “Comfort in Minority of 1,” a sign, perhaps, that the student would contribute to campusdialogues. Also on the drop-down: “Delayed Gratification” and “Risk Taking.”
三一學院的工作人員可以使用一個叫做“成功預測因素”的下拉框，勾選他們發(fā)現(xiàn)的所有特質(zhì)。他們必須注明自己是在申請材料的哪些地方發(fā)現(xiàn)每一個特質(zhì)的。“不能僅僅是一種感覺，”佩雷茲說。他還記得，一位老師的推薦信描述了一名申請人如何在班上堅守對某個有爭議的社會議題的立場，盡管其他學生都出言反對。這令佩雷茲印象深刻，他在下拉框勾選了“樂于成為唯一的少數(shù)派”(Comfort in Minority of 1)，這或許標志著這名學生會促進校園中的對話。下拉框里還有：“滯后滿足”(Delayed Gratification)和“勇于冒險”(Risk Taking)。
While Trinity still values conventional measures, the new model has expanded the staff’sunderstanding of merit. “We’re trying to give students more credit for these characteristics, especially those who’ve had some challenges,” Dr. Pérez said. The new approach, along withthe college’s recent decision to stop requiring ACT/SAT scores, has helped it diversify itsclasses. Low-income and first-generation students represent 15 percent of this fall’s freshmanclass, up from 8 percent three years ago.
三一學院仍然很看重一些傳統(tǒng)的標準，但這種新模式拓展了工作人員對才能的理解。“我們正試著讓擁有這些特質(zhì)的學生得到更多的肯定，尤其是面臨某些挑戰(zhàn)的學生，”佩雷茲說。這種新模式，還有三一學院最近做出的不再要求提交ACT/SAT分數(shù)的決定，已經(jīng)幫助提高了其班級的多樣性。今秋的大一班級中，來自低收入家庭以及身為家中第一代大學生者占比15%，三年前則是8%。
“I’m trying to increase the tools we have, and get beyond a system that is absolutelyantiquated,” Dr. Pérez said. “As the country becomes more diverse, as we learn more aboutthe correlation between standardized test scores and wealth, we have to be a lot morecreative in predicting for success in college.”
“我正設法讓我們多擁有一些工具，擺脫一個絕對過時的體系，”佩雷茲說。“隨著這個國家變得更加多元，我們對標準化考試分數(shù)和財富之間的關聯(lián)有更多了解，我們必須采取更具創(chuàng)新性的方法來預測誰能在大學里獲得成功。”
What most colleges ask for from applicants doesn’t reveal much about the many skills andtalents a student might possess. But what if colleges asked for more? The admissions processat Olin College of Engineering includes a live audition. After completing a traditionalapplication, selected students visit the campus, in Needham, Mass., for an intense two-daytryout. In addition to sitting for interviews, they work in small groups to complete a tabletopdesign challenge, such as building a tower that can hold a specific weight. On the second day, they are given another task, like designing a campus building. This time, evaluators observeeach student, noting how well they communicate with others and adapt on the fly.
大多數(shù)大學要求申請者提供的材料，無法很好地揭示一個學生或許具有的很多技能和才華。但如果大學提出更多要求，會怎么樣?奧林工程學院(Olin College of Engineering)在招生流程中加入了現(xiàn)場選拔。走完傳統(tǒng)的申請程序后，被挑選出來的學生會造訪位于馬薩諸塞州尼德姆的校園，參加為期兩天的緊張選拔。除了坐下來接受面試，他們還要與人結成小組，完成一項桌上設計挑戰(zhàn)，比如制作一個可以承受特定重量的塔。第二天，他們會接到另一項任務，比如設計校園里的一棟建筑。這一次，評估者會觀察每一個學生，注意他們能否與其他學生進行良好的溝通，能否快速適應環(huán)境。
The experience is meant to help prospective students understand Olin’s collaborative culture, while giving the college a better glimpse of each applicant before finalizing acceptance. “It’shard to nail down a student’s mind-set from the traditional elements of the application,” saidEmily Roper-Doten, the dean of admission and financial aid. “This allows us to see them inmotion, in an educational moment.”
這道程序旨在幫助未來的學生了解奧林的合作文化，同時也讓這所大學在做出最終錄取決定之前更好地審視每一個申請者。“通過申請材料中的傳統(tǒng)內(nèi)容，很難判定學生的思維方式，”奧林工程學院招生和財務資助部門主任艾米麗·羅珀-多滕(Emily Roper-Doten)說。“這種辦法讓我們在一個有教育意義的時刻，看到他們處于興奮狀態(tài)時的樣子。”
A desire to see what students can do with their hands inspired a recent change at one of theworld’s most renowned campuses. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (motto: “Mens etmanus,” Latin for “Mind and hand”) now gives applicants the option of submitting a MakerPortfolio to show their “technical creativity.”
為了看看學生能用自己的雙手做些什么，全球最負盛名的學校之一也做出了改變。麻省理工學院(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)的校訓是“Mens et manus”，也就是“Mind and hand”(手腦并用)的拉丁文?，F(xiàn)在它給了申請者一個新選擇，可以提交一份“創(chuàng)客檔案”(Maker Portfolio)來展現(xiàn)他們的“技術創(chuàng)造力”。
Applicants can send images, a short video and a PDF that shed light on a project they’veundertaken — clothing they’ve made, apps they’ve designed, cakes they’ve baked, furniturethey’ve built, chain mail they’ve woven. M.I.T. also asks students to explain what the projectmeant to them, as well as how much help they got. A panel of faculty members and alumnireviews the portfolios.
申請者可以發(fā)送圖片、短片和PDF文檔，闡明自己參與的一個項目——他們制作的服裝、設計的應用程序、烘焙的蛋糕、制作的家具，或編織的鎖子甲。麻省理工學院還要求學生們解釋這個項目對他們的意義，以及他們得到了多少幫助。一個由教職員工和校友組成的小組負責對這份檔案進行評審。
Last year, about 5 percent of applicants submitted a Makers Portfolio. “It gives us a fullerpicture of the student,” said Stuart Schmill, dean of admissions and student financial services. “Without this, some applicants might not be able to fully get across how good a fit they are forus.”
去年，約有5%的申請者提交了自己的創(chuàng)客檔案。“它能讓我們更全面地了解某個學生，”招生和學生財務支持部主任斯圖爾特·施米爾(Stuart Schmill)說。“如果沒有這個，有些申請者可能無法全面展示自己多么符合我們的期望。”
M.I.T.’s experiment has sparked discussions among admissions deans, some of whom say theyplan to offer similar opportunities for applicants to send evidence of project-based learning. They describe the Makers Portfolio as an intriguing glimpse of how a college might betteralign its process with its culture and values. The catch: Reviewing all those portfolios takestime, something admissions offices lack. Even a small college like Olin, which welcomed fewerthan 100 new students this fall, must scramble to pull off its elaborate evaluations. Largercampuses couldn’t even consider such an approach.
麻省理工學院的試驗引發(fā)了招生主任們的討論，他們當中有些人表示，打算為申請者提供類似的機會，證明自己通過項目學到的東西。他們認為，創(chuàng)客檔案生動地反映出，大學可以更好地將招生過程與自己的文化和價值觀統(tǒng)一起來。問題在于：評審所有這些檔案需要時間，而招生辦公室缺的就是時間。就連奧林工程學院這種今年秋天只招了不到100名新生的小學院，也必須匆匆忙忙才能完成復雜的評估。更大的學校甚至根本不可能考慮這種方法。
Thorough review has become more challenging over the last decade, with waves of applicantsoverwhelming big-name colleges, victims of their own popularity. The University of Californiaat Los Angeles received more than 100,000 applications for about 6,000 spots this fall. Stanfordgot 44,000 for just over 1,700 spots, and M.I.T. juggled more than 20,000 for 1,450 seats.
在過去十年里，全面的評審變得更具挑戰(zhàn)性，名牌大學受名聲所累，總會收到大量申請。今年秋天，加州大學洛杉磯分校(The University of California at Los Angeles)收到了10萬多份申請，但它只有約6000個新生名額;斯坦福大學收到了4.4萬份申請，而名額只有1700多個;麻省理工學院則需要在兩萬多份申請中挑選1450名學生。
Most colleges are considering more incremental ways to enhance evaluations. The Coalition forAccess, Affordability and Success, with more than 130 prominent campuses as members, recently established an application platform with a feature called a virtual college locker, aprivate space where students can upload materials, such as videos and written work, that theycould later add to their applications. Among its stated goals: to make admissions morepersonal.
大部分大學正在考慮采用更具增值效果的方法改進評估。前不久，逾130所著名大學加入的“入學、可負擔和成功聯(lián)盟”(The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success)建立了一個名為“虛擬大學儲物柜”的應用平臺，學生們可以往這個私人空間里上傳視頻和書面作業(yè)等材料，之后可以把它們添加到自己的申請里。它宣稱的目標之一是：讓招生更個性化。
So far, most of its members aren’t asking applicants to send anything different than before. Butthat could change. A handful of colleges are planning experiments using alternative ways tomeasure student potential. One hopes to enable applicants to demonstrate their “emotional intelligence,” or E.Q., to showcase their ability to work with others, according toAnnie Reznik, the coalition’s executive director. Another seeks a way for prospective studentsto display their “fire” for learning.
到目前為止，它的大多數(shù)成員還沒有要求申請者發(fā)送與以往不同的東西。但情況可能會改變。少數(shù)幾所大學正在計劃試驗用其他方法來衡量學生的潛力。據(jù)該聯(lián)盟的執(zhí)行董事安妮·雷茲尼克(Annie Reznik)稱，有一所大學希望能讓申請者展示自己的“情商”，展示他們與他人合作的能力。另一所大學在設法讓申請者展示自己的學習“激情”。
“We want better inputs,” said Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions andfinancial aid at Yale. “The inputs we have predict success academically. Now, we have theability to get to know a student better, from a different type of submission.”
“我們想要更好的申請內(nèi)容，”耶魯大學的本科生招生和財務援助部主任杰里邁亞·昆蘭(Jeremiah Quinlan)說。“我們目前看到的內(nèi)容能預測學術方面的成功?，F(xiàn)在，我們可以通過一種不同的申請更好地了解一名學生。”
Like many deans, Mr. Quinlan has grown wary of polished personal essays in which applicantsdescribe their achievements. “They feel like they have to show off, because we’re soselective,” he said, “and it’s completely understandable.” Technology, he believes, can helpcolleges get to know the student beneath the surface of a résumé, to gain a better sense oftheir passions, the kind of community member the applicant might be.
和很多招生主任一樣，昆蘭也越來越警惕那些經(jīng)過精心修飾，描述個人成就的申請信。“他們覺得自己必須炫耀，因為我們太挑剔了，”他說，“這是完全可以理解的。”他認為，科技可以幫助大學了解簡歷背后的學生，更清楚申請者的激情所在，以及他們可能融入哪種群體。
Last year, Yale allowed students using the coalition’s application to submit a document, image, audio file or video in response to a prompt (they also had to reflect, in 250 words orless, on their submission). When Justin Aubin heard about that option last fall, he thought, “Cool!”
去年，耶魯大學允許學生使用該聯(lián)盟的應用程序，根據(jù)提示提交一份文件、一張圖片、一段音頻或視頻(他們還必須用一段250個單詞以內(nèi)的話概括自己的申請)。去年秋天，賈斯汀·奧賓(Justin Aubin)聽說有這個選項后心想：“酷!”
Mr. Aubin, from Oak Lawn, Ill., was then a high school senior hoping to attend Yale. Thefollowing prompt caught his eye: “A community to which you belong and the footprint youhave left.” He submitted a short video documenting his Eagle Scout project, for which heoversaw the construction of a monument honoring veterans. Even a well-written essay, hefigured, couldn’t capture his experience as well as four minutes of footage, shot by his olderbrother.
來自伊利諾伊州奧克朗的奧賓當時是一名想上耶魯?shù)母呷龑W生。下面這段提示引起了他的注意：“你所在的社區(qū)和你留下的足跡。”他提交了一段短視頻，記錄了他的鷹級童子軍(Eagle Scout)項目——他監(jiān)督建造了一個紀念退伍老兵的紀念碑。他認為，哪怕是一篇寫得很好的文章，也不可能像他哥哥拍攝的這個四分鐘視頻那樣展示他的經(jīng)歷。
The content of the video impressed Yale’s admissions committee. “People sat up in theirchairs,” Mr. Quinlan said. “You could see how he handled his leadership role, and we felt like wegot a good sense of him in a way that we didn’t get from recommendations.”
這段視頻的內(nèi)容打動了耶魯大學的招生委員會。“人們從椅子上坐直了身體，”昆蘭說。“你能看到他如何發(fā)揮自己的領導作用，我們覺得我們對他的了解是難以從推薦信上獲得的。”
Mr. Aubin is now a freshman at Yale.
奧賓現(xiàn)在是耶魯大學的大一學生。
Did the video tip the scales? “That was a difference-maker,” Mr. Quinlan said.
這段視頻起作用了嗎?“它是決定性因素，”昆蘭說。
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