Question

【題目】For this part of “Tips for Applying to US Colleges” we visited Shenandoah University in the US state of Virginia. It is a private institution with about 4,000 students from 55 countries. We asked them some of questions about adapting to American culture and writing admissions essays.

A. How can I succeed in applying to American colleges?

B. What advice do you have for writing an admission essay?

C. Why should I study abroad?

D. What are some difficulties students have adapting to US culture?

E. What about religious life on campus?

F. What are some academic difficulties foreign students face?

【1】_______________

I think everyone should travel and live and work and study abroad. I think it’s great for a lot of reasons. One—of course you’re going to learn something about other people. And that’s good, we should know about other people because we live in what is called a “globalized world.” More importantly, you’re going to learn something about yourself. You’re going to learn about how strong you really are. You’re going to learn that you have capabilities that you never knew you had. When you’re in another place and maybe you don’t even speak the language very well, you’re gonna find that you still figure a way to communicate. Maybe you can do something even bigger and even more, a little more challenging.

【2】_______________

Students often misunderstand policies that we have here. And I think sometimes that can get students into trouble. I think we have had some issues with students who have worked a little too closely together for our professors’ level, and so that has created some challenges at times for those students. In terms of that, kind of, power structure between a professor and a student here, I would say our environment, our culture here at Shenandoah, there’s not a whole lot of that. I mean it’s very much of an environment where that sort-of barrier between professor and student is a little less than what it might be the case at other institutions. So that part of it is not as much of an issue.

【3】_______________

I would say the important thing is to also be authentic. Be yourself. Most students are reading a lot of essays and after a while they start to kind of sound the same. And so you want to give that person the curiosity to know you. And you’re special. You’re different than everybody else that’s applying. So, I think if you can try your best. Of course, there are things you think, “I need to say these things because that’s what they want to hear.” Certainly if there are topics that they are asking you to respond to, you want to do that. But, to try as much as you can to give the person who’s reading your essay an idea of who you are and what makes you unique. I think that would be my main advice.

【4】______________

We are open to all religions, of all backgrounds. I mean we have a Catholic campus ministry, we have a Muslim student association, and we have a Jewish student association. We really do aim to be inclusive of all students regardless of their religious beliefs. Students certainly feel included, they certainly feel comfortable being here, you know, they’re—regardless of whatever their religious beliefs might be and even if that’s—even if they don’t have any religious beliefs. We certainly have students who are that way too.

【5】_______________

A lot of it breaks down to different communication styles. Some are what we would call “high context cultures.” It means that you shouldn’t have to say what the problems is. Some cultures like American culture is very low context. We expect you say exactly what you mean. And if you didn’t say it, we probably don’t know it’s a problem. So sometime we—I have seen some students maybe have some roommate issues because the international student is upset with something and they assume the roommate must know that they’re upset. But the roommate—the American roommate—maybe doesn’t even know that it’s a problem. And one of the things I would caution new international students is that it's kind of an American way to be very open and friendly with everyone.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】F

【3】B

【4】E

【5】D

【解析】

試題分析：考查文章標(biāo)題的匹配

【1】歸納分析題。根據(jù)第一、二句I think everyone should travel and live and work and study abroad. I think it’s great for a lot of reasons可知該學(xué)生的觀點是在國外學(xué)習(xí)很重要并由許多好處，然后在下文中列出了許多原因，所以標(biāo)題應(yīng)該是為什么我們要在國外學(xué)習(xí)，故選C。

【2】歸納總結(jié)題。該段講述了外國學(xué)生由于不理解政策而遇到了許多學(xué)術(shù)上的麻煩，然后介紹了學(xué)生們遇到的不同問題，所以標(biāo)題應(yīng)該是外國學(xué)生在留學(xué)時遇到了怎樣的學(xué)術(shù)上的問題，故選F。

【3】歸納分析題。結(jié)合全段內(nèi)容和最后一句I think that would be my main advice可知作者建議大家在申請時要堅持展現(xiàn)自己，所以標(biāo)題應(yīng)該是寫準(zhǔn)入申請書的一些建議，故選B。

【4】歸納分析題。根據(jù)I mean we have a Catholic campus ministry, we have a Muslim student association, and we have a Jewish student association和全段內(nèi)容來看，該段內(nèi)容主要關(guān)于校園宗教信仰問題，有各種信教的學(xué)生，也有不信教的學(xué)生，所以標(biāo)題應(yīng)該是關(guān)于宗教的校園生活，故選E。

【5】歸納分析題。根據(jù)A lot of it breaks down to different communication styles和全段內(nèi)容可知，主要介紹了外國學(xué)生在美留學(xué)時因為文化差異可能遇到的問題，所以標(biāo)題應(yīng)該是外國學(xué)生在適應(yīng)美國文化過程中有什么困難，故選D。