学托福的宝宝们要怎么读《The Economist》
——以2017.07为例
壹
Paragraph 01
IN1953 B.F. Skinnervisitedhis daughter’s maths class. The Harvard psychologist foundevery pupil learning the same topic in the same way at the same speed. A few days later he built his first “teaching machine”, which let childrentackle questions at their own pace. By the mid-1960s similargizmoswere beingfloggedby door-to-door salesmen. Within a few years, though, enthusiasm for them hadfizzled out.
译文：
1953年，斯金纳(B.F. Skinner)旁听了女儿的数学课。这位哈佛心理学家发现，所有的学生都在用相同的方式以相同的速度学习相同的内容。几天后，他发明了他的第一件“教学机器”，让孩子们按自己的节奏解答问题。到了60年代中期，推销员开始上门兜售类似的小玩意。不过没几年，人们对这些产品的热情就已消失殆尽。
解析：
1.三个same这句，托福题目运用示范
①题目：互联网有利于教育。
传统教育有一个很难改变的事实（三个same）。但是，互联网提供了教育的有益补充，学到自己想学的。
What we must recognize is that in traditional school education, especially for basic education, every studentlearns the same topic in the same way at the same speedregardless of their discrepancy in interest, personality, or intelligence. But Internet offers an excellent supplement, with which students can access to scads of information gearing to their own need. I still remember the excitement when I found certain knowledge about psychology that our high school never taught about, with the most impressive one being Freud’s theory about dreams. His book of , postulating that dreams were consummation of desires, gave me a good hint to analyze my dreams, and further deepened my interest in psychology.
②题目：好的高中老师/高中教育、朋友鼓励、大学辅导员的指导，哪个更有利于学生在大学的成功？
diss好的高中老师/高中教育：高中教育是基础教育、模式化（三个same），合格的老师已然足够。老师的能力高低没什么影响。
There is a justification to say that high school graduates are bound to have the same ken of knowledge, despite the varying degree of teachers’ capabilities, and thus the so-called excellent teachers in high school, comparing to their slightly inferior counterparts, hardly exert relatively noticeable impact on students’ success in university. It is easy to understand why. High school education aims to impart basic knowledge, concepts, tools, and means to students, promoting the all-round, harmonious development in their body and soul. Students in the stage of this fundamental education habituallylearn the same topic in the same way at the same speed, hardly bearing any difference. So, any qualified teacher is able to fulfill this educational goal, and beyond a shadow of doubt, places are rare for excellent teachers to make a difference.
2.电子产品
忘记 electronic device
记住 gizmo, gadget
3.鞭打
① flog
除了文中的“兜售”，还有一个常用的意思：“迫使，驱使”：
He flogged French into his son.他要儿子强记法语。
可以说学校应试教育: Exam-oriented educationflogs knowledge into students’ brain.
同义词：force-feed: v. 强行喂食
force-feed students with various kinds of knowledge
Chinese brand mark of “force-feed duck” education 中国烙印的填鸭式教育
② 补充另一个“鞭打”：whip
I. “搅拌”
涉及做家务的题目：
食物搅拌器：food whip
描述做家务的细节：
做家务可以增强家庭纽带Strength family bond。和妈妈一起做饭，聊聊天啥的。我们常做的家务也就是帮妈妈“打鸡蛋whipping eggs”、“把配料搅拌成均匀的糊状whipping the ingredients into a smooth paste”。此外还有“剥豆子shelling beans”、“打水fetching water”、“捣碎番薯pounding yams”吧。细节是不是可以丰富起来啦。
II. whip有个更好用的意思——“煽动”
whip up=stir up激发，煽动
whip up interest in study激发学习热情= stimulate/ foster/ cultivate/ spark/ arouse/ kindle interest
In years past Chinese leaders and the state-controlled press were quick to use such incidents towhip up popular resentment against Japan.
在过去，中国领导人和国家媒体总是迅速反应，用类似事件激起大众的反日情绪。
说到激发，再来一个词：
turbo-charge: v. 增压、激发、促进
turbo-charge potential=tap potential 激发潜能
Cheap exports have turbo-charged China’s growth 廉价的出口驱动了中国经济的高速增长
既然有激发潜能，自然也有主动地充分表现出才华：give full play of one’s potential
这里可以扯到discussion的好处。Discussion通过……过程，锻炼了我们的表达能力ability of expression. 然后好的表达能力，当然enable us to give full play of our potential. Then, chances are higher for us to stand out of the pack. （脱颖而出stand out of the pack）。
4.fizzle out：终成泡影；失败
Enthusiasm for work/study willfizzle out.
热情会消失。遇到会让人们丧失工作热情、学习热情的事儿可以用一用。
贰
Paragraph 02
Since then education technology (edtech)has repeated the cycle of hype and flop, even ascomputers have reshaped almost every other part of life. One reason is the conservatism of teachers and their unions. But another is that thebrain-stretchingpotential of edtech has remained unproven.
译文：
此后，教育技术就一直在重复这种大热到沉寂的循环，尽管与此同时电脑已经几乎重塑了生活所有其他方面。原因之一是教师及其工会因循守旧，但还有一个原因是教育技术提升才智的潜力尚未得到证实。
解析：
1. hype炒作、大肆宣传；hype sb up: to make someone feel excited
（题目：讨论啊，技术比如多媒体教学）让学生们兴奋起来：hype students up
（题目：媒体夸大事实stretch the rules）让公众兴奋起来：hype the public up
（题目：广告）产品没有宣传的那么好。This product falls short of the hype.
（题目：建议类题目否定某个建议时）某些人强调某建议可以怎么地，但就是说大话而已，一点也不实际。比如三选一的题目，政府要保护环境，其中一个选项是“protecting forest and wildlife”，可以说this suggestion is more about hype than substance. 后边继续写原因。该建议的实施需要多少人力、物力、财力啊。政府要派多少小钻风去巡山啊。
The Economist原句：Virtual reality ismore about hype than substance. 虚拟现实雷声大雨点小。
2. have reshaped almost every other part of life
重塑生活的所有其他方面。还有类似的表达：
As new technologies havetransformed many aspects of daily life, new questions have arisen. The digital world is changing around us at a dizzying pace; parents want guidance, and pediatricians want to answer their questions with helpful and scientifically valid advice.
可以调前两句用作开头的通用背景吧。
世界变化快，别再土土的changing fast了，记住changing at a dizzying/unprecedented pace
最后一句肯定或否定某个建议：this advice/suggestion is (far from) helpful and (or) scientifically valid (to do sth).
Partnerships between universities and private companiesare redefining American education landscape, and they will be the key to helping schools meet the growing global demand for education in digital era.
重新定义教育版图。首段写背景的时候根据题目话题可以随便改重新定义了谁的版图。通用背景就是重新定义了生活的各个方面redefining the landscape of every aspect of modern life.
3. brain-stretching提升才智的
stretch这个词有很多有趣的意思：
① 使〔某人〕施展才华，使充分发挥能力
The work’s too easy. The students aren’t being stretched enough. 作业太简单，没有让学生充分发挥能力。
充分发挥能力：fully stretch their potentials
=give full play of their potentials
=turbo-charge their potentials
②at full stretch 全力以赴，竭尽所能
Students are at full stretch to study in order to gain a seat in well-rated university.
为了考上好大学，学生们全力以赴地学习。
相似的表达还有：stop at nothing to do sth 不遗余力去做某事
③连续工作：用来写学生、年轻人压力大
连续的一段时间：
a stretch of three weeks 一连三个星期
Tiki always studies for long stretches of time.
Tiki rarely sleeps for eight hours at a stretch. Tiki很少连续睡八小时。
以上可用来描述压力大的细节。
关于压力还有这么一个句型：“剪刀压：自上而下的压力”
Students today are exposed to a scissor-style pressure: from above, from high expectations of their parents, and from below, from stifling competition among peers.
Young people today are exposed to a scissor-style pressure: from above, from high expectations of their supervisors, and from below, from stifling competition among workmates.
Young people today are exposed to a scissor-style pressure: from above, from financially supporting their parents, and from below, from ever more upturning living cost.
④放宽〔规则或限制〕
This once, I’ll stretch the rules and let you leave work early.
就这一次我破例让你早点下班。
不是有那么一道题么，说“Rules in our society are too strict for young people to follow.”
可以不同意，现在社会对年轻人挺照顾的，会放宽rules。
⑤stretch the truth/facts夸大事实，言过其实
前边有用过，记得不。
Reporters sometimes stretch the facts to make a point.记者为了说明问题，有时会夸大事实。
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