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1、Unit 6 Matriculation FixationObsessive Interest in attending elite universities 1StructureStructurePara1-6 the incident (1-2;3-4;5-6)Para7-8 the authors comments elicited by the incidents Para9-14 comments on two types of college obsessives Para15 conclusion 2Detailed Study3Para 1-2These two paragra
2、phs make up the introductory part in These two paragraphs make up the introductory part in which the author uses an incident as a starting point of which the author uses an incident as a starting point of the essay. the essay. Para 3-4As a response to the mans story, the author tries to As a respons
3、e to the mans story, the author tries to give some advice by relating his own experiences, i.e. give some advice by relating his own experiences, i.e. his high school friends, his university days, and his his high school friends, his university days, and his present career. present career. Para 5-6
4、The man is not very responsive and interested in the The man is not very responsive and interested in the authors account, which evokes the authors comment I authors account, which evokes the authors comment I never did find out why he was visiting the hospital.” never did find out why he was visiti
5、ng the hospital.” Para 7-8 These two paragraphs play an important role in the essay. These two paragraphs play an important role in the essay. On the one hand, they are the authors comments elicited On the one hand, they are the authors comments elicited by the incident; on the other hand, they func
6、tion as a by the incident; on the other hand, they function as a transition to further discussion on the matter. transition to further discussion on the matter. Para 9 The author criticizes parents who try to make the The author criticizes parents who try to make the selection of colleges for their
7、children. selection of colleges for their children. 4Para 10The author airs his views, which is different from that of The author airs his views, which is different from that of parents mentioned in the preceding paragraph. He argues that a parents mentioned in the preceding paragraph. He argues tha
8、t a good university does not necessarily guarantee a successful good university does not necessarily guarantee a successful career, and asserts that parents responsibility does not end career, and asserts that parents responsibility does not end when their children leave home for university. when th
9、eir children leave home for university. Para 11The author gives an illustration of the second group of people The author gives an illustration of the second group of people who are obsessed with college selection. They are disillusioned who are obsessed with college selection. They are disillusioned
10、 parents whose children are unlikely to enter prestigious parents whose children are unlikely to enter prestigious universities. universities. Para 12This paragraph gives the authors view on a second class of This paragraph gives the authors view on a second class of obsessives. The author argues th
11、at entering a prestigious obsessives. The author argues that entering a prestigious university is not a criterion to judge a persons success. In university is not a criterion to judge a persons success. In addition he offers the reassuring advice that “life doesnt addition he offers the reassuring a
12、dvice that “life doesnt have just one act. There is often Act Two. And Act Five.” have just one act. There is often Act Two. And Act Five.” Para 13-14The talk about dinner prices seemingly has something to do with The talk about dinner prices seemingly has something to do with affordability, it is a
13、ctually an anecdote the author uses to poke affordability, it is actually an anecdote the author uses to poke fun at those all parents.fun at those all parents.Para 15In this concluding paragraph the author humorously expresses his In this concluding paragraph the author humorously expresses his att
14、itude towards college selection by saying people . cant attitude towards college selection by saying people . cant decide whether I am insensitive or ornery or flat-out dumb. decide whether I am insensitive or ornery or flat-out dumb. 5 (1) Two years ago, I was languishing in the waiting room of a P
15、hiladelphia hospital when a complete stranger unexpectedly began telling me about his daughters college plans. As my 79-year-old mother was recovering from major surgery that afternoon, I could not give him my complete and undivided attention. But as the briefing session wore on, I did manage to gar
16、ner most of the relevant details. (2) The girl, bright but not brilliantbright but not brilliant, had been accepted to a first-tier university without financial aid but had also been accepted to a local, second-echelon university where she was promised a free ride. Money being tight, with other coll
17、ege-bound children in the family queue, the man had persuaded his daughter to accept the second universitys offer. Now he was worried that she would one day rue this decision. Because she would be graduating from a less prestigious institution, fewer contacts would befewer contacts would be mademade
18、 and fewer doors would be opened. Her degree would put her within within striking distancestriking distance of the yellow brick roadthe yellow brick road, but not physically on the road itself. smart but not outstandingvery near toroadthe road of gold, a metaphor for successsince it was a local univ
19、ersity, there would be fewer chances to establish a network of interpersonal relationships that could be potentially helpful in the future.6 (3) As a man of the world accustomed to being told the most intimate details about complete strangers marriages, careers and hobbies, I had long ago acquired t
20、he requisite skills to mediate this crisis. I told the man that many of my high school classmates had graduated from the second-tier university in question and had gone on to live rich, full lives. (4) I told him that I myself had graduated from a second-echelon Philadelphia university not unlike th
21、e one his daughter was entering, and had managed to carve out a nice little niche for myselfcarve out a nice little niche for myself. I told him that my college days had been among the happiest of my life that the sun never set without my thanking God for the illumination and inspiration provided by
22、 my talented, dedicated professors. Pressed for biographical dataPressed for biographical data, I explained that I was a freelance writer, ticked off a list of my credentials and said I was pretty happy with the way my career had turned out. (5) The man had never heard of me, had never read anything
23、 Id written. Though he tried to feign interest in my pathetic curriculum vitae, I could see that he was devastated. By following an academic path similar to mine, his daughter, who was also planning a career in journalism, was going to end up as big a failure as I. (6) I never did find out why he wa
24、s visiting the hospital.secure myself a good and comfortable position by hard work and great efforturged to give personal information7 (7) I mention this incident because it illustrates the neurotic gabbiness that afflicts parents when it comes time to send their children to college. I know whereof
25、I speak. Next fall, my daughter goes to college. Three years later my son will follow suit. I will be sorry to see them go; over the years they have proved to be remarkably amusing. But every dark cloud has a silver lining. Oncemychildrenhaveleftthehouse,Iwillneveragainhavetoparticipateinamindnumbin
26、gdiscussion about where my children or my friends children or my neighbors children are going to college, and why. On this subject, I am completely lapped out. (8) This lack of interest does not stem from pure selfishness or unalloyed contempt for other peoples offspring. Rather, I feel this way bec
27、ause I find almost all conversations about the college selection process to be banal, self-aggrandizing, self-flagellatory or punitive. Id rather talk about cribbage. Why does the author say that he will never participate in a mind-numbing discussion about college selection process, once his kids ha
28、ve left home? The author believes that such discussions are meaningless or even harmful. Here, he seems to suggest that for those parents who happen to make the right selections for their children or whose children go to prestigious universities such a topic would be self- aggrandizing, but for thos
29、e who fail to make the right selections or whose children go to less prestigious universities such a topic would be self-flagellatory.8 (9) The most infuriating conversation is the one where the parent clearly seeks a decisive, career-validating moment of emotional closure. Such individuals believe
30、that securing admission to a top-flight university provides a child with an irrevocable passport to success, guaranteeing a life of uninterrupted economic mirth. Parents such as these upwardly mobile chuckleheads exude an almost Prussian belligerence when announcing their childrens destinations, con
31、gratulating themselves on a job well done, while issuing a sotto voce taunt to parents of the less gifted. For them, the hard part of child rearing is now over. Junior went to the right prep school, made the right friends, signed up for the right activities and is now headed for the right school. No
32、w we can get the heck out of here and move to Tuscany. (10) But in reality, life doesnt end at age seventeen. Or twenty-one! In real life, some children get the finest educations but still become first-class screw-ups. My own profession is filled with people who went to the right school but ended up
33、 in the wrong career. Some of those boys and girls most likely to succeed are going to end up on welfare or skid row. At which point theyll need parental input. Or cash. A parents responsibility doesnt end once the kids leave. A parents responsibility never ends. Thats why Nature gives you the job.T
34、he most annoying conversation is the one where the parent tries to be emotionally settled once for all by selecting for the child a good college that guarantees his or her future career.happiness and satisfaction with economic successtheir childrens entry into top universitieslaughing quietly at tho
35、se parents of less gifted childrenA child is supposed to enter college at seventeen and graduate at twenty-one.absolute and hopeless failureseventually live on social welfare for their survival9(11) A second, far more numerous class of obsessives consists of people who suddenly realize that their Br
36、and X children arent going to make the cut. Seventeen years of unread textbooks, unvisited museums and untaken A.P. Courses are now finally taking their toll, and those grandiose delivery-room dreams of Amherst, Bard, and Duke are suddenly going up in smoke. Bashfully, shamefacedly, miserably, these
37、 parents now mumble the names of the glamourless institutions their progeny are skulking off to. Invariably, they are colleges you never heard of in towns no one wants to visit in states whose capitals only repeat winners on Jeopardy! can name. The market has spoken, the glum parental expressions se
38、em to say. My child is an idiot. Their children fall into the common variety that are not likely to achieve much and cannot possibly be admitted to prestigious universities.The obscure universities their children are going to,which they feel too ashamed to let others know about.10 (12) But once agai
39、n, reality has a way of upsetting the worst laid plans of mice and Mensa. Some kids are late bloomers. Some kids are better off in a less competitive environment. Lots of people achieve huge success Lots of people achieve huge success in this society without a degree from a prestigious in this socie
40、ty without a degree from a prestigious university.university. Just because your child has failed to clear the first, or even the twentieth, hurdle doesnt mean you should disown him. Matisse didnt get rolling until he was in his forties. Bill Gates, David Geffen, Michael Dell, Graydon Carter and Mado
41、nna are all college dropouts. Ronald Reagan attended tiny Eureka College, while Warren Buffet went to Football U in Lincoln, Neb. Despite what you may have read in F. Scott Fitzgerald (who dropped out of Princeton in 1917), life doesnt have just one act. life doesnt have just one act. There is often
42、 Act Two. And Act FiveThere is often Act Two. And Act Five. . Not to mention the sequels. Matriculation fixation reaches its dottiest form during the obligatory campus visit. Here it is never entirely clear what parents are looking for, particularly in high-profile institutions whose renown has in s
43、ome way preceded them. During a recent visit to M.I.T., I watched the first seconds of an admissions office video poking fun at the universitys reputation as a nerd factory. While my wife and daughter watched the rest of the video, which assured applicants that M.I.T. nerds were hard to find, I took
44、 a stroll around the campus. I saw a lot of nerds. And I do not mean this as a criticism.make progresswhose fame has more weight than these institutions themselves. The author suggests that some parents think more of the fame of a university than the university itself, hence it is never entirely cle
45、ar what parents are looking for. 11 (13) Later that morning, a guide showed a bunch of us around campus. At one juncture, she pointed out a restaurant where students could grab a fast, inexpensive meal. “How much?” asked one high-strung mother. “About eight bucks,” she was told. The woman shuddered,
46、 noting that forking over for dinner every night could get pretty darned expensive. (14) “Its going to cost you grand to send your kid to school here,” I interjected. “Dont start worrying about dinner prices.” (15) Since that visit this fall, this incident has become an invaluable part of my reperto
47、ry. Now, whenever I am dragooned into the 30,000th interminable conversation about the college selection process, I indicate that sedulous monitoring of on-campus restaurant prices should be a vital component of the winnowing procedure. People who hear me say things like this cant decide whether I a
48、m insensitive or ornery or flat-out dumb. Well, lets just put in this way: I was never M.I.T. material.1213 What is the significance of this What is the significance of this essay?essay? (1) The idea that getting into elite college makes a big difference in life may be wrong; (2) To a large extent,
49、what contributes to a persons success later in life are his personal efforts and abilities rather than his elite university attendance.14ReflectionReflection1.中国的观念教育：家庭、学校、社会2.成功的定义3.成功与快乐的关系15 在这个故事里，晃动着许多人熟悉的影子。蒂姆小时候，是个无忧无虑的孩子。但在这个故事里，晃动着许多人熟悉的影子。蒂姆小时候，是个无忧无虑的孩子。但自打上小学那天起，他忙碌奔波的人生就开始了。父母和老师总告诫他，上
50、学的目的，自打上小学那天起，他忙碌奔波的人生就开始了。父母和老师总告诫他，上学的目的，就是取得好成绩，这样长大后，才能找到好工作。没人告诉他，学校，可以是个获得就是取得好成绩，这样长大后，才能找到好工作。没人告诉他，学校，可以是个获得快乐的地方，学习，可以是件令人开心的事。因为害怕考试考不好，担心作文写错字，快乐的地方，学习，可以是件令人开心的事。因为害怕考试考不好，担心作文写错字，蒂姆背负着焦虑和压力。他天天盼望的，就是下课和放学。他的精神寄托就是每年的蒂姆背负着焦虑和压力。他天天盼望的，就是下课和放学。他的精神寄托就是每年的假期。渐渐地，蒂姆接受了大人的价值观。虽然他不喜欢学校，但还是努力
51、学习。成假期。渐渐地，蒂姆接受了大人的价值观。虽然他不喜欢学校，但还是努力学习。成绩好时，父母和老师都夸他，同学们也羡慕他。到高中时，蒂姆已对此深信不疑：牺绩好时，父母和老师都夸他，同学们也羡慕他。到高中时，蒂姆已对此深信不疑：牺牲现在，是为了换取未来的幸福；没有痛苦，就不会有收获。当压力大到无法承受时，牲现在，是为了换取未来的幸福；没有痛苦，就不会有收获。当压力大到无法承受时，他安慰自己：一旦上了大学，一切就会变好。他安慰自己：一旦上了大学，一切就会变好。 收到大学录取通知书时，蒂姆激动得落泪。他长长舒了一口气：现在，可以开心收到大学录取通知书时，蒂姆激动得落泪。他长长舒了一口气：现在，可以
52、开心地生活了。但没过几天，那熟悉的焦虑又卷土重来。他担心在和大学同学的竞争中，地生活了。但没过几天，那熟悉的焦虑又卷土重来。他担心在和大学同学的竞争中，自己不能取胜。如果不能打败他们，自己将来就找不到好工作。自己不能取胜。如果不能打败他们，自己将来就找不到好工作。 大学大学4 4年，蒂姆依旧奔忙着，极力为自己的履历表增光添彩。他成立学生社团、做年，蒂姆依旧奔忙着，极力为自己的履历表增光添彩。他成立学生社团、做义工，参加多种运动项目，小心翼翼地选修课程，但这一切完全不是出于兴趣，而是义工，参加多种运动项目，小心翼翼地选修课程，但这一切完全不是出于兴趣，而是这些科目，可以保证他获得好成绩。这些科目
53、，可以保证他获得好成绩。 大四那年，蒂姆被一家著名的公司录用了。他又一次兴奋地告诉自己，这回终于大四那年，蒂姆被一家著名的公司录用了。他又一次兴奋地告诉自己，这回终于可以享受生活了。可他很快就感觉到，这份每周需要工作可以享受生活了。可他很快就感觉到，这份每周需要工作8484小时的高薪工作，充满压小时的高薪工作，充满压力。他又说服自己：没关系，这样干，今后的职位才会更稳固，才能更快地升职。当力。他又说服自己：没关系，这样干，今后的职位才会更稳固，才能更快地升职。当然，他也有开心的时刻，在加薪、拿到奖金或升职时。但这些满足感，很快就消退了。然，他也有开心的时刻，在加薪、拿到奖金或升职时。但这些满足
54、感，很快就消退了。经过多年的打拼，蒂姆成了公司合伙人。他曾多么渴望这一天。可是，当这一天真的经过多年的打拼，蒂姆成了公司合伙人。他曾多么渴望这一天。可是，当这一天真的到来时，他却没觉得多快乐。蒂姆拥有了豪宅、名牌跑车。他的存款一辈子都用不完。到来时，他却没觉得多快乐。蒂姆拥有了豪宅、名牌跑车。他的存款一辈子都用不完。 他被身边的人认定为成功的典型。朋友拿他当偶像，来教育自己的小孩。可是蒂他被身边的人认定为成功的典型。朋友拿他当偶像，来教育自己的小孩。可是蒂姆呢，由于无法在盲目的追求中找到幸福，他干脆把注意力集中在了眼下，用酗酒、姆呢，由于无法在盲目的追求中找到幸福，他干脆把注意力集中在了眼下，
55、用酗酒、吸毒来麻醉自己。他尽可能延长假期，在阳光下的海滩一呆就是几个钟头，享受着毫吸毒来麻醉自己。他尽可能延长假期，在阳光下的海滩一呆就是几个钟头，享受着毫无目的的人生，再也不去担心明天的事。起初，他快活极了，但很快，他又感到了厌无目的的人生，再也不去担心明天的事。起初，他快活极了，但很快，他又感到了厌倦。倦。16为什么当今社会有那么多“忙碌奔波型”的人呢？ 因为人们常常被“幸福的假象”所蒙蔽 17 我们所处的社会环境和文化背景是这样的：假如孩子成绩全优，家长就会给奖励；如果员工工作出色，老板就会发给奖金。人们习惯性地去关注下一个目标，而常常忽略了眼前的事情，最后，导致终生的盲目追求。然而一旦目标达成后，人们常把放松的心情，解释为幸福。好像事情越难做，成功后的幸福感就越强。不可否认，这种解脱，让我们感到真实的快乐，但它绝不等同于“幸福”。它只是“幸福的假象”。这就好比一个人头痛好了之后，他会为头不痛而高兴，这是由于这种喜悦，来自于痛苦的前因。“忙碌奔波型”的人，错误地认为成功就是幸福，坚信目标实现后的放松和解脱，就是幸福。因此，他们不停地从一个目标奔向另一个目标。18 Thank you!Thank you!19
