大学英语2原文

Unit8It has often been remarked that the saddest thing about youth is that it is wasted on the young. Reading a survey report on first-year college students, I recalled the regret, "If only I knew then what I know now."The survey revealed what I had already suspected from informal polls of students both in Macon and at the Robins Resident Center: If it (whatever it may be) won't compute and you can't drink it, smoke it or spend it, then "it" holds little value.According to the survey based on responses from over 188,000 students, today's college beginners are "more consumeristic and less idealistic" than at any time in the 17 years of the poll. Not surprising in these hard times, the students' major objective "is to be financially well off". Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life. Accordingly, today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting. Interest in teaching, social service and the humanities is at a low, along with ethnic and women's studies. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. That's no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of college instructors during her first year on the job—even before she completed her two-year associate degree. "I'll tell them what they can do with their music, history, literature, etc.," she was fond of saying. And that was four years ago; I tremble to think what she's earning now. Frankly, I'm proud of the young lady (not her attitude but her success). But why can't we have it both ways? Can't we educate people for life as well as for a career? I believe we can. If we cannot, then that is a conviction against our educational system—kindergarten, elementary, secondary and higher. In a time of increasing specialization, more than ever, we need to know what is truly important in life. This is where age and maturity enter. Most people, somewhere between the ages of 30 and 50, finally arrive at the inevitable conclusion that they were meant to do more than serve a corporation, a government agency, or whatever. Most of us finally have the insight that quality of life is not entirely determined by a balance sheet. Sure, everyone wants to be financially comfortable, but we also want to feel we have a perspective on the world beyond the confines of our occupation; we want to be able to render service to our fellow men and to our God. If it is a fact that the meaning of life does not dawn until middle age, is it then not the duty of educational institutions to prepare the way for that revelation? Most people, in their youth, resent the Social Security deductions from their pay, yet a seemingly few short years later find themselves standing anxiously by the mailbox. While it's true all of us need a career, preferably a prosperous one, it is equally true that our civilization has collected an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own. And we are better for our understanding of these other contributions—be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More importantly, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs. Weekly we read of unions that went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company, no job. How short-sighted in the long run. But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which depicts a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom: "Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?" In the long run that's what education really ought to be about. I think it can be. My college roommate, now head of a large shipping company in New York, not surprisingly was a business major. But he also hosted a classical music show on the college's FM station and listened to Wagner as he studied his accounting. That's the way it should be. Oscar Wilde had it right when he said we ought to give our ability to our work but our genius to our lives. Let's hope our educators answer students' cries for career education, but at the same time let's ensure that students are prepared for the day when they realize their short-sightedness. There's a lot more to life than a job.

Robert Emmons, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of California, has long been interested in the role gratitude plays in physical and emotional well-being.

罗伯特·埃蒙斯博士是加州大学心理学教授，长期以来一直对感恩在身心健康中的作用感兴趣。

Along with psychology professor Michael McCullough of the University of Miami, Emmons took three groups of volunteers and randomly assigned them to focus on one of three things each week: hassles, things for which they were grateful,and ordinary life events.

艾蒙斯和迈阿密大学的心理学教授迈克尔麦卡洛（Michael McCullough）一起，随机抽取了三组志愿者，让他们每周专注于三件事中的一件：争吵、他们感激的事情和日常生活事件。

The first group concentrated on everything that went wrong or was irritating to them, such as "the jerk who cut me off on the highway.”The second group homed in on situations they felt.

第一组专注于所有出错或让他们恼火的事情，比如“在高速公路上把我截住的那个混蛋”。第二组专注于他们感觉到的情况。

enhanced their lives, as in“My boyfriend is so kind and caring - I’ m lucky to have him.” And the third group recalled recent everyday events， as in“I went shoe shopping.”

增强了他们的生活，如“我的男朋友是如此的善良和关心-我很幸运有他。”和第三组回忆最近的日常事件。

The results: The people who focused on gratitude were just flat-out happier. They saw their lives in favorable terms.

如“我去鞋结果是：那些专注于感恩的人非常开心。他们以良好的态度看待自己的生活。

They reported fewer negative physical symptoms such as headaches or colds, and they were active in ways that were good for them. They spent almost an hour and a half more per week exercising than those who focused on hassles. Plain and simple, those who were grateful had a higher quality of life.

他们报告较少的负面身体症状，如头痛或感冒，他们积极的方式，对他们有好处。他们每周花在运动上的时间几乎比那些只关注争论的人多出一个半小时。简单明了，感恩的人生活质量更高。

这部分内容主要考察的是让步状语从句的知识点：

由这一个复合连词引导的让步状语从句旨在说明正反两方面的可能性都不会影响主句的意向或结果，所以它的语气是比较强烈的，从而也更加坚定了主句的内容。例如：You'll have to attend the ceremony whether you're free or busy.不管你忙不忙，都要参加这个典礼。

even if 引导的从句是往往是假设性的，相当于汉语的“即使”“纵然”“就算”“哪怕”。如：They’ll stand by you even if you don’t succeed.即使你不成功，他们也会支持你。

even though 引导的从句内容往往是真实的，主要用于引出不利于主句情况的信息，相当于汉语的“尽管”“虽然”。如：He went out even though it was raining.尽管在下雨，他还是出去了。

当引导引导让步状语从句时，两者相同，可以互换（what=the thing， whatever = anyting），但当引导名词性从句（主语从句，宾语从句，表语从句和同位语从句）时则只能用whatever（whoever，whichever，whenever，etc）。