study abroad (reading)

Unit 4 Book 7 Extensive Reading

Introduction: Dear students, I am Jimmy. I hope you won?t feel too weird or depressed when reading this learning material, for it is something more than exercise. When I was preparing the lessons for Unit 4, I asked my friends who are studying abroad to share their feelings in a short passage respectively. To my great surprise, and delight as well, they all wrote detailed and inspiring articles of what they have seen, learnt and felt. To get the articles printed, I have to put them together in the form of exercise, but I hope you can cherish this tiny piece of paper and get it through with curiosity and fun!

A

People might think that if we don't take the language barrier into consideration, studying abroad must be quite the same as at home. However, the fact is that studying abroad could be much more challenging as you not only have to cope with the language problems, but also you need to learn independently and think critically as well. Unlike the classes in China where teachers always prepare hard to give students guidance and explanations, students abroad usually have to solve problems themselves and teachers are more like the audience in the class. Hence, it is not as easy to study abroad and the teaching in China is more laborious. (You might want to thank Jimmy for that.)

__ Pat @ University of Edinburgh，UK

“The picture I have depicted for a long time in my mind finally comes true” — this is the general feeling for my abroad study experience: sunny day, on the lawn, working together with classmates from different countries on the group assignments, brainstorming, joking, arguing, laughing, accompanying even sometimes with a lot of gossiping.” I know you are going to love it.

— Jasmine @ Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, BELGIUM（鲁汶大学，比利时）

1. How is UK teachers? role different from that of Chinese teachers?

A. They give many explanations. B. They give no guidance.

C. They tend to be good listeners D. They are more laborious.

2. Which statement is true according to Jasmine?s description?

A. Her experience abroad is far from expectation.

B. The lifestyle abroad is hasty.

C. Students abroad cooperate in homework.

D. Topics among friends are always serious

B

Dear Class,

My name is Ran An. I?m Jimmy?s (He?s a super nice guy!) classmate at college. I?m currently a second year Master?s student at Teachers College, Columbia University in the City of New York. When it comes to the question “How does studying abroad feel?” I would say the feeling is kind of mixed! As a non-native speaker in an English-speaking country, you may probably read and learn slower than your classmates and feel pretty confused and depressed in class at the very beginning since you don?t quite understand what professors are talking about and why your classmates are

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laughing at a joke that you don?t understand. It is completely embarrassed, right? Oftentimes, you have to laugh together in case your classmates think you are wired. However, the learning moment happens! As you put more efforts and learn bit by bit, you will give real laughter one day!

The life abroad is not always that tough and dark. You can make friends with fabulous people who are great minds from all walks of life. They would definitely make your world bigger. Additionally, you have many vacations and can travel with friends up to the mountain and down to the sea. You may also have opportunities to meet your significant other through these sweet journals (I do and many people do!).

Best of luck with your studies!

3. At the very beginning, why did Ran laugh together with her classmates?

A. She thought what the professors said was funny.

B. She pretended to understand and follow suit

C. She was optimistic and loved laughing

D. She was impressed by the laughter in the class

4. What does it mean by “all walks of life”?

A. different professions or jobs. B. different parts of the city

D. life-long walkers or joggers D. a group of excellent people

5. What does it possibly mean by “significant other”?

A. parent B. friend C. relative D. sweetheart

C

Dear all,

First of all, I?d like to say thank you to Jimmy for giving me this opportunity to share my unknown New Zealand life with you guys. What do you want to know?

If you ask me if I?ve ever regretted coming to New Zealand for study, I would give you a big “no”. Why? If my memory serves me right, when I asked for some paperwork from my high school to apply my overseas study visa, I was mocked by my prefect（级长） of not knowing what documents I needed and where to get these documents signed, and that was all because everything was taken care by my parents, ironically, at my age of 19. It was a shame but I was quite incapable at that time.

Coming to New Zealand gave me quite a bit of challenges. Let me put it this way, I had got no one that I knew of, couldn?t name the food that I wanted to buy, didn?t know where to take bus, got lost hundreds of times, didn?t know how to do banking… I just felt like I?d come to an alien planet that was totally strange to me and I was living like a baby as I pretty much had to learn everything. Therefore to be able to adjust myself, I had to force myself to get out of my comfort zone and had to do everything on my own. To be honest, it wasn?t easy at the beginning as you had to bear all the misunderstanding and discrimination, if there was any, but once I started to do it, I felt more and more confident as I went, and it became more and more cheerful and encouraging breaking it through. Having achieved so many milestones in my life, I felt like I?ve actually turned into a brand-new person, not the same me before. Especially working in an international corporate now, I?m now becoming more and more problem-solving orientated, which I think it?s essential to your career.

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Apart from the hardship that I?ve gone through, multi-cultural integration is another thing that I want to share with you guys. Living in a nation of immigrants like New Zealand, Australia, Canada, you get to meet people from all over the world. It?s really a cool thing to know all sorts people from Egypt, India, South Africa, Ukraine, Ireland, Russia, Mexico… It?s amazing when you came across various cultures and learned how they differentiate from one another and yet they share some commons as well. Having said that though, culture shock (which means people tend to lose their own cultural identity when they live in a foreign country) is a hotspot topic when you are studying abroad as well. I?m always proud of our Chinese traditional culture so luckily I wasn?t washed away in the culture shock. Haha.

Another thing I want to highlight is my university life in New Zealand. One of the things that I appreciate the most in New Zealand is the advance and sophistication of the education system. Not only academic wisdom, but also those high-quality and well developed extra-curriculum activities, such as investment club, pubic speech club, leadership program, business cases management training…Thanks for these amazing programs, I was well equipped during my participation and was put in a favourable position in the job market.

There?s a lot more to talk about, but I don?t think Jimmy wants me to take up too much time in your class. Haha. Yeah, the last thing I want to say is that coming overseas did change my view of the world and my view of values and I do appreciate these changes. Having said that though, I don?t mean coming overseas is the only way to develop yourself. No matter where you are, keep an open mind and keep learning, never say never, and you will find your true self on your right path! Best regards,

Ting (graduated from The University of Auckland)

17/Apr/2015

6. How did Ting successfully apply for her education in New Zealand when she was still a high school student in China?

A. She got things done independently.

B. She made it with much help from her prefect.

C. She was wholly dependent on her parents.

D. She handed the work to an agency.

7. Which of the following was NOT the challenge that Ting came across at the very beginning?

A. She had no acquaintance in New Zealand.

B. She was unable to tell the names of certain food.

C. She frequently lost her way.

D. She didn?t know where the bank was.

8. As Ting is now a staff in an international firm, what does she consider as the most important quality for one?s career?

A. the awareness of settling problems

B. ability to bear all the misunderstandings

C. the development of one?s confidence

D. cooperation with the colleagues

9. According to Ting?s understanding, which of the following statement is NOT true in terms of culture shock?

A. people are likely to lose the cultural part of their own when living in a foreign country.

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B. Culture shock has been frequently discussed among overseas students.

C. Ting attaches great importance to traditional Chinese culture

D. Ting has failed to withstand the washing away of her own cultural sense.

10. What gave Ting a great advantage when she was hunting for a job?

A. the advance and sophistication of her job hunting skills

B. her overwhelming academic wisdom over others

C. various activities and programs organized by the university

D. the experimental equipments provided by the university

D

Studying abroad, a bittersweet experience

Hi Jimmy,

Thanks for inviting me to share my experiences with your students. For a postgraduate spending the last few months in the UK, her feelings are mixed and her opinion might not be objective.

Studying abroad is one of the most amazing decisions that I have ever made. I had doubts, worries and all kinds of concerns before making the decision. It proved me right. The experience shaped a better me, but truth be told, I am reluctant to give the impression that studying abroad is all about the good thing. It?s actually a bittersweet process, and in some way, a painstaking process.

First, studying abroad gives me the opportunity to meet and talk with numerous amazing people. To some extent, the talks with these people make me realise how many possibilities there could be in the world. We are so limited by the world we see. That?s why we need to step out of our comfort zone and reach out to a bigger world in order to witness more possibilities. Another precious thing I?ve learned from the process is how important it is to find the things you love. These people I have talked to have various experiences. Some are committed people in their fields, working diligently day in and day out. They may seem ordinary, which doesn?t prevent them from becoming charming people.

Second, studying abroad means I have to deal with loneliness. Studying abroad means being away from my family, from the place I?m familiar with. Admittedly, I have lots of friends here. We go to lectures together, have get-togethers at weekends, and share lunch in the common room sometimes. However, the feeling of loneliness is with me all the time. I have to fend off the pressure, or sometimes bear pressure on my own. Yes, I could share with friends and families, but deep down all the pressure and problems are up for me to deal with and to solve. Nevertheless, I don?t think it?s a bad thing. I have to admit, shouldering pressure and dealing with loneliness are necessary evils, the things we have to deal with properly.

Further, studying abroad shapes (or ruins!) many precious qualities in me. For example, independence, self-discipline, time management and money management. Although many people believe that living alone helps in building these good qualities, I am afraid I have to partially go against the opinion. It highly depends on the person. Living alone means one has more freedom and more time. It matters a lot that what one uses the freedom and time for. Things have proved that too much freedom or too much free time is not a good thing at all! Why? Take myself for example. I?ve always missed (or hated!) the days in senior high school when I was so committed to one goal (and only one). I almost had only one thing in mind, i.e. doing better by studying harder. The goals

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seemed quite achievable as long as I made adequate efforts. Things are a bit different now. There are so many things around me and so many temptations I have to consciously fend off. I mean, I have to be cautious about the ?bad? temptations. So for those of you who are fighting for your goals and dreams, cherish the moments since you?re ?protected? by a good environment.

Last but not least, studying abroad (especially in the UK) allows me to travel to Europe conveniently and at affordable prices. I had never been abroad before I came to the UK in September 2013. Now I have been to over 10 countries in Europe and Asia. I spent every holiday to travel around Europe. I have to say, Europe is amazingly wonderful! Though some people think European countries are really small and similar, it is not the case at all. Different European countries have their own characteristics and charismas, and you would spend ages to genuinely appreciate their beauties (because there are always beautiful or sorrowful stories and histories behind them, and

I have so many things to say, but time is limited. What a shame! I wish I could talk about more if I have opportunities to see you in China. What I have shared is subject to my person feelings and opinions. I hope it helps but don?t take it too seriously.

All the best,

Jingna (from Newcastle University, UK)

11. As Jingna is about to graduate, how did she feel when writing this article?

A. her mind was peaceful

B. she was very impersonal

C. her mind was blank

D. her feelings were complex

12. In Jingna?s opinions, what makes a person charming?

A. various possibilities of life

B. love and commitment to a career

C. being open to a bigger world

D. breaking away from comfort zone

13. How does Jingna think about dealing with pressure and loneliness?

A. It is something wholly evil.

B. It is bad but essential for growth.

C. It can be solved by outside help.

D. It pauses when having a get-together.

14. What?s the word temptation in Paragraph 5 closest in meaning to?

A. Unpleasant matter B. Extreme attraction

C. Great consumption D. Significant importance

15. How to understand the sentence “I would highly recommend you to scrape beneath the surface”?

A. I can still clearly remember the historic stories of the countries.

B. I hope you can experience the underground beauty of the places.

C. I have so many sorrowful stories to share with you.

D. I strongly suggest you know the histories behind the scenes.

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