Normally a student must attend a number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a grade which he may count towards a degree. In many American universities the total work for a degree is made up of thirty-six courses each lasting for one term. Generally, a course is made up of three classes per week for fif weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each term. Normally a student would expect to take four years attending two terms each year. It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period. It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not done as a regular practice.
For every course that follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the student can get it to show his future employers. All this sets a constant pressure and strain of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activities in student affairs. They show much interest in elections to positions in student organizations performed by students who advise the academic authorities (权威人士). Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating is to appear before a student court. With the large numbers of students, the operation of the system has something to do with a certain amount of activity. A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career.In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras (交响乐团). It became a fixed every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.
At the same time, the "Fringe" appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the "Fringe", once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator (行政人员) was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not pr the damp cold of Dennis"s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack"s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
"So," Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. "How did this place get its name"
"Are you sure you want to hear it It"s a scary story," warned Jack.
"Of course!" cried out Tom. "If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn"t have chosen this place!"
"OK, but don"t say I didn"t warn you," said Jack, and he began his tale.
"Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different—it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice."
"You are clearing too much land, warned one old man. "The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it."
"Silly fool", said Dennis to himself. "If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I"ll become wealthier. He"s just jealous!"
"Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the suce of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants."
"What happened" Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
"The land hit back—just as the old man warned," Jack shrugged. "Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found."
"What a stupid story," laughed Tom. "Plants can"t... " Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted(晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy(常春藤) had covered Tom"s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.Normally a student must attend a number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a grade which he may count towards a degree. In many American universities the total work for a degree is made up of thirty-six courses each lasting for one term. Generally, a course is made up of three classes per week for fif weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each term. Normally a student would expect to take four years attending two terms each year. It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period. It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not done as a regular practice.
For every course that follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the student can get it to show his future employers. All this sets a constant pressure and strain of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activities in student affairs. They show much interest in elections to positions in student organizations performed by students who advise the academic authorities (权威人士). Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating is to appear before a student court. With the large numbers of students, the operation of the system has something to do with a certain amount of activity. A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career.There is no doubt that s, and even highly educated s, vary greatly in the speed and efficiency of their reading. Some proceed very slowly throughout; others dash along too quickly and then have to regress. Poor readers in particular may lack the ability to vary their manner of reading according to the type of reading matter and to their intentions in reading it. A good reader can move at great speed through the text of a novel or similar light reading matter. He may be able to skim a page, picking up a word or two here and there, and gain a general idea of what the text is about without really reading it. In reading more difficult material, with the intention of taking in the whole of it, he will proceed more slowly, but even then he will vary his pace, concentrating on the key words and passages, perhaps re-reading them several times and pass more quickly over the remainder. A less efficient reader tends to maintain the same speed whatever the material he reads. Consequently, even light reading matter gives him little pleasure because he reads so slowly. But this pace may be too fast for really difficult material which requires special concentration at difficult points.
A type of reading which necessitates careful attention to detail is proofreading, in which the reader, in order to detect misprints in a sample print, has to notice not so much the meaning of what he reads as the exact shape and order of letters and words in the text. This is extremely difficult for most people, since they are accustomed to overlooking such details. In fact, considerable practice is required to practice this task efficiently and it can be done only by reading very slowly, and by paying comparatively little attention to the general meaning of the text.The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not pr the damp cold of Dennis"s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack"s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
"So," Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. "How did this place get its name"
"Are you sure you want to hear it It"s a scary story," warned Jack.
"Of course!" cried out Tom. "If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn"t have chosen this place!"
"OK, but don"t say I didn"t warn you," said Jack, and he began his tale.
"Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different—it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice."
"You are clearing too much land, warned one old man. "The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it."
"Silly fool", said Dennis to himself. "If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I"ll become wealthier. He"s just jealous!"
"Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the suce of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants."
"What happened" Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
"The land hit back—just as the old man warned," Jack shrugged. "Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found."
"What a stupid story," laughed Tom. "Plants can"t... " Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted(晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy(常春藤) had covered Tom"s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras (交响乐团). It became a fixed every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.
At the same time, the "Fringe" appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the "Fringe", once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator (行政人员) was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.There is no doubt that s, and even highly educated s, vary greatly in the speed and efficiency of their reading. Some proceed very slowly throughout; others dash along too quickly and then have to regress. Poor readers in particular may lack the ability to vary their manner of reading according to the type of reading matter and to their intentions in reading it. A good reader can move at great speed through the text of a novel or similar light reading matter. He may be able to skim a page, picking up a word or two here and there, and gain a general idea of what the text is about without really reading it. In reading more difficult material, with the intention of taking in the whole of it, he will proceed more slowly, but even then he will vary his pace, concentrating on the key words and passages, perhaps re-reading them several times and pass more quickly over the remainder. A less efficient reader tends to maintain the same speed whatever the material he reads. Consequently, even light reading matter gives him little pleasure because he reads so slowly. But this pace may be too fast for really difficult material which requires special concentration at difficult points.
A type of reading which necessitates careful attention to detail is proofreading, in which the reader, in order to detect misprints in a sample print, has to notice not so much the meaning of what he reads as the exact shape and order of letters and words in the text. This is extremely difficult for most people, since they are accustomed to overlooking such details. In fact, considerable practice is required to practice this task efficiently and it can be done only by reading very slowly, and by paying comparatively little attention to the general meaning of the text.
The author says that when reading a novel, a good reader can quickly read ______.