教材文本Unit5KeepItup,XieLei

1、Un it 5 Travelli ng abroadPre-read ing1 What are the adva ntages and disadva ntages of study ing in a foreig n coun try?2 You are going to read a magaz ine article about a Chin ese stude nt who goes to studyin En gla nd. What do you think she will find differe nt from study ing at a Chin ese school/

2、 uni versity? What do you think she might find difficult?Read ingKEEP IT UP , XIE LEIChinese student fitting in wellSix mon ths ago Xie Lei said goodbye to her family and friends in China and boarded a pla ne for London .It was the first time she had ever left her home coun try. I was very excited b

3、ecause I had dreamed of this day for so long. But I was also very n ervous because I didn t know what to expect : Xie Lei told me when I met her in the stude nt cafeteria betwee n lectures.Xie Lei, who is 21 years old, has come to our uni versity to complete a bus in ess qualificati on. She is halfw

4、ay through the preparati on year whichmost foreign students complete before entering a degree course. Xie Lei highlyrecomme nds the course.The preparati on course is most ben eficial,she said.“ Study ing here is quite different from studying in China and you need some preparation first, either here

5、or in China . ”“ It s not just study that s difficult. You have utosegde to a whole new way of life,which can take up all your concentration in the beginning,explain”ed Xie Lei, who hadlived in the same city in China all her life. She told me that she had had to learn almost everything again.“ Somet

6、imes I felt like a child, ”she said. “I had tolearn how to use thephone, how to pay on the bus,and how to ask a shopkeeper for things I didn t know theEnglish for. When I got lost and had to ask a passer- by for directions. I didn atlways understand. They don t talk liktehey do on our listening tape

7、s, ”she said, laughing.Xie Lei lives with a host family who give her lots of good advice. Although some foreign students live in student accommodation or apartments with other students, some choose to board with English families. Living with host families, some of which have children who are also at

8、 university, gives students the opportunity to learn more about everyday life and customs in their new country. “ When I hear an expression that I don tunderstand or someone does something that seems strange to me, I can ask my host family for help, ”explains Xie Lei.“,Awlshoen I miss my family, it

9、s a great comfort to havea substitute family to come home to. ”Xie Lei s preparation course is helping her to get used to academic req uirements of a Western university.“ I remember the first essay I did for my tutor,”she told me.“ I found anarticle on the Internet that seemed to have exactly the in

10、formation I needed. So I made a sort of summary of the article and handed it in. I thought I would get a really good mark but I got an E. I was numb with shock! So I went to my tutor to ask the reason. First of all, he told me, I couldn t write what other people had said without acknowledging them.

11、Besides,as far as he was concerned what other people thought was not the most important thing. He wanted to know what I thought, which confused me because I thought that the author of the article knew far more than I did. The tutor explained that I had to read lots of different texts that had differ

12、ent opinions and analyse what I had read. Then, in my essay, I had to give my own opinions and explain why I believed what I did by referring to other authors. At first I lacked confidence to try it,but now I m beginning to get the idea. And my marks have improved.Xie Lei told me she feels much more

13、 at home in England now and that things that had seemed very strange at the beginning now appear quite normal.“Ive just got one morething to achieve and then Ilbl e content. I have been so occupied gettin g used to everything that I haven thad time for social activities. I think it ims portant to have a balance between study and a social life. I mgoing to join a few university clubs and hopef