历年六级阅读理解逐句翻译：2008年6月（2）

　　二、

　　In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fights.

　　在大学入学的战役中，我们这些家长都是真正的战士。

　　We are pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college of our first choice.

　　我们督促自己的孩子取得更好的成绩，参加权门学科评鉴考试(SAT)预备课程和填写简历，以便他们能进入第一志愿的大学。

　　Ive twice been to the wars, and as I survey the battlefield, something different is happening.

　　我已参加过两次这场战役，我在这战场上存活了下来，不同的情况总是在发生。

　　We see our kids college background as e prize demonstrating how well weve raised them.

　　我们把自己孩子的大学牌子是视为我们培养他们好坏程度的奖赏。

　　But we cant acknowledge that our obsession is more about us than them.

　　但我们不能理解的是我们的痴迷是为了自己还是孩子。

　　So weve contrived various justifications that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices or myths.

　　所以我们发明了很多自认为有理的辩护，这些辩护成了半真半假的陈词、偏见和荒诞的说法。

　　It actually doesnt matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.

　　事实上，阿伦和尼克尔是否进入斯坦福大学并不是真的那么重要。

　　We have a full-blown prestige panic; we worry that there wont be enough prizes to go around.

　　我们有着充足的威望恐慌症;我们担心未来没有足够的荣誉去炫耀。

　　Fearful parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever.

　　满怀担忧的父母督促他们的孩子申请比以往多得多的学校。

　　Underlying the hysteria is the belief that scarce elite degrees must be highly valuable.

　　这歇斯底里的关键是他们相信少数精英学位肯定有着更高的价值。

　　Their graduates must enjoy more success because they get a better education and develop better contacts.

　　他们毕业后肯定能获得更多的成功，因为他们受到更优质的教育，发展了更优良的交际圈。

　　All that is plausibleand mostly wrong. We havent found any convincing evidence that selectivity or prestige matters.

　　这些说法都似是而非-----而大多数是错误的。我们还没有找到任何可信证据表明选择或威望的重要性。

　　Selective schools dont systematically employ better instructional approaches than less selective schools.

　　重点学校不会比非重点学校系统地使用更好地教育方法。

　　On two measuresprofessors feedback and the number of essay examsselective schools do slightly worse.

　　在以下两方面----教授的反馈和写作考试的数量----重点学校做得稍差。

　　By some studies, selective schools do enhance their graduates lifetime earnings.

　　一些研究表明，重点学校的确增加了其毕业生的终生收入。

　　The gain is reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-poinnt increase in a schools average SAT scores.

　　一所学校的平均SAT分数增加100分，这一财产就会增加2%--4%.

　　But even this advantage is probably a statistical fluke.

　　但这种优势也可能只是统计学上的偶然。

　　A well-known study examined students who got into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere.

　　一项著名的研究考察了进入重点学校的学生和他们毕业后的去向。

　　They earned just as much as graduates from higher-status schools.

　　他们的收入和高级学校的学生一样。

　　Kids count more than their colleges.

　　孩子自身的作用远远高于学校的作用。

　　Getting into yale may signify intellgence,talent and ambition.

　　进入耶鲁大学标志着聪明过人、才华横溢和雄心勃勃。

　　But its not the only indicator and,paradoxically,its significance is declining.

　　但这并非是唯一的标志，而且讽刺的是，这种标志性正在逐渐淡化。

　　The reason:so many similar people go elsewhere.Getting into college is not life only competiton.

　　原因是大量有同样才气的人到别的地方去了。进入大学并非人生唯一的竞赛。

　　Old-boy networks are breaking down.princeton economist Alan Krueger studied admissions to one top Ph.D.program.High scores on the GRE helpd explain who got in;degrees of prestigious universities didnt.

　　在另一项竞赛中----职场和研究所----结果可能会改变。校友关系开始瓦解。普林斯顿经济学家艾伦昆格研究了一项顶尖博士项目的录取工作。美国研究生入学考试(GRE)的高分有助于解释谁能入选;而学校的名气则不能。

　　So,parents,lighten up.the stakes have been vastly exaggerated.up to a point,we can rationalize our pushiness.

　　因此，家长们，清醒一下。事实已被嫉妒夸大。

　　America is a competitive society;our kids need to adjust to that.but too much pushiness can be destructive.

　　在某一方面，我们可以解释这种狂热。美国是个竞争性的社会;我们的孩子需要为其而调整。但太多的一意孤行是毁灭性的。

　　The very ambition we impose on our children may get some into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment.

　　我们在孩子身上寄托的野心可能引领着部分孩子进入哈佛大学，但也可能使他们失望。

　　One study found that,other things being equal,graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction.

　　一项研究发现，从重点学校毕业不易获得工作上的满足感。他们对自己的要求过高。

　　They may have been so conditioned to deing on top that anything less disappoints.

　　一旦达不到这种高要求，就会感到失望。