英美文化:“间隔年究竟是好还是坏?
Are volunteers doing more harm than good?
Every year, hundreds of thousands of college students in the UK choose to take a gap year or a short-term volunteering trip abroad. They dig wells in Africa, build schools in Thailand and save elephants in India.
在英国,每年有数十万大学生会选择休个“间隔年或是出国进行一次短期的义工之旅。他们前往非洲挖水井、去泰国建学校、到印度拯救大象。
It sounds like a win-win situation in which students broaden their experience by helping others, while locals benefit from their financial support, knowledge and skills.
学生通过帮助他人来增加个人阅历,当地人则能够从他们的经济、知识以及技术支持中获益。这听起来像是一个双赢的局面。
But in recent years, gap year volunteering has come under fire for becoming just a fashion trend.
而近年来,“间隔年义工因沦为一种时髦形式而饱受抨击。
come under fire (from)
受到(来自......的)炮火攻击;受到(......的)抨击
A video that went viral on YouTube in 2010 best captures the mindset of some gap year volunteers. It’s a three-minute comedy sketch called Gap Yah, in which a young, British, upper-middle class man tells his friend on the phone about his gap year in Tanzania, Peru and Myanmar. All of his experiences result in him “chundering everywhah (slang for being sick or vomiting) due to drinking heavily every day.
2010年在美国视频网站YouTube上疯传的一段视频很好地捕捉到了一些“ 间隔年 义工的心态。这是一个名为Gap Yah的3分钟喜剧小品,记录的是一个年轻的英国中上层阶级男士打电话向朋友倾诉自己在坦桑尼亚、秘鲁和缅甸的“间隔年。所有的这些经历都令他感到阵阵作呕,因为他每天都喝得酩酊大醉。
mindset 英 ['maɪn(d)set] 美 ['maɪndsɛt]
n.精神状态,思想倾向,心态
Matt Lacey, the video’s creator, told The Guardian that “It’s a satire on the great number of people who seem to be leaving these shores to vomit all over the developing world.
这段视频的拍摄者马特•莱西在接受《卫报》采访时说:“大批人离开自己的国家,跑到发展中国家去喝到吐,这着实很讽刺。
shore 英 [ʃɔː] 美 [ʃɔr]
n.[常作复数] 国家
But many volunteers have the best of intentions when they embark on their gap year. Their biggest problem, according to American Daniela Papi, founder of a non-profit organization that specializes in organizing gap year tours, is that they suffer from a superiority complex. Recently, Papi wrote a piece for the BBC sharing her view on gap year volunteering.
但是很多志愿者在着手实施“间隔年时,初衷是好的。来自美国的丹尼拉•派彼是一家专门从事组织“间隔年旅行的非盈利组织的创始人。在她看来,这些志愿者所面临的最大问题是他们存在着一种优越感。最近,派彼为英国广播公司BBC撰写了一篇文章,来分享她对“间隔年义工的看法。
According to her, many Westerners believe that because they come from a wealthy country, they have the right to bestow their generosity and kindness on people in developing countries. But often they know little about the local people and their culture, and lack the necessary skills to help them.
在她看来,很多西方人认为,正因为他们来自富裕国度,所以有权对发展中国家的人民慷慨解囊、施以恩惠。但他们往往对当地的人民和本土文化知之甚少,缺乏施助的必备技能。
bestow 英 [bɪ'stəʊ] 美 [bɪ'sto]
vt. 把......赠与, 授予,放置,留宿
“It’s like we think we are all Clark Kent [Superman’s disguise as an office clerk], Papi says. “At home we work hard to be useful in our jobs, but then we enter a magical phone booth and we take off to a far away country and somehow our Superman suit, or our volunteer T-shirt, gives us all of the power and knowledge we need to save the world.
“这就像我们认为自己都是克拉克•肯特一样(超人伪装成的办公室职员),派彼说。“在国内,我们在工作中努力做个有用之人,但当我们如同克拉克一样,走入神奇电话亭,飞到一个遥远的国度后,在某种程度上,我们的超人制服,即志愿者T恤为我们带来拯救世界的力量和知识。
disguise 英 [dɪs'gaɪz] 美 [dɪs'ɡaɪz]
n. / vt. 伪装,假装,掩饰,隐瞒
Volunteering is not about volunteers fulfilling their dream of being a hero, Papi says. “The travelers are not just missing out on learning the lessons that lead to more sustainable changes in themselves and in the world, but they are also often negatively impacting the people they are meant to be‘serving’.
“间隔年义工并非是让志愿者们实现自己的英雄梦,派彼表示:“这些‘间隔年’行者们不仅只是错失了能够带给自身和世界更深远变革的学习机会,也给他们本来的‘服务对象’带来了负面影响。
巨型光棍节:最牛的单身十大理由
人类在特殊情况下的忍受力(下)
光棍节的由来你知道多少?
发明家研发“面具机器人” 能做表情会说话
你快乐吗?iPhone“快乐地图”最懂你
生命中最美好的都是看不见的
现代人每天遗忘的五件事
意总理贝卢斯科尼将辞职 多名议员倒戈
光棍节“脱光”绝招:对面的女孩吻过来
高学历女性被迫“下嫁” 全职爸爸出炉
一杯好茶 A Nice Cup of Tea
韩国考生吃太妃糖求好运 家长前往教堂祈祷
社交网络时代“好友”虽多密友很少
夏天出生的孩子考不上好大学
鸟类体型变大 是气候变迁还是全球变暖所致
英国政策:孩子逃学 家长入狱
美国酒店最长住客十年后退房
《别告诉她》:为什么亚洲人爱说"善意的谎言"
爱的价值 The Value of Love
想要男人抛却坏习惯吗 等他成为父亲吧
格林尼治时间或被原子时取代
姚明交大正式报到:姚明过四级了吗?
你信不信:我是光棍,我快乐!
奥巴马号召政府节省开支 削减40亿经费
美国药价为何居高不下
警惕办公室“二手压力”的传染
创意十足的广告设计
Score and Ability 分数与能力
硅谷现在流行站着工作
30岁之前要懂得30个人生道理(1)
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |