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词数：381 words
难度：★★★☆☆
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上期划线句答案
Countries around the world have turned to natural carbon sinks such as forests and wetlands to help them achieve their climate targets.
世界各国已把森林和湿地等自然碳汇方式作为帮助实现气候目标的途径。
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本期内容
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双语阅读
Para.1
Nationwide, college professors report steep declines in students’ willingness and ability to read on their own. To adapt, instructors are assigning less reading and giving students time in class to complete it. It’s tempting to lament the death of a reliable pathway to learning and even pleasure. But I’m beginning to think students who don’t read are responding rationally to the vision of professional life our society sells them. In that vision, productivity does not depend on labor, and a paycheck has little to do with talent or effort. For decades, students have been told that college is about career readiness and little else. And the task of puzzling out an author’s argument will not prepare students to thrive in an economy that seems to run on vibes.
Para.2
Even in the ostensibly true depictions of working life that students see, like the “day in my life” videos that were popular on TikTok a couple of years ago, intellectual labor seems optional and entry-level corporate positions seem like a series of rooftop hangouts, free lunches and team-building happy hours — less a job than a lifestyle. And of course the ultimate lifestyle job is being an influencer, a tantalizing prospect that seems always just one viral post away.
Para.3
The most visible college students are big-time athletes, who these days can earn money — in some cases, millions of dollars — through sponsorship deals. But however hard these students push themselves, their earnings are officially not for their work on the field but for their marketability off it. Once students graduate, the jobs they most ardently desire are in what they proudly call the “sellout” fields of finance, consulting and tech. To outsiders, these industries are abstract and opaque, trading on bluster and jargon. One thing is certain, though: That’s where the money is.
Para.4
All in all, it looks as if success follows not from knowledge and skill but from luck, hype and access to the right companies. If this is the economy students believe they’re entering, then why should they make the effort to read? For that matter, how will any effort in school prepare them for careers in which, apparently, effort is not rewarded? Given all this, it’s easy to lose faith in humanistic learning. Universities themselves offer little solace. They constantly promote the idea that a degree is about earning power above all else. They embrace influencer culture and probably benefit from viral phenomena like Bama Rush. They certainly aren’t shooing away corporate recruiters.
Para.5
The fact is, not all students aim to sail on vibes. Some want to do work that makes more than money. Some finance majors do, too. And others, God bless them, just want to learn what they can and worry about work later. It’s up to students to decide whether they’ll resist intellectual inertia. All I can do is demonstrate that it is worth it to read, to pause, to think, to revise, to reread, to discuss, to revise again.
本文节选自：The New York Times（纽约时报）
发布时间：2024.10.25
作者：Opinion-Jonathan Malesic
原文标题：There’s a Very Good Reason College Students Don’t Read Anymore
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写作句总结
It’s tempting to lament the death of a reliable pathway to learning and even pleasure.
结构：It’s tempting to lament the death of a reliable pathway to … and even ….
这不由得让我们感叹，失去了一个可靠的…途径，甚至失去了…。
例句：It’s tempting to lament the death of a reliable pathway to communication and even interest.
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阅读理解题
Which of the following best explains the meaning of "sellout" in the third paragraph?
a) Fields that require individuals to compromise their personal values and beliefs for financial gain.
b) Fields that are highly competitive and demanding, requiring long hours and significant sacrifices.
c) Fields that prioritize profit over social responsibility, often engaging in unethical or exploitative practices.
d) Fields that are perceived as lacking intellectual depth or practical value, despite offering high salaries.
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全文概括
The passage argues that declining student reading habits are a rational response to societal emphasis on career-driven, superficial success.
It suggests that the portrayal of professional life as effortless and lucrative, exemplified by influencer culture and lucrative athletic sponsorships, discourages students from engaging in intellectual pursuits like reading. The author contrasts this with the value of humanistic learning and suggests that students must actively resist the allure of easy success to prioritize intellectual growth. Universities, complicit in promoting this careerist view, bear some responsibility.
Ultimately, the author advocates for the inherent worth of reading and critical thinking.
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打卡作业
翻译文章中的划线句，文末留言打卡，下期推送会在文章开头处公布参考翻译答案，大家一起来学习英语吧~
翻译 | 大橙子
校对 | 李柚子
词汇词组 | 西西弗
划线句讲解 | 流木
写作句总结 | 沅沅
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