Unit 1-Text B

What we wish
我们的期望


My dear child,
我亲爱的孩子：


1 You are about to participate in the next leg of your journey through life. For us, this part is bittersweet. As you go off to college, exciting new worlds will open up to you. They will inspire and challenge you; you will grow in incredible ways.
你即将踏上人生的下一段旅程。这让我们感到喜忧参半。当你离家、步入大学的校门，激动人心的崭新世界将会展现在你面前。这将带给你鼓舞，也会使你面临挑战；你将获得更大的进步与成长。


2 This is also a moment of sadness. Your departure to college makes it undeniably clear that you are no longer a child. There has been no greater joy than watching you arrive at this moment. You have turned our greatest challenge into our greatest pride. Although we have brought you to this point, it is hard to watch you depart. Remember above all things, we will miss you.
这也是令人伤感的时刻。离家去上大学就明确意味着你不再是个孩子了。没有什么比看到你走到今天这一步更令我们欣喜的了。你曾经是我们最大的挑战，现在却成为我们最大的骄傲。虽然是我们把你带到了这一步，但是看着你离开仍然很不舍。记住，最主要的是，我们会想念你。


3 College will be the most important time of your life. It is here that you will truly discover what learning is about. You often ask, "Why do I need to know this?" I encourage you to stay inquisitive, but remember this: "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." What you learn is not as important as the fact that you learn. This is the heart of scholarship: moving from teacher-taught to master-inspired, on over to the point where you become a self-learner. So, take each subject seriously, and if something doesn't immediately engage you, don't despair. Embrace it as a challenge. Find a way to make it your own.
大学将是你人生中最重要的时光。只有在大学里你才会真正发现学习的真谛。你经常会问：“为什么我需要知道这个？”我希望你保持好奇心，但是记住：“教育就是当一个人忘记了在学校所学的一切之后剩下的东西。”你学什么并不如学习本身更重要。做学问的精髓就在于它可以使你从被动学习转向主动学习——直至成为一个真正具有学习能动力的自学者。所以，要认真对待每一门课程。如果某门课不能马上吸引你，不要绝望。把它当作一个挑战来接受它，设法使之成为你自己所喜欢的。


4 Of course, you must still take care to sign up for courses which stimulate your passion and your intellectual capacity. Don't be bound by what other people think. Steve Jobs said, when you are in college, your passion will create many dots, and later in your life you will connect them. So, don't worry too much about what job you will have; don't be too practical. If you like French or Korean, study it even if someone else tells you that it's not useful. Enjoy picking your "dots". Be assured that one day, you will find your own meaningful career, and you will connect a beautiful curve through those dots.
当然，你还必须注意，要选择那些能够激发你的热情、拓展你的智力的课程。不要被别人的想法所左右。史蒂夫·乔布斯曾说过，在大学里，你的激情将会创造出很多个点，以后在生活中你会把这些点连接在一起。所以，不必过多担忧你将来会做什么样的工作，不要太现实。如果你喜欢法语或韩语，就去学，即使别人对你说学这些没用。尽情采集你的那些“点”。要坚信有一天，你会找到你自己的有意义的事业，你会把那些点串连成美丽的曲线。


5 You know that we always want you to do your best, but don't let the pressure of grades get to you. We care only that you try your very best, and that you learn. It is better that your greatest effort earns a lesser grade than that no effort earns you a decent or higher grade. Grades in the end are simply letters fit to give the vain something to boast about, and the lazy something to fear. You are too good to be either. The reward is not the grade but what you learn.
你知道我们总是希望你竭尽全力，但不要让分数的压力困扰你。我们只关心你已经尽了力，并且学到了知识。你尽了最大的努力而分数不高比你没有努力却得了像样的或更高的分数更有意义。分数只不过是虚荣的人用以吹嘘和慵懒的人所恐惧的数字而已。而你既不虚荣，也不慵懒。努力的回报不是分数，而是你所学到的东西。


6 More importantly, make friends and trust others. The friends you make in college can be the best ones you will ever have. During these years, when you move into adulthood, the friends you make in college live closer to you than your family. You will form bonds of friendship that will blossom over many decades. Pick friends who are genuine and sincere. Select a few and become truly close to them. Don't worry about their hobbies, grades, or looks. Instead, trust your instincts when you make new friends. You are a genuine and sincere person; anyone would enjoy your friendship. So be confident, secure, and proactive. If you think you like someone, tell them. You have very little to lose. Don't be afraid to trust. Give others the benefit of the doubt, and don't reduce anyone to stereotypes. Nobody is perfect; as long as others are genuine, trust them and be good to them. They will give back.
更重要的是，要结交朋友并信任他人。大学里结交的朋友可能是你会结交的最好的朋友。在你步入成年的这些年里，你在大学里结交的朋友比家人离你更近。你会结下将绽放几十年的友情。选择坦率真诚的人做朋友。选择几个朋友，真正走近他们。不必计较他们的爱好、成绩或长相。相反，结交新朋友时要相信你的直觉。你是坦率真诚的人，任何人都会喜欢和你做朋友，所以要自信，别害怕，要积极主动。如果你认为自己喜欢某个人，就告诉他。你不会损失什么的。不要害怕去信任别人。即使有所怀疑，也要相信别人，不要对任何人抱有成见。人无完人。只要他们真诚，就信任他们，善待他们。他们会给予回报的。


7 Remember also that your youth is full of strength and beauty, something that you will not comprehend until it is gone. You must guard and cultivate your strength and beauty. A healthy body and a sound mind are the greatest instruments you will ever possess. Enjoy life. Dance if you feel like it. Don’t be afraid of what other people think. But also keep yourself safe and sound. Don’t let the range of new experiences take your innocence, health, or curiosity away from you. Treasure your youth and the university experience before you.
还要记住，你的青春充满力和美，只有到青春逝去时你才能理解这一点。你必须要呵护和培养你的力和美。健康的身体和健全的思想是你将拥有的最大的资本。享受生活吧。想跳舞就跳舞，不用担心别人怎么想。但也要让自己平平安安的。不要让各种各样的新体验带走你的纯真、健康或好奇心。珍惜青春，珍惜你眼前的大学经历吧。


8 College is the time when you have: the first taste of independence, the greatest amount of free time, the most flexibility to change, the lowest cost for making mistakes.
在大学这一段时光里，你会：初尝独立的滋味，拥有最多的自由时光，享有最大的可塑性，承担最低的犯错代价。


9 Approach these years enthusiastically! Make the most of your time. Become the great thinker you were born to be. Let your talents evolve to their fullest potential. Be bold! Experiment! Learn and grow! We are enormously proud that you’ve made it this far, and we can’t wait to see what you will become.
用满腔的热情拥抱大学时光吧！充分利用好你的时间。成为一个你注定会成为的优秀的思考者。使你的聪明才智发挥出最大的潜力。无所畏惧！勇于尝试！坚持学习，并不断成长！我们对于你已经取得的成功深感自豪，我们也迫不及待地盼望看到你未来的成就。


Your father
你的父亲