Unit Two Matriculation Fixation
Joe Queenan
Joe Queenan
• Joe Queenan ( November 3, 1950--)
• a humorist, critic and author from
Philadelphia who graduated from
Saint Joseph's University. He has
written for various publications, such
as Spy Magazine, TV Guide,
Movieline and the New York Times
Book Review, and is a columnist for
The Wall Street Journal.
• None of his writing efforts have
reached any commercial best seller list
of note. He has not achieved any
formal recognition for his writing nor
has he been singled out by his peers
for special consideration.
Title
• Matriculation: [U] formal admission to
study at a university or college.
• Matriculation exam
• Matriculation certificate
• fixation: obsession, unhealty emotional
attachment.
• fixation (with / on sb/sth)
• a mother fixation
• He's got this fixation with cleanliness.
Pre-reading Questions
1:Why do many people in China now
have an obsessive interest in attending
elite colleges?
2:How do universities influence our life?
Outline
In this essay the author offers his sincere
advice to those parents who have college
bound children.
First, he criticizes some parents who try to
select universities for their children.
(supported by the example of his high
school friends.)
Outline
Second, he tells those disappointed parents
whose children are unlikely to enter
prestigious universities that many people
achieve hugh success in the society without a
degree from a prestigious university.
(supported by his own experience)
finally, he reminds those parents that life
doesn't have just one act. there is often Act
Two. And Act Five.
Paragraphs 1-2
Questions
1: Explain the meaning of "bright but not
brilliant".
2: How do you understand "with other
college-bound children in the family queue"?
3:What does the sentence "fewer contacts
would be made"mean?
Detailed Study
Languish:If someone languishes somewhere,they are
forced to remain and suffer in an unpleasant situation.
He continues to languish in prison.
The children are languishing in orphanages
waiting for adoption.
Expect~Expectedly~unexpectedly
Expectantly: hopefully, full of expectation
He looked expectantly at Sarah, but she
didn't speak.
Expectancy:when you think that something exciting
or pleasant is going to happen:[U]
There was a general air of expectancy in the crowd.
Detailed Study
Surgery: operation
Surgeon:doctor who performs surgical operations
physician: a doctor, especially one who is a
specialist in general medicine and not SURGERY
give one's undivided attention (to sth/sb):
concentrate fully (on sth/sb)
Detailed Study
briefing :detailed information or instructions
that you get before you have to do something
session:a period of time that is spent doing a
particular activity
a photo / recording / training session
The course is made up of 12 two-hour
sessions.
wear on: (of time) pass, esp tediously
As the evening wore on, she became more and
more nervous.
His life was wearing on towards its close.
Detailed Study
garner: (formal) to obtain or collect sth such
as information, support, etc.
Synonym: GATHER, ACQUIRE
All the information that we garnered
has been kept on file.
He has garnered extensive support
for his proposals.
Paraphrase: But as...details.
Detailed Study
Paraphrase:Though I listened
absentmindedly to the stranger who was
telling me about his daughter's college
plans, I managed to grasp most of the
important information in his speech.
Briefing sesson wore on: He spend
some time in giving me some information
about his daughter’s college plans
Detailed Study
tier
1 one of several rows or layers of
something with each one at a different
height
a wedding cake with three tiers
2:A tier is a level in an organization or
system.
two tiers of management
the bottom tier of society
Tier/Layer
Detailed Study
rue/ruː/ (rues ruing rued)
If you rue something that you have done,
you are sorry that you did it, because it
has had unpleasant results.
= regret
He'll rue the day he married her.
Detailed Study
be within striking distance of sth
a)to be close enough to reach a place easily
By now they were within striking
distance of the shore.
b)to be very close to achieving something
The French team are within striking
distance of the world record.
Paraphrase: Her degree would put...on
the road itself.
Detailed Study
Paraphrase: After she graduates from a
secondclass university, she will be close
tothe path to success, though not directly on it,
but still there will be a gap between.
paragraphs 3-4
Questions
1:what does the author mean by"...the sun
never set without my thanking God for...."?
2: Explain "to carve out a nice little niche
for myself".
3: what is the meaning of "pressed for
biographical data"?
Detailed Study
a man/woman of the `world:person with a
lot of experience of life, public affairs,
business, etc, esp one who is not easily
surprised or shocked
requisite: necessary for a particular purpose:
She lacks the requisite experience for the job.
Mediate: to succeed in finding a solution to a
disagreement between people or groups
They mediated a settlement.
mediate a peace
In question: under discussion
The woman in question is sitting over there.
Paraphrase: (I told the man...full lives.)
Detailed Study
Paraphrase: I told the man that many of my
high school friends had graduated from the
second-class university his daughter would be
attending, and now they are all living full and
fruitful lives.
Detailed Study
carve sth out (for oneself):build (one's career,
reputation, etc) by hard work
She carved out a name for herself as a reporter.
He moved to San Francisco to carve out a new life
for himself.
Niche: n suitable or comfortable position, place, job,
I don't think he's yet found his niche in life,
He eventually found his niche in sports journalism.
carve out a niche for sb as sb: sb establishes a
successful career by doing sth
He hopes to carve out a niche for himself as a
successful writer.
Paraphrase:(I told him...niche for myself)
Detailed Study
Paraphrase: I told him that I myself
had graduated from a second-class university
in Philadelphia, just like the one his daughter
was entering, and had managed to establish
quite a successful career for myself.
Detailed Study
illumination: an explanation that makes
something easier to understand
spiritual illumination
inspiration: a sudden feeling of
enthusiasm or a new idea that helps you
to do or create sth
dedicated :~ (to sth) working hard at sth
because it is very important to you
Synonym: COMMITTED
a dedicated teacher
She is dedicated to her job.
Detailed Study
press sb (for sth):try repeatedly to persuade
sb to give sth
The bank is pressing us for repayment
of the loan.
biographical:Biographical facts, notes, or
details are concerned with the events in
someone's life.
The book contains few biographical details.
Detailed Study
tick off: 1: to tell someone a list of things, especially
when you touch a different finger as you say each
thing on the list
Carville began ticking off points on his fingers.
2:you speak angrily to them because they have done
something wrong.
Mrs Watts will tick you off if you're late again.
3: to mark the things on a list with a tick to show
that they have been dealt with
American Equivalent: check off
As you finish each task, tick it off.
4:to annoy someone
Her attitude is really ticking me off.
Detailed Study
credentials [pl.]~ (as / for sth) the qualities,
training or experience that make you suitable
to do sth:
He has all the credentials for the job.
She will first have to establish her leadership
credentials.
Paragraphs 5-6
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•
feign v pretend (sth)
feign illness, madness, ignorance,
He survived the massacre by feigning death.
'Who cares?' said Alex, feigning indifference.
'A present for me?' she asked with feigned
surprise.
Detailed Study
• curriculum vitae
• (abbr cv) (US also resume)
• brief account of sb's previous career, usu
sumitted with an application for a job.
• Devastated:extremely upset and shocked
• His family is absolutely devastated.
Detailed Study
If you end up doing something or end up
in a particular state, you do that thing or get
into that state even though you did not
originally intend to.
If you don't know what you want, you might end
up getting something you don't want.
Every time they went dancing they ended up in a
bad mood.
She could have ended up a millionairess.
= finish up
Paragraphs 7-8
Questions
• 1: Explain the meaing of “neurotic
gabbiness".
• 2: why does the author say that he will
never participate in a mind-numbing
discussion about college selection process,
once his kids have left home?
• 3: What does cribbage stand for?
Detailed Study
neurotic : adj 1:caused by or suffering from
neurosis;
2: abnormally anxious or obsessive
• She became neurotic about keeping the house
clean.
• a brilliant but neurotic actor
• She's neurotic about her weight - she weighs
herself three times a day.
• Gabby: talking a lot, especially in an annoying
way
• Gabbiness: excessive talkativeness
Detailed Study
Afflict:(formal) to affect sb/sth in an unpleasant
or harmful way
About 40% of the country's population is afflicted
with the disease.
It is an illness which afflicts women more than
men.
whereof ::conj: of what or which
I know whereof I speak
They killed thousands of the inhabitants, whereof
many were innocent children.
Follow suit:to do the same thing as someone else
When one airline reduces its prices, the rest soon follow
suit.
Detailed Study
every cloud has a silver `lining
there is always a comforting or more
hopeful side to a sad or difficult situation.
mind-numbing: extremely boring
a mind-numbing job
Be lapped out: be eliminated in a race
On this subject, I am completely lapped
out:
I have no interest in this subject at all.
Detailed Study
stem from sth: arise from sth; to be caused by
something
discontent stems from low pay and poor
working conditions
unalloyed adj (fml ) not mixed,eg with
negative feelings; pure, complete,
unalloyed joy, enthusiasm, excitement
Paraphrase: this lack of interest does
not...people's offspring.
Detailed Study
Paraphrase:
The reason why I am not interested in it is
not because I am selfish or looking down
upon other people's children.
Detailed Study
banal :adj commonplace; uninteresting
banal remarks, thoughts, sentiments
aggrandize: aggrandize someone means to
make them seem richer, more powerful, and
more important than they really are
At the dinner table, my father would go on and
on, showing off, aggrandising himself.
Self-aggrandizing: self-important, arrogant
Detailed Study
flagellate :to whip yourself or sb else,
especially as a religious punishment
Self-flagellatory: self-punishing
punitive: intended as punishment
There are calls for more punitive measures
against people who drink and drive.
Paragraph 9
Questions
1: Explain "the parent clearly seeks a decisive,
career-validating moment of emotional closure.
2: How do those parents feel when their
children enter a top university?
3: Explain the meaning of “economic mirth”.
4: Explain the sentence “ Parents such as
these…less gifted.”
Detailed Study
Infuriating:making you extremely angry
validate:to prove or confirm that it is true or
correct.
This discovery seems to validate the claims of
popular astrology.
=Confirm
top-`flight very high in quality, ability, or
status
irrevocable :that cannot be changed or
revoked; final an irrevocable decision,
judgement, etc
Paraphrase: the most infuriating
conversation...economic mirth.
Detailed Study
Paraphrase:
The most annoying conversation is the
one where the parents try to be
emotionally settled once for all by
selecting for the child a good college that
guarantees his or her future career.
Detailed Study
upwardly mobile
moving towards a higher social position,
usually in which you become richer
upwardly mobile immigrant groups
an upwardly mobile lifestyle
Prussia normally refers to The kingdom of Prussian
between 17th century and 18th century. It united
Germany in 200 years.After 1810 Prussia dominated
Germany politically, economically, and in population,
Prussian spirit is absolutism and militarism
对其他国家来说，是国家拥有一个军队，对普鲁士
而言，是军队拥有一个国家。
Detailed Study
belligerence: n.A hostile or warlike attitude, nature, or
inclination;
= aggression
a belligerent attitude
sotto voce: in a low voice, so as not to be heard by
everyone
a sotto voce remark
The defendant leant forward and spoke to his
barrister,sotto voce
Taunt =jeer
an insulting or unkind remark that is intended to make sb
angry or upset:
Black players often had to endure racist taunts.
She ignored his taunt.
Detailed Study
child-rearing:[U]the practice of looking after
children until they are old enough to look after
themselves
a prep school: In the United States, a prep school
is a private school for students who intend to go
to college after they leave.
sign up (for sth) join a club, enrol on a course,
etc
Detailed Study
• Tuscany:Tuscany: is a region in Italy. It has
an area of about 23,000 square kilometres
(8,900 sq mi) and a population of about 3.75
million inhabitants. The regional capital is
Florence
• Tuscany is known for its gorgeous
landscapes, its rich artistic legacy and its
influence on high culture. Tuscany is
regarded as the true birthplace of the Italian
Renaissance, and has been home to some
many influential people in the history of arts
and science, such as Petrarch, Dante,
Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo
Galilei, Luca Pacioli and Puccini.
• Six Tuscan localities have been designated
World Heritage Sites:
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 10
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Questions
1: what does Paragraph 10 tell us?
2: explain "end up on welfare or skid row".
3: what do Age 17 and Age 21 signify?
Detailed Study
first-class: they are extremely good and of the
highest quality.
The food was first-class.
screw-up:a situation in which someone makes
a big mistake
another government screw-up
skid row:noun[U]used to describe the poorest
part of a town, the sort of place where people
who have no home or job and who drink too
much live
to be on skid row
Detailed Study
screw up:mess up, handle (a situation)
very badly; make a mess of sth
Don't ask them to organize the trip, they'll
only screw everything up.
She realized that she had screwed up her life.
Paragraph 11
Questions
1.Explain" their brand X children aren't
going to make the cut".
2.what does the author mean by "those
grandiose delivery-room dreams of
Amberst ,Bard, and Duke are suddenly
going up in smoke"?
3.Explain "the glamourless institutions
their progeny are skulking off to".
4.Explain "whose capitals only repeat
winners on Jeopardy can name".
Detailed Study
numerous :very many
her numerous friends
Class: group category
Obsessive:An obsessive is someone who
is obsessive about something or who
behaves in an obsessive way.
Make the cut: to attain a particular goal
Those strategies will help you make the
cut on your next job interview.
Detailed Study
AP Advanced Placement: college-level
classes and tests that students take at
high school. Most colleges in the U.S.
give CREDITS to students who receive
high scores on their AP exams.
Take one's toll:take a heavy toll/take its
toll (of sth)cause loss, damage, etc
The war took a heavy toll of human life.
Every year at Christmas drunken driving
takes its toll.
Paragraph 11
Grandiose:(disapproving) seeming very impressive
but too large, complicated, expensive, etc. to be
practical or possible
The grandiose scheme for a journey across the desert
came to nothing.
a grandiose opera house
delivery room:In a hospital, the delivery room is the
room where women give birth to their babies.
go up in smoke
1:to be destroyed by burning
Because of the fire, hundreds of houses went up in
smoke.
2:Something that goes up in smoke fails to produce the
desired result
When the business went bankrupt, twenty years of
hard work went up in smoke.
Detailed Study
bashful:Someone who is bashful is shy and
easily embarrassed.
He seemed bashful and awkward
shame·faced:if someone is shamefaced, they
look and feel ashamed because they have done
something wrong or they have behaved badly
Conner looked a little shamefaced.
mumble: to speak or say sth in a quiet voice in
a way that is not clear
Synonym: MUTTER
I could hear him mumbling to himself.
She mumbled an apology and left.
Detailed Study
progeny:a person's children or to an animal's
young
skulk:If you skulk somewhere, you hide or
move around quietly because you do not want
to be seen.
He was still skulking around outside when they
left the building.
He was skulking over there behind the shed
As I skulked up to the window, I heard the
sound of voices.
Skulk off to: move stealthily to
Paraphrase: Bashfully...skulking off to.
Detailed Study
Paraphrase:
Embarrassedly, guiltily, sorrowfully,
these parents now dare not utter loud the
names of those low-grade institutions
where their children are quietly entering
because they are ashamed of themselves.
Detailed Study
invariably adverb:always or almost always
She was invariably late.
in jeopardy in a dangerous position or
situation and likely to be lost or harmed
The civil war has put thousands of lives
in jeopardy.
Detailed Study
Jeopardy!: is an American television quiz show
featuring trivia in history, literature, the arts, pop
culture, science, sports, geography, wordplay, and
other topics.
Paragraph 12
Questions
1: Explain the figure of speech used in
the sentence"life doesn't have one act."
2: Explain "whose renown has in some
way preceded them."
3: What does the admissions office video
hope to convey? and what does the
author find?
Detailed Study
late bloomer: someone who becomes
good at something after people usually
become good at it
to clear a hurdle (= jump over it successfully)
Detailed Study
disown :to decide that you no longer
want to be connected with or responsible
for sb/sth
Her family disowned her for marrying a
foreigner.
Matisse [mə'ti:s]
马蒂斯(姓氏, 亨利 马蒂斯, 法国画家、
雕刻家和版画家)
Get rolling: make progress or prosper
Detailed Study
dropout :a person who leaves school or
college before they have finished their
studies
college dropouts
a university with a high dropout rate
sequel/siː.kwəl/:a book, film or play
which continues the story of a previous
book etc.
I'm reading the sequel to 'Gone with the
Wind'.
Detailed Study
dotty:If you say that someone is dotty, you
mean that they are slightly mad or likely to do
strange things.
She was obviously going a bit dotty.
obligatory :~ (for sb) (to do sth)
you must do because of the law, rules, etc.
Synonym: COMPULSORY
It is obligatory for all employees to wear
protective clothing.
Detailed Study
high-profile: attracting a lot of public
attention, usually deliberately
≠ low profile
a high-profile public figure
renown : fame or distinction
precede: one event or period of time
precedes another, it happens before it.
The earthquake was preceded by a loud
roar and lasted 20 seconds.
Paraphrase: Whose renown has in
some way preceded them
Detailed Study
Paraphrase: whose fame has more weight
than these institutions themselves. the author
suggests that some parents think more of the
fame of a university than the university itself,
hence "it is never entirely clear what parents
are looking for."
Detailed Study
poke `fun at sb/sth:make fun of sb/sth;
mock or ridicule sb/sth
nerd
1.a person who is boring, stupid and not
fashionable
I feel like a nerd in these shoes.
2.a person who is very interested in
computers
stroll:slow leisurely walk
Paragraphs 13-14
Question:
What is the meaning of the author's
remark"Don't start worrying about dinner
prices"?
Detailed Study
juncture: at a particular juncture means
at a particular point in time, especially
when it is a very important time in a
process or series of events.
What's important at this juncture is the
ability of the three republics to work
together.
It is very difficult at this juncture to
predict the company's future.
detailed Study
high-strung: a high-strung person becomes
angry or emotional very quickly
fork over:to give money to sb or sth or spend
money on something
I have to fork over 5 dollars for lunch in cafe
every Wed.
darned:a mild swear word that people use to
emphasize what they are saying. People say
'darned' to avoid saying 'damn'
Paraphrase: The woman ...expensive.
detailed Study
Paraphrase:
The woman shook a little bit, realizing that
spending eight dollars on a dinner every night
could be very expensive.
Detailed Study
grand:n $1000
It'll cost you 50 grand!
interject :to interrupt what someone else
is saying with a sudden remark
That's absolute rubbish!' he interjected.
Paragraph 15
invaluable :extremely useful
invaluable help / information / support
repertory :[U].the repeated performance
of several plays one after the other by
one company of actors
dragoon into:to force someone to do
something they do not want to do
We were dragooned into going to the
opera.
Detailed Study
interminable:very long and boring= endless
interminable delays
sedulous: showing great care and effort in
your work
Synonym: DILIGENT
a sedulous researcher / journalist
winnow: If you winnow a group of things or
people, you reduce its size by separating the
ones that are useful or relevant from the ones
that are not.
Administration officials have winnowed the
list of candidates to three.
Detailed Study
vis-a-vis: / viːzɑːviː/in relation to (sth)
ornery: adj quick to argue or become annoyed
with people:
He's all right, just a bit ornery in the morning.
Paraphrase: people ...flat-out dumb.
Detailed Study
Paraphrase:
People who hear me say things like this
can't decide whether I am uncaring, badtempered or absolutely stupid.
Thank You
Ruby