Supplementary Reading >> Culture Notes

Valedictorian & Valediction

I. Definition

Valedictorian:

“Valedictorian” refers to the student who has received the best marks all the way through school, and usually makes a speech at the graduation ceremony. The title of class valedictorian is common in educational institutions in the United States and Canada, and its equivalent in Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland is “dux”.

Valediction:

Valediction is also called valedictory address. It is the closing or farewell statement delivered at a graduation ceremony. It is an oration (正式演说) at commencement exercises (毕业典礼) in U.S. high schools, colleges, and universities delivered by one of the graduates.

II. Origin

In his diary for 1759, the Reverend Edward Holyoke, president of Harvard College, noted that “Officers of the Sophisters chose Valedictorian.” Made up of suitably solemn words from Latin, “valedictorian” simply means “farewell sayer.”

Twenty years later, there was a record of a valedictory speech at the College of New Jersey in Princeton by one of the six graduating students. The practice spread to colleges and schools throughout the land, so that now it is customary everywhere to appoint the student with the highest academic standing as valedictorian to speak at graduation ceremony.

Supplementary Reading >> Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. The pounding in my ears drowned out the rest of the words, only a word here and there filtered through. “ … Martha is Mexican… resign … won’t do it …” (Para. 6)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(我耳朵里嗡嗡作响，听不见他们后来讲的话，只东一点西一点渗入片言只语。“…玛莎是墨西哥人…辞职…不干…” )

2. Too late I realized the significance of my words. Grandpa knew that I understood it was not a matter of money. It wasn’t that. (Para. 18)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(等我意识到我这番话的意思时，为时已晚。爷爷知道我明白那不是钱的问题。不是那个问题。 )

3. It was a very sad and withdrawn girl who dragged into the principal’s office the next day. (Para. 21)
Paraphrase the sentence.
(She was very sad, quiet, and didn’t want to talk to other people. Unwillingly she walked into the principal’s office the next day.)

4. His face looked as happy and innocent as a baby’s, but I knew better. (Para. 31)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(他看上去像孩子般开心，像孩子般天真无邪，可是我心里比谁都明白。)

II. Words & Expressions

award: vt.  give or grant (by official decision) (award sb. sth.; award sth. to sb.)

- She was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work in medical research.

- 主管部门以给每人增加百分之五工资的方式奖励所有员工。(The management has / have awarded all factory employees a 5% pay increase.)

maintain: vt.  keep up; continue

- The Department maintains many close contacts with the chemical industry.

- 如果为了孩子们，离异的双亲能维持友好关系的话，那是最理想的。(It is best if divorced parents can maintain friendly relations for the sake of their children.)

look forward to:  think about (sth.) which will happen in the future (usu. with pleasure) (used in the pattern: look forward to sth. / doing sth.)

- I’m really looking forward to our vacation.

- 我妈妈说她盼望着见你。(My mother says she’s looking forward to meeting you.)

participate in:  become involved in

- I’d like to thank everyone who has participated in tonight’s show.

- 学生们期待他们的老师能参加毕业典礼。(The students expected their professors to participate in the graduation ceremony.)

sth. doesn’t / can’t compare (with / to sth. else):  If sth. does not compare with / to sth. else, it is not as good, large etc.

- The rides at the fair just can’t compare with the rides at Disneyland.

- 这辆车根本无法与我的老车相比，那车真是漂亮极了。 (This car just doesn’t compare to my old car, which is a real beauty.)

plus:

1. adj. more than the amount or number indicated

- He works 10 hours a day plus.

- 这些车售价不低于一万五千美元。(Those cars cost $15,000 plus.)

2. prep. added to

- The jacket costs $49.95 plus tax.

- 租金是每周100美元，外加煤气和电费。(The rent will be $100 a week, plus (= added to the cost of) gas and electricity.)

here and there:  in different places

- There were a few books here and there, but apart from that the room was quite bare.

- 房子处处都需要粉刷。(The house just needs a bit of paint here and there.)

resign: v.  officially tell your employer that you are going to leave your job

- Mr. Smith resigned from the company in order to take a more challenging job.

Idiom:

resign oneself to sth. / doing sth.:  make yourself accept sth. that is bad but cannot be changed

- John resigned himself to the long walk home.

- 十六岁那年，我接受了自己不能成为一名舞蹈家的现实。(At sixteen, I resigned myself to the fact that I’d never be a dancer.)

make it:  succeed in arriving somewhere; be successful in a job or activity

- We made it to the station just as the bus was leaving.

- 很多运动员想在奥林匹克运动会上获金牌，但他们中很少的人能得偿所愿。 (A lot of athletes want to win gold medals at the Olympic Games, but very few of them actually make it.)

regarding: prep.  concerning

- The company is being questioned regarding its employment policy.

- 警察急切地想要得到与那位妇女死亡相关的任何信息。(The police are anxious for any information regarding the woman’s death.)

represent: vt.  be a sign or symbol of

- Each class will elect two students to represent them on the School Council.

- 六百多名运动员代表中国参加了2008北京奥运会。(More than six hundred athletes represented China in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.)

expectation: n.  a strong belief or hope that sth. will happen (followed by of / that-clause)

- For some time Lesley lived with the expectation that she was going to win the lottery.

- 肖恩（Sean）参加竞争但不抱太大成功的希望。(Sean entered the competition without much expectation of success.)

significance: n.  meaning; importance (followed by of / for / to )

- The discovery of the new drug is of great significance for / to people suffering from heart problems.

- 直到后来，我们才意识到他话里的意义。(Only later did we realize the true significance of his remark.)

delicate: adj.  fragile; soft

- Delicate plants need to be kept in a greenhouse during the winter.

- 太阳很容易晒坏孩子娇嫩的皮肤。(The sun can easily damage a child’s delicate skin.)

exception: n.  person or thing that is left out

- Most of the students did well in the exam, though there were one or two exceptions.

Set Expressions:

with the exception of sb. / sth.; without exception

- We all laughed, with the exception of Maggie.

- 每种植物都毫无例外地含有某种盐。(Each plant, without exception, contains some kind of salt.)

tremble: vi.  shiver

- Jane’s voice began to tremble and I thought she was going to cry.

- 她的下嘴唇在颤抖，眼泪涌出眼眶。(Her bottom lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes.)

yell: vi.  say, shout, or cry loudly

- Kids were pushing past me down the corridor, all shouting and yelling to each other.

- 很抱歉，昨晚我对你大喊大叫。(I’m sorry I yelled at you last night.)

innocent: adj.  knowing nothing of evil or wrong; free from guilt or blame

- She has such an innocent face that I find it hard to believe anything bad of her.

- 苏珊只有十三岁，非常天真无邪。(Susan is only thirteen years old and very innocent.)

pat: n.  a light touch with the open hand

- The coach gave him a pat on the shoulder.

- 他在狗的头上拍了一下。(He gave the dog a pat on the head.)

Supplementary Reading >> Comprehension Tasks

I. Dialogue

Text B tells us a story about how a girl from a poor family gets a scholarship jacket. Now you are required to have a dialogue with one of your classmates.

The dialogue should cover the following aspects:

1)         something about the tradition of student award;

2)         something about the family background of the girl;

3)         the teachers’ argument and the girl’s first talk with the principal;

4)         the talk between the girl and her grandpa;

5)         the girl’s second talk with the principal;

6)         what happened to the girl and her family after she got the good news.

NB: Students may also choose to do this exercise in the form of a role-play.

II. Listening and Discussion

In this part, you will hear two short passages about APIASF and its recipients. You are required to listen to them carefully and write down some important information. After your listening, you are asked to have a discussion based on the questions following the passage.

Passage One

Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is one of the largest non-profit U.S. organizations devoted solely to providing scholarships for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA). Since 2003, APIASF has provided a critical bridge to higher education for APIA students across the country by awarding more than $2.4 million in scholarships to 1,075 students.

Questions for discussion:

1) What does APIASF stand for?

2) What is the function of it? And who can get it?

3) How many students have got it since 2003?

Passage Two

A turning point in my life was in 2002, when I came from China to the United States. Adapting to a new culture was not easy: speaking a different language, knowing new people, getting used to a new school system. My parents never pursued a higher education, but accomplished a lot nevertheless. They are working in low-wage jobs in Chinatown. Thanks to their sacrifices, I now have the opportunities they never had. Going to a four-year university at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will give me the proper education to achieve success in life.

I am planning to study either civil engineering or computer engineering, because both majors can help my community. When I walk through Chinatown, I see old buildings full of people living in small apartments less than 50 square feet. There are always traffic jams in Chinatown because the roads are so narrow.

If I have this opportunity I would like to reorganize some of the buildings in Chinatown and lift the living standard of the community. I come from a low-income family, and both of my parents have a hard time paying for my college tuition. When I found out I was selected as a recipient of the APIASF Scholarship, I was very surprised. Without this scholarship my family would have to borrow money from the government and relatives. Thank you for your confidence in me and willingness to help me. I am really honored to receive this scholarship.

Qing He

San Francisco, CA

Questions for discussion:

1)         What can we learn from the passage about his family? 

2)         Why does the author choose civil engineering or computer engineering as his major?

3)         Why was the author so happy when he got this scholarship?

4)         What may happen to the family without this scholarship?