【英语趣味课堂】在家接受教育-Home Schooling

Adria: So, Shiloh, I hear you are home schooled. I didn't have that experience so can you tell me what it was like?

Shiloh: Yeah, Adria, I was home schooled during high school. I was home schooled for six years actually, my whole high school experience. It was good but it was bad. There are things that I liked and there are things that I didn't like. For instance¹, I didn't have quite as many friends as I could have. The reason I was home schooled was because I was always traveling with my family and I wasn't able to stay at home and go to school five days a week. But the classes were good. I had almost the same classes as everybody else did. I learned² the same things, I just learned them in a different environment by myself.

 

Adria: So how did you make friends?

 

Shiloh: Well when you're home schooled, there are these things called home school groups which are kind of social organizations composed of other students who are home schooled and you get together once or twice a week and you might have a class together, maybe you are all taking the same subject and then they'll have a real teacher come and give you a class or sometimes it's just a social event and you just go hang out and play games. And I met a lot of people this way but sometimes the people were a little geeky and they never really became my good friends.

 

Adria: So during home schooling³ did your mom teach you or was it largely⁴ self study?

 

Shiloh: Well my mom actually didn't do very much work because we subscribed⁵ to a program where we ordered academic DVDs from a real high school in another part of the country. So I was sitting in a room watching a real class on a television screen. It was almost as if I was in the real class because there was somebody in the back of the room with a video camera. So my mom didn't have to do too much work because I was taught via television and when I did my homework and my tests and exams, my mother sent my work back to this school where they graded it and kept my grades.

 

Adria: That's interesting. Well how did you go about applying for college because in high school usually the counselor⁶ helps you apply for colleges. So how did you go about that?

 

Shiloh: That was difficult because I had to figure everything out by myself. Obviously⁷ my mom and my dad didn't know too much about applying to colleges because they hadn't done it in thirty years so it was a little difficult because first I had to figure out what schools I wanted to go to. I had to get all the information together by myself. I did take standardized⁹ tests like everybody else does when they are in high school. So I had the same type of test scores that other students would have and I had all the same information. The difference was it was just coming from a home school instead of a real school.

 

Adria: So what were some of the subjects that are required? Is it the same as a normal high school curriculum¹⁰?

 

Shiloh: Yeah, the curriculum's the same. We study basically¹¹ the same, maths and sciences and grammar and English, this sort of thing, but we are also able to study more what we wanted to. If I wanted to, it was more like college in this sense, if I was taking four classes and one of them I didn't like and I wanted to take a different class instead, well generally I could do that and I could go just get all the books for that class and switch classes.

 

Adria: That's very interesting.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

largely

 

So during home schooling did your mom teach you or was it largely self study?

 

Here, the word 'largely' is similar in meaning to 'mostly'. Notice the following:

 

It's largely my fault.

Steve Jobs is largely responsible for the success of Apple.

as if

 

It was almost as if I was in the real class.

 

Here, we can replace the phrase 'as if' with the work 'like' and the meaning is the same. the Notice the following:

 

The movie made me feel as if I were there.

The movie made me feel like I was there

apply for

 

The counselor helps you apply for colleges.

 

Here, when we apply for a school, that means we request, in writing, to study there. In common usage¹², we often say 'apply to'. Notice the following:

 

He applied¹³ to several colleges.

You should seek advice from a counselor before applying for university,

standardized

 

I did take standardized tests like everybody else does when they are in high school.

 

A standardized test is specific to a subject, not a particular book, or program. Such tests are of the same format⁸ most anywhere in the world. Notice the following:

 

In The US, the standardized test for English is TOEFL.

I had to take a standardized test to enter the program.

switch

 

If I wanted to I could switch classes.

 

To switch something means to change it. Notice the following:

 

I wish I could switch jobs.

You can switch classes up to one week after the term begins.

1 instance   

n.例，例证，实例

参考例句：

• Can you quote me a recent instance?你能给我举一个最近的例子吗？
• He's a greedy boy,yesterday,for instance,he ate all our biscuits!他是个贪吃的孩子――比如，他昨天把我们的饼干都吃了！

2 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

3 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

4 largely   

adv.大部分，主要地

参考例句：

• It is largely dependent on the weather.这多半取决于天气情况。
• Their conclusions were largely founded on guesswork.他们的结论大部份基于猜测。

5 subscribed   

v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意

参考例句：

• It is not a theory that is commonly subscribed to. 一般人并不赞成这个理论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I subscribed my name to the document. 我在文件上签了字。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

7 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

8 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

9 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

10 curriculum   

n.课程，（学校等的）全部课程

参考例句：

• Is German on your school's curriculum?你们学校有德语课吗？
• The English curriculum should stress both composition and reading.英语课程对作文和阅读应同样重视。

11 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

12 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

13 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。