2007年VOA标准英语-Life Offers Unexpected Detour

By Tang Ximing and Rebecca Lombardi
Wasington
19 September 2007
 

Aspiring¹ journalist Jessica Shyu was on her way to achieving her life's dream. But a chance to teach far from her Washington, D.C. home convinced her to give up city life for the sprawling² mesas of the Southwestern U.S. where she now teaches on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico.  For producer Tang Ximing and Rebecca Lombardi, Elaine Lu has her story.

"This is the way usually I go to work, I live about 35 miles [56 kilometers] away from where I teach," says Jessica Shyu while driving through the desert.

For almost two years, the 23-year-old special education teacher has lived in Tohatchi, part of the Navajo reservation in New Mexico. "A lot of students have disabilities that affect their rea ding, math, and writing skills. My job is to provide them services on a variety of fronts that will be able to help them be able to perform closer to where their peers are."

Shyu majored in journalism³ in college. Before graduation, she began working for a local newspaper.  But as Shyu juggled⁴ her responsibilities as a student and a reporter, she began to question her dream of becoming a full-time⁵ journalist. 

One day, Shyu came across a "Teach for America" advertisement. The New York City-based non-profit organization recruits outstanding college graduates nationwide to teach in areas that have a shortage of qualified⁶ teachers. 

Shyu decided⁷ to apply for the program without telling her parents, and got in. "We both felt really shocked when we found out she would be a teacher," recalls her mother, "especially because she would be all the way in New Mexico.  I felt really worried because she would be so far away. For a young girl to give up such a comfortable and colorful city life and go to a place far from home really isn't easy."

"I understand now what people mean by the 'simple life,' she writes in an e-mail. "The simple life, often associated with rural life -- and, oh lordy, is this rural -- is by no means rustic⁸ or quaint⁹. It is rich. Living without a grocery store for 30 miles [48 kilometers] makes you notice and appreciate the textures¹⁰ in what is there, like the post office."

At first, Shyu's new life was overwhelming. "Crying, Crying, Crying," says a later e-mail message. "As promised, I cried, and cried, and cried. Despite working 18 hours a day, I am always behind. Each day I am a little more behind. Who am I kidding? Each day I am a lot more behind."

She credits her friends and family for helping¹¹ her persevere¹². "But very soon, they were very supportive. My parents helped me collect books for my classroom, they would ship books, people would drop off books at their office and they would mail them down to New Mexico for me."

Shyu's special education students will eventually return to regular classrooms and continue their studies with other kids their age. Shyu is still young and has many goals. She wants to earn a master's degree, write articles about education, and develop books for children with learning disabilities. "I don't know. I'm still open," she says. "I never expected to be a teacher, let alone like being a teacher. So who knows where I might be in another two years. But right now I think that whatever I do, my roots in education will always be grounded here in New Mexico."

"The sky in New Mexico is so big. Before I came out here I forgot that peripheral¹³ vision stretches and strains across the front to almost the back of my ears. My eyes are so wide -- I see everything."

1 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

2 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

3 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

4 juggled   

v.歪曲( juggle的过去式和过去分词 )；耍弄；有效地组织；尽力同时应付（两个或两个以上的重要工作或活动）

参考例句：

• He juggled the company's accounts to show a profit. 为了表明公司赢利，他篡改了公司的账目。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The juggler juggled three bottles. 这个玩杂耍的人可同时抛接3个瓶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

6 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 rustic   

adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬

参考例句：

• It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
• We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

9 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

10 textures   

n.手感( texture的名词复数 )；质感；口感；（音乐或文学的）谐和统一感

参考例句：

• I'm crazy about fabrics textures and colors and designs. 我喜欢各式各样的纺织物--对它的质地，色彩到花纹图案--简直是入了迷。 来自辞典例句
• Let me clear up the point about the textures. 让我明确了一点有关的纹理。 来自互联网

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 persevere   

v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。
• It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。

13 peripheral   

adj.周边的，外围的

参考例句：

• We dealt with the peripheral aspects of a cost reduction program.我们谈到了降低成本计划的一些外围问题。
• The hotel provides the clerk the service and the peripheral traveling consultation.旅舍提供票务服务和周边旅游咨询。