笔者对英语作了修改，并将此文翻译成汉语，英汉对照，供大家学习参考。

In America eating and drinking is allowed in class (1) as long as it does not interfere with the ability of other students to learn. 在美国，上课时允许吃东西和喝饮料，但不能影响其他同学的学习。

The clothing worn by students in class is informal and varied. Most male students wear sports shirts (sweaters in colder climates) with slacks or jeans. Women students wear dresses or blouses and skirts, slacks, or jeans. Many students from other countries wear their national dress to classes. 学生们上课时的衣着无拘无束，样式各异。大多数男生穿运动衫（在气候比较冷的地方穿毛衣）和长裤或牛仔裤。女生穿连衣裙或女式衬衫和裙子，长裤或牛仔裤。许多来自其他多国家的学生穿民族服装去上课。

Your reason for coming to the USA is to get an education. For that to be the case, you must attend all your classes, do the reading, and follow all the rules and regulation of the institutions that you are attending. 你到美国是为了完成学业。如果是这样，你就得听你的所有课程，阅读该阅读的一切材料，遵守所在学校的一切规矩和规则。

Professors are usually at the core of teaching staff at higher learning institutions in America. Their teaching styles may vary, but usually they teach in lectures or seminars style.

Professors usually make themselves available to meet with students during certain hours of certain days of the week, and other students do not expect formal invitations before they talk with or help a fellow student. 在美国的高等学校中，教授通常是教学的核心。他们的教学风格各异，但是他们通常以讲座或讨论的形式进行教学。教授们通常在每周某日某时接见学生；其他学生不等待正式邀请，就主动地与同学交谈或帮助同学。

   Teaching Assistants (TA) are also a part of the support staff. While helping professors with their teaching they can do research. TA is usually graduate student who tends to have the same interest in the field of study as the professor. (2) 助教(TA)也是教师的辅助成员。他们协助教授教学，同时能够进行研究。助教一般是研究生，他在研究领域里, 和教授有相同的兴趣。

The American traditional pattern of classroom experience at the college level brings the professor and a group of about 25 students together for a 45- to 50-minute class session tow or three times a week. 美国大学教室上课的传统方式是：一位教授和25名左右的学生每周见面两三次，每次上课一节，45分钟到50分钟，

The most common mode of instruction is the lecture. (3) When lectures are the principal method of instruction in larger classes, regular periods may be set aside for small group discussions under the leadership of an assistant instructor. In cases where a small class size encourages informality, lectures may be combined with discussion sessions based on assigned readings, required textbooks, and other outside materials. 最普通的授课方式是讲座。人数较多的班以讲座为主要授课方式，但也会安排时间由助教负责小组讨论。人数少的班可以比较随便，讲座可配合讨论指定的课外读物、教科书以及其他课外资料。

Accurate, legible notes are invaluable aids to the students who are enrolled in a lecture course. Notes should be taken during lectures, and when the student is reading the texts prior to each session of the course. The key to good note-taking is to be able to listen a lot and to write only as much as is needed to record the essence of a point or idea presented by the lecturer. Thus, students should try to identify main points and ideas being presented and to write them down in outline form. 选修讲座课程的学生，如果能够记好正确清晰的笔记，那是非常有用的。听课时要记笔记，上课前预习课文也要记笔记。要做好笔记，关键是能够听了许多东西，而只记下必须的要点和教师的观点。因此，学生应该努力分辨所讲的主要论点和观点，并以提纲的形式记下它们。

They should also strive to take good notes the first time and not plant to recopy notes. Finally, they should review their notes for about five minutes on the same day that they take them, and go over them again for about a half an hour at least once a week, according to a regular plan. There is no course syllabus to be memorized; instead, the exams will be based on the material presented in the lectures and textbooks. 他们还应该从第一次起就尽力做好笔记，而不要准备整理笔记。最后，他们应该在记笔记的当天复习这些笔记5分钟，然后根据计划，每星期至少浏览一次，每次大约半小时。没有课程大纲需要学生去死记硬背；考试出题是根据讲座所讲的内容和教科书。

Quizzes, tests and exams in class are very often expected. (4) This way your professor can see if you are learning and retaining what is being taught in class. Quizzes, exams and tests are usually announced well in advance for student to be able to prepare. You are expected to be ready to take the exams or quizzes whenever the professor says so. 课堂上经常进行测验和大小考试。这样，教师才能了解你是否学懂了，并记住了课堂上所讲授的东西。教师通常要提前告知测验和大小考试的时间，让学生有所准备。一旦教师说要进行测验或大小考试，你就应该有所准备。

注释：

1.       … eating and drinking is allowed in class….

         句子中的in class表示“上课时”，为习惯用法，该短语中不用冠词。其他不用冠词的惯用法短语举例如下：at home (在家), at sea (在海上), by train (乘火车), by plane (乘飞机), by birth (天生的), in fact (事实上), on fire (着火), on foot (步行)。

2.       …who tend to have the same interest in the field of study as the professor.

         定语从句中的the same … as …表示比较的程度相同，意思和as …as…一样。后面的as是连词，引导比较状语从句。再比如： I want to buy the same book as the one you have. (我想买一本和你的相同的书。) / He is as tall as his brother (is). (他和他哥哥一样高。)

3.       The most common mode of instruction is the lecture.

        句子中的common表示“常见的，熟悉的”时，与ordinary, familiar, general, popular同义。但是，common表示“普通的，一般的”，强调符合或具有全体所共有的特征。再比如：A common danger causes common action. (共同的危险导致共同的行动。)

        ordinary表示“普通的，平凡的”，强调符合一般标准，并无非凡或独特之处。比如：His ordinary manner had vanished. (他平日表现出来的风度不见了。)

        familiar表示“日常的，常见的”，强调经常出现或为人们所经常想到，强调容易辨认和众所周知。比如：These are familiar scenes of his childhood. (这些是他儿时常见到的景象。)

        general表示“普通的，一般的”，强调与全部或大多数有关。有时，它也表示“不明确的，不精确的”。比如：There was a general murmur in the negative. (响起了一阵普遍不赞成的埋怨声。)

        popular表示“普通的，流行的”，强调广泛流行，为人们所喜爱。比如：The song is becoming widely popular. (这首歌正广为流传。)

4.       Quizzes, tests and exams in your classes are very often expected.

         句子中quizzes, tests and exams属于同义词，在学习生活中它们的区别是：quiz表示“测验”，特别指事先没有准备，随时作的测验。test表示“小考”或“考查”。exam是examination的缩写形式，表示“考试”，一般指比较正式的考试，如期终考试、升学考试等。比如：

a)         They did very well in the college entrance examination. (他们在高考中考得很好。)

b)        The students are going to have a test on the new lesson next Monday. (学生们下星期一要考这个新课。)

c)        The teacher gave us a five-minute quiz. (老师给我们一次5分钟的测验。)

模拟题：

1.       We know from the text that eating and drinking is not allowed in class when _______.

A.      it does not interfere with ability of other students to learn

B.      it has become a custom in the classroom

C.      it hinders other students’ learning

D.     it makes every one present happy and comfortable

2.       What does a teaching assistant do according to the text?

A.      He teaches in lectures or seminars style.

B.      His teaching styles may vary with the seasons.

C.      He helps professors with their teaching.

D.     He does research independently.

3.       We know from the text that __________.

A.      notes should be taken during summer or winter vacations

B.      the key to good note-taking is to listen a lot and write down a lot

C.      students should strive to take good notes the first time 

D.     exams are based solely on textbooks

4.       The underlined word “retaining” in the last paragraph of the text means______.

A.      keeping in mind

B.      forgetting

C.      occurring to one’s mind

D.     regaining

参考答案：

1. A    2. C    3. C    4. A