本文背景请见“剑桥牛津大学深度体验营之国际学生素描（1）的“注”。本文作者是北外青少英语“学术英语”课程班的学员Jack，一个很有主见的小男生，属于“蔫有准”型，把他放出去完全不用担心，不会丢，不会被拐卖，潇潇洒洒地回来，也不说去干什么了。他一般默默无语，但一开口语出惊人（不是指他的英语，因为他已经考过了CAE，所以英语基本是母语感觉，大家读了他的这篇对国际学生G的描述就可略见一斑），在智力竞赛中与国际学生PK英国文学知识，在哈利波特游中与国际学生PK小说和电影中的细节，我连问题都可能听不懂（一堆的人名），在角落里的他却总是冷不丁用低沉的声音说出答案，大家蓦然回首，敢情这还有张中国团队的底牌！再看他的这个国际小伙伴G，除了护照上标明他是法国籍以外，真让人猜不出他到底是哪个国家的人，在法国、意大利、英国、卡塔尔、埃及...都上过学，会法语、英语、意大利语和阿拉伯语。他给我印象最深的就是那个一直拿在手里破得不能再破的三星手机，以及他要违背父亲愿望的大学选择（父亲希望他选择法国的大学，但是他说法国大学就是死记硬背，而且很难毕业，所以他要来英国上大学）。有这样经历的孩子怎能没有故事，怎能不对剑桥牛津这样的顶级大学有所向往呢？

The fact is that the work is obligational, forced, routine…… (1000 more adjectives), but I enjoyed my, er, inquiry, say, conversation with G.

G was a 17 year old student doing his second year in senior high. He was tall and middle built with tan skin, which was emphasized by his thick eye brows and long hair. ( At first experience he seemed more native to Qatar rather than France ). G was French, but due to his fathers’ job as a construction engineer his experience brought him far. His primary school was 2 years in France, 2 years in Italy and 2 years in Britain. His middle school was in France and the Middle East, the later composing of Qatar, Egypt and whatsoever. As a result he spoke fluent French, English, Italian and Arabic. Master linguist

G was addicted to films. It made me relieved to hear that he was not a Hollywood fan. He was not hypocritic on the subject. However, it occurred that he is not a keen reader, which disappointed me, but he did give me a lead in to French literature. It felt good to recognize other figures in the French literature apart from Alexandre Dumas.

The topic was dragged into education. After a long series of implement to my introduction to Chinese education, I took my turn to ask him about the situation in France. The obligational education consist of 6 years of primary, 3 years of junior high and 3 years senior high. But his main concern was about college. He simply exemplified its long school term: to be a doctor 12 years are spent in college. To be a dentist takes even more. To be a construction engineer it is about 8-9. The thing that sent shock waves through my body was that the drop-off rate was 70%! Which means only a staggering 30% could actually get the college degree! No wonder the British education appealed to him. He said that the main motive for the CBL course was actually the pressure of French education! Apart from the system itself, it is also famous for strict routine learning. He loved the system anyway, as he loved his teachers.

The next year he is taking the graduation exam. I’ve already learnt about its difficulty, and confirmed it with G. G said he is taking Chinese course next year. I kidded him about its venture and low profit, but assured him all the same.

Our conversation finally went deep into politics and military. G was never a nationalist because of his experience abroad. He depicted the turmoil in French politics, mainly about the disfavor of Orlando and incapability of the prospective successors. He gained an insight to the international relations, the most of them ironic. France in friendship with Britain and Greece ( his favorite country) and in declining companionship with Germany. Ironic but interesting, for it was Morkel who donated to Greece on the brink of collapse. We went on a discussion about social feuds Ca favorite term that I used 6 days before with him in a conversation) when he finally reminded me that he was not quite French by all measures, so I called a ceasefire.

That was the conversation. 15 days later we parted, leaving each other a phone number and a faint memory. But noticeably, he had a shattered phone despite the handsome suit he wore that day—his phone fell into a ditch.