Part 1 Adjustment Period

Leo： Ugh…

Penny： Whats wrong？

Leo： ①Oh， its just this course list is gonna be a hard pill to swallow.

Penny： Oh yeah？ Whats so 1）daunting about it？

Leo： Just the fact that Im gonna have no free time whatsoever.

Penny： But isnt that what college is all about？ Studying， working hard and preparing for the real world？

Leo： But thats just it！ The real world isnt just about studying. From what I gather， socializing and networking are equally as important.

Penny： ②I beg to differ. My parents taught me that studying comes before all else.

Leo： Geez！ Sounds like they kept you on a pretty tight leash.

Penny： Whats that supposed to mean？ Im not a dog！ I dont wear a leash！

Leo： I just mean it seems like you mustve led a very 2）sheltered life， surrounded by more books than friends.

Penny： ③You couldnt be further from the truth. I was practically Ms. Popularity in high school.

Leo： So how did you have time to hang out with all your friends， if you were studying all the time？

Penny： We studied together sometimes， but mostly just chatted online.

Leo： Sounds like you were just popular in the cyber-world， as opposed to the real world.

Penny： Whats the difference？ We live in a digital age， dont we？

Leo： True. But that doesnt mean…

Penny： Whatever. ④I had friends. Scratch that. I have friends. Lots， in fact. And your 3）insinuation that I dont is completely 4）baseless. As is your idiotic belief that studies are not a top priority.

Leo： ⑤Dont put words in my mouth！ I happen to think that studying is a top priority， just not the top priority.

Penny： This is all just 5）semantics. ⑥You can do your thing and not study so hard， while my friends and I study our butts off and hopefully get into a good graduate school one day， which will eventually lead to an upper management job， while youre busy 6）toiling away， ever so slowly inching your way towards utter 7）mediocrity.

Leo： Wow. We each see the world so differently.

Penny： You mean you dont want to succeed in life？

Leo： I believe we are put on this earth for an 8）allotted period of time， and what we do with that time rests 9）squarely on our own shoulders. It all depends on what success means to you personally.

Penny： Most people have a list of things they want to accomplish in life， and most of those lists start with graduating college.

Leo： Well， if your idea of a fulfilling life is study， study， study and work， work， work until you die， then thats your 10）prerogative. But I intend to have fun， join some clubs， and make lots of friends before being 11）smothered by the responsibilities of adulthood.

Penny： So what are you gonna do about your schedule？

Leo： Screw the schedule—I could always change my major， or maybe take a semester off to see the world. Carpe Diem！ You know， seize the day！！

Penny： Well， have fun with that. I just hope the mistakes you make dont come back to haunt you one day.

Leo： Or perhaps the mistakes I make here will teach me 12）invaluable lessons， which will eventually help me make my toughest decisions down the road. Well just have to wait and see， wont we？

Smart Sentences

① Oh， its just this course list is gonna be a hard pill to swallow. 噢，只是课程的安排真的让人难以忍受。

a hard pill to swallow： have to accept a failure or an unpleasant piece of news（不得不承受的苦事，接受失败）。例如：

Four hours of commute everyday to work is a hard pill to swallow.

每天上下班花四个小时在路上是件苦事。

② I beg to differ. 我不同意。

I beg to differ： used to emphasize your disagreement politely（用以礼貌地表达不同意见）。例如：

I understand you two favor Shelly for the position， but I beg to differ. Shelly is too stubborn for the job.

我知道你们都赞成谢丽坐这个位置，恕我不同意，我觉得她太固执，不适合这个工作。

③ You couldnt be further from the truth. I was practically Ms. Popularity in high school. 你大错特错。我在高中可是风云人物。

Cant be further from the truth： used to express disagreement with others（用以表达不同意对方的话）。例如：

—I think shopaholics dont do much harm besides spending more money on things.

我觉得有购物瘾的人除了多花点钱，不会有什么坏处。

—You couldnt be further from the truth. This is a serious mental disorder.

你说的不对，这可是严重的心理障碍。

④ I had friends. Scratch that. I have friends. 我有朋友。不对，我一直有朋友。

scratch that： used to ask others to ignore ones previous statement（用以要求他人不理睬自己之前的话）。例如：

Jessica hates apple and mango. Scratch that. She hates fruit.

杰西卡讨厌苹果和芒果。不对，她讨厌水果。

⑤ Dont put words in my mouth！ 不要把这些话强加于我！

put words in sb.s mouth： suggest sb. has said things that he/she didnt mean to（硬说某人说过某些与其想法不相符的话）。例如：

—Do you know they said you disagreed with the new vacation policy？

你知道他们说你不赞成新的度假政策吗？

—Thats not true. How could they put words in my mouth？

没有的事儿，他们怎么能硬说我说过那些话呢？

⑥ You can do your thing and not study so hard， while my friends and I study our butts off and hopefully get into a good graduate school one day， which will eventually lead to an upper management job， while youre busy toiling away， ever so slowly inching your way towards utter mediocrity. 你可以继续不认真学习，我和我的朋友会埋头苦读，终有一天我们将进入一所好的研究院，最后让我们找到一份高级的工作。而你却要辛苦打拼，以蜗牛般的速度前行最终走向平庸。

study sb.s butt off： study very hard，slang （学习非常努力、辛苦；俚语）例如：

John has studied his butt off over the past two years to get into Peking University.

在过去两年约翰为了上北大而努力学习。

toil away： work very hard doing unpleasant work（辛辛苦苦，劳累）。例如：

Coal miners have been toiling away in the black deeps.

煤矿工人在黑暗的底层长期辛劳。