Reading and Thinking
"WELCOME, XIE LEI!" — BUSINESS STUDENT BUILDING BRIDGES
"欢迎你，谢蕾！"——商科留学生架起文化桥梁
Six months ago, 19-year-old Xie Lei said goodbye to her family and friends and boarded a plane for London. It was the first time that she had left China. "I was very excited but also quite nervous. I didn't know what to expect," Xie Lei recalled.
半年前，19岁的谢蕾告别了家人和朋友，登上飞机前往伦敦。这是她第一次离开中国。谢蕾回忆道："我当时既兴奋又紧张，不知道会发生什么。"
recall
It was the first time that... 过去完成时
It was the first time that she had left China 中，that 从句用过去完成时，表示"那是某人第一次做某事"。
例：It was the first time that he had travelled abroad. 那是他第一次出国旅行。
注意：It is the first time that... 用现在完成时。
Xie Lei is studying for a business qualification at a university in China and has come to our university on a year-long exchange programme. "I chose the exchange programme because I wanted to learn about global business and improve my English. My ambition is to set up a business in China after graduation," she explained.
谢蕾正在中国一所大学攻读商业资格证书，并作为交换生来到我们大学进行为期一年的交换项目。她解释道："我选择这个交换项目是因为我想学习全球商业知识，提高我的英语水平。我的志向是毕业后在中国创业。"
qualificationambitionset up
At first, Xie Lei had to adapt to life in a different country. "You have to get used to a whole new life," she said. "I had to learn how to use public transport and how to ask for things I didn't know the English names for. When I got lost, I had to ask passers-by for help, but people here speak fast and use words I'm not familiar with. I ask them to repeat themselves a lot!"
起初，谢蕾不得不适应在一个不同国家的生活。她说："你必须习惯一种全新的生活。我必须学习如何使用公共交通，如何用英语说出我不知道英文名字的东西。当我迷路时，我不得不请路人帮忙，但这里的人说话很快，用的词我也不熟悉。我经常请他们重复！"
adaptget used tobe familiar with
Although some foreign students live in campus accommodation, Xie Lei chose to live with a host family, who can help with her adaptation to the new culture. "When I miss home, I feel comforted to have a second family," Xie Lei said. "When there's something I don't know or understand, I can ask them. They are also keen to learn about China. Laura, the daughter of my host family, wants to study in China in the future. We take turns to cook each evening. They really love my stir-fried tomatoes and eggs! Laura says she always feels hungry when she smells it, so I taught her how to cook it, too."
虽然一些留学生住在学校宿舍，但谢蕾选择住在寄宿家庭，他们可以帮助她适应新文化。谢蕾说："当我想家的时候，有一个第二个家让我感到安慰。当有什么我不知道或不明白的事情时，我可以问他们。他们也很想了解中国。我寄宿家庭的女儿劳拉将来想去中国学习。我们每天晚上轮流做饭。他们真的喜欢我的西红柿炒鸡蛋！劳拉说她一闻到就总是觉得饿，所以我也教了她怎么做。"
comforttutorfeel at home
who引导非限制性定语从句
who can help with her adaptation to the new culture 为 who 引导的非限制性定语从句，修饰先行词 a host family（指家庭成员）。
Another challenge for Xie Lei is the academic requirements. The first time that she had to write an essay, her tutor explained that she must acknowledge what other people had said if she cited their ideas, but that he mainly wanted to know what she thought! Xie Lei was confused because she thought she knew less than other people. Her tutor advised her to read lots of information in order to form a wise opinion of her own.
谢蕾面临的另一个挑战是学术要求。她第一次写论文时，导师解释说她必须承认别人的话，如果引用了他们的观点，但导师主要想知道的是她自己的想法！谢蕾感到困惑，因为她觉得自己知道的比别人少。导师建议她多阅读信息，以形成自己明智的观点。
citeparticipate in
what引导宾语从句
what other people had said 和 what she thought 中 what 引导宾语从句，在从句中作宾语。
例：I don't know what he wants. 我不知道他想要什么。
Xie Lei also found many courses included students' participation in class as part of the final result. Students need to generate ideas, offer examples, apply concepts, and raise questions, as well as give presentations. At first, Xie Lei had no idea what she should say, but what surprised her was that she found herself speaking up in class after just a few weeks. "My presentation on traditional Chinese art was a great success, which boosted my confidence," she said. "I'll use these skills back home for presentations. They'll help me build a strong business in the future."
谢蕾还发现许多课程把学生的课堂参与作为最终成绩的一部分。学生需要提出观点、给出例子、应用概念、提出问题，还要做演示。起初，谢蕾不知道该说什么，但让她惊讶的是，仅仅几周后她就发现自己敢在课堂上发言了。她说："我关于中国传统艺术的演示非常成功，这增强了我的信心。我回国后会在演示中使用这些技能。它们将帮助我在未来建立一个强大的企业。"
participationpresentationspeak upboost
find oneself doing
she found herself speaking up in class 中 find oneself doing 意为"发现自己不知不觉在做某事"。
例：He found himself thinking about her all day. 他发现自己整天都在想她。
Now halfway through her exchange year, Xie Lei feels much more at home in the UK. What seemed strange before now appears quite normal to her. "Engaging in British culture has helped," she said. "As well as studying hard, I've been involved in social activities. British people are fascinated by our culture and eager to learn more about it, so I'm keen to share my culture with them. While I'm learning about business, I'm also acting as a cultural messenger building a bridge between us."
如今，交换年已过半，谢蕾在英国感到自在多了。以前觉得奇怪的事情现在对她来说已经相当正常了。她说："参与英国文化很有帮助。除了努力学习，我还参加了社会活动。英国人对我们的文化很着迷，渴望了解更多，所以我热衷于与他们分享我们的文化。在学习商业的同时，我也在扮演一个文化使者的角色，在我们之间架起一座桥梁。"
engage inget involved in
while引导让步状语从句
While I'm learning about business 中 while 意为"虽然；尽管"，引导让步状语从句。
例：While I understand your point, I disagree. 虽然我理解你的观点，但我不同意。
We will follow Xie Lei's progress in later editions, but for now, we wish her all the best.
我们将在后续的报道中跟踪谢蕾的进展，但现在，我们祝她一切顺利。
要点摘要
- 谢蕾作为交换生首次离开中国前往伦敦，既兴奋又紧张
- 她选择寄宿家庭来帮助适应新文化，与房东建立了深厚友谊
- 学术方面面临挑战：引用规范和课堂参与要求与国内不同
- 谢蕾逐渐适应英国生活，成为中英文化之间的桥梁