外刊逐句精读｜《金融时报》：文科专业要被淘汰了吗？｜CATTI一级译员外刊精读｜

红色：主句主干  蓝色：从句主干  黄色：从句连词、关系代词  灰色：插入语、例句  粉色：同位语  绿色：长难句分析  紫色：词根词缀  （）：修饰成分，包括定语、状语等  下划线：词汇词组  高亮：连词 

思考题

• 文科不受欢迎的原因是什么？
• 积累高等教育表达

Humanities degrees: ave atque vale

人文学科学位：向你致敬，再见

More often than not, arts graduates get less bang for their buck (than their more scientifically minded peers)

人文学科毕业生的收益通常比自然科学学科的同龄人更少

• humanities 人文学科 = (the) arts

science 自然科学学科

• ave atque vale /ˈɑveɪ ˈɑtkweɪ ˈvɑleɪ/ [拉丁语]致敬，再见

=hail and farewell

• 更多英美大学常用的拉丁语词汇：

alma mater 母校

alumnus 男校友

alumna 女校友

alumni 校友（复数）

summa cum laude 以三等优异成绩的第一等

• as/more often than not 通常
• (get) a bigger bang for your buck [习语]从自己的付出中得到回报
• minded a. 有.....头脑

Humanities degrees are falling out of favour (in the UK).

人文学科在英国正在失宠。

• be out of favour (with sb.) 不再（受某人）追捧

This month, Sheffield Hallam University nixed its English Literature course, sparking an immediate backlash (from writers and others (in the arts world).

本月，谢菲尔德哈勒姆大学取消了其英语文学专业，立即引发了作家和艺术界其他人士的强烈抵制。

• nix vt. [非正式]否决，禁止
• course = course of study [英]专业
• spark vt. 引发，触发

spark a backlash from sb. 引起某人的强烈抵制

• backlash n. 强烈抵制

backlash against sth. from db.

The University of Cumbria took similar steps last year.

坎布里亚大学去年也采取了类似措施。

Aston University’s languages programmes and modern languages (at Hull University) have also been cancelled.

阿斯顿大学的语言专业和赫尔大学的现代语言专业也被取消了。

• degree programme 学位课程组合

=a curriculum leading to the award of an academic degree

段落大意：

引出话题：英国的多所大学相继取消人文专业，人文学科日渐失宠了。

This is odd (for a nation (governed by humanities graduates). It also seems financially ill-advised.

对于一个由人文学科毕业生统治的国家来说，这很奇怪。 这在财务上似乎也不明智。

• odd a. 奇怪的
• govern vt. 统治，管理
• graduate n.（大学）毕业生

undergraduate n. 本科生

postgraduate n. 研究生

• ill-advised a. 不明智的

You would be ill-advised to go out alone at night.

你晚上独自出门很不明智。

Fees (for most British undergraduates) are a flat £9,250, regardless of the costs — or benefits — of the course.

大多数英国本科生的费用是固定的9250英镑，无论课程的成本或收益如何。

• flat a. （费用）固定的

a flat rate of $X $X的统一价格

Clients are charged a flat rate of £250 annually.

向客户统一收取250英镑的年费。

• regardless of 不管....

Degrees (in subjects (such as politics) are cheaper to provide (than those (involving fully furnished labs or state of the art computing power).

比起那些需要设备齐全的实验室或最先进计算能力的学位，培养政治等学科的人文学科学位更便宜。

• furnished a. 配有家具的
• state of the art a. 最先进的

state-of-the-art

• computing power 计算能力

段落大意：

无论从政治偏好还是经济因素上来说，大规模取消文科课程都不合理。

Government top-up funding reflects this discrepancy.

政府追加的补助资金反映了这种差异。

• top-up a. （为达到所需水平而）追加的钱款

top-up loans for students 为学生提供的追加贷款

top up sth. 补足，充值

• high needs schools /students
• discrepancy n. （原本应该一致的数量的）不一致，差异

The subsidy to arts courses was halved (last year) to £120 while the £1,500 (provided mostly to STEM courses) is being nudged nearly 5 per cent higher (this academic year).

去年给人文学科专业的补贴减半至 120 英镑，而主要用于STEM专业的1500英镑补贴在本学年被推高了近 5%。

• 
  subsidy n. 补贴
• halve vt. 将....对半分，使减半
• STEM = science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
• nudge vt. 使达到

nudge sth. adv./prep 使某事达到......

This afternoon's sunshine could nudge the temperature above freezing.

今天下午的阳光可使温度达到冰点以上。

段落大意：

政府给理科的补贴远多于给文科的数额。

Yet based on the latest available data, these subsidies fail to bridge the shortfall.

然而，根据最新的可得数据，这些补贴依然未能填补缺口。

• bridge vt. 弥合（差距）

Alvin managed to bridge the gap between ballet and modern dance.

阿尔文设法弥合了芭蕾舞和现代舞之间的差异。

• shortfall n. 缺口，差额

an estimated shortfall of about £1 million

估计有大约100万英镑的缺口

Deficits are most pronounced (in clearly vocational subjects (taken by would-be vets, dentists and doctors).

在准兽医、牙医和医生所修读的职业学科中，赤字最为明显。

• deficit n. 赤字，亏损
• pronounced a. 显著的，明显的

He walked with a pronounced limp.

他走路明显跛足。

• vocational a. 职业技术的

vocational education /school 职业培训/职业学校

• would-be a. 未来的，准....
• vet n. 兽医

Most humanities, alongside law, break even (on the average student).

包括法律在内，大多数人文学科在普通学生身上都能实现收支相抵。

• break even 收支相抵

We're hpoing that we'll at least break even, and perhaps make a small profit.

我们希望至少收支平衡，或许还能略有盈利。

In the treacherous world of higher education, that counts as a good outcome.

在变化无常的高等教育世界中，能实现收支平衡也算是一个好的结果。

• treacherous a. 变化无常的，危险的

Strong winds and loose rocks made climbing treacherous.

大风和松动的岩石使登山充满险阻。

段落大意：

尽管政府提供了补贴，也不足以支付某些职业学科的成本，大部分文科则能基本收支相抵。

While Sheffield Hallam is at pains to point out that its move is not an attack (on humanities), market forces are clearly afoot.

虽然谢菲尔德哈勒姆大学小心翼翼地指出，它的举动并不是对人文学科的打击，但市场力量显然在其中起到了作用。

• be at pains to do sth. 小心翼翼地做某事（以免别人误解）
• market forces n. 市场调节作用，市场力量
• afoot a. 计划中，进行中

Changes were afoot.

各种变革正在进行之中。

Judged by returns on investment, paying the same for a degree (in English) as one (in economics) makes roughly as much sense as slapping an Apple stock valuation on shares (in fast-fashion retailer Boohoo).

从投资回报率来看，在英语学位上付出与经济学学位相同的成本无异于将快时尚零售商Boohoo的股票赋予苹果股票的估值。

红色高亮是主语，结构为pay the same for A as (for) B, one= a degree; 谓语动词为make sense, as much as表程度，引出一个类比，即将红色高亮（主语）的合理性与蓝色高亮部分的合理性作对比。

• returns on investment 投资回报
• make sense 有道理
• roughly ad. 大约，差不多
• slap sth. on sth. [非正式]忽然提价

They've slapped 50p on the price of a pack of cigarettes.

他们把一包香烟的价格一下子提高了50便士。

• valuation n. 估值
• fast-fashion n. 快时尚：以Zara等品牌为代表的服装品类，特点是廉价、时尚、大批量生产。

段落大意：

从投资收益来看，投资文科教育收益低。

More often than not, arts graduates get less bang for their buck (than their more scientifically minded peers).

通常情况下，人文学科毕业生的收益比自然科学学科的同龄人更少。

The average physics graduate earns almost a quarter (more than one brandishing an English degree), according to jobs site Adzuna — though returns for the former look less impressive when previous attainment is taken into account.

根据求职网站Adzuna的数据，物理专业毕业生的平均收入比英语专业毕业生高出近四分之一——尽管相较于之前的水平，前者的回报如今看起来已经不那么吸引人了。

though引导让步状语从句，其中嵌套了一个when引导的时间状语从句，补充说明尽管物理专业毕业生的待遇已经不如以前了，依然比英语专业好，进一步表明一直以来两个专业的收入差距悬殊。

• brandish vt. 激动地挥舞
• attainment n. 达到；[可数]成就

a low level educational attainment 教育程度低

段落大意：

读理科比读文科赚的多。

That is if they end up working a graduate job at all.

如果他们最终能够找到需要大学文凭的工作的话。

这句话要结合上下文理解，如果文科生能够找到大学文凭水平的工作，面临的情况就是与理科生薪资水平悬殊；如果连这样的工作都找不到，就只能从事一些低收入工作。

• end up doing sth. 最终处于.....

I ended up doing all the work myself.

结果所有的活儿都是我一个人干了。

• graduate job = a job that require someone to hold a degree to start their career in that profession or industry.
• at all 完全，一点

Surely if that guy had any decency at all, he'd have withdrawn at once.

当然如果那个人懂点礼节的话，他会马上离开。

The initial cost (to the state) is smaller but humanities graduates who end up in low paid jobs contribute less (in tax) (over the longer term).

从事低薪工作的人文学科毕业生最初对国家造成的代价是比较小的，但最终从长期来看他们缴纳的税款更少。

Proposals (from the Office for Students) tackle that (by penalising courses) where a quarter of students drop out or where 40 per cent or more fail to enter professional employment or further study.

学生事务办公室建议，通过区别对待一些专业来解决这个问题，即有四分之一的学生辍学或40%及以上学生未能从事专业相关工作或继续深造的专业。

黑色部分是方式状语，由or连接的两个并列的where引导的定语从句修饰courses，补充了这些专业的两种特征。

• Office for Students 学生事务办公室
• penalise vt. 不公正地对待
• drop out 退学，推出

Readers should hold on to those arts degrees. They could one day become a collector’s item.

读者应该保留好人文专业学位。 有朝一日，它们可能会成为收藏家的藏品。

hold on to sth. 保住，不放开

collector n. 收藏家

item n. 一件物品

段落大意：

学生就业出路不好的专业会被区别对待，进而可能更少人会就读和发展这些专业。

▲ 文科为何失宠：

• More often than not, arts graduates get less bang for their buck than their more scientifically minded peers.

• The average physics graduate earns almost a quarter more than one brandishing an English degree.

• That is if they end up working a graduate job at all.

• Humanities graduates who end up in low paid jobs contribute less in tax.

▲ 教育表达积累：

专业与学科

• humanities, arts, science, STEM

• course, programme

• degree

教学设施

• fully furnished labs

• state of the art computing power

学费与补贴

• fees

• government top-up funding, subsidy

毕业出路

• drop out

• enter professional employment

• further study