转自Lucy 考研英语同源外刊

'Small-town swot' is no mocking matter

“小镇做题家”不该被嘲讽

Memes on "xiaozhen zuotijia", or "small-town swot" - a term some have coined to describe those from rural areas who worked hard to get admission to a university - are back on Chinese social networking sites.

在中国的社交网站上，“小镇做题家”（一个被某些人创造的词汇，用来形容那些来自农村地区、通过努力奋斗考上大学的人）的表情包又回来了。

The term is nothing new and was once used by those from humble beginnings in a self-mocking way or by others who mocked them for lacking broader vision and social resources, but it is also proof of fairness in education and employment opportunities and class mobility.

“小镇做题家”并不是一个新鲜词，它曾被用来指那些出身寒门的人因缺乏更广阔的视野和社会资源而自嘲或被嘲，但它也证明了教育、就业机会和阶层流动的公平性。

Not long ago, netizens used to ridiculetheir rural counterparts by saying they can only solve questions on exam papers but lacked flexibility, even blaming them for working overtime. It led to those with humble beginnings feeling like misfits.

不久前，一些网友嘲笑来自农村的同龄人，说他们只能解决试卷上的问题，缺乏灵活性，甚至指责他们拼命加班。这让那些出身寒门的人感到格格不入。

However, this clearly does not hold water any more. So many rural young people have got a better life after clearing gaokao, dubbed one of the most grueling exam in the world, which determines which universities its takers can attend on the basis of their scores, something that ultimately has a life-changing consequence on their lives.

然而，这种说法显然站不住脚。那么多来自农村的年轻人通过高考过上了更好的生活，高考号称世界上最难的考试，它根据考生的分数决定他们可以上哪所大学，这最终会改变他们的生活。

Thanks to higher education, many youngsters from humble beginnings got brighter job prospects and social mobility.

得益于接受高等教育，许多出身寒门的年轻人获得了更光明的就业前景和社会流动。

Since gaokao was reinstated in the late 1970s, it has proved to be the turning point in the lives of many of the country's talents, who had to clear the exam. Later, their contributions formed the backbone of development in contemporary China.

事实证明，自上世纪70年代末恢复高考以来，高考给这个国家众多人才的生活带来了转折，他们只能通过高考改变自己的命运。他们的贡献为当代中国的发展奠定了基础。

It is no exaggeration to say that many small-town swots have participated and contributed to China's development over the past four decades. T

可以毫不夸张地说，在过去的40年里，不计其数的“小镇做题家” 参与了中国的发展，并为中国的发展做出了贡献。

hey are the best example of how China's talent selection system is open and meritocratic. Such vitality in social mobility should be encouraged rather than mocked at.

他们是中国人才选拔制度开放和任人唯贤的最好例证。这种社会流动的活力应该得到鼓励，而不该被嘲讽。

(全文共440个词)

重难点词汇：

ridicule [ˈrɪdɪkjuːl] n. 嘲弄 v. 嘲笑；戏弄

grueling [ˈɡruːəlɪŋ] adj. 精疲力竭的；折磨人的reinstate [ˌriːɪnˈsteɪt] v. 使…恢复原职；使…恢复原状exaggeration [ɪɡˌzædʒəˈreɪʃn] n. 夸张；夸大

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