You can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as I speak.

您可以用這段視頻來練習聽力和理解能力。

You ready?

準備好了嗎？

So, today I'm going to talk about universities in the U.S.

所以，今天我要談談美國的大學。

This is a subject that I'm sure a lot of you are interested in, because maybe you've thought about studying in the U.S.

我相信你們中的很多人都對這個話題感興趣，因為也許你們曾經想過去美國留學。

So, let's talk about some of the essentials that you need to know about American colleges.

是以，讓我們來談談您需要了解的美國大學的一些基本情況。

So, first things first.

所以，首先要做的是

It's important that you know that in the U.S., we use the word college interchangeably with the word university.

重要的是，你要知道在美國，我們把大學（college）和大學（university）交替使用。

You can say either of these words, and they refer to the same thing most of the time.

你可以說這兩個詞中的任何一個，它們在大多數時候指的是同一件事。

In other countries, this is not the case.

在其他國家，情況並非如此。

I'm sure if you go to the U.K. or Australia, you'll hear people use these words very differently, but since I'm an American, I tend to use the word college more frequently than university.

我敢肯定，如果你去英國或澳洲，你會聽到人們對這些詞的不同用法，但由於我是美國人，我傾向於更頻繁地使用大學這個詞。

Let's talk a little bit about the cost of going to a four-year university in the U.S.

讓我們來談談在美國上四年制大學的費用。

Before we can calculate the average cost, we first need to distinguish between in-state and out-of-state tuition.

在計算平均費用之前，我們首先需要區分州內學費和州外學費。

What am I talking about here?

我在說什麼？

Well, if you attend a university that is located in the state where you live, where you went to high school, it's cheaper.

如果你就讀的大學位於你居住的州，也就是你上高中的地方，那麼學費會便宜一些。

If you decide to go to a university in another state, it's more expensive.

如果您決定去其他州的大學，費用會更高。

This is what I'm referring to when I talk about in-state and out-of-state tuition.

這就是我所說的州內和州外學費。

The average in-state tuition for a four-year public university in the U.S. at this time is a little more than $25,000 per year.

目前，美國四年制公立大學的州內平均學費為每年 25,000 多美元。

I know, that's a lot.

我知道，太多了。

But it's actually not that bad compared to out-of-state tuition.

但與州外學費相比，其實也不算太差。

The average out-of-state tuition for a four-year public university in the U.S. at this time is about $41,000 per year.

目前，美國四年制公立大學的州外平均學費約為每年 41,000 美元。

That's crazy, isn't it?

這太瘋狂了，不是嗎？

I wish I could tell you that I were joking, but sadly I'm not.

我希望我能告訴你我是在開玩笑，但遺憾的是，我不是。

This is the reality of going to college in the U.S., so you definitely need to think about this before you decide to study in an American university.

這就是在美國上大學的現實情況，所以在決定去美國大學學習之前，您一定要考慮到這一點。

I was pretty lucky because my college wasn't quite that expensive.

我很幸運，因為我的大學學費沒那麼貴。

You might be wondering how people can afford to pay these astronomical tuition costs.

你可能會想，人們怎麼能負擔得起這些天文數字般的學費呢？

The answer is student loans.

答案就是學生貸款。

A student loan is money that the government lends to somebody to pay for college.

學生貸款是政府借給某人用於支付大學學費的錢。

Sounds great, right?

聽起來不錯吧？

Wrong.

錯了

After you graduate, you have to pay back all the money that the government gave you plus interest.

畢業後，你必須歸還政府給你的所有錢和利息。

So, after students graduate, they spend many years paying back their student loans.

是以，學生畢業後要花很多年來償還學生貸款。

College is unbelievably expensive in the U.S.

美國大學的學費貴得令人難以置信。

Alright, let's talk about the educational aspect of American universities.

好吧，讓我們來談談美國大學的教育方面。

In the U.S., students can choose their major, the subject they want to study, either before or after starting college.

在美國，學生可以在上大學之前或之後選擇自己的專業，即他們想學的科目。

Many students don't know what exactly they want to study, so they don't decide on a major until the end of their second year.

很多學生不知道自己到底想學什麼，所以直到二年級結束時才決定主修專業。

The way this works is that all students have general classes during their first two years.

具體做法是，所有學生在頭兩年都要上普通班。

Everyone takes more or less the same types of classes.

每個人的課程類型大致相同。

Math, English, History, Science, etc.

數學、英語、歷史、科學等。

Then, starting in their third year, students take classes specific to their major.

然後，從第三年開始，學生們將學習與自己專業相關的課程。

So, for example, I majored in English.

例如，我主修英語。

So, during my third and fourth years of university, all my classes were related to English.

是以，在大學三年級和四年級期間，我所有的課程都與英語有關。

But, during my first and second years, I had all general classes, not all English classes.

但是，在一二年級，我上的都是普通課，而不是所有的英語課。

This is why many people don't decide on a major until the end of their second year.

這就是為什麼很多人在二年級結束時才決定主修專業的原因。

You don't really have to decide before then.

在此之前，您不必做出決定。

I know this is really different from a lot of other university systems in other countries.

我知道這與其他國家的許多大學系統確實不同。

Okay, lastly, let's talk about living on campus.

好了，最後我們來談談校園生活。

This is something that many students do, especially in their first and second years.

很多學生都會這樣做，尤其是在一年級和二年級。

All universities have what we call dorms, which are like student apartments, but usually very small.

所有大學都有我們所說的宿舍，就像學生公寓，但通常很小。

The dorms are located on the college campus, so it makes it really convenient for students to walk to their classes.

宿舍位於大學校園內，是以學生步行去上課非常方便。

The downside of living in the dorms is that you usually have to share your small living space with other people.

住在宿舍的缺點是，你通常不得不與其他人共享狹小的生活空間。

If you get stuck with a bad roommate, you're in for a long year.

如果你被一個糟糕的室友纏住，你將度過漫長的一年。

I've had some bad roommates in the past, unfortunately.

不幸的是，我過去也有過一些糟糕的室友。

Another negative thing about living in the dorms is that if you're not into drinking and partying, it can be pretty uncomfortable for you.

住在宿舍的另一個不利因素是，如果你不喜歡喝酒和參加派對，那會讓你很不舒服。

Dorms are notorious for being places where students drink, party, and get into all kinds of trouble.

宿舍是學生們酗酒、聚會和惹上各種麻煩的地方，這一點是出了名的。

So, you might want to consider that before you decide to live on campus.

是以，在決定住校之前，您可能需要考慮這一點。

Okay, that's all for today.

好了，今天就到這裡。

Leave a comment and tell me what your country's universities are like.

請留言告訴我您所在國家的大學是什麼樣的。

I'll see you next video. you

下次視頻再見。