Luckily， some friends I had made at my old college were going to CMU. Living in a dorm on campus was often as expensive as tuition and was just too much. So， we decided to share an apartment. Split four ways， the rent only came to U.S. $ 235 a month， while a dorm room was U.S. $ 600 a month. Still， to cover the cost of cellphones， textbooks， meals， and other necessities， we all needed extra money.
My roommates got jobs in fast food place， but I checked with the university to see if there were any jobs in the work-study programme. If CMU had not given me a job， I would have to take out a bank loan. That money would have to be paid back with interest. I did not want to start my new career after graduation， in debt.
美国大学生的快乐时光，就是没有钱、没有业余时间、没有充足的睡眠。我想，其他国家的大学生或许也是如此。
我出生在一个并不宽裕的家庭，整个高中时期，我就为如何支付大学的费用而感到苦恼。
在美国，学生可以通过种族、经济状况、学习成绩、体育特长和其他标准获得资助，途径很多。私人或政府机构是这些基金的来源。
高中时期，我获得过几份奖学金，可是，我申请的大学仍然需要父母为我支付一半的学费，大约5000美元。然而，我们没有钱。
我可以先赚学费后上学，或者申请一个可以支付得起学费的学校。对我来说，最好的选择似乎是第二种办法。
我获得了奖学金，进入密歇根州三角州学院读书。奖学金大约是8000美元，这支付了我的大部分学费。这是一所公立大学，有两年的学习项目，两年以后，学生可以在自己的专业领域工作，或者选择四年制大学完成学业。
在读大学的两年中，为了省钱，我选择住在家里，并且做兼职来支付学费。这其间，我认识了许多与自己境况相同的学生，他们之所以来学费便宜的公立大学读书，或是因为没有钱，或是还不知道自己将来做什么工作。
两年之后，我决定去密歇根中央大学读书，并申请了其他几份奖学金。这些奖学金加上过去两年所赚的钱，我终于能够支付得起上大学的费用了。
获得这些资助让我感到兴奋。然而，当我从周围没有一个人富有的环境，忽然跨到了一个许多人不需要努力工作就可以得到很多钱的环境时，我备感紧张。
然而，让我感到欣慰的是，我在公立大学的一些朋友也要来密歇根中央大学读书了。就像学费一样，学校宿舍的住宿费也很昂贵，一个月需要600美元。于是，我们决定四个人住一间公寓，每人分摊235美元。我们还需要一些钱，来支付手机、课本、三餐和其他生活必需品的费用。
我的室友在快餐厅打工，然而，我想在大学的勤工俭学项目中看看有没有工作可以选择。如果在学校找不到工作，我就只能申请需要支付利息的银行贷款了。可是，我不想毕业后刚刚参加工作就背上债务。
心灵小语
只要你相信，并愿意尝试，生活中就会有无限的可能。人要有足够的自信，积极地面对生活，主动地采取行动，一步步地实现自己的愿望，并勇于承担起生活的重担，发挥自己的无限潜能。最终，你会得到幸运女神的青睐。
记忆填空
1. I_____to get a few scholarships while still in high school， but the universities to____ I was applying still expected my parents to contribute about_____the tuition， which was around US $ 5，000. We did not have the_____ .
2. In doing so， I met a lot of people who were in the_____situation. Either they did not have the money， or they weren’t sure what career they_____， so they went for______courses at a community college.
佳句翻译
1. 我出生在一个并不宽裕的家庭，整个高中时期，我就为如何支付大学的费用而感到苦恼。
译________________________________
2. 获得这些资助让我感到兴奋。
译________________________________
3. 学校宿舍的住宿费也很昂贵，一个月需要600美元。
译________________________________
短语应用
1. This is referred to as a community college...
refer to as：把……称作
造_______________________________
2. That money would have to be paid back with interest.
pay back：偿付（借款等）；还钱
造_______________________________
生命的篇章
Minnesota Dreamer
佚名 / Anonymous
Even if I did not have a dream， I always had a plan. In college， I learned to be responsible and organized and to set goals that I could attain. Then everything changed. I will never forget my final week from college last year. Days away from graduation and miles away from home， I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I left the hospital alone， in devastation. Unsure of what my future would hold， I shed countless tears. Life suddenly became an unforeseeable thing， and I could not know what to do. Although close friends eased the pain， I could not hide from them my fear of facing death. Somehow， I managed to complete the exams in spite of my jangled nerves.
I began to feel different from everyone else， since my friends were graduating， celebrating， and eager to move on to new chapters in their lives. But I could not join them and celebrate with them. I especially found it interesting to see how others around me dealt with my news. Some acted suddenly distant for lack of words， some dramatized the whole thing， and some acted perfectly normal， which felt the most comfortable for me.
Within days， I had packed up all of my college belongings and headed home with my family ready to face this unexpected hurdle. I immediately turned to my best friend from high school. She had gone through cancer in our senior year， and because of watching her courageously overcome so many obstacles 4 years before， I knew she could give me the fuel I needed for my own battle.
As my surgery date to remove the tumor got closer， I was experiencing intense physical pain. Part of me wanted it over with and the other part of me was coming unglued. The wall of strength I had built was crumbling. I was so angry that I had to go through this when all those around me were going on with their lives. I spent a lot of time asking， why me？
But something wonderful started happening in the midst of all this. I began to see all the beauty around me in a wholly new way. The smallest things that I neglected before started to catch my eyes. I noticed how colorful and serene a sunset could be when you took time to enjoy it. Blades of grass cascading along hillsides looked a brighter shade of green. A small child’s laughter became an instant remedy for a bad day.
Miraculously， I woke up from surgery grateful to be alive and well. Words cannot describe the happiness I felt at that special moment—to be given a second chance. My recovery was a long process as I learned to walk again and so simple tasks. I remember when I went home and studied my bald head for the first time. It shouldn’t have surprised me， but it did！ Ironically， a month before I knew I had a tumor， I cut my long hair short and donated it to the American Cancer Society. I discovered there is a huge difference between short and bald！