17 Ali Goes to University
阿里上大学
(By Chris Rose)
(克里斯·罗斯)
Ali couldn't wait until September. Finally, his life was going to change. June had been terrible, with all those school-leaving exams to do. He spent July waiting. The exam results finally arrived in August. He was worried when the envelope with the exam results in it arrived at their house one morning. He didn't think he'd done very well in his exams. He wasn't the most intelligent or studious boy in his school, he knew that. However, it was really important for him to do well. Ali absolutely had to get out of the small town where he lived. He had to do well in his school-leaving exams so that he could go to university and get away from his hometown.
阿里实在等不及9月的到来了。终于，他的生活即将发生变化。整个6月过得糟糕透顶，有一大堆毕业考试要考。他翘首以盼，熬过了7月。8月，考试成绩终于下来了。那天早上，当那封装着成绩通知单的信投递到他家的时候，阿里惴惴不安。他并不认为自己考得有多好。在学校里，他并不是最聪明的，也不是最勤奋的，他很清楚这一点。然而，在这次考试中取得好成绩对他来说真的十分重要。阿里必须走出他生活的小镇。他必须在毕业考试中取得好成绩，这样才能够去上大学，离开他的家乡。
For Ali, going to university wasn't a chance to develop his education or to pursue academic interests. It was a chance to get away from his hometown and his parents, to meet lots of new people, to stop being a child and become an adult, to become a new and totally different person. The town he lived in was a very small town in the countryside. It had one school and one pub. There were a few shops on the main street. There wasn't anywhere for young people to meet, so they spent time walking up and down on the main street. Everybody knew everybody else in his town. There was never anything new, or different, or unusual. It was boring, very, very boring. Ali couldn't wait to leave. The town was too small for him, he thought. He had other ideas. He had big ambitions . He didn't really know what his ideas or ambitions were yet, but he was sure he had them. And when he went to university, he was going to find out what they were.
对于阿里来说，上大学并不是一个继续深造抑或寻求学术兴趣的机会，而是终于有一个机会能够离开他的家乡和父母，去结识很多新的面孔，结束他的孩童时期，成为一个大人，一个焕然一新、截然不同的人。他一直以来生活的地方是一个非常小的乡村小镇，只有一所学校和一间酒馆。几家店铺零零散散地分布在主街上。年轻人没有什么地方可以聚会，只好在主街上来回地压马路打发时间。镇上的人彼此熟识，从来就没有什么新鲜事儿，也没有什么不一样或是不寻常的事情发生。无聊，非常非常无聊。阿里已经迫不及待地想要逃离了。小镇对他来说太小了，他想。他有别的想法，有雄心壮志。虽然他还不能确切地知道那些想法和雄心壮志到底是什么，但是他确信他有， 等上了大学之后，他就会知道了。
His hands trembled as he opened the envelope. He took out the letter,and sighed with relief. It was OK. He hadn't done brilliantly, but his grades were good enough. He had got a place at the University of Rummidge . The course started in September.
他用颤抖的双手打开信封，拿出信，长舒了一口气。还不错，没有出类拔萃，但他的分数已经足够好了。他被鲁米治大学录取，9月就开学。
When he got off the train at the main station in Rummidge, he felt free at last. Rummidge wasn't the oldest university in Britain, nor the most prestigious , but Ali didn't mind. For him, it was a new world, a new start.
在鲁米治火车站下车的时候，他终于感到了自由。鲁米治不是英国最古老的大学，也不是最负盛名的大学，但阿里并不介意。对他来说，这是一个崭新的世界，一个全新的起点。
Life in Rummidge was fantastic. He was away from his parents and his hometown. He spent his evenings going to bars and clubs. He spent his days asleep, mostly. He studied as little as possible. He had to do some exams at the end of the year, but that was a long way off yet. He didn't worry too much about his parents, either. He felt free and independent for the first time in his life.
在鲁米治的生活棒极了。阿里摆脱了父母和家乡。大多数日子他昼伏夜出，夜晚出没于酒吧和俱乐部，白天就蒙头睡大觉，极少看书学习。尽管他仍要参加学年末的考试，但日子还长着呢。他也并不太担心他的父母。他有生以来第一次感到无拘无束，独立自在。
Being free and independent, however, also meant that Ali had to cook for himself and do his own washing. This was a problem. Up until now, Ali's mum had always done everything for him. His problems were solved, however, when Katia appeared.
然而，无拘无束、独立自在也意味着他不得不自己煮饭，自己洗衣服。这倒是个问题。到目前为止，阿里的妈妈总是为他打理好一 切。但当卡蒂娅出现后，这个问题就迎刃而解了。
Katia was a girl who shared the same apartment with Ali. One evening, Ali was in the kitchen and trying to cook pasta. He didn't know what to do. Katia walked into the kitchen and cooked a delicious simple meal with spaghetti and tomatoes and olives. Ali was amazed.
卡蒂娅是跟阿里一起合租公寓的女孩儿。一天晚上，阿里在厨房尝试做意大利面，正无从下手之际，卡蒂娅走了进来，用通心粉、西红柿和橄榄油做了一顿简单美味的晚餐，令阿里惊讶不已。
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Ali and Katia started to meet quite often. He started to miss a lot of his lectures and classes. He forgot to write the essays and do the assignments he had to do. Eventually his tutor called Ali into his office.
阿里和卡蒂娅开始频频约会。他开始逃掉很多讲座和课程，忘记写论文和那些他必须要完成的作业。终于有一天，阿里的导师把他叫到了办公室。
Listen, Ali, said his tutor, "If you don't start working harder, you will fail your first year." Ali wasn't that worried though. He could catch up on the essays, and he was sure that if he studied a bit before the end of year exams he would pass them. He may not get great grades, but it would be OK.
“听着，阿里，”他的导师说，“如果你还不开始努力学习的话，你第一学年就会不及格。”可阿里还是不怎么担心。论文可以补上，而且他相信，如果学年结束前他随便学学的话，还是会通过考试的。分数可能不会太高，但通过肯定是没问题的。
One day, there was a knock on the door of his room. It was Femi. Femi was a girl from Africa who was doing the same course as Ali. He hadn't spoken to her much.
一天，有人敲他房间的门。是费米。费米是个非洲女孩，跟阿里同一个专业。在这之前他并没有跟她说过几句话。
You've been missing a lot of classes recently.
“你最近缺了很多课。”
So what? said Ali, "They're boring. Everything's boring."
“那又怎么样？”阿里说，“上课太无聊了，每件事都那么无聊。”
Why don't you go back home, then? asked Femi.
“既然如此，那你为什么不干脆回家呢？”费米问。
Home's boring too, said Ali.
“回家一样很无聊。”阿里说。
I'd love to be able to go home, said Femi, "but I love it here too. I'm lucky to be here. You don't know how lucky you are." Femi sat down and began to tell Ali her story. She had been the brightest, most intelligent girl in her class at school, and she had hoped to be able to go to university. However, she was from a small town, her parents were not rich, and it was very unlikely that she would be able to follow her dream and go on to study at university. When she finished school, she would have to find a job and work until she got married. That was the way things worked in her country. But she had not given up, and continued to study. Eventually she won a grant to be able to come and study in the UK.
“如果可以的话，我倒是很乐意回家，”费米说，“但是我也同样很乐意待在这里。我很幸运能来这儿。你不知道你有多么幸运。”费米坐了下来，开始给阿里讲她的经历。读中学的时候，她是班上最优秀、最聪明的学生，她希望自己能上大学。但是，她出生的地方是个小镇，家境也并不富裕，要实现她的梦想继续进入大学学习是不太可能的。念完中学后，她本应该找份工作，然后结婚。她家乡的孩子都是这么过来的。但是她没有放弃，而是继续学习。最终，她获得了奖学金，来到英国求学。
I love it here. I love the freedom and independence you have. I never get bored for one minute.
“我喜欢这里的生活。我喜欢你所拥有的自由和独立。我从没有感到过无聊，哪怕只是一分钟。”
Ali didn't say anything while Femi told him her story. But he was listening very carefully.
费米讲述她的故事时，阿里一言不发。但他听得非常认真。
When I finish my degree, I hope to be able to do a Master's degree. Then I'm going to go back home and be a teacher. I want to be able to make a difference in my country. Yes, it might be boring compared to here. But I think about all those people who haven't been as lucky as I was. I think about the people who don't have a chance to get out. And I know that if I don't do something, it will always stay that way.
“拿到本科学位后，我希望能继续攻读硕士学位，毕业后回家乡做一名教师。我想要为我的家乡带去一些改变。是的，跟这里的生活比起来，那会有点儿无聊。但我一想到那些没我这么幸运的人，想到那些没有机会出来看看的人，我就知道，如果我不做点什么的话，他们的生活状态就会一直那样持续下去。”
Femi's story affected Ali a lot. He felt a bit ashamed and embarrassed about his ignorance. He realized now how lucky he was, and how little he understood how lucky he was.
费米的故事深深触动了阿里。他为自己的无知感到羞愧和尴尬。至此，他才意识到自己是多么幸运，而自己对这种幸运却知之甚少。
The final exams are approaching. Ali didn't really know what to do after the exams. He hoped he was going to pass them. Perhaps he could go to Africa. He could perhaps meet up with Femi there. Or perhaps he could go back home. He could go back to his boring, little hometown, and he could try to make a difference there.
学年末考试渐渐临近。阿里还不确定考试结束后要做些什么。他期盼考试能够通过。或许他会去非洲，在那里，他或许会遇见费米。或许他会回家，回到无聊的家乡小镇，然后他可以尝试着改变点什么。
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