Ali Goes to University
阿里上大學
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.
阿里實在等不及9月的到來了。終於，他的生活即將發生變化。整個6月過得糟糕透頂，有一大堆畢業考試要考。他翹首以盼，熬過了7月。8月，考試成績終於下來了。那天早上，當那封裝著成績通知單的信投遞到他家的時候，阿里惴惴不安。他並不認為自己考得有多好。在學校裡，他並不是最聰明的，也不是最勤奮的，他很清楚這一點。然而，在這次考試中取得好成績對他來說真的十分重要。阿里必須走出他生活的小鎮。他必須在畢業考試中取得好成績，這樣才能夠去上大學，離開他的家鄉。
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.
對於阿里來說，上大學並不是一個繼續深造抑或尋求學術興趣的機會，而是終於有一個機會能夠離開他的家鄉和父母，去結識很多新的面孔，結束他的孩童時期，成為一個大人，一個煥然一新、截然不同的人。他一直以來生活的地方是一個非常小的鄉村小鎮，只有一所學校和一間酒館。幾家店鋪零零散散地分佈在主街上。年輕人沒有什麼地方可以聚會，只好在主街上來回地壓馬路打發時間。鎮上的人彼此熟識，從來就沒有什麼新鮮事兒，也沒有什麼不一樣或是不尋常的事情發生。無聊，非常非常無聊。阿里已經迫不及待地想要逃離了。小鎮對他來說太小了，他想。他有別的想法，有雄心壯志。雖然他還不能確切地知道那些想法和雄心壯志到底是什麼，但是他確信他有， 等上了大學之後，他就會知道了。
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.
他用顫抖的雙手打開信封，拿出信，長舒了一口氣。還不錯，沒有出類拔萃，但他的分數已經足夠好了。他被魯米治大學錄取，9月就開學。
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.
在魯米治火車站下車的時候，他終於感到了自由。魯米治不是英國最古老的大學，也不是最負盛名的大學，但阿里並不介意。對他來說，這是一個嶄新的世界，一個全新的起點。
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.
在魯米治的生活棒極了。阿里擺脫了父母和家鄉。大多數日子他晝伏夜出，夜晚出沒於酒吧和俱樂部，白天就矇頭睡大覺，極少看書學習。儘管他仍要參加學年末的考試，但日子還長著呢。他也並不太擔心他的父母。他有生以來第一次感到無拘無束，獨立自在。
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，無拘無束、獨立自在也意味著他不得不自己煮飯，自己洗衣服。這倒是個問題。到目前為止，阿里的媽媽總是為他打理好一 切。但當卡蒂婭出現後，這個問題就迎刃而解了。
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.
卡蒂婭是跟阿里一起合租公寓的女孩兒。一天晚上，阿里在廚房嘗試做意大利麵，正無從下手之際，卡蒂婭走了進來，用通心粉、西紅柿和橄欖油做了一頓簡單美味的晚餐，令阿里驚訝不已。
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.
阿里和卡蒂婭開始頻頻約會。他開始逃掉很多講座和課程，忘記寫論文和那些他必須要完成的作業。終於有一天，阿里的導師把他叫到了辦公室。
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.
“聽著，阿里，”他的導師說，“如果你還不開始努力學習的話，你第一學年就會不及格。”可阿里還是不怎麼擔心。論文可以補上，而且他相信，如果學年結束前他隨便學學的話，還是會通過考試的。分數可能不會太高，但通過肯定是沒問題的。
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，有人敲他房間的門。是費米。費米是個非洲女孩，跟阿里同一個專業。在這之前他並沒有跟她說過幾句話。
You've been missing a lot of classes recently.
“你最近缺了很多課。”
So what? said Ali, "They're boring. Everything's boring."
“那又怎麼樣？”阿里說，“上課太無聊了，每件事都那麼無聊。”
Why don't you go back home, then? asked Femi.
“既然如此，那你為什麼不乾脆回家呢？”費米問。
Home's boring too, said Ali.
“回家一樣很無聊。”阿里說。
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.
“如果可以的話，我倒是很樂意回家，”費米說，“但是我也同樣很樂意待在這裡。我很幸運能來這兒。你不知道你有多麼幸運。”費米坐了下來，開始給阿里講她的經歷。讀中學的時候，她是班上最優秀、最聰明的學生，她希望自己能上大學。但是，她出生的地方是個小鎮，家境也並不富裕，要實現她的夢想繼續進入大學學習是不太可能的。唸完中學後，她本應該找份工作，然後結婚。她家鄉的孩子都是這麼過來的。但是她沒有放棄，而是繼續學習。最終，她獲得了獎學金，來到英國求學。
I love it here. I love the freedom and independence you have. I never get bored for one minute.
“我喜歡這裡的生活。我喜歡你所擁有的自由和獨立。我從沒有感到過無聊，哪怕只是一分鐘。”
Ali didn't say anything while Femi told him her story. But he was listening very carefully.
費米講述她的故事時，阿里一言不發。但他聽得非常認真。
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.
“拿到本科學位後，我希望能繼續攻讀碩士學位，畢業後回家鄉做一名教師。我想要為我的家鄉帶去一些改變。是的，跟這裡的生活比起來，那會有點兒無聊。但我一想到那些沒我這麼幸運的人，想到那些沒有機會出來看看的人，我就知道，如果我不做點什麼的話，他們的生活狀態就會一直那樣持續下去。”
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.
費米的故事深深觸動了阿里。他為自己的無知感到羞愧和尷尬。至此，他才意識到自己是多麼幸運，而自己對這種幸運卻知之甚少。
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.
學年末考試漸漸臨近。阿里還不確定考試結束後要做些什麼。他期盼考試能夠通過。或許他會去非洲，在那裡，他或許會遇見費米。或許他會回家，回到無聊的家鄉小鎮，然後他可以嘗試著改變點什麼。
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