问答题
Creeping Normalcy Creeping normalcy is a phenomenon often met with in sociological study. Put simply, people will accept gradual changes whose net effect is detrimental, even though they would sharply resist any sudden change producing the same effect. Common examples include gradual tax increases, "acceptably low' inflation rates, and shrinking real wages. In colloquial English the phenomenon is also referred to as "the camel's nose", "the slippery slope", and "giving someone an inch."
Question: Explain how the professor's personal experience of working as a TA in graduate school demonstrates the concept of creeping normalcy in the reading passage.
Now hear a talk on the same subject.
【正确答案】The professor gives an example of creeping normalcy from his own experience.
According to the lecture, he used to work as a teaching assistant. His job was to arrange library materials for the students in a history class. At first he only worked about two hours a week. As the semester went on, however, he gradually was expected to put in a little more time each week. By the end of the semester, his work hours had grown excessively. He had nearly no time for his own studies. The professor would have refused to work that many hours if he had known in advance, but he did not realize the effect until it was too late.
【答案解析】[听力原文]
M: I know, after reading the definition of the creeping normalcy you probably wondered why people are so foolish or blind, right? But, in fact, this kind of thing happens all the time. Take me. You all know I'm hardly naive, and in fact I've always been pretty hard to fool. Still...
I went to grad school at Yale, which is not cheap. I was just a poor kid from the Midwest, so I had to work part-time to help pay my way. I had a part time job as a TA for a history professor. Part of my job was to arrange research books and articles at the library each week.
At first, that only took about two hours a week. But you know professors: as the semester goes on, they start piling on the class assignments. More books were needed and guess who had to find them! At first it was just an hour here or there. But later I realized that my work time increased an average of an hour a week. By the time finals week rolled around, I was putting in more than twelve hours a week!
Although I was paid for doing it, I needed the time to do my own class work. I barely got my papers written, and my exam scores were nothing to brag about. If I had known would have to work that much, I would have refused. Or at least, I would have tried to ask for shorter hours. But the change was so gradual that I didn't realize the effect till too late. So, the lesson here is, yes, creeping normalcy can-and will-happen to you!
Alternative Wording(替换表达)
Synonyms (a)semester—term (b)go on—wear on
(c)be expected to—be called upon to
(d)in advance—beforehand
Paraphrases 1. The example about creeping normalcy comes from the professor's own personal history.
2. He was left with virtually no time to pursue his own studies.