3.Making The Grade(950)

Ninth grade rewrite

Making The Grade

【1】In 1951, a young woman named Jane embarked on a journey to Berkeley, California, with just fifty dollars in her pocket. She was eighteen years old and determined to fulfill her dream of attending university. She had already paid for her first semester's tuition and a month's stay at a cooperative residence. After that, she would have to manage on her own, as her parents could not provide further financial support.

【2】Jane had been working as a live-in mother's helper since she was fifteen, leaving high school early to care for children until late at night. Throughout high school and her first year of college, she had longed to participate in extracurricular activities, but her job made this impossible. Now that she was transferring to Berkeley, she hoped to earn a scholarship to support her studies.

【3】During her first week at university, Jane found a job as a waitress and babysat to pay for her rent. She also washed dishes at the cooperative residence. By the end of the semester, she had achieved the B average required for a scholarship. She needed to maintain this average for the next term to keep her scholarship.

【4】Jane was eager to learn and took challenging courses. One such course was a survey of world literature, taught by Professor Sears Jayne. He was a dynamic lecturer who roamed the stage of a large auditorium, using a microphone to reach the packed rows of students. They used paperbacks instead of textbooks, which was more affordable.

【5】Jane was fascinated by the ideas presented in the course. While many students saw it as just a requirement for their degree, she found it a source of exciting new concepts. Her friends from the cooperative residence, who were also taking the course, asked for her help, and they formed a study group that she led.

【6】When she took her first exam, which consisted of all essay questions, she was confident she had done well. However, when she saw her grade of 77, a C-plus, she was shocked. English was her strongest subject, and she was even more surprised to find that her study group members had received B grades. They thanked her for her help, which made her feel even worse.

【7】Jane approached the teaching assistant, who referred her to Professor Jayne. Despite her impassioned arguments, he did not change her grade. She had never questioned a teacher's grading before, but she wanted fairness, not pity. She was convinced that her answers deserved a higher grade.

【8】Determined to improve, Jane read the paperbacks more carefully, but her efforts resulted in another 77. Again, she received a C-plus, while her friends got B's and A's. She returned to Professor Jayne, who listened patiently but would not change her grade. He seemed interested in her enthusiasm for the course material, but her hopes for a scholarship and involvement in extracurricular activities were fading.

【9】Before the final exam, Jane had one more chance to prove herself. The last book they studied, T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," was only available in hardback, which was too expensive for her budget. She borrowed it from the library but knew she needed her own copy to annotate. Unable to afford a library fine, she used her old typewriter to copy the entire book by hand.

【10】For the third exam, Jane worked harder than ever before. She learned the meaning of thoroughness, realizing how much effort other students put into their studies, which had always come easily to her. Despite her efforts, she received another 77.

【11】The final exam was her last chance. She knew that no matter what grade she got, it would not change the three C-pluses she had already received. She felt it was pointless to study, as she had already read the material many times and discussed it with her friends. The night before the exam, she went to a movie to relax.

【12】On the day of the final, she decided to have fun with the test. She imagined the writers they had studied stranded on an island and wrote a debate where they argued their positions. The words flowed easily, as her discussions with Professor Jayne had prepared her well.

【13】When she received her test back, she was shocked to see an A on it. She went to Professor Jayne's office, where he seemed to be expecting her. She expressed her indignation at receiving a C-plus for her hard work and an A for what she considered a joke. He explained that he had not given her the A grades before because he knew she would not continue to work hard if she received them. He gave her a hardback copy of "The Waste Land" as a gift, with a personal inscription.

【14】Her course grade was an A-plus, the only one given that year. The next year, with her scholarship, she was able to co-write, act, sing, and dance in an original musical comedy. She also reviewed theater for the student newspaper, wrote a one-act play, and acted in plays produced by the drama department.

【15】Jane's creative spark, which had been buried under her work and responsibilities, now ignited. She may not remember much of what she learned in those courses, but she will never forget the joy of writing and acting. She always remembers Dr. Jayne's lesson: recognize your hidden potential, use it, and set your own standards of excellence.

九年级改写

提高成绩

【1】1951年，一位名叫简的年轻女子口袋里只有50美元，她踏上了去加州伯克利的旅程。她18岁，决心实现上大学的梦想。她已经支付了第一学期的学费和在合作公寓住一个月的费用。此后，由于父母无法提供进一步的经济支持，她只能靠自己的生活。

【2】简从15岁起就一直在给母亲当住家帮手，她早早离开高中照顾孩子，一直到深夜。在整个高中和大学第一年，她一直渴望参加课外活动，但她的工作使这成为不可能。既然她要转到伯克利，她希望能获得奖学金来支持她的学业。

【3】在大学的第一个星期，简找了一份服务员和保姆的工作来支付房租。她还在合作公寓洗碗。到学期结束时，她的平均成绩达到了B，可以获得奖学金。她需要在下个学期保持这个平均成绩才能保住奖学金。

【4】简渴望学习，并参加了具有挑战性的课程。其中一门课是由西尔斯·杰恩教授教授的世界文学概览。他是一个充满活力的讲师，在一个大礼堂的舞台上走来走去，用麦克风对着一排排拥挤的学生讲话。他们使用平装书而不是教科书，因为后者更便宜。

【5】简被课程中提出的观点迷住了。虽然许多学生认为这只是获得学位的必要条件，但她发现这是令人兴奋的新概念的来源。她在合作公寓的朋友们也在上这门课，他们向她寻求帮助，并组成了一个由她领导的学习小组。

【6】当她参加第一次考试时，她确信自己考得很好。然而，当她看到自己的成绩是77分(c +)时，她震惊了。英语是她最擅长的科目，更让她惊讶的是，她发现她的学习小组成员都得了B。他们感谢她的帮助，这使她感觉更糟。

【7】简走近助教，后者让她去找杰恩教授。尽管她慷慨激昂地辩解，他还是没有给她改分数。她以前从未质疑过老师的评分，但她想要的是公平，而不是怜悯。她确信她的答案应该得到更高的分数。

【8】简决心改进，她更仔细地阅读平装书，但她的努力导致了另一个77分。同样，她得了c +，而她的朋友们得了B和a。她回到杰恩教授那里，杰恩教授耐心地听着，但不肯给她改分数。他似乎对她对课程材料的热情感兴趣，但她获得奖学金和参与课外活动的希望正在消退。

【9】在期末考试之前，简还有一次机会来证明自己。他们研究的最后一本书是T.S.艾略特的《荒原》，当时只有精装本，对她的预算来说太贵了。她从图书馆借了这本书，但她知道她需要自己的一份来注释。由于付不起图书馆的罚款，她就用她的旧打字机手写了整本书。

【10】为了第三次考试，简比以前更努力了。她懂得了彻底的意义，意识到其他学生在学习上付出了多少努力，而这对她来说总是很容易的。尽管她很努力，她还是得到了77分。

【11】期末考试是她最后的机会。她知道，无论她得到什么分数，都不会改变她已经得到的三个c +。她觉得学习毫无意义，因为她已经把材料读了很多遍，并和朋友们讨论过了。考试前一晚，她去看电影放松一下。

【12】在期末考试那天，她决定在考试中找点乐子。她想象他们研究过的作家被困在一个岛上，并写了一篇辩论赛，他们在辩论赛中辩论自己的立场。她和杰恩教授的讨论使她有了充分的准备，所以她的语言很流畅。

【13】当她收到考卷时，她震惊地发现考卷上竟然是A。她去了杰恩教授的办公室，他似乎在等她。她对自己的努力得到了c +，而在她看来是个笑话却得到了a表示愤慨。他解释说，他之前没有给她A的成绩，因为他知道如果她得到了A，她就不会继续努力了。他送给她一本精装本的《荒原》作为礼物，并亲笔题词。

【14】她的课程成绩是a +，是那年唯一的一个。第二年，凭借她的奖学金，她能够在一部原创音乐喜剧中共同创作、表演、唱歌和跳舞。她还为校报评论戏剧，写过一部独幕剧，还在戏剧系制作的戏剧中扮演过角色。

【15】简的创作火花，被埋没在她的工作和责任之下，现在被点燃了。她可能不太记得在那些课程中学到的东西，但她永远不会忘记写作和表演的乐趣。她总是记得杰恩博士的教训:认识到你隐藏的潜力，利用它，并制定自己的卓越标准。