<-NARRATOR:->Listen to a conversation between a student and his academic advisor.

旁白：听一段学生和教授的对话。

<-MALE STUDENT:->Hi, sorry I'm late, Professor Blaine.

学生：你好。布莱恩教授，很对不起，我迟到了。

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->No problem, Jim. So you've got some questions about your senior thesis requirement?

指导教授：吉姆，没关系。关于毕业论文的要求，你有些问题想问我是吗？

<-MALE STUDENT:->Yeah, I've got a couple of problems actually.So, the first thing is, you normally write it during the first half of the academic year, right? In your final year of studies?

学生：对。实际上我有好几个问题。第一，通常你会在最后一学年的上半年写这篇论文，对吧？

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->Right.

指导教授：对。

<-MALE STUDENT:->But I have my student teaching scheduled for that time-I wanna teach high school English after graduation.So I really need to give that my full attention, and I just worry that I won't be able to if I'm writing my senior thesis at the same time.I mean, it's supposed to be 35 to 50 pages. That's a serious commitment.

学生：那时候我有教育实习项目—我想毕业后去教高中英语课。所以我需要全身心投入。我很担心，如果我同时要写毕业论文，我就无法专注了。我是说，这可要写35到50页呢。这是非常严肃的事情。

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->You're right, but it really isn't a problem.

指导教授：你说得对。但这不是问题。

<-MALE STUDENT:->Really?

学生：真的吗？

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->No, a lot of English majors get teacher certification.So we have students like you do their senior thesis after their student teaching.It works out well, because many students want to use a unit they taught as the basis of their paper.So you'll just enroll in a thesis seminar for the second semester.

指导教授：这不是问题。很多英语专业的学生都考教师资格证。我们有很多像你一样学生，他们都是在教育实习后写毕业论文的。效果很不错，因为很多学生都想把自己教的其中一个单元作为论文基础。所以你只要参加第二学期的论文研讨课就行。

<-MALE STUDENT:->Well, that's a big relief. But it brings us to my second problem.I've really focused my studies on Old and Middle English literature.I'm even thinking about doing a graduate degree with a concentration in that after I've taught for a while.So I was hoping to do my senior thesis on Chaucer, on The Canterbury Tales, because that would obviously be useful if I do go on. But...

学生：这可让我轻松不少。但又引出我第二个问题了。我很专注研究古代和中世纪英语文学。我正在考虑要不要在我教书一段时间后，在此领域读一个研究生学位。我希望能写关于乔叟的毕业论文，关于《坎特伯雷故事集》，因为如果我要继续深造，这肯定很有用。但……

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->[Interrupting knowingly] Ahh, but Professor Johnson...

指导教授：啊，但约翰逊教授……

<-MALE STUDENT:->Exactly, Professor Johnson is going to be taking a sabbatical to do research in France during the second half of the year.So, without him around, I'm, uh, not sure how I could do a senior thesis on The Canterbury Tales.I mean, the focus of his teaching and research is unique around here.

学生：对。约翰逊教授在下半年会休公假，他会去法国做些研究。他不在这儿了，我不确定要怎么写关于《坎特伯雷故事集》的毕业论文了。我是指，他教学和研究的重点在这儿是很独特的。

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->Yes, I understand. It would be difficult to do your paper without Professor Johnson around.Hmm. Would you allow me to try to sell you on an alternate plan?

指导教授：对。我明白。约翰逊教授不在这儿的话，你要写论文就很难了。你同意我向你推荐另一个想法吗？

<-MALE STUDENT:->Well, you can try... but Chaucer's sort of my hero, if you know what I mean.

学生：嗯，你可以试试，但乔叟算得上是我的偶像，如果你能明白我的意思。

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->Well, I'm teaching a course on the literature of the Renaissance in the first half of the year.It'll meet late in the day, so it won't interfere with your teaching.And I haven't offered it in quite a while now, so I doubt you've ever studied that period on the college level.

指导教授：我在上半年教一门关于文艺复兴时期文学的课。上课时间是在晚上的，不会干扰你的教学。我很久都没推荐过这门课了，我很怀疑你在大学课程有没有学过这段时期。

<-MALE STUDENT:->No, I haven't.

学生：没有。

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->If you'd be interested in taking the course, I'd be happy to give you supplemental readings. And I'd also be happy to be your advisor for your paper later on.

指导教授：如果你有兴趣上这门课，我很乐意提供一些阅读的补充材料给你。也很乐意当你以后毕业论文的学术辅导。

<-MALE STUDENT:->Well I've never looked at that area before, but I've always had an interest in it, so that does have a certain appeal.

学生：我之前还没涉及过这个领域，但我一直挺感兴趣，听起来很吸引人。

<-FEMALE ADVISOR:->Well, if you do decide to go this route, I would make that decision soon, and I would use this summer productively.After all, this is not going to be like taking an intro course.

指导教授：如果你确定要走这条路，我就会尽快作出决定，并好好利用这个夏天。毕竟这可不是入门课程。