Upper-Intermediate - University Nostalgia (Part 1) (D2170)

A: 大学时代在每个人心里都是非常难忘的。那今天我们就分享一下大学时代那些令你难忘的事吧。高灵,你先说说。
dàxué shídài zài měige rén xīnli dōu shì fēicháng nánwàng de. nà jīntiān wǒmen jiù fēnxiǎng yīxià dàxué shídài nàxiē lìng nǐ nánwàng de shì ba. Gāo Líng, nǐ xiān shuō shuo.
College days are an unforgettable time in everyone's mind. So today let's share the unforgettable things from our college days. Gao Ling, you go first.
B: 我啊,首先就是我一上大学就得了抑郁症。
wǒ a, shǒuxiān jiùshì wǒ yī shàng dàxué jiù dé le yìyùzhèng.
Me? The first thing is that as soon as I started college I suffered from depression.
A: 怎么会呢?
zénme huì ne?
Why?
B: 我大学时候第一次住校嘛,八个人一个宿舍,各种的不习惯,又想家,然后就抑郁了。
wǒ dàxué shíhou dì yī cì zhùxiào ma, bā gè rén yī gè sùshè, gèzhǒng de bù xíguàn, yòu xiǎngjiā, ránhòu jiù yìyù le.
College was the first time I lived in a dorm. With eight people in one dormitory, there were all kinds of things I wasn't used to. I also missed home, so I got depressed.
A: 哦,原来是这样。第一次过集体生活肯定有很多不习惯的地方。那你抑郁症严重吗?有没有治疗过?
ò, yuánlái shì zhèyàng. dì yī cì guò jítǐshēnghuó kěndìng yǒu hěn duō bù xíguàn de dìfang. nà nǐ yìyùzhèng yánzhòng ma? yǒumeiyǒu zhìliáo guò?
Oh, I see. The first time you live with a bunch of other people there are definitely lots of things you aren't used to. Then was your depression serious? Did you get it treated?
B: 没有,后来习惯了就好了。
méiyǒu, hòulái xíguàn le jiù hǎole.
I didn't. After a while, I got used to everything and I got better.
A: 呵呵。黄博,你呢?
hēhē. Huáng Bó, nǐ ne?
Haha. Huang Bo, what about you?
C: 我大学时候还是挺丰富多彩的。唱歌,参加社团,组织乐队,做主持人,日子过得那叫一个爽!
wǒ dàxué shíhou háishì tǐng fēngfùduōcǎi de. chànggē, cānjiā shètuán, zǔzhī yuèduì, zuò zhǔchírén, rìzi guò de nà jiào yī gè shuǎng!
During my time in college I had a lot going on. Singing songs, joining clubs, organizing a band, acting as a host - those days, man. They were awesome.
A: 那肯定有很多女孩子追你吧?
nà kěndìng yǒu hěn duō nǚháizi zhuī nǐ ba?
Then there must have been a lot of girls chasing after you, right?
C: 呵呵。主要那时候帅气,不像现在,肌肉没了,啤酒肚出来了。
hēhē. zhǔyào nà shíhou shuàiqi, bù xiàng xiànzài, jīròu méi le, píjiǔdù chūlái le.
Haha. The best thing about that time was that I was good looking, not like now. My muscles are all gone and I've got a beer belly sticking out.
A: 听说你老婆就是大学时候谈的?
tīngshuō nǐ lǎopó jiùshì dàxué shíhou tán de?
I've heard that you met your wife at college, right?
C: 嗯。学妹。
ng4. xuémèi.
Yeah. She was my younger classmate.
A: 不错,校园爱情最真最纯了。陈娟,说说你吧。
bùcuò, xiàoyuán àiqíng zuì zhēn zuì chún le. Chén Juān, shuō shuo nǐ ba.
Not bad. School romances are the truest and the purest. Chen Juan, can you say something?
D: 我啊,印象最深的就是吃。我们学校有好多食堂,各种美食都有。又好吃又便宜。还有就是卧谈会了,每天熄灯后大家畅所欲言,聊得可开心了。
wǒ a, yìnxiàng zuìshēn de jiùshì chī. wǒmen xuéxiào yǒu hǎo duō shítáng, gèzhǒng měishí dōu yǒu. yòu hǎochī yòu piányi. háiyǒu jiùshì wòtánhuì le, měitiān dēng hòu dàjiā chàngsuǒyùyán, liáo de kě kāixīn le.
For me, the thing that left the deepest impression was the food. Our college had a lot of cafeterias with all kinds of good food. They were both tasty and cheap. There was also chatting in our bunk beds. Every night after lights out, everyone would talk freely and chat to our hearts' content.
A: 谈什么呢?
tán shénme ne?
What did you talk about?
C: 肯定少不了什么暗恋的人,系里的才子帅哥,风度翩翩才华横溢的老师。每个人都这样过来的。我们男生也卧谈。或者熄灯了就开始喝啤酒。
kěndìng shǎobùliǎo shénme ànliàn de rén, xì lǐ de cáizǐ shuàigē, fēngdùpiānpiān cáihuáhéngyì de lǎoshī. měi ge rén dōu zhèyàng guòlai de. wǒmen nánshēng yě wòtán. huò zhě xīdēng le jiù kāishǐ hē píjiǔ.
Of course you inevitably talked about your crushes, the smartest, best looking guys in the department, the charming and witty teachers. That's how it was for all of us. Us guys were also chatting in our beds or drinking beer with the lights out.
A: 男生喜欢喝啤酒谈美女,是吧。
nánshēng xǐhuan hē píjiǔ tán měinǚ, shì ba.
Guys like to drink beer and talk about pretty girls, don't they?

Key Vocabulary

分享 fēnxiǎng to share
lìng to make, let (cf. 让)
抑郁症 yìyùzhèng depression
住校 zhùxiào to live at school
宿舍 sùshè dormitory
抑郁 yìyù depressed
集体 jítǐ collectively
集体生活 jítǐ shēnghuó living together, collective living
丰富多彩 fēngfùduōcǎi full of variety
社团 shètuán society, organization
组织 zǔzhī to organize
乐队 yuèduì music band
主持人 zhǔchírén host
shuǎng great, awesome
帅气 shuàiqi handsome, attractive (as a man)
肌肉 jīròu muscle
啤酒肚 píjiǔdù beer belly
学妹 xuémèi younger female classmate
chún pure
印象 yìnxiàng impression
食堂 shítáng cafeteria
卧谈会 wòtánhuì to talk together with one's bunkmates
熄灯 xīdēng to turn out the lights
畅所欲言 chàngsuǒyùyán to speak freely
少不了 shǎobùliǎo to be unable to go without, very often, very much
暗恋 ànliàn to have a crush
department (in a university)
才子 cáizǐ genius, talent
风度翩翩 fēngdùpiānpiān handsome and suave
才华横溢 cáihuáhéngyì witty and talented
卧谈 wòtán to talk in bed

Supplementary Vocabulary

冰河时代 bīnghéshídài Ice Age
心理医生 xīnlǐyīshēng psychologist
才能 cáinéng ability, talent
不如意 bù rúyì discontented, unsatisfactory
带劲 dàijìn exciting, fun
强制 qiángzhì to force, compel
逐字 zhúzì verbatim, word for word
优雅 yōuyǎ elegant
迷人 mírén glamorous

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