你希望用什么样的物品来说明你卧室你的个性？

Question: If someone were to look through your bedroom, what do you hope your possessions would convey about you?

如果有人来参观你的卧室，你希望用什么样的物品来说明你的个性？

A typical teen's room? In some respects, yes, but in many ways, my room has become an extension of my personality, interests and values. Upon entering, one would probably notice the lack of any music group, scantily clad female model, or indeed, any adornment at all on my walls. I prefer the unsoiled look of clean walls, which provide a sense of calm. However, my room is far from military precision and order; my bed lies unmade and yesterday's wardrobe gathers dust on the floor. The visitor may consider my room tidy, but not inflexible.

一间典型的十多岁的少年的房间？在某些方面来说，是的。但从更多方面看，我的房间已经成为我个性、兴趣和价值观的延续。一进入我的房间，人们可能会发现我房间的墙上没有任何乐队、美女模特的海报。我喜欢干净整洁的墙壁，这给我一种平静的感觉。然而，我的房间并不是军事化的摆设，我的床就像没动过一样，昨天的衣服也积着灰尘放在地板上。来访者可能会认为我的房间很整齐，并且不是一成不变的。

While touring my room, one would surely stop to look through the room's workspace, my desk and computer. The desktop is fairly organized, consisting of a pencil holder, desk calendar, and assorted textbooks. The calendar is full of important dates-tests, deadlines, and of course, the rare days off from school. Academics are one of my highest priorities, but would be useless without occasional relaxation. Above my desk hangs a bulletin board. Similar to the calendar, it holds important pieces of information, as well as a few personal items. A postcard, a present from my grandfather, would likely catch one's eye. The postcard is from my homeland, and includes a famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi. It reminds me of the country I was born in, and the ties I have to my original culture. Directly below the postcard hang a few baby pictures of myself, mementos of a simpler time. Alongside my desk is a computer, without which I could not survive. The slightly outdated, yet fully competent Apple Macintosh aids with school, and, nearly any other activity I participate in. The Mac also has a modem, connecting me to the global community linked through the Internet. I am very interested in the Internet, and have found it a very useful source of information for everything ranging from tomorrow's weather to buying a new car. Upon leaving my workspace, I hope my possessions would convey that I am serious about my work, but I approach it with practicality and a grain of salt.

每个参观我房间的人都会注意到我的工作间，桌子和电脑。桌面上理的很整齐，放着笔盒，台历，和分好类的各种教科书。台历上注满了各种重要的日期，包括考试，作业的截止，以及生活中的重要日子。学习对我来说是最重要的事，但我也不会放弃偶尔的放松。桌子的上面挂着一块公告处于。和台历类似，上面也记满了各种重要的信息，和一些个人物品。一张来自我祖父的明信片可能会引起不少人的注意。这张明信片是从我祖国寄出来的，上面还有圣雄甘地的名言。它提醒着我的出生地，我的文化。明信片下面是一些我幼时的照片，纪念童年时简单的时光。桌子的一边是我一旦离开就无法生存的电脑。虽然有一点过时，但是仍然完全胜任的苹果电脑帮助我参与了许多活动。同时我的苹果电脑通过调制解调器与网络相联。我对网络十分感兴趣，我发现可以在网络上找到任何我感兴趣的信息，无论是明天的天气还是买一辆新车。当离开我的工作间的时候，我希望我的物品能让人觉的我对工作很认真，并且从实际出来发做事情。

On the other side of my room lies my relaxation area, commonly referred to as a bed. Strewn about the bed are two magazines which represent my interests, MacWorld and Time. I read these magazines daily, to keep up with current events as well as advancements in the information age. Atop my bureau lays the latest work by Stephen King. The content may not be as deep and insightful as Jane Austen's or Keats, but his stories serve their purpose in providing light enter-tainment. The bed is unmade, a fact for which I feel no remorse. Although my mother disapproves, I consider an unmade bed a symbol of rest and quietude. My bed may be considered utilitarian, for its uses are not limited to sleeping upon. Some of my best moments of focus and concentration have occurred while lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, producing thoughts ranging from T.V. shows to pondering college life. Few teen rooms can be considered complete without a loud stereo and an assorted collection of tapes and C.D.'s. My room is no different-my music collection occupies two shelves. Past the techno-rubble of the Eighties lie my current favorites, alternative rock. If a visitor were to turn on the stereo, he would find a couple presets devoted to "homework" music, classical and light jazz. I find that these sounds provide a sense of tranquility while trying to do homework, write reports, or complete college essays. My bed and surrounding areas represent my non-academic, more human interests. They personify the activities and hobbies which I truly enjoy, and provide a breather from some of the more rigorous aspects of life.

房间的另一边是我的休闲区，通常在我的床边上。床上散落着两本我感兴趣的杂志，MacWorld和Time。我每天都阅读这些杂志，来保持与这个信息时代的同步。在我的衣柜上放着Stephen King的最新作品。他的故事可能不如Jane Austen或者Keats的作品有深度和内涵，但是胜在很有趣味性。床上并没有整理过，但我并没有对这个感到不安。虽然我的母亲不赞成我这么做，但我认为这是休息和安静的象征。我的床是多功能的，它的作用并不仅仅是睡眠。有时候我会躺在床上看着天花板来思考一些电视节目中的内容或者大学里的生活，这样集中精神的思考是我最享受的时光之一。很少有年轻人不在自己的房间里摆一套音响以及一堆磁带或者CD的收集。我的房间也不例外，我拥有两架子的音乐收藏。Eighties的techno-rubble类型的音乐是我现在的最爱。如果有访客打开我的音响，他会播放的音乐类型是古典和轻爵士，我称之为家庭作业音乐。我发现当我要作家庭作业，写报告或者完成一些大学里的写作时，这些音乐能给我提供一种宁静的感觉。我的床和周围一圈表现了我课余生活和个人兴趣。这些我喜欢的活动和爱好为我在紧张的生活中提供了一些喘息的时间。

After exiting my room, I would hope my visitor learned a few important things about me. I consider my academics seriously, and devote much of my time (and room) to them. However, they do not necessarily dominate my existence; loud music and Stephen King novels also play a role.

在走出我的房间后，我希望参观者能更好的认识我身上一些重新的东西。我对于学术方面非常认真，并把我大部分的时间和房间的大部分空间都投入到学习上去。然而，这并不是我所有的生活，音乐和Stephen King的小说也是我生活的一部分。

Comments by Admissions Officers who Assisted in the Creation of this Course

录取工作人员的点评：

Most of the admissions officers liked the question that the applicant chose to ask himself. "This is one I tell my students to prepare to answer when they go to an interview, " says one, "and the writer's response is a good one. He literally brings the question home." "Descriptive and informative, " writes another. While no one felt that this essay was strongly flawed, they made a number of suggestions about how the author could have rewritten the essay to create more of an impact.

大部分的录取工作人员都喜欢申请人自问的这个问题。有人说，‘当我的学生去参加面试时，我会让他们准备这个问题的答案。作者的回答很不错。他一点一滴的把问题带回家来解释。’‘文章提供了很好的叙述和关于作者房间的信息’，另一位工作人员说。虽然没人觉的这篇文章有什么很严重的硬伤，但他们给出了许多建议，关于作者该如何重写这篇文章以给人更深的印象。

The writing style is a little too rigid. The writer should let go of the fear that he won't be taken seriously unless he uses a formal style. The writer should replace stodgy sounding phrases like "while touring my room, " with the more straightforward, "as you look around my room." If this were one of my students asking advice, I'd pat him on the back and say, "Lighten up, it's your bedroom. Don't use words like quietude and utilitarian. Relax and have fun with this."

写作的风格有些过于古板。作者可能担心如果他不用一种正规的格式，那他的文章不会受到认真的对待，他应该把这样的担心抛到一边。作者应该把一些诸如‘当参观我的房间时’这样听起来很沉闷的句子换成更直白一点的‘当你四处打量我的房间时’。如果是我的学生，我会拍着他的背说，‘轻松些，这是你的卧室。不要使用像quietude和utilitarian这些过于学术化的单词。放松点，就当成是娱乐。’

The last paragraph needs to be dropped altogether. If the essay has done it's job, recaps like this are obvious and unnecessary.

最后一段也需要删掉。如果这篇文章已经说出作者想要告诉我们的，那么最后一段的重复过于做作和多余。

This essay does not, unfortunately, convey an impression of a very active person. Whether or not he meant to, I picture the author as someone who spends a lot of time alone in his room playing with his computer and reading lightweight novels. I don't see what he would contribute to campus life. This is something that applicants to technical institutions in particular should be wary of. Admission officers at such places tend to be especially unreceptive to applicants who seem to believe that being a "computer jock" is all the credentials they need for admission.

很不幸，这篇文章并没有让人看到一个非常积极的人。不管作者是不是这个意思，我会把作者看成一个花很多时间在卧室里坐在电脑前和阅读一些没有深度的小说的人。我无法看到他会为学校做出什么贡献。这是一些理工学院申请人特别要注意的地方。录取工作人员是绝对不会把录取信发给一些经常沉迷与电脑的申请人。