#168. Why do some students study abroad?
Choosing which university to attend is a big decision for a young person to make. Some students prefer to stay near their homes, and live with their parents while at school. Others choose to move far away to a different country for their education. I believe that latter students choose to move away to experience a new culture, to learn a new language, or to go to a specific university that specializes in their field of study.
Moving to a new country is an eye-opening experience. The way society works in other cultures is very different from one's own. For example, I had a friend who went to school in Canada. She constantly told me stories about the differences in the food, the architecture, and the way people treat each other. One cannot fully understand his/her own culture until he/her has compared it with another that is vastly different. For this reason, moving to a new country to go to school can be of great importance for students who wish to study international relations.
When one moves to a new country, it is much easier to learn the language of that country. For example, my friend who moved to Canada studied English for years before her departure. While she could express herself, she never fully mastered the language. However, upon her return, I was shocked and amazed at her new level of English. She was completely fluent, and thus gained a great new skill because she studied abroad.
The last reason why students choose to study abroad is because in some cases, doing so is the only way to enter the program one is interested in. For example, if one wants to study marine biology, it would be best if he/she went to a university that was located near the ocean. Also, some schools are known to be the best in a particular field. For instance, in America, Harvard is known to be the best school for law. So, I believe that students study away because they are interested in learning about new cultures, learning new languages, or studying specific programs. While there are many excellent reasons to study in one's home country, studying abroad can offer many new and exciting experiences.
168. 为什么一些学生出国留学？
去上哪一所大学对于一个年轻人来说是一个重大的决定。有些学生喜欢在家附近，这样上学的时候也能和父母在一起。另一些人则选择去遥远的另一个国度接受教育。我认为后一种学生，是选择离开故乡去经历一种全新文化、学习一种新的语言、或者去一所在某些领域有专门研究的大学。
去一个新的国家是一种大开眼界的经历。另一种文化中社会运转的方式会和你自己的文化完全不同。例如，我有一个去加拿大上学的朋友。她不断告诉我各种关于不同的食物、建筑以及人们交往方式的故事。如果没有和另一种完全不同的文化做过比较，一个人很难完全理解自己的文化。因此，去另一个国家上学对于那些想要学习国际关系的学生们来说可能会是非常重要的。
当一个人来到一个新的国家，学习那个国家的语言就会容易得多。例如，我的朋友在去加拿大之前已经学习英语很多年。虽然她可以表达自己的想法，但她从来没有真正掌握这门语言。然而，当她回国的时候，我为她全新的英语水平感到震撼和惊奇。因为在国外学习，她英语说得非常流利，掌握了这门全新的技巧。
最后，有些学生选择去国外学习的原因，是因为在某些情况下，这样做是能够进入他们真正感兴趣的领域的惟一方式。例如，如果一个人想学海洋生物学，那么最好就是去上一所位于海洋附近的大学。而且，有些学校在某些特定领域被公认是最好的。例如，在美国，哈佛法学院就被公认为最好的法学院。
因此，我认为学生们去国外学习是因为他们对学习新的文化、新的语言、或者学习特定的课程感兴趣。虽然在一个人的祖国上大学有很多极好的理由，但是去国外学习能够提供很多新的令人兴奋的经历。
- specific ［spiˈsifik］ adj. 特定的
- departure ［diˈpa:tʃə］ n. 启程；出发
- specialize ［ˈspeʃəˌlaiz］ v. 专门研究
- be amazed at 吃惊于…
- architecture ［ˈa:kiˌtektʃə］ n. 建筑
- fluent ［ˈflu:ənt］ adj. 流利的
- compared with 与…比较
- marine ［məˈri:n］ adj. 海洋的
- international ［ˌintəˈnæʃənəl］ adj. 国际的
- biology ［baiˈa:lədʒi］ n. 生物学