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01.Speaking, 40.Student Life in China

Todd: Rufei, you are from China. In America, Chinese students have a reputation of being very hard-working. Is that true?

Rufei: Yes, exactly. In my high school, in one class we have around 70 students in one class and everybody wants to be the top student, so everybody works so hard. I say my high school was kind of like a prison. You have to go to school every day from 6:35 AM to 9:40 PM.

Todd: Really? That long?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: That's over 12 hours; that's like 13, 14 hours a day!

Rufei: Yes, exactly.

Todd: How did you feel as a student studying that much?

Rufei: Sleepy.

Todd: I bet.

Rufei: Every day I'm so sleepy.

Todd: I can imagine. Do you think it was productive studying that much?

Rufei: I think their purpose just like as to stay as much time as we can in the school and we cannot get distracted by other stuff, so we always stay at school and we always focus on our studying ... We cannot know anything about the outside of the wall from school.

Todd: That's amazing. For such a long day, can you talk about the daily schedule? What was your schedule like everyday?

Rufei: From 6:50, we start to have class. From 6:50 until maybe 11:45; we have 45 minutes class and then 10 minutes break. We also have 30 minutes we have to do exercise on the playground and, in the afternoon, is the same routine. Then, we went to dinner around 6:00 to 7:00. From 7:00 to 9:40 we have to do our homework.

Todd: So, you study at school? It's not homework, it's school work; you don't actually go home, right?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: That's crazy. How many classes would you have every day?

Rufei: Eight classes.

Todd: What were the subjects?

Rufei: We separate the subject. If you learn more Mathematics, we learn mathematics, English, and Chinese, and physics, chemistry, and biology.

Todd: That's very rigorous. Did you enjoy all the subjects?

Rufei: Yeah. I love physics and biology and chemistry.

Todd: Now you are training to be a doctor?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: That's fantastic. Did you know you wanted to be a doctor when you were in high school?

Rufei: I kind of know because my father is a doctor and he was kind of forcing me to study medicine.

Todd: Nice. We have a phrase in English; we say, "Follow in your father's footsteps." You definitely are following in your father's footsteps. That's great. Is your mother a doctor?

Rufei: My mother is a businesswoman now.

Todd: Okay, great. You had all these courses. In America, there's a big controversy about tests, that the kids take too many tests; it's too test driven. What about in China? Do you have a lot of tests?

Rufei: Yeah, I have test every month. They will make a list of every single person; how much score you got in this test-

Todd: Whoa. They rank everybody to see-

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: That's very competitive.

Rufei: Yeah. I think that's kind of bad for our emotion.

Todd: Yeah, so it creates a lot of stress.

Rufei: Yeah. We have 2000 students in one grade.

Todd: That is crazy. So, you can be number 2000, you can be the lowest student?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: And they put that out there?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: Really? They could never do that in America.

Rufei: Yeah, I think so.

Todd: Oh my gosh. Do you think that's a good idea?

Rufei: Depends on the person.

Todd: Right; yeah. Wow. You have a lot of pressure. Did you feel pressure from your parents, from your peers, from your teachers?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: Who gave you the most pressure?

Rufei: Myself.

Todd: That's good.

Rufei: I don't want to be lazy. I don't want to be worse, so I have to always work hard to chasing other people ... Everybody wants to be the best, so everybody worked really, really hard. Even we have breaking time, they don't break at all.

Todd: Seriously?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: What do they do during the break?

Rufei: They do questions.

Todd: Wow. They quiz each other? The students quiz each other or they just do homework?

Rufei: They do their homework and they find out what problem they've had and they solve the problem with teachers or other students. They just starting all day; they can't do that.

Todd: That's amazing. Kids do this 14, 15 hours a day?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: Wow. That's really good for China!

Rufei: We don't have that much summer vacation and winter vacation. In winter vacation, we have two weeks because of the Chinese New Year; it's about two weeks off. We have two weeks in winter vacation and one week summer vacation only.

Todd: Is that enough?

Rufei: Of course not. Even we have vacation, the teacher would give us a lot of homework to do.

Todd: That is very impressive.

Rufei: This is very not good experience.

Todd: We'll talk about that in the next interview; I think that's a very interesting point.

Todd: Rufei, you are from China. In America, Chinese students have a reputation of being very hard-working. Is that true?

Rufei: Yes, exactly. In my high school, in one class we have around 70 students in one class and everybody wants to be the top student, so everybody works so hard. У моїй середній школі в одному класі навчається близько 70 учнів, і кожен хоче бути найкращим учнем, тому всі так старанно працюють. I say my high school was kind of like a prison. You have to go to school every day from 6:35 AM to 9:40 PM. Ти маєш ходити до школи щодня з 6:35 ранку до 9:40 вечора.

Todd: Really? That long?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: That's over 12 hours; that's like 13, 14 hours a day!

Rufei: Yes, exactly.

Todd: How did you feel as a student studying that much? Тодд: Как вы себя чувствовали, когда так много учились?

Rufei: Sleepy. Руфей: Сонный.

Todd: I bet. Тодд: Держу пари.

Rufei: Every day I'm so sleepy. Руфей: Каждый день я такой сонный.

Todd: I can imagine. Тодд: Я могу представить. Do you think it was productive studying that much? Как вы думаете, это было продуктивно учиться так много?

Rufei: I think their purpose just like as to stay as much time as we can in the school and we cannot get distracted by other stuff, so we always stay at school and we always focus on our studying ... We cannot know anything about the outside of the wall from school. Руфей: Я думаю, что их цель заключается в том, чтобы оставаться в школе как можно больше времени, и мы не можем отвлекаться на другие вещи, поэтому мы всегда остаемся в школе и всегда сосредотачиваемся на учебе... Мы ничего не можем знать о снаружи стены от школы. Руфей: Я думаю, що їхня мета полягає в тому, щоб ми залишалися в школі якомога більше часу і не відволікалися на інші речі, тому ми завжди залишаємося в школі і завжди зосереджуємося на навчанні... Ми не можемо нічого знати про те, що відбувається за стінами школи.

Todd: That's amazing. For such a long day, can you talk about the daily schedule? Можете ли вы рассказать о распорядке дня для такого длинного дня? What was your schedule like everyday? Каким был твой график каждый день?

Rufei: From 6:50, we start to have class. Руфей: С 6:50 у нас начинаются занятия. From 6:50 until maybe 11:45; we have 45 minutes class and then 10 minutes break. З 6:50 до, можливо, 11:45; у нас 45 хвилин заняття, потім 10 хвилин перерва. We also have 30 minutes we have to do exercise on the playground and, in the afternoon, is the same routine. У нас также есть 30 минут, которые мы должны делать на детской площадке, а во второй половине дня такая же рутина. У нас також є 30 хвилин для фізичних вправ на дитячому майданчику, а після обіду - той самий розпорядок дня. Then, we went to dinner around 6:00 to 7:00. Потім ми пішли на вечерю близько 6:00-7:00. From 7:00 to 9:40 we have to do our homework.

Todd: So, you study at school? It's not homework, it's school work; you don't actually go home, right? Это не домашняя работа, это школьная работа; ты на самом деле не идешь домой, верно?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: That's crazy. How many classes would you have every day? Сколько занятий у вас будет каждый день?

Rufei: Eight classes.

Todd: What were the subjects? Тодд: Какие были предметы?

Rufei: We separate the subject. Руфей: Мы разделяем тему. Руфай: Ми відокремлюємо цю тему. If you learn more Mathematics, we learn mathematics, English, and Chinese, and physics, chemistry, and biology. Если вы изучаете больше математики, мы изучаем математику, английский и китайский языки, а также физику, химию и биологию. Якщо ви вивчаєте математику, ми вивчаємо математику, англійську та китайську мови, а також фізику, хімію та біологію.

Todd: That's very rigorous. Тодд: Это очень строго. Тодд: Це дуже суворо. Did you enjoy all the subjects?

Rufei: Yeah. I love physics and biology and chemistry.

Todd: Now you are training to be a doctor? Тодд: Теперь ты учишься на врача?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: That's fantastic. Did you know you wanted to be a doctor when you were in high school? Вы знали, что хотите стать врачом, когда учились в старшей школе? Чи знали ви, що хочете стати лікарем, коли навчалися в старших класах?

Rufei: I kind of know because my father is a doctor and he was kind of forcing me to study medicine. Руфей: Я трохи знаю, тому що мій батько - лікар, і він змушував мене вивчати медицину.

Todd: Nice. We have a phrase in English; we say, "Follow in your father's footsteps." У нас є фраза в англійській мові, ми кажемо: "Йди слідами свого батька". You definitely are following in your father's footsteps. Вы определенно идете по стопам отца. Ви, безумовно, йдете по стопах свого батька. That's great. Is your mother a doctor?

Rufei: My mother is a businesswoman now. Руфай: Моя мама зараз бізнесвумен.

Todd: Okay, great. You had all these courses. У вас были все эти курсы. У вас були всі ці курси. In America, there's a big controversy about tests, that the kids take too many tests; it's too test driven. В Америке идут большие споры по поводу тестов, что дети сдают слишком много тестов; это слишком тест-драйв. В Америці існує велика суперечка щодо тестів, що діти проходять занадто багато тестів; це занадто тестовий підхід. What about in China? Do you have a lot of tests?

Rufei: Yeah, I have test every month. Руфай: Так, я здаю аналізи щомісяця. They will make a list of every single person; how much score you got in this test- Они составят список каждого человека; сколько баллов вы получили в этом тесте- Вони складуть список кожної людини; скільки балів ви набрали в цьому тесті -

Todd: Whoa. Тодд: Вау. They rank everybody to see- Они ранжируют всех, чтобы увидеть-

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: That's very competitive. Тодд: Это очень конкурентоспособно.

Rufei: Yeah. I think that's kind of bad for our emotion.

Todd: Yeah, so it creates a lot of stress.

Rufei: Yeah. We have 2000 students in one grade.

Todd: That is crazy. So, you can be number 2000, you can be the lowest student? Значит, ты можешь быть номером 2000, ты можешь быть самым младшим учеником?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: And they put that out there? Тодд: И они это выложили?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: Really? They could never do that in America. Они никогда не смогли бы сделать это в Америке.

Rufei: Yeah, I think so.

Todd: Oh my gosh. Do you think that's a good idea?

Rufei: Depends on the person.

Todd: Right; yeah. Wow. You have a lot of pressure. У тебя сильное давление. Did you feel pressure from your parents, from your peers, from your teachers? Чувствовали ли вы давление со стороны родителей, сверстников, учителей?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: Who gave you the most pressure?

Rufei: Myself.

Todd: That's good.

Rufei: I don't want to be lazy. Руфей: Я не хочу быть ленивым. I don't want to be worse, so I have to always work hard to chasing other people ... Everybody wants to be the best, so everybody worked really, really hard. Я не хочу быть хуже, поэтому мне всегда приходится много работать, чтобы гоняться за другими людьми ... Все хотят быть лучшими, поэтому все очень, очень много работали. Я не хочу бути гіршим, тому мені доводиться завжди багато працювати, щоб наздоганяти інших людей... Всі хочуть бути найкращими, тому всі працюють дуже, дуже важко. Even we have breaking time, they don't break at all. Даже у нас есть перерывы, они вообще не ломаются. Навіть у нас є час на перерву, а вони взагалі не ламаються.

Todd: Seriously?

Rufei: Yes.

Todd: What do they do during the break?

Rufei: They do questions. Руфей: Они задают вопросы.

Todd: Wow. They quiz each other? Они опрашивают друг друга? Вони тестують один одного? The students quiz each other or they just do homework? Учні опитують один одного чи просто виконують домашнє завдання?

Rufei: They do their homework and they find out what problem they've had and they solve the problem with teachers or other students. Руфей: Они делают домашнее задание, узнают, какая у них возникла проблема, и решают ее с учителями или другими учениками. Руфай: Вони виконують домашнє завдання, з'ясовують, яка проблема у них виникла, і вирішують її з учителями або іншими учнями. They just starting all day; they can't do that. Они только начинают весь день; они не могут этого сделать. Вони просто починають цілий день, вони не можуть цього робити.

Todd: That's amazing. Це дивовижно. Kids do this 14, 15 hours a day?

Rufei: Yeah.

Todd: Wow. That's really good for China! Это очень хорошо для Китая! Це дуже добре для Китаю!

Rufei: We don't have that much summer vacation and winter vacation. Rufei: У нас не так много летних и зимних каникул. Руфай: У нас не так багато літніх і зимових канікул. In winter vacation, we have two weeks because of the Chinese New Year; it's about two weeks off. На зимних каникулах у нас есть две недели из-за китайского Нового года; это около двух недель. У зимові канікули ми маємо два тижні через китайський Новий рік; це приблизно два тижні вихідних. We have two weeks in winter vacation and one week summer vacation only. У нас є два тижні зимових канікул і лише один тиждень літніх.

Todd: Is that enough? Тодд: Этого достаточно? Тодд: Цього достатньо?

Rufei: Of course not. Руфею: Звичайно, ні. Even we have vacation, the teacher would give us a lot of homework to do. Даже если у нас каникулы, учитель задает нам много домашних заданий. Навіть на канікулах вчитель давав нам багато домашніх завдань.

Todd: That is very impressive. Тодд: Это очень впечатляет. Тодд: Це дуже вражає.

Rufei: This is very not good experience. Rufei: Это очень нехороший опыт. Руфай: Це дуже поганий досвід.

Todd: We'll talk about that in the next interview; I think that's a very interesting point. Тодд: Мы поговорим об этом в следующем интервью; Я думаю, это очень интересный момент. Todd: Bunu bir sonraki röportajda konuşacağız; bence bu çok ilginç bir nokta. Тодд: Ми поговоримо про це в наступному інтерв'ю; я думаю, що це дуже цікавий момент.