新标准大学英语四综合教程Unit 课文及翻译.docxVIP

If you ask me1 If you ask me, real life is not all its cracked up to be. Twelve years at school and three years at university, teachers banging on about opportunities in the big wide world beyond our sheltered life as students, and what do I find? 2 Try as I might to stay cheerful, all I ever get is hassle, sometimes with people (especially boys, god, when will they grow up?), but mostly with money. Its just so expensive out here! Everyone wants a slice off you. The Inland Revenue wants to deduct income tax, the bank manager wants repayments on my student loan, the landlord wants the rent, gas, water, electricity and my mobile bills keep coming in, and all thats before Ive had anything to eat. And then some bright spark calls me out of the blue, asking if Im interested in buying a pension. At this rate, I wont even last till the end of the year, let alone till Im 60. 3 I didnt really want to go out to work just yet. I mean, I wasnt a dropout and I knew Id have to some day. According to any number of people lifes not a picnic, theres no such thing as a free lunch. But given that Id got a good degree, I thought Id like to go on to get my masters. Actually, I had my eye on the course at the London School of Economics (LSE) . Top school, very good for my CV. But I talked to my mum about it, and she said she couldnt afford to support me any more. I kind of understand it, and not just because my degree is in economics. Shed worked hard for 15 years to give me an education. My dad wasnt around most of the time, and when he was, he didnt have any money. Hed spent it gambling on the dogs or down the pub. So it came to the point when I just agreed with Mum, and bowed myself towards the inevitable. 4 If you ask me, and despite everything you hear, fortunately there are some really nice people out there. Take Mike, for example. When I left university, what I thought was that my mum would feel obliged to look after me if I returned home. So I packed up my belo