CET-6 Listening Long Conversation: Changing a Dissertation Topic

Conversation Two.

对话二。

Professor Hart, do you have a minute? It's about my dissertation.

Hart教授，您有空吗？是关于我的毕业论文的。

Of course, Mia. Come in and sit down.

当然可以，Mia。进来坐吧。

I think I need to change my topic completely.

我觉得我得彻底换个题目。

Completely? You're already two months into it.

彻底换？你已经做了两个月了。

What's gone wrong?

出了什么问题？

I wanted to study how phones affect teenagers' sleep.

我想研究手机对青少年睡眠的影响。

But three schools have now refused to let me survey their students.

可是已经有三所学校拒绝让我对他们的学生做问卷调查了。

Without them, I only have about forty people.

没有他们，我只有大约四十个人。

That's not enough for any real conclusions.

这么少的人得不出什么真正的结论。

I understand. But starting again now would be a big risk.

我明白。但现在从头再来风险很大。

Have you thought about narrowing the question instead?

你有没有考虑过把研究问题缩小一点？

Forty people is too few for a survey,

四十个人做问卷调查太少了，

but it's plenty for detailed interviews.

但做深度访谈就足够了。

You could ask them to keep a sleep diary for two weeks,

你可以让他们记两周的睡眠日记，

and then talk to each of them about their habits.

然后再和每个人聊聊他们的习惯。

So I'd go deeper instead of wider?

所以我要往深处做，而不是往广处做？

Exactly. And all the reading you've done is still useful.

没错。而且你读过的所有资料都还用得上。

That's a relief! I thought I'd wasted two months.

太好了，我松了一口气！我还以为自己白白浪费了两个月。

Send me a one-page plan by Friday, and we'll check it together.

周五之前发给我一页纸的计划，我们一起看看。

Questions five to eight are based on the conversation you have just heard.

第5题到第8题基于你刚才听到的对话。

Question five. Why does the woman want to change her topic?

第5题。女士为什么想换题目？

Question six. What does the professor think about starting again?

第6题。教授对从头再来怎么看？

Question seven. What does the professor suggest she do?

第7题。教授建议她怎么做？

Question eight. What must the woman do by Friday?

第8题。女士在周五之前必须做什么？

Thank you, Professor. I feel so much better.

谢谢您，教授。我感觉好多了。

Good research is often just a smaller question, asked well.

好的研究，往往只是把一个更小的问题问好。