美国顶尖院校青睐的高考作文

美国名校青睐的“高考作文”

虽然文书并非一般意义上的“命题作文”，也不需要在规定时限内完成，但也是申请美国大学时十分重要的一环。从文书中，招生官能够窥见学生的性格，以及TA思考人生的方式。

而每年申请季结束后，《纽约时报》都会向当年的数百位应届新生征集申请文书，只有最为令人印象最深刻的4-5篇会被刊登出来，它们的内容往往并不惊天动地，而是围绕着生活中的一些小事；然而正是这些真实有趣的小故事展现了生活独特的一面。

老师从今年刊登在《纽约时报》上的个人文书中挑选了两篇，他们的作者即将或已经就读于哈佛、哥大这些顶尖名校，从中可以一窥美国大学对于“高考作文”的要求。

 ||2019年《纽约时报》文书精选|

《我家餐桌的故事》

宾夕法尼亚州波茨维尔 维多利亚·奥斯瓦尔德

（Victoria Oswal）

即将入读哈佛大学

我爸说的第一句话是“抱抱她吧，你现在不会弄疼她了。”

维多利亚·奥斯瓦尔德坐在她文章中描述的沙发上

HANNAH YOON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

我的厨房很大一部分被我那张老旧、邋遢的暖棕色餐桌所占据。

它的状况已经惨不忍睹。每次坐下来，我都会被旧油漆、热溶胶和偶尔一点指甲油（这要归功于我的姐姐们）的碎屑包围。我们有两把椅子，无论坐上哪一把，我都得格外小心它们会不会散架，因为椅子腿的固定靠的是一种由木工胶、蛮力和纯粹的使坏组成的恼人混合物。

在我生命的前半部分，这张厨房桌就是我家的中心。小时候，每天晚上7点，我们（我奶奶、我爸和两个姐姐）会准时在这老旧、邋遢的暖棕色餐桌上吃一顿奶奶做的饭菜。

在那些家庭晚餐上，我会和我爸争吵取乐，看着他因为打扰我吃饭被奶奶吼骂，并听着我的姐姐们或是争斗或是开玩笑；那永远是一场冒险。最初，我的厨房桌有五把结实的木椅。几年后，我的大姐16岁、我8岁时，椅子的数量随着她的搬走减到四把。她与奶奶的争吵太多，也不守规矩，所以她离开了。

三年后，奶奶被诊出患了小细胞肺癌。这给我们的晚餐桌日常又带来了一些改变。起初是我的另一个姐姐开始不来吃晚餐。倒不是因为饭菜难免不那么可口了（癌症会破坏味蕾和整体烹饪能力），而是因为她总是不在家。我觉得她不想待在被诊断癌症后的奶奶身边。

椅子数降到了三把。过了一年左右，晚餐本身的次数也少了很多，主要不是因为奶奶，而是因为爸爸决心让奶奶多休息。她没搭理爸爸的担心，所以最后变成了我得面对的某种不上不下的灰色地带。

奶奶得癌症一年半后去世了。这句话说起来很快，但其实拖了很久。别误会，我是爱奶奶的，但得癌症的人往往去世前很久就已经死了。

她过世时我在场，就在我们的起居室里。我在床的一边，我爸在另一边。她沉重的喘息渐渐变缓，然后停了下来。听上去挺难过，但其实多少是个欣慰的时刻。爸爸说的第一句话是“抱抱她吧，你现在不会弄疼她了。”虽然有积痰之症的气味，我还是抱了她。我们只需要两把椅子了。

在那之后，爸爸和我还有我们这个非传统美国家庭所剩下的部分，组建了一个格外非传统的家庭。我们过了段时间才稳定下来，因为坦白讲，奶奶得癌症前我们已经是低收入家庭，之后更是每况愈下。

爸爸和我削减了所有开支。我们去掉了家里的有线电视、手机和互联网。少用油、少用水、少浪费食物，有段时间我们没车，因为家里的小面包车太耗油，还经常抛锚。可是，即便那是个没Wi-Fi、没手机、单调至极的一年，我们还是挺了过来。

我依然住在同一座房子里，只不过现在有Wi-Fi了。我们的餐桌还在，不过我们把中间的木头拿了出来，现在它的大小刚好够我们俩人使用。我们不再像从前那样吃晚饭，但有时候爸爸跟我会坐在沙发上闲聊会儿。

当然了，我们的咖啡桌聊天内容或许和从前的家庭晚餐不一样，或许我们的电视已经打不开了。或许我们的厨房里有蚂蚁，或许我们得用90年代的老掉牙收音机收听超级碗(Super Bowl)的实况，又或许，爸爸现在也病得越来越厉害了。

我不在乎我的新生活是围着有破洞的旧沙发、一个暴脾气老头、一对肥猫和一只鬃狮蜥转。和爸爸在一起，我感到心满意足；每晚7点，昏暗的厨房里，会有两把空椅子围在脏兮兮的暖棕色旧餐桌旁，我感到心满意足。在这段日子里，起居室的灯是开着的。

英文原文

‘The first thing my Pap sai was “Give her a hug, you can’t hurt her now.” ’

—Victoria Oswal

My kitchen is largely occupie by my ol, irty, warm-brown inner table.

It’s seen better ays. Every time I sit own, I’m surroune by splatters of ol paint, hot glue an the occasional ab of nail polish (that’s thanks to my oler sisters). Whenever I sit at either of our two chairs, I have to be extra careful they on’t fall apart because the legs are hel together by a teious mixture of woo glue, brute force an pure spite.

The kitchen table itself has been the hub of my family for the entire first half of my life. When I was younger, we (my Gram, Pap an two oler sisters) woul eat a home-cooke meal, courtesy of my Gram, at that ol, irty, warm-brown inner table at exactly 7 p.m. every single night.

At these family inners, I woul argue with my Pap for fun, watch him get yelle at by my Gram for interrupting me eating my inner an listen to my sisters either fight or joke; it was always a gamble. Originally, my kitchen table ha five stury wooen seats. A couple years later when my olest sister was 16 years ol an I was 8, the chair count lowere to four, as my olest sister move out. She fought too much with my Gram an wouln’t follow the rules, so she left.

Three years later my granmother was iagnose with small-cell lung cancer. That triggere a few more changes to our inner table routine. First, my other oler sister starte to skip inners. Not because of the inevitable foo quality ecline (cancer messes with your taste bus an overall cooking abilities), but because she was never home. I on’t think that she wante to be aroun post-cancer-iagnosis Gram.

The chair count roppe to three. The inners themselves after a year or so were much less frequent, not so much because of my Gram, but because my Pap was etermine to make Gram rest. She ignore my Pap’s concerns, so it sort of ene up in a mile gray area that I ha to live in.

A year an a half after my granmother got cancer, she ie. It may soun quick in wors, but it was pretty ragge out. Don’t get me wrong, I love my granmother, but people with cancer are usually ea long before they ie.

I was there when she ie, right smack ab in the mile of our living room. I was on one sie of the be, an my Pap was on the other. Her labore breaths slowe an then stoppe. It souns epressing, but it was sort of a happy moment. The first thing my Pap sai was “Give her a hug, you can’t hurt her now.” An, espite the phlegmy cancer smell, I i. We only neee two chairs.

After that, Pap an I, with the remnants of our nontraitional American family, built an extra nontraitional family. It took a while before we stabilize ourselves, because, to be honest, we were low-income before granma got cancer, but post-cancer was much worse.

Pap an I cut own on everything. We got ri of our cable, phone an internet. We use less oil, we use less water, we waste less foo, an at times we in’t have a car because our minivan took up a bunch of gas an like to break own frequently. But, espite a reafully boring WiFi-less an phoneless year, we mae it through.

I still live in the same house, except now it has Wi-Fi. Our kitchen table is still staning, though we took the center piece of woo out so now it’s the perfect size for just the two of us. We on’t have nightly inners anymore, but sometimes Pap an I sit on the couch an hang out.

Sure, maybe our coffee table chats aren’t the same as our nightly family inners, an maybe our television oesn’t turn on anymore. Maybe our kitchen has ants, an maybe we have to listen to the Super Bowl on our outate raio from the ’90s, an maybe, possibly, he is getting sicker now, too.

I on’t care that my new life revolves aroun a holey ol couch, a grumpy ol man, a couple of fat cats an a beare ragon. I’m content with my Pap, an I’m content with the fact that every night at 7 p.m., two empty chairs surroun my ol, irty, warm-brown inner table in the arkness of my kitchen. These ays, the lights are on in the living room.

《图书馆给了我通向世界的钥匙》

密尔沃基 凯莉·施利斯(Kelley Schlise)

即将入读哥伦比亚大学

当我们没地方住的时候，我们会在图书馆消磨时间，使用我心目中通往世界的钥匙：图书馆的电脑。

阿斯特丽德·利登在明尼苏达霍普金斯的霍普金斯图书馆。

JENN ACKERMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

正如我最爱的土豚亚瑟·里德所说，“当你有一张图书馆借书证时，找点乐子并不难。”好吧，其实挺难的。因为我，再一次，没带借书证。

我可能已经进了图书馆员近期“历史记录”，因为这种事经常发生，所以她直接开始在电脑上查我的名字。我，这个戴着眼镜的9岁小顾客，只是想借出本书，但现在有两个问题：我没带借书证，而且我的罚款太多，已经没法借出。

我咬着牙从用胶带做的钱包里掏出一张钞票，付了能让我把书借走的20%罚款。如果能借一本叫做《为孩子理财》(Hanling Money for Kis)的书，我会借的，因为我大部分的“财富”都直接回到了图书馆。

多亏了我妈妈，我几乎从出生起就有了一张借书证。我去我的图书馆不仅仅是为了读书，而是要沉浸在书里。我会找到我的凳子，坐在儿童区，然后看书。妈妈去上班时，她会半路把我放在图书馆，然后我就像往常一样：坐下来，读书，还书，重复这些动作，如果幸运的话，我还会把书借回家。

我的访问目的通常都一样：读书或者玩电脑。但当我长大一些，我意识到事情已经开始发生变化。我妈妈开始经常和我们一起去图书馆。当我在读书或完成作业时，她也会在那，在我旁边打字。我们的世界并存了，但这是有原因的。

有三年时间，母亲失业。作为单身母亲，没有工作、没有家也没有车的困境苦不堪言。我停止了往日的例行程序，也没怎么介意。我开着两个页面，继续着手中的工作。

我每天都会登陆Zillow、求职网站，以及跟外公的中风康复有关的网站，然后问我找的信息有没有用。“谢谢我闺女，”妈妈总这么说，但我意识到了随之而来的压力。我们处在不同的世界，但它们撞到了一起。

没地方住时，我们会在图书馆消磨时间，使用我心目中通往世界的钥匙：图书馆电脑。无论是在我们童年时的图书馆，还是我们所住的农场40英里开外的图书馆，图书馆就是一种稳定。

如今我坐在服务台后面，看到也听到了一切：央求着要借走“朱尼·琼斯系列”(Junie B. Jones)的小女孩，在电脑上玩《机器砖块》(Roblox)的男孩，忙着报税的女人，来电询问最新结果的“体育迷”，还有询问天气的女人。

我会听到西班牙语、英语、索马里语。我会遇到那些常见的不守规矩的家伙：孩子们上气不接下气地跑来柜台问，“能给我个访客通行证吗？”

起初，缓缓打出来的收据只是一串数字，但我很快意识到远不止如此。曾经我说的是，“我妈忘带借书证了”或“图书馆什么时候关门？”或“我能用一下电话吗？”当年我是使用电脑的顾客，是阅读区的孩子。而今我是那个在柜台的专业人员，帮忙寻找遗失的借书证。坐在柜台前不会让我忘记自己的过去，反而会让我接纳它。

图书馆向人们提供的资源，会给不同的人开启不同的门。即便在妈妈找到工作后，图书馆仍是安全感与舒适感的来源。在曾给予我如此之多的地方工作，我学会了回馈他人。现在我拥有了将图书馆开放给他人的机会，正如它曾开放给我一样。

英文原文

‘When we ha nowhere to live, we woul spen hours at the library, using what I thought to be the key to the worl: library computers.’

—Astri Lien

As Arthur Rea, my favorite aarvark, woul say, “Having fun isn’t har when you’ve got a library car.” Well, it was har. I in’t have my library car. Again.

The librarian probably ha me on “recent history” since this happene so often, so she just looke me up on the computer. I, the little glasses-wearing 9-year-ol patron, simply wante to check out a book, but now I ha two problems: I i not have my library car an my fines were too high to check out.

Pulling out the ollar bill I ha foun in my uct tape wallet, I pai the 20 percent of my fine that let me check out a book an left, gritting my teeth. If I coul have checke out a book calle “Hanling Money for Kis,” I woul have, because most of my “wealth” went right back to the library.

Thanks to my mom, I practically ha a library car from birth. I woul go to my library not just to rea books but to be immerse in them. I woul fin my stool, sit in the chilren’s area an rea. I woul get roppe off at the library while my mom worke, an I woul follow my usual routine: sit, rea, return, repeat, an if I was lucky, check out.

The purpose of my visit was usually the same: rea books or play on the computer. But as I grew up, I realize that things ha begun to change. My mom began coming to the library with us more often. While I woul be reaing or finishing homework, she woul be right there, typing besie me. Our worls coexiste, but for a reason.

For three years, my mother was unemploye. As a single mother, the struggle of not having a job, home or car was immense. I stoppe my usual routine an was fine with it. With two tabs open, I continue on with my work.

I woul log on aily to Zillow, job search websites an websites about stroke rehabilitation for my granfather, asking if any of my finings woul work. “Gracias, mija,” my mom always sai, but I realize the stress ensue. We were in ifferent worls, but they collie.

When we ha nowhere to live, we woul spen hours at the library, using what I thought to be the key to the worl: library computers. Whether it was at our chilhoo library or the library 40 miles away by the farm where we were staying, the library was this stability.

Sitting behin the service esk toay, I see an hear it all: the little girl begging to check out Junie B. Jones, the boys playing Roblox on the computer, the woman filing her taxes, the call from “Sports Guy” asking for the latest results, the woman asking about the weather.

I hear Spanish, English, Somali. I get the usual rule-breakers: kis running, out of breath, to the esk asking, “Can I have a Guest Pass?”

At first, the slowly printe receipt is just a number, but I soon realize it is much more. I was once saying, “My mom forgot her car” or “When oes the library close?” or “Can I use the phone?” Back then, I was the patron on the computer, the ki in the reaing area. Now, I am the specialist at the esk looking up the forgotten library cars. Sitting at the esk oes not make me forget my past, it helps me embrace it.

The library gives people access to a resource that opens oors in one way for one person, an in others for the next. Even after my mom got a job, the library remaine a source of security an comfort. By working at a place that gave me so much, I have learne to give back. I now have the opportunity to open the library to others, just as it was opene up to me.

美本申请中的“古怪”作文题

美国大学申请中，除了自定主题的Common Essay，也会有一些根据学校给的题目进行创作的文书；而有些大学的文书主题十分特别，比如芝加哥大学，每年的本科申请附加文书就以“奇葩”著称。

比起哈佛“你想让未来的大学室友了解你什么？”，耶鲁“什么能引发你对于知识的兴趣？”，普林斯顿“你如何度过近两次暑假”这类中规中矩的题目，芝加哥大学就要不走寻常路，比如今年芝大文书申请题目分别是：

• 在十三世纪的大航海时代，如果你在航行中突然掉出世界边缘后会怎么样?

• 2015年，澳大利亚的墨尔本市给每棵树都创立了电子邮箱，以便人们上报城市绿化相关的问题。不料有人给他们最喜欢的树木写了甜蜜且有时相当幽默的邮件。想象这种“树邮服务”已经推广到了全世界的所有事物，与我们分享你写给最爱物件的邮件。

• floccinaucinihilipilification描述没有价值的事物，由拉丁词floccu、naucum、nihilum和pilus组成。这四个词也都是没用处的意思。用任何语言生造你自己的词，告诉我们它的含义，也描述其(即便只对你个人而言)可能的最恰当使用的场景。

• 钥匙丢了？Alohomora. 制造噪音的室友？Quietus. 因为某种原因想打破窗户？Finestra. (以上三个为哈利波特中的咒语) 创造你自己的魔法符咒。如何施法？需要念咒语么？是否要用到魔药或其他魔法物品，它们会是什么？魔法符咒的作用是什么？

• 想象你与招生办主任Nonorf达成了协议，你被保送进入芝加哥大学，条件是你需要在一张A4纸上写、画、素描、纸模涂鸦……就任何主题以你能想到的方式进行表达。你唯一的界限是A4纸的正反两面。当然，你提交的创作在之后的人生中会是所有你新认识的人第一眼看到的东西。不论是工作面试、相亲、还是上第一堂人文课程，在你说“嗨”之前，别人已经见过了那一张纸并形成了对你的第一印象。给我们展示这一页。纸上有什么内容，为什么？如果你提交的内容大部分或全部属于视觉艺术，请确保额外附上一个不少于300词的创作者说明。说明可以另占一页。（附注：这是个创新思维实验，选择这道题目并不确保你会被我校录取或你的糟糕成绩、违法乱纪或者其他“情况”能被忽略。）

• 以探寻未知的冒险精神，提属于你自己的问题或者选择一个往年的文书题目。在这个过程中请带上原创性、创造力并写出发人深省的文字。好好利用你作为一位作家、思想家、梦想家、社会评论员、哲人、世界公民或芝加哥的未来社区成员的一些最好的优点，冒一冒险并享受这个过程。

如果是你的话，会选择哪个题目？虽然美本申请文书不像高考作文那样需要在规定的时限内完成，不过也更需要学生在文书中体现出自己独特的视角，创意和人生观，才能令招生官眼前一亮。