A Signer Helps Students原版英文小故事部分內容：

Joan’s job is to use American Sign Language to enable instructors1 to communicate with English-speaking deaf students. She went to school for three years to get her certificate. According to Joan, learning ASL was not that difficult, but learning to be an excellent interpreter could take a lifetime.

Three years after enrolling2 at Pierce College, Joan graduated as a Certified3 ASL Interpreter. Plenty of job opportunities were waiting for her. She likes the college environment, so she applied4 for a job at Newton Community College, a school with 28,000 students. There are 22 hearing-impaired students at NCC. Joan has worked with most of them.

They are very friendly with her. Often they invite her to have a cup of coffee after class. They talk about school and about what they hope to do after graduation. Sometimes the women talk about personal things, especially about how hard it is to find “Mr. Right.” Joan agrees with them, saying she herself has given up on finding him. They also talk about their favorite movies, books, and music. Even deaf people can “hear” music. Many are good dancers.

Joan is one of the four interpreters on campus. Two are full-time5; Joan works part-time. She accompanies a deaf student to class. The student sits in the front row. Joan usually sits near the teacher, facing the student. She signs as the teacher talks. If the class is less than 90 minutes long, there is only one interpreter per student. If the class is longer, there are two interpreters per student. They alternate; one interpreter will sign for 20 minutes, and then the other will.

Joan will go back to school soon. She wants to become a Certified French Sign Language Interpreter. She already speaks French fluently; her mom taught it to her. Her mom also taught Joan that American men are hopeless. She frequently told Joan that only a French man knows how to make a woman feel like a woman. Joan idolizes her mom, and takes her advice to heart. It will take Joan about three more years to get certified.

What then? Then she will leave California, move to Paris, find a romantic French boyfriend, and live happily ever after.

1 instructors 指導者，教師( instructor的名詞復數 )

參考例句：

The instructors were slacking on the job. 教員們對工作松松垮垮。

He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外輔導員身份，被邀請到主席臺上。

2 enrolling v.招收( enrol的現在分詞 );吸收;入學;加入;[亦作enrol]( enroll的現在分詞 );登記，招收，使入伍(或入會、入學等)，參加，成為成員;記入名冊;卷起，包起

參考例句：

They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他們猛烈抨擊大學的招生制度。 來自辭典例句

You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注冊加入鄉村俱樂部了，比利。 來自辭典例句

3 certified a.經證明合格的;具有證明文件的

參考例句：

Doctors certified him as insane. 醫生證明他精神失常。

The planes were certified airworthy. 飛機被證明適于航行。

4 applied adj.應用的;v.應用，適用

參考例句：

She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算學習應用語言學課程。

This cream is best applied to the face at night.這種乳霜最好晚上擦臉用。

5 full-time adj.滿工作日的或工作周的，全時間的

參考例句：

A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。

I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顧家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何對付的。