作者：陳玉蓉（Author: Chen Yu-Rong）

翻譯：李小慧（Translator: Jonathan Lee）

當聒噪的蟬鳴漸漸安靜下來，天氣不再那麼悶熱難熬時，我們就知道秋天來了，也知道新學年就要開始了。上週ICLP剛剛迎接2017-18學年的新同學來到學校，現在就讓我們跟著史料回到1970年代，看看那時學生如何度過開學前的時間。

When the noise of the cicadas has faded, and the weather has become less sultry and unbearable, we know fall has arrived. We also know it is the start of a new school year. Last week ICLP welcomed the new students for the 2017-2018 academic year. Now, by examining ICLP’s historical documents, we shall take a look back at how students in the 1970s spent their time before the beginning of the school year.

首先，學校藉著口試和筆試了解學生程度，以便教務處老師為學生安排合適的課程。從這份關於IUP考試制度的文件可知，由於早期學生必須有兩年以上的基礎才能申請本所，因此口試老師會根據學生之前所用的教材，採用不同的題目測驗學生的口語表達能力；而筆試則分成聽力、語法、詞彙、閱讀的部分，測驗學生綜合性的語言能力。

First, the students took an oral and written exam to test language proficiency so that the staff at the Instructional Office could arrange suitable classes. By looking at a document (below) regarding the oral exam system, we know that since students had to have two years of Chinese language foundation before applying, the teachers administering the oral exam would use material the students had previously used to test the students’ oral proficiency on various topics. The written test was divided into listening, grammar, vocabulary, and reading to provide a comprehensive assessment of a student’s language proficiency.

入學考試在學生報到截止日期之次日起舉行，學生在報到的時候可以就自己的方便登記口試及筆試時間。過去，在時間安排上比較鬆散，約有一個星期可進行口試，但後來為提高效率，多在兩天之內完成。

The entry exam was given on the day after the last day of registration. When registering, students could sign up for times most convenient for them to take the oral and written exams. In the past, exam times were more relaxed, and students could take the oral exam within a period of a week. Later on, exams were to be completed within two days so as to optimize the process.

口筆試分班測驗結束以後，學校為學生安排新生說明會。從1974年杜爾文所長(Prof. James E. Dew)密密麻麻的筆記就可以看出學校為安排說明會所花費的心力。

After the students were split into groups and took the oral exams, the program would plan a new student orientation. From Professor James E. Dew’s scrawled notes, we can see how much effort the school expended on the orientation.  

當年的新生說明會特別邀請臺大閻振興校長與中央研究院錢思亮院長蒞臨致詞，以表示對於留學生的歡迎與重視。

That year, in an expression of welcome and acknowledgement of the importance of exchange students, the program specially invited the principal of NTU, Yen Chen-Hsing, and the director of Academia Sinica, Chien Shih-Liang, to give speeches at the new student orientation.

新生說明會的目的在於幫助留學生了解、適應環境，因此除了學校課程以外，對於臺灣生活現況、政經局勢的介紹也是不可少的。另外，學校同時也安排了發音以及介紹拼音系統的大班課，幫助學生調整學習的狀態以迎接開學。

The new student orientation aims to help exchange students understand and adjust to their new environment. Thus, the program provides information on not just classes, but also on life in Taiwan and the political situation. In addition, the school offers classes on pronunciation and an introduction to the pinyin system, which help students in adjusting their study habits for the start of school.

在四十多年後的今天，我們發現入學口筆試的精神從以前到現在並沒有改變，而新生說明會的內容越來越豐富了。除了新生說明會之外，新生說明週上午分別是語音、語法、漢字及本所特有教學模式等學術講座，下午則是各項參訪活動，如：大稻埕古蹟、貓空茶文化、故宮、雲門劇場、烏來原住民文化等等。希望新同學透過學校精心安排的活動，創造自己在ICLP學習的黃金歲月！

Today, forty years later, we realized the spirit of the entry exam has not changed since then, and the content covered in the new student orientation has diversified. During orientation week, outside of the new student orientation, students also have morning classes on pronunciation, grammar, Chinese character, and ICLP’s teaching methods. In the afternoon, there are various field trips such as visiting the historic sites of Dadaocheng, experiencing the tea culture in Maokong, going to the National Palace Museum, visiting the Cloud Gate dance theater, and observing the aboriginal culture in Wulai. We hope new students can, through ICLP’s meticulous planning of these activities, create for themselves unforgettable experiences while studying at ICLP.