99. Be assigned a roommate, or choose your own roommate?

Going to university is an exciting time in a young person's life. Part of the experience is living in the campus dormitory, and it is the first time for person away from his/her parents, in many cases. If one has to share a room with another student, I believe that it is better that the university picks the prospective roommate.

When a young person first goes to university, he/she often moves straight to the school from his/her bedroom at his/her parents' house. This usually means that the person has no idea of the qualities necessary to be a good roommate. Perhaps the young person would choose to live with a good friend. While this situation could be a very happy one, it could also be disastrous. Getting along with a friend as a roommate, if not properly handled, could quickly ruin the relationship. If the school picks one's roommate, this is less likely to happen.

In many cases, young people travel out of the city they grew up in to go to university. For many of these students, picking a potential roommate would be difficult. They know very few people in the new city, let alone at the university. This can lead to very stressful situations. If one is trying to settle into a new environment, but also must find a roommate to live with, he/she might find the whole experience overwhelming.

Finally, I think having the school choose roommates rather than the individuals is a good idea because living with a person you do not know can be a rewarding experience. A stranger can quickly turn into one's best friend, as memories are forged while living together in a confined space.

译文

99. 被分配室友，还是自己选择室友？

上大学是一个青年人生活中一段令人兴奋的时光，其中一部分经历是在校园的住宿生活。在很多情况下，这是一个人第一次离开父母。如果一定要与另一个同学合住一个房间，我想更好的办法是由学校来选择未来的室友。

青年人第一次上大学时，通常是从自己在父母家中的卧室直接来到校园的。这意味着此时的学生还对一个好的室友应该具备什么素质没有概念。也许这个学生会选择与一个好朋友住在一起。这样做有可能是一件令人愉快的事情，但同时也有可能产生不好的结局。与好朋友住在一起，如果处理得不好，可能很快就会损坏你们之间的关系。而如果是由学校来安排室友，就不太可能会发生这样的事情了。

在多数情况下，青年人会远离他们原来生活的城市到异地求学。对这些学生中的许多人来说，选择室友将是一件困难的事情。他们在整个新城市中都没几个认识的人，更不用提在学校里了。这会让他们感觉很压抑。如果一个人既要努力适应新的环境，又必须自己寻找同住的室友，很可能会被这样的经历而弄得筋疲力尽。

最后，我之所以认为最好由学校，而不是个人，来选择室友是因为：与不了解的人同住在一起将是一种有益的经历。随着同住在狭窄空间里的回忆不断累积，这个陌生人可能会很快成为你最好的朋友。

Word List

• disastrous ［diˈzæstrəs］ adj. 灾难性的；极坏的
• ruin ［ru:in］ v. 毁坏，毁灭
• properly ［ˈpra:pəli］ adv. 适当地；完全地
• let alone 不管；不打扰
• settle in 迁入
• overwhelming ［ˌəuvəˈhwelmiŋ］ adj. 压倒性的
• rewarding ［riˈwɔ:diŋ］ adj. 报答的，值得的
• turn into 进入；（使）变成
• forge ［fɔ:dʒ］ v. 铸造
• confine ［ˈkənfain］ v. 限制，禁闭