(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
South Africa has 11 official languages. If you want to say hello, it's "sawubona" in Zulu, and "hallo" in Afrikaans. Now, South Africa's school children may start using "ni hao" to say hello.
The country's education minister says, the nation is adding the Mandarin language teaching in some schools. Mandarin is the official spoken language of China. That country is a major trading power for South Africa.
A recent agreement between the two nations centers on five areas of cooperation. They include development in basic education, school books and lessons, mathematics and science, teacher training and career education and research.
South Africa officials have not said how much they teaching Mandarin will cost. Troy Martens is an officials with South Africa's Ministry of Basic Education. She says the new partnership is extremely valuable.
"So it is very exciting and both countries have indicated that for them education is a high priority, and that is why education is high on the agenda of collaboration between the two countries," said Martens.
The part of the plan that has garnered the most attention is the inclusion of the Mandarin language in schools.
A public opinion study last year found that South Africans have mixed feelings about China. The survey showed 46 percent of South Africans do not like the spread of Chinese ideas and customs in their country, the results also showed that 60 percent dislike Chinese music, movies and television.
But Ms Martens said Chinese trade is more important than those feelings. She said it is extremely helpful to learners in South Africa to study Mandarin as well as Chinese culture. And she said not every school will offer Mandarin.
"Now this will not be compulsory, it will not be for every school, and it will not be for every child. But for schools that feel they have the capacity to offer Mandarin as a subject, we think it is a great opportunity for South African learners to be exposed to this international type of language," said Martens.
South Africa's population studies do not say how many native Chinese speakers are among its nearly 51 million people.
Lisette Noonan heads the 80-year-old Pretoria Chinese School in South Africa's capital. The school serves about 500 students from kindergarten to grade 12. Every student studies Mandarin.
Ms Noonan says the school welcomes the new cooperation between South Africa and China. She said it is in the best interests of children to study Mandarin. She said that especially true with China becoming what she called "a huge economic power in the world".
South African schools suffer from the country's history of apartheid.
And from VOA Learning English, that's the Education Report. I'm Bob Doughty.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.garner vt. 获得；储存；把…储入谷仓 n. 谷仓
He gradually garnered a reputation as a financial expert.
他逐渐地赢得了金融专家的名声。
2.inclusion n. 包含；内含物
His inclusion in the team is in doubt.
他是否能被选入这个队还未定案。
3.apartheid n. 种族隔离
He praised her role in the struggle against apartheid.
他赞扬了她在反对种族隔离制的斗争中所起的作用。
内容解析
1.She said it is in the best interests of children to study Mandarin.
in the interests of 为了…；为…的利益起见
In the interests of hygiene, please wash your hands.
为了卫生，请洗手。
We all work hard in the interests of our future.
我们都为我们自己的将来而努力工作。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
南非有11种官方语言，如果你要问好，在祖鲁语中是sawubona，南非荷兰语中是Afrikaans。如今，南非学生可能要学会用“你好”来打招呼了。
该国教育部长称南非准备将汉语加入一些学校的课程中，汉语是中国的官方语言，中国是南非的一大贸易伙伴。
最近两国的协议主要涉及五个方面的合作，包括基础教育开发、学校课本和课程、数学和科学、教学培训和职业教育及研究。
南非官方并未透露教授汉语的成本，特洛伊·马顿斯是南非基础教育部官员，她说新的合作项目非常宝贵。
“这令人激动，两国都表示教育是关注的一大重点，因此教育是两国合作议程的重中之重。”
该计划最引人注目之处，是将汉语纳入学校课程之中。
去年的一个民调显示，南非人对中国的感情比较复杂。调查显示46%的南非人不喜欢在本国传播中国思想和传统，结果还显示60%的人不喜欢中国的音乐、电影和电视。
但马顿斯女士说与中国的贸易比这些更重要，她说对于南非学习者来说学习汉语和中国文化都是非常重要的，她说不是每个学校都提供汉语课。
“这并不是强制性的，不是每所学校都有，不是每个孩子都要学。但对那些认为有能力提供汉语课程的学校来说，我们认为这是让南非学习者接触这种国际语言的绝好机会。”
南非的人口调查并没指出这近5100万人口中有多少土生土长的中国人。
利西特·努南是南非首都有着80年历史的比勒陀利亚中文学校负责人，该校有幼儿园到12年级的约500名学生，每个学生都学汉语。
努南女士说该校欢迎南非和中国的新合作，她说这对孩子学习汉语最有利，她说尤其是现在中国成为“世界一大经济体”。
南非学校在该国的隔离时期遭受过磨难。
这就是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，我是鲍勃·多迪。
