(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
This is the VOA Learning English Education Report.
Millions of high school students in China took a college entrance examination recently. The highly competitive test is often praised for giving good students a chance to enter the best schools. It makes the competition for college fair for students from poor families. The examination is known as the Gaokao.
Universities are supposed to require good scores on the test for admission to college. But reports suggest that some people are getting into schools without even taking the test. Education is very important to gaining a good standing in Chinese society. This year, about nine million students competed for about seven million places in colleges.
Every June, Chinese media report on the hard work and worry of students preparing for the Gaokao. This year, however, newspapers are writing stories about corruption in the country's top schools.
One case involves Cai Rongsheng, the former head of admissions at Beijing's highly respected Renmin University. Mr. Cai reportedly took money in exchange for approving admissions for students who did not take the Gaokao.
Yang Rui studies Chinese education policy at the University of Hong Kong. He says the Gaokao offered millions of people chances for a better life. And Mr. Yang says it changed the country after the late 1970s.
"But increasingly, academics and government policymakers realized Gaokao is not really fair, Many people are in much better positions than those in rural - for example - schools. Also, scores themselves only cannot tell the whole picture," Yang said.
Some universities in China are permitted to chose up to five percent of their first year students for reasons other than schoolwork. These could include sports, interest groups or community volunteer work.
The policy is designed to help candidates whose abilities would not identifiable from Gaokao test scores. Schools also have had more freedom to chose candidates from rural areas.
Xiong Bingqi is vice president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, a Non-Governmental Group. He proposes other ways to get different kinds of students. He says students should be nominated by their high schools, then take examinations at the university. Finally, a person would be offered a place at the school through performance records.
Mr. Xiong says instead administrators with power to decide who enters college have hijacked the system.
Officials have banned trading university entry for money or better treatment. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education demanded a more open and better supervised admission system.
And that's the Education Report from VOA Learning English. I'm Jerilyn Watson.
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.standing adj. 长期的；直立的；固定的 n. 站立；持续；身分 v. 站立；坚持不变；坐落于（stand的ing形式）
He has improved his country's standing abroad.
他使他的国家在国外的名声得到了提高。
2.academics n. 学术水平；学术知识；专业学者
A group of academics say they can predict house prices through a computer program.
一批学者声称，他们可以通过一种电脑程序预测房价。
3.hijack vt. 抢劫；揩油 vi. 拦路抢劫 n. 劫持；威逼；敲诈
Two men tried to hijack a plane on a flight from Riga to Murmansk.
两名男子试图劫持一架从里加飞往摩尔曼斯克的飞机。
内容解析
1. Mr. Cai reportedly took money in exchange for approving admissions for students who did not take the Gaokao.
in exchange for 作为…的交换
Tom gave Helen an apple in exchange for a piece of cake.
汤姆用一个苹果与海伦换一块蛋糕。
It is illegal for public officials to solicit gifts or money in exchange for favors.
公务员通过索要礼物或钱财作为为他人提供便利的交换是违法的。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
最近中国有数百万高中生参加大学入学考试，这个竞争非常激烈的考试因给优秀学生进入最佳大学的机会而受到怎样，使得来自贫困家庭的学生公平地参与竞争，这个考试被称作高考。
各大学理应对大学入学成绩有很高的要求，但报道称部分学生不参加考试就上大学。在中国社会，教育对获得好的地位来说很重要。今年，大约100万学生竞争大学的700万个名额。
每年6月份，中国媒体都会报道准备学生刻苦准备高考以及他们的担忧，今年报纸上却报道了中国顶级大学的腐败新闻。
一起案子涉及到北京备受尊崇的人民大学前招生负责人蔡荣生，据悉蔡接受贿赂批准未参加高考的学生入学。
杨瑞在香港大学研究中国教育政策，他说高考给数百万人提供了过上更好生活的机会，他说从20世纪70年代末起高考开始改变中国。
“但是学术界和政府越发感到高考并不真的公平，许多城市学生比农村学生更有优势。另外，分数并不能真的说明学生的实际水平。”
中国的部分大学允许通过成绩以外的因素选择录取5%的新生，其中包括体育、兴趣小组和社区义务工作。
该政策意在帮助高考无法体现其能力的学生，学校还有更多的自由度来从农村地区选择新生。
熊丙奇是非政府组织21世纪教育研究院的副院长，他提出通过其他方式录取各种学生。他说学生应该由他们所在的高中来提名，然后在大学参加考试。最终，该学生将通过表现来获得入学名额。
熊先生说，然而有权力决定录取谁的官员劫持了这一系统。
官方已经禁止以大学入学作为条件来交换金钱或更好的待遇，今年早些时候，教育部要求招生系统更公开，监督更严格。
这就是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，我是杰瑞琳·沃森。
