(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
EF Education First, a private education company, is working with LinkedIn to test members of the business social networking site on the language of business: English.
The idea is simple. When LinkedIn users in non-English speaking countries update their profiles, they will be asked if they would like to take the EFSET test. The EFSET test is a free online standardized English test from EF Education First. LinkedIn will redirect users to EF's website to take the test. Users can then post their certified EFSET test results on their LinkedIn profile. There is no cost for users.
The EF-LinkedIn partnership offers English learners a free and convenient way to demonstrate their English ability online. However, the EFSET test is new and not as well known as the TOEFL and IELTS.
There are other online testing options for English learners. Transparent Language offers an online English proficiency test with four parts: two levels of grammar, a vocabulary section, and a reading comprehension section. The results of the test give a percentage of the overall score.
A fun, casual way to test your language ability can be found on "Which's English." This is a game-like quiz that Transparent Language includes on its Free Resources page. Players look at two words or phrases and choose the one that is actually English. For example, is "muplex" or "conciliation" an English word?
At the end of the game, the players receive the correct answer and an explanation for each question.
Several companies have online English proficiency tests. They often place a student into a level of an online teaching program associated with the company. Most of the tests just measure knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and reading. Students preparing for a standardized test of English should also check their listening skill. Exam English has free online tests that include listening comprehension sections. The test taker listens to an audio clip and answers questions about it.
Colleges and universities accept international students based on their test scores or placement on a widely-accepted proficiency scale, like the Common European Framework of Reference, CEFR. Employers decide on their own which test results to accept for international applicants.
Since online tests do not have a way to proctor the test-taker, their results are best for a casual self-assessment by the learner, or as a tool to guide study. Putting them on social media, such as a LinkedIn profile, means the scores are available to anyone on the Internet.
Minh Tran is the Director of Research and Academic Partnerships at EF. He says sharing test scores on social media may affect a person's reputation.
"If you say on LinkedIn that you have an EF 80 score, which is a high score, it's an advanced C2 score, and you go into an interview and you clearly do not have that advanced level of English, that is your reputation at stake."
Mr. Tran says the eyes of the world on social media should encourage truthful reporting of test scores.
"I actually think that social networks keep us more honest than if it were a traditional resume, because on a traditional resume, only the interviewer sees your resume, but your LinkedIn profile - the whole world can see it."
It is too early to tell if EF's collaboration with LinkedIn will be a success. But one thing is sure—you can't beat the price.
This is the VOA Learning English Education Report. I'm Jill Robbins.
词汇解释
1.proficiency n. 精通，熟练，水平
Evidence of basic proficiency in English is part of the admissions requirement.
基本英语水平的证明是录取条件的一部分。
2.quiz n. 考查；恶作剧；课堂测验 vt. 挖苦；张望；对…进行测验
We'll have a quiz at the end of class.
下课前我们将进行一次测试。
3.conciliation n. 调解；安抚；说服
Resolving the dispute will require a mood of conciliation on both sides.
解决这场争端需要双方都抱有和解的态度。
4.collaboration n. 合作；勾结；通敌
There is substantial collaboration with neighbouring departments.
相邻的几个院系进行了通力合作。
内容解析
1. They often place a student into a level of an online teaching program associated with the company.
associated with 与…有关系；与…相联系
Cigarette smoking has been associated with lung cancer.
肺癌被认为与吸烟有关。
Both groups share two attributes normally associated with vertebrates.
两组都具有通常脊椎动物才具备的两个特征。
2.it's an advanced C2 score, and you go into an interview and you clearly do not have that advanced level of English, that is your reputation at stake.
at stake 危如累卵；处于危险中；在紧要关头
At stake are more than 20,000 jobs in Britain's aerospace sector.
英国航天部门2万多人面临失业的危险。
At stake is the success or failure of world trade talks.
世界贸易谈判正处于成败的重要关头。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
私营教育公司英语教育正与领英合作测试这家商务社交网络网站会员的商务语言—英语的水平。
他们的想法很简单，当非英语国家的领英用户更新个人简历时，他们将被询问是否愿意参加EFSET考试，EFSET考试是英语教育提供的一种免费在线英语标准测试。领英将把用户引导到英孚的网站上参加测试，用户就可以将自己经认证的EFSET考试结果发布到领英个人简历上，用户无需支付任何费用。
英孚和领英的合作关系给英语学习者提供了在线展示自己英语能力的免费又方便的途径，不过，这种EFSET考试还很新，不如托福和雅思知名。
网上还有其他可供英语学习者选择的在线考试，透明语言提供的在线英语水平测试包括四个部分：两个级别的语法、词汇部分以及阅读理解。考试的结果会给出占总分数的百分比。
在Which's English上可找到一种有趣、休闲的方式来测试语言能力，这是透明语言在其免费资源页面上提供的像游戏的小测试，玩家看到两个词语或短语，然后选出正确的英语。比如，muplex和conciliation哪个是英语词汇？
在游戏的最后，玩家会得到正确答案和每个问题的解释。
几个公司都有在线英语水平测试，他们通常会把学生放到与该公司有关的在线教学项目的某个层面上，大多数测试只考察语法知识、词汇和阅读。为标准化英语测试做准备的学生也应该检查自己的听力技能。Exam English含有包括听力综合部分的免费在线测试，参加考试者会听到一段录音，然后回答有关问题。
各高校会根据国际学生他们在被广泛接受的水平量表中的分数或位置来进行录取，比如欧洲语言共同参考框架。雇主自主决定凭哪种考试的结果来录取国际申请。
由于在线测试无法对测试参加者进行监考，因此其结果最多是学习者进行的非正式自我评估，或是指导学习的工具。将测试成绩放在社交媒体上，比如领英个人简历上，意味着成绩对网上每个人都开放。
Minh Tran是英孚研究与学术合作部门负责人，他说在社交媒体上分享考试成绩可能会影响到个人的声誉。
“如果你在领英上展示的英孚分数是80分，这是个高分，属于C2这一高级别的分数，而你在面试中明显不具备这个高级别的英语水平的话，你的声誉就会受到影响。”
Tran说，全世界对社交媒体的关注应该鼓励用户真实地报道自己的成绩。
“我认为社交网络能让我们比在传统简历上更加诚实，只有面试官能看到传统简历，而你的领英简历则是全世界都能看到的。”
现在要说英孚和领英的合作是否成功还为时过早，但有一件事是确定的，这个考试是无价的。
这就是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，我是吉尔·鲁宾斯。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
