(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
US Universities Report Drop in Students from China
For the past 10 years, the number of Chinese students at U.S. universities has been rising. But university officials are starting to see a sharp drop in Chinese students.
Several universities have reported drops of 20 percent or more this autumn at the start of a new school term.
To get more international students, some schools are advertising in other countries and working to keep the number of Chinese students they have.
U.S. colleges and universities need the money paid by students from China and other countries.
International students usually pay the whole tuition amount, unlike American students, many of whom ask for financial aid.
University officials and observers say there are several reasons for the falling numbers of Chinese students. They include trade conflicts and political tensions between China and the United States. There also is increasing competition for college students, visa issues and the growth of China's higher education system.
At Bentley University in Massachusetts, the number of new Chinese students arriving for graduate level work dropped from 110 last autumn to 70. As a result, Bentley officials are wondering whether all of its graduate programs can survive.
"I wouldn't describe it as catastrophically bad," said the university's president, Alison Davis-Blake.
She added that the university has tried to get more students from other countries as well as from inside the United States.
Large decreases in Chinese students also have been reported this autumn at the University of Vermont, which reported a 23 percent decrease. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln had a 20 percent decrease.
China sends more students to study in the United States than any other country. Its 363,000 students represent more than 30 percent of all international students at U.S. universities.
Parents and students in China share concerns with those in other countries about American gun violence as well as immigration issues.
In May, the group NAFSA: Association of International Educators identified two main reasons for falling numbers of international students who want to study in the United States:
the difficulty of getting a visa, and the social and political environment in the United States.
But there are also problems that affect only Chinese students. The Trump administration has accused China of stealing U.S. intellectual property.
It is looking very closely at Chinese students who ask for visas to study robotics, flight and high-tech manufacturing.
In June, China warned students and other visitors to the United States about possible difficulties in getting U.S. visas.
Xiong Xiong is an electrical engineering student at Beijing Jiaotong University.
He said he hopes to study at a U.S. university. But he is worried about the visa process, so he plans to ask to study in Britain.
"I'm concerned my visa will be affected," he said.
Brad Farnsworth is vice president for international global engagement at the American Council on Education.
He said that his recent travels in China suggest the claims of economic espionage are making some students think they are not welcome.
"The concern is a Chinese student...will be met with animosity...about why they are in the United States," he said.
International students add an estimated $39 billion to the U.S. economy.
Normally, over 5,000 Chinese students are in the colleges of engineering and business at the University of Illinois. The university recently took an insurance policy that will pay it $60 million if the money from Chinese students drops by 20 percent.
Lehigh University in Pennsylvania announced this month it has agreed to pay a recruiter to help bring in more students from India. It also has been taking more interest in African countries south of the Sahara Desert, said Lehigh's Cheryl Matherly.
Like many other American universities, Lehigh has begun sending employees to Beijing and Shanghai to meet with Chinese students and their parents. The employees want to ease Chinese fears about studying in the U.S. and show that their university wants Chinese students.
I'm Susan Shand.
重点解析
重点讲解：
1. at the start of 在......开始的时候；在......的开始；
Most large businesses were collectivized at the start of the war.
大部分大型企业在战争初期都转为了公有。
2. as a result 因此；结果是；
As a result, the bad thing has been turned into a good one.
结果坏事变成了好事。
3. as well as 适合；赞同；
It is in his best interests as well as yours.
这符合他的最大利益，同时也符合你的利益。
4. agree to 同意；赞成；
I cannot but agree to your decision.
我不得不同意你的决定。
参考译文
美国大学报告中国留学生人数正在下降
过去10年来，美国大学的中国学生人数一直在飙升。但现在，大学官员们看到中国学生数量开始锐减。
有几所大学报告说，今年秋季新学期开学时，降幅达到或超过20%。
为了招收更多的留学生，一些学校在其他国家做广告宣传，努力保持现有中国学生的数量。
美国高校需要中国和其他国家的学生来支付学费。
留学生不像美国学生，他们通常要支付全额学费，许多人请求经济资助。
大学官员和观察家表示，中国学生人数下降有几个原因。其中包括中美之间的贸易冲突和政治紧张关系。此外，大学生的竞争日益激烈、签证问题和中国高等教育体系发展等因素。
在马萨诸塞州的宾利大学，中国新入学的研究生数量从去年秋季的110人下降到70人。因此，宾利大学的官员们在考虑，是否所有的研究生课程还能全部保留下来。
该校校长艾莉森·戴维斯-布莱克说：“我不会把它描述成像场灾难一样糟糕。”
她补充说，“这所大学试图从其他国家以及美国国内招收更多的学生。”
佛蒙特大学今年秋季也有报道称，中国学生人数大幅减少，降幅达23%。内布拉斯加州大学-林肯分校下降了20%。
中国学生前往美国学习的人数比其他任何国家都多。363000名中国学生占美国大学所有留学生人数的30%以上。
中国的家长和学生像其他国家的家长和学生一样，都对美国枪支暴力和移民问题表示担忧。
今年5月，国际教育工作者协会确定出想来美国读书的留学生人数下降的两个主要原因：
签证难办，以及美国的社会和政治环境。
但也有一些问题只影响中国学生。特朗普政府指责中国窃取美国知识产权。
这与那些申请就读机器人技术、飞行和高科技制造业签证的中国学生密切相关。
今年6月，中国警告赴美学生和其他游客，可能难以获得美国签证。
熊雄是北京交通大学电气工程专业的学生。
他说希望在美国大学学习。但他担心办理签证的手续，所以打算去英国留学。
“我担心自己的签证会受到影响，”他说。
布拉德·法恩斯沃思是美国教育理事会负责国际全球参与项目的副主席。
他表示，他最近在中国的旅行表明，经济间谍活动的说法使一些学生认为他们不受欢迎。
他说：“中国学生担心会遭遇到敌意，人们会质疑他们为什么要来美国。”
据估计，留学生为美国经济增加了390亿美元的收入。
通常，伊利诺伊大学工程与商业学院的中国学生超过5000人。最近，这所大学投保了一项保险，如果来自中国学生的钱款减少20%，将获得理赔6000万美元。
宾夕法尼亚州的莱海大学本月宣布，已同意聘请一名招聘人员，帮助招收更多来自印度的学生。莱海大学的谢丽尔·马瑟利表示，它对撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲国家也越来越感兴趣。
和许多其他美国大学一样，莱海大学已经开始派遣员工到北京和上海与中国学生及其家长见面。这些员工希望能缓解中国人对赴美留学抱有的种种担忧，并表明他们所在的大学希望中国学生前来学习。
乔纳森·海本兹报道。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
