Tag: gaokao

China’s college entrance exam begin to reform

The English test will be removed from China’s college entrance exam by 2020, according to details of exam and admission reform revealed by the Ministry of Education. The national college entrance exam, known as the "Gaokao" has been used to evaluate Chinese students for three decades. The Ministry of Education has worked out a plan for reforming exams and enrollment. The Ministry will solicit public opinions before its release.从中国教育部披露的关于高考考试及录取的细节来看,英语考试将在2020年前退出中国的大学入学考试。全国高等教育入学考试即“高考”,作为用于考量中国学生的工具,这一制度已实施了30年。中国教育部在近期披露了高考考试和招生计划的改革方案,在其正式发布之前,将会征求群众的意见。
Instead, tests will be held several times a year to allow students to choose when and how often they sit the exam so as to alleviate study pressure and change China’s once-in-a-lifetime exam system.取而代之的是“一年多考”——学生可以自己选择何时考、考几次,从而减轻学生的学习压力并改变中国“一考定终身”的考试制度。
The plan and suggestions for its implementation will be announced in the first half of next year. It will be piloted in selected provinces and cities and promoted nationwide from 2017. A new exam and admission system will be established by 2020, according to the eduction ministry.关于高考改革实施的计划与建议将在明年上半年公布。高考改革将在选定省市进行试点改革,并于2017年在全国范围推广。同时,中国教育部也称其将在2020年建立新的考试和招生制度。
The decision has aroused a heated discussion among Shanghai educators and parents who doubted the reform would reduce the burden of learning English or if the substitute test could reflect a student’s English skills and help students learn English better.教育部的这一决定在上海的教育工作者和家长中引起了热议。他们认为改革并不会减轻学习英语的负担;对于取代高考英语的考试是否能反映出学生的英语技能、帮助学生更好地学习英语,他们也表示怀疑。
“The reform shows China is learning from the West to give students more test-taking chances. But more chances might become more of a burden since Chinese students are likely to repeat the test until they get the highest score,” said Cai Jigang, a professor at Fudan University’s College of Foreign Languages and Literature and chairman of the Shanghai Advisory Committee for College English Teaching at Tertiary Level.“改革说明中国正在向西方学习,让学生有更多的应试机会。但更多的机会也可能会变成更重的负担,因为中国学生很可能会不断地刷分,直到能考到最高分为止, “复旦大学外国语言文学学院教授、上海高校大学英语教学指导委员会主任委员蔡基刚说。
Yu Lizhong, chancellor of New York University Shanghai, where classes are in English and students are required to have a high standard of English, said the most important aspect of the reform lay in what to test and how to test.上海纽约大学校长俞立中表示,改革最重要的方面在于考什么、怎么考。在上海纽约大学,所有课程均用英语授课,学生都需要具备较高的英语水平。
“As far as I see, the reform doesn’t mean English is no longer important for Chinese students after it will be excluded from the unified college entrance exam,” Yu said. “In a way, English is even more important than before since the test would only serve as reference, while every college and university, even every major, can have different requirements of a student’s English skills under a diverse evaluation system.”“依我看,对于中国学生来说,英语考试将从全国大学入学统考中退出,这项改革并不意味着英语已经不再重要,”俞校长说。 “在某种程度上,英语甚至比以前更为重要,因为考试只能作为参考依据。而每个大学和学院甚至每个专业,都可以根据不同的评价体系,对学生的英语能力作出不同的要求。 ”
Yu said some students will have their study pressure reduced if the major they choose doesn’t need excellent English while others still need to study hard if they want to be among the best students.俞校长称,如果一些学生所选的专业并不需要优秀的英语,那么这将减轻他们的学习压力;而对于其他一些学生来说,如果想名列前茅,他们仍需要努力学习英语。
The eduction ministry said the reform would not affect students attending the college entrance exam over the next three years.教育部表示,在未来三年里改革并不会影响学生参加高考。
 

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China’s doctors not part of society’s elite

Many of China’s less prestigious medical schools find it hard to recruit students to train as doctors and othersfind that students with lower scores on the national university entrance exam,or gaokao, will use the lower requirements of some medical schools togain entry to university, only to transfer later to faculties with higher earning potential.国内许多声望一般的医科大学发现,目前很难招到合适的生源来培养未来的医生。而其他医科大学则发现,在全国大学入学考试也就是高考中成绩偏低的学生就读医学类大学仅仅是因为这类大学对成绩要求偏低,他们利用这一有利条件进入大学,为的就是进校后换一个“有钱可图”的好专业。
"Compared to western countries, the social status and incomeof doctors in China is not the highest, so [some medical schools] definitelyare not able to attract the best students and the result is that the profession of doctors is not the most elite in Chinese society," says Huang Gang,vice-dean of Jiaotong University medical school in Shanghai.“和西方国家相比,中国医生的地位和收入并不是最高的。所以,许多医科类大学铁定招不到好生源。由此一来,职业医生就不会成为中国社会的精英群体。”上海交大医学院副院长黄刚如是说。
Top medical faculties such as Jiaotong usually havelittle problem filling their quota for students with good marks, he says, adding that he would prefer to lower his grade expectations if the student is truly committed to studying medicine. He says only about 5 per cent of Jiaotong medical students transfer to another faculty each year. But less elite medical schools, such as the one at Xiamen University where Dr Wang studied, struggle to fill available spaces. Xiamen medical school recently waived all fees for those training to be doctors, to attract better candidates.像上海交大一样赫赫有名的医科大学,几乎每年都可以招到优秀学生来完成招生指标。他补充道“如果有学生真心愿意来学习医学,我更愿意降低录取分数线来招生”。他说,上海交大医学院的学生中,每年只有5%的学生会换专业。但是对于名望一般的医科大学,比如王医生就读的厦门大学,每年都在为完成招生任务而头痛不已。厦门大学医学院近来表示免去医科专业的一切费用,旨在通过此举来吸引优秀生源。

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Beijing Reform on English section of college admissions test

Beijing education authorities plan to de-emphasise English scores on standardised tests, a sign that China's obsession with the language may be waning.
北京的教育官员计划降低英语在高校标准入学考试中的重要性,这一举措或标志着中国的英语热开始降温。
The Beijing municipal commission of education plans to reduce the English section of the all-important college admissions test, the Gaokao, from 150 points to 100 points in major cities by 2016, China's official newswire Xinhua reported.
据中国官方媒体新华社报道,北京市教育委员会计划减少英语科目在高考中的分值,从150分下降到100分,这一政策将自2016年起在全国主要城市开始实施。
It will boost the value of the Chinese section from 150 to 180 points. Currently, the test weighs English, Chinese and maths equally.
高考改革还会将语文科目的分值从150分提高到180分。目前,英语、语文和数学三门科目的分值是相同的。
Officials have spun the proposal as both a practical decision and a matter of national pride. "The change highlights the fundamental importance of mother tongue in the curriculum," a representative from the commission told Xinhua.
中国官员称此举既是从实际需要出发,又可以弘扬国粹。北京市教育委员会一位发言人对新华社记者说,“这个改革将凸显高中课程中语文学科基础性的重要地位。”
Education authorities are also considering scrapping mandatory English lessons before the third grade. They currently begin on the first day of primary school.
教育官员还考虑去掉小学阶段三年级以前的英语课程。目前小学课程中的英语课是从入学第一天就开始的。
Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, as well as Shanghai, may remove English from the Gaokao entirely. Public consultation on the proposal began on Monday, Xinhua reported.
据新华社报道,山东、江苏、上海等省市可能将英语考试从高考中彻底去除。关于这一举措的公众咨询将于下周一开始。
Xinhua called the proposals "no more than a minor tweak", emphasising that they would change the way that English is taught without diminishing its importance.
新华社称高考英语改革“仅仅是一个小调整”,并强调英语教育方式的改变并不会减少英语教育的重要性。

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Foreigner‘s view:Chinese Gaokao

China Prep follows five Chinese students through their final high-pressure year at an elite high school in Sichuan Province. Eighteen hundred students vie for spots in Beijing’s top two universities. Last year only 59 made it.《中国高考》的镜头跟随着四川省一所精英高中的五名学生,报道了他们度过的高强度高三。1800名学生同时为了北京顶尖两所大学而激烈竞争。而在去年一年中只有59人成功了。
Studying seven days a week, the students’ lives are regimented almost every minute of the day as they prepare for the end-of-year exam that can determine their fate. For many students from poor or rural backgrounds, a strong performance on the test is the only way to climb the social ladder and excel without connections. Competition is fierce and the majority of high school seniors will be relegated to vocational schools.一周七天不间断的学习,这些学生的生活的每一分钟都在为高考准备,因为高考决定了他们的命运。对于那些来自贫困或者农村家庭的孩子们来说,在这场考试中好好表现,毫无置疑是他们爬上社会阶梯并成功的唯一的方法。竞争是激烈的,大部分的高中生最后不得不被分配到职业学校去。
We meet Zhang Lie, who wants to study law and become a Communist Party member like her father; Mei Jiachin, a genius mathematician from a farming family; Chen Zhibo, a misfit science student with big plans to become China’s Bill Gates; and Gao Mengjia, a dedicated student who loves money and aspires to be a hedge fund manager.我们见到了张烈(音译),他想学习法律专业,并想和他父亲一样成为一名党员;梅佳琴(音译),一名来自农村家庭的数学天才;陈志波(音译),一个不太合群的理科生,他想成为中国的比尔盖茨;还有高梦佳(音译),一位努力学习的孩子,很爱钱并想成为一名对冲基金经理。
Nicknamed the “I want” generation by the Chinese press, these only children – the sole focus of their parents’ and grandparents’ nurturing under China’s one-child policy – will be the new class of corporate managers, lawyers, and civil servants who are expected to propel 21st century China to surpass the United States as the largest economy in the world.被中国媒体戏称为“我想要”的一代,这些独生子女——中国计划生育政策下家里父母和祖父母精心培养的宝贝儿——将成为公司经理、律师、公务员等新阶层,人们希望他们能推进21世纪的中国使之成为超越美国的世界最大国家。
How do the ambitions of these teenagers reflect the realities of today and tomorrow’s China? Who among them will be most likely to succeed – the daughter of the Party official or the farmer’s son? Who will be the boss?那么这些青少年的志愿将如何反应在当代和以后的中国社会中呢?他们其中的那些最可能成功呢——是党员的女儿还是农民的儿子?哪一个会成为老板呢?

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Beijing State of Mind 老外眼中的北京

Beijing State of Mind is arranged from Empire State of Mind. This is a special song talks about more stories by an American who live in Beijing for more than 10 years. He is an American Mark Griffith.《老外眼中的北京》改编自《Empire State of Mind》,一个在北京生活超过十年的美国人所看到的北京的状态。《老外眼中的北京》改编自《Empire State of Mind》,一个在北京生活超过十年的美国人所看到的北京的状态。

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The Exam Season

China’s  gaokao(高考gāo kǎo),  the nation-wide college entrance exam, is considered the most grueling and competitive of all. For most Chinese students, their performance in the exam will determine their fate in the future.

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