英语听力精选进阶版 6230

University Students May Have to Pay Graduate Tax 英国大学生毕业生可能需要付“毕业税”

The UK government are proposing a graduate tax for students in the future.

Currently, students are lent money from the government to cover fees and they pay back the money once they are earning over ￡15,000 (130,000 yuan) a year.

The new scheme would see students repaying their tuition fees when they are working, through a graduate tax.

This proposal would see higher-earning graduates paying more and is said to be a fairer system.

At the moment there is an ongoing¹ review into university fees and students are bracing² themselves for the outcome.

Some have predicted that tuition fees could double, causing more and more students to worry about their personal student debt.

The union representing lecturers, the UCU, is worried that the graduate tax scheme would just be a "rebrand" for student debt and not change the current situation.

So what do students make of the graduate tax? Well the National Union of Students says they are pleased and see the proposal of a graduate tax as a milestone³ in a campaign to ensure fairer university funding.

The NUS want to make sure that graduate contributions are determined⁴ on actual earnings⁵.

The government still have to look into how feasible the new scheme would be but they have stated that there needs to be a "radical⁶ re-think" on how the higher education system is funded.

They have called for other measures to cut the cost of university, such as two-year degrees, more part-time and flexible courses and more students living in their family home.

The announcement comes at the same time as thousands of people are set to miss out on a UK university place. This is due to a record increase in the amount of people applying to go into further education.

Glossary 词汇表

graduate tax 毕业税 

lent 贷（款） 

tuition fees 学费 

proposal 提议 

higher-earning 高收入 

fairer system 更公平的体制 

ongoing 持续的 

bracing themselves 做准备 

predicted 预言 

debt 债务 

representing 代表 

rebrand 新名称 

milestone 里程碑 

to ensure 确保 

contributions 贡献 

determined 由…决定 

feasible 可行的 

radical re-think 彻底的重新思考 

measures 措施，方法 

announcement 公告

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

3 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

6 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。