CCTV9英语新闻11月：中国父母要求更多的情商培养

By CCTV reporter Wu Lei

There are growing calls among Chinese parents for more development of their childrens' "Emotional quotient" or EQ. That's a label scientists have given to a person's ability to monitor and control their emotions and actions, as they cope with high pressure and demands. Our reporter Wu Lei has been to visit some schools in Jiangsu Province that now offer this help, as well as a training company in Nanjing.

A simple game to practice perseverance¹. This is a new Emotional Quotient training class. At the end of October, 40 primary schools and 20 junior high schools in Liuhe district of Nanjing started to teach this training program. They also introduced an exclusive set of text books. It’s the first time this has been done in Chinese schools. The children enjoy the program; and parents back the scheme.

“I don’t think high test scores guarantee a bright future. Life will be very hard for my daughter if she lacks good social skills.”

Many parents have already taken their children to training camps to improve their Emotional competence². With one or two classes a week, some children have learned the programs here for more than 3 years. Through various games and activities, they learn to express their feelings and control their actions. This has really made a difference to their lives.

“I used to cry loudly when I couldn’t find something I’d lost. But now if I lose something, I try to calm down and then tell the staff so we can make a careful search.” Student Peng Jianing said.

This is one of the biggest EQ training camps in China, and teachers here say there’s a growing public demand for the service.

“The number of trainees³ has risen sharply. In the past, very few families could afford the high costs. But now in Nanjing for example, we’ve got more than a thousand trainees this year.” Wang Haiyan, teaching advisor⁴ of Bi-To EQ Camp, said.

It costs more than 5,000 yuan for a year in this training camp, but many parents think it’s worth it. Parents are also trained to understand their children’s behavior, and these games, role play and practice are designed to help their children do the right thing if they meet difficulties. But experts say practice time in the training camp is far from enough.

“It’s very important to encourage children to practice what they’ve learned in their families and in school. Once teachers and trainers get the feedback, they can make adjustments and help children to turn this behavior into lifetime habits.” Sang Zhiqin, director of Mental Health Education & Research of Nanjing University, said.

Many parents have decided⁵ to invest more in improving their children’s emotional ability at an early age. But schools and parents have their role to play.

Reporter: "Emotional training course is still in its infancy⁶ in China. Although many schools have started experimental courses....are needed for the benefits to be achieved.”

1 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

2 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

3 trainees   

新兵( trainee的名词复数 )； 练习生； 接受训练的人； 训练中的动物

参考例句：

• We've taken on our full complement of new trainees. 我们招收的新学员已经满额了。
• The trainees were put through an assault course. 受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。