EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series 5 >New Government

EDUCATION REPORT - October 17, 2002: Foreign Student Series #5 >New Government Rules

By Nancy Steinbach

This is the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT.

We continue our series of reports about how foreign students can attend a college or university in the United
States. This report is on the Special English Internet Web site, w-w-w dot voaspecialenglish dot com.

The State Department has rules for giving permission to foreign students to study in the United States. The rules
can be found on the State Department’s travel Web site. The address is t-r-a-v-e-l dot s-t-a-t-e dot g-o-v. Under
Services, go to Visas for Foreign Citizens to Come to the United States, Nonimmigrant Visas, Student and
Exchange Visitor Visas and Applying for a Foreign Student Visa.

Every foreign student who has been accepted by a college or university to study in this country must have a legal
document called a visa from the United States government. The rules for getting a visa have changed since the
terrorist¹ attacks against the United States last year.

National security² is the most important issue in deciding if a person should be permitted to enter the United
States. It now takes a longer time for a person to receive permission to enter the country. This past summer, a
new policy took effect. It requires additional³ security investigations⁴ of men between the ages of sixteen and forty-
five from twenty-six countries. Officials say these men are waiting the longest for their legal papers.

A State Department spokesman⁵ said visa applications that used to be approved in days are now taking much
longer. This is because officials must see if the name of each student appears on lists of foreigners with possible
links to terrorists⁶. Officials say that future security investigations are expected to take less than one month from
the time of visa application.

The State Department says international students are not being studied any more closely⁷ than people who want to
enter the United States for other reasons. But students must enter the country before their college classes begin.
So they must apply for the visa as soon as they can to permit enough time for approval⁸.

Other new rules have also taken effect. For example, universities must place a confirmation⁹ document on a State
Department Web site for every international student they admit. We will have more information about this next
week.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.

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1 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

2 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

3 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

4 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

5 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

6 terrorists   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子( terrorist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The terrorists have halted their bloody campaign of violence. 恐怖分子已经停止了他们凶残的暴力活动。
• They were finally forced to capitulate to the terrorists' demands. 他们最后被迫屈从恐怖分子的要求。

7 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

8 approval   

n.赞成，同意；批准，认可

参考例句：

• The audience has expressed its approval.观众已经认可。
• The teacher signed his approval.老师做了手势表示同意。

9 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。