VOA慢速英语2009年-Education Report - Some Advice on Choo

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Last week, we told you that the number of foreign students in the United States had reached an all-time high. More than six hundred seventy-one thousand foreign students attended an American college or university during the last school year. So says the latest report from the Institute of International Education.

Many international students choose large schools. But a growing number of them are attending smaller ones.

Douglas Bennett, president of Earlham College in Indiana

Douglas Bennett is the president of Earlham College, a liberal¹ arts college in Richmond, Indiana, that actively² seeks foreign students.

DOUGLAS BENNETT: "We're a small college, just twelve hundred students. But about fifteen percent of our undergraduates³ come from homes outside the United States, which is astronomically⁴ high for an American college or university."

Doug Bennett has written several articles aimed at helping⁵ students choose a college that best fits their needs. He says one of the important things to consider is the size of a school. He says Earlham College is small for a reason.

DOUGLAS BENNETT: "We aren't that small because we couldn't be bigger. We're that small because we think we educate much more effectively and much more powerfully because we stay small. It stretches everyone more. It draws everyone into more different kinds of activities."

Of course, there are also good arguments for attending a larger school. Many big schools are widely recognized. And in some cases that might lead to more job interviews than a degree from a lesser⁶ known college. Larger schools also have more money, which can mean more resources for education, recreation and research.

Earlham College

In addition to size, Douglas Bennett says there are other important things to consider. For example: Which programs at the school are the strongest? Some schools have stronger programs in the sciences. Others are stronger in the liberal arts.

Also, what do the school's top students go on to do after they graduate? What kinds of activities are offered that might add to the educational experience? Are there sports teams? What about a radio station or newspaper?

Something else to consider is the kinds of services that a school offers for international students.

But Earlham College President Douglas Bennett says one choice tops all others.

DOUGLAS BENNETT: "The most important choice you make in going to college is who you choose to be yourself. If you're prepared to bring your best self to college, then it hardly matters where you go to college. On the other hand, if you choose not to be very motivated, not to be very responsible, not to be prepared to work very hard, it doesn't matter where you go; you probably won't get a good education."

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by June Simms. You can find transcripts⁷ and MP3s of our reports -- including our Foreign Student Series -- at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can follow us on Twitter and YouTube at VOA Learning⁸ English. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 liberal   

adj.心胸宽阔的；自由(主义)的；慷慨的

参考例句：

• He has a liberal attitude to divorce and remarriage.他对离婚和再婚看得很开。
• This country adopts a liberal foreign policy.该国采用的是开放的外交政策。

2 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

3 undergraduates   

（未获学士学位的）大学生，大学肄业生( undergraduate的名词复数 )； 本科生

参考例句：

• All undergraduates reading English attend a turtorial group each week. 所有攻读英语的本科生每周上一次导师辅导课。
• This is a course for undergraduates. 这是为本科生开的一门课。

4 astronomically   

天文学上

参考例句：

• The bill was astronomically high. 账单上的金额高得没谱儿。
• They have only been read as the multitude read the stars, at most astrologically, not astronomically. 它们之被群众阅读，有如群众之阅览繁星，至多是从星象学而不是从天文学的角度阅览的。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

7 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。