柬埔寨的孩子想学英语

AS IT IS 2015-06-14 Students in Cambodia Want to Learn English 柬埔寨的孩子想学英语

The oldest public school in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, is in a small courtyard downtown. The Tuan Hoa school has a Chinese temple and Mandarin¹ language classes for its 2,000 students. But in Phnom Penh, Chinese usage is still behind English. This is true although China and Cambodia have a long history together and close political ties.

School Deputy Director Loeung Sokmenh said there are good reasons for students to learn Chinese. They can work as translators or guides for foreign visitors. They also may have the chance to study in China.

Ms. Sokmenh said Chinese tourists, investors² and clothing factories are coming to Cambodia, and they need translators.

Across the city is another school called the Zhongchua International school. It is a private, Chinese-run school, which opened last August. Its 200 students can learn Khmer and Mandarin or Khmer and English. A staff member, who did not want to be identified, told VOA that more than half of the Cambodian children take the Khmer-English classes. The Mandarin classes have many Chinese students who are living in Phnom Penh with their parents.

Many more Cambodians are learning English as their preferred second language. This is true although there are close ties between the Chinese and Cambodian governments. The number of Chinese tourists and businesses in Cambodia also is rising.

Hang Chuon Naron is the Cambodian Minister of Education. He said Mandarin lessons help about 100 Cambodian students who get scholarships every year to study at Chinese universities. However, he admits that Chinese instruction is still behind English even with these incentives³.

“The Chinese students are very small in number compared to students who study English,” he said.

These days in Cambodia’s capital, western cultural influences still appear dominant⁴. Foreign films, English signs and billboards⁵ are seen across the city. Western brands are popular in stores and on the streets.

As China’s economy grows, Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron says, so will its influence.

He said, “Chinese [is] the trend of business in Southeast Asia, as most of the business people are speaking Chinese, including those from Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.”

Chinese-Cambodian political and economic relations have grown very strong in recent years. Chinese investment has risen steadily⁶. China is one of the largest funders of Cambodian infrastructure⁷ projects. Chinese tourists are the second largest group of foreign visitors.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said China will provide aid of $140 million in 2015. That is an increase from $100 million from last year.

These growing economic and political bonds between China and Cambodia do not necessarily lead to stronger cultural ties.

Chheang Vannarith is a professor at Leeds University in Britain. He said China’s cultural influence on Cambodia is not growing. He said that is because Beijing is putting much more effort into military and infrastructure assistance. He said China should do more to support social services and civil society.

“This is a lack of support in China to Cambodia,” said Mr. Vannarith. “China has no policies to support the civil society, but [it does have policies for] assistances from government to government and business to business. China should reconsider that issue in order to improve its image.”

Words in This Story

dominant – adj. most common or important

incentive(s) – n. something that helps convince someone to do something such as work harder

infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country or area to function properly.

bonds- n. connections or ties

1 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

5 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

6 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。