VOA慢速英语 2008 0522a

Education Report - Recruiters Help US Colleges Find Foreign Students
Placement companies may be paid by colleges or students -- or both, raising concerns about possible conflicts of interest. First of two parts. Transcript² of radio broadcast
22 May 2008

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

College prices in the United States have been rising faster than other prices for thirty years or more. Recently many of the nation's top colleges have agreed to increase their financial aid.

But one group often has to pay the full price for college: foreign students. This may help explain why colleges are making greater efforts to recruit¹ them.

Large universities are likely to use their own representatives. But smaller schools may work with independent recruiters.

An example is Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

It has about one hundred foreign students, mostly from Asia. It offers foreign students a savings³ of one-fifth off its published price if they apply through Study Group Holdings.

This placement company operates the Web site go-study.com.

Albright's international student counselor⁴, Nicole Christie, says the company is paid from the money that the students pay the college. Study Group looks for qualified⁵ students and rates their English skills before they apply.

But foreign students themselves often pay recruiters. The recruiters help them write applications, get recommendation⁶ letters and prepare for admissions tests. And they might help students prepare for getting a visa to study in the United States.

Recruiters can also work for both students and colleges. Some education officials call this a conflict of interest. They wonder how recruiters can find a school that is truly right for a student when certain colleges are paying them. Officials also warn that like any other business, there is a risk of dishonesty.

Recruiters say they provide a useful service that is legal in the United States. They say the colleges they work for are accredited⁷ and provide a good education but may not be widely known.

Recruiting⁸ of foreign students has been the subject of recent stories in the Chronicle of Higher Education and in the New York Times.

We are interested in hearing about experiences with college recruiters. Send us your comments and we may use them in a future report. Write to [email protected] and please include your name and country.

We'll have more on this subject next week. So write to [email protected]. We also have our Foreign Student Series online with information about how to get into an American college. Go to voaspecialenglish.com and click on the link at the bottom of the page.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Jim Tedder⁹.

1 recruit   

n.招聘，新兵，新成员；v.恢复，补充，招募

参考例句：

• The country's first act would be to recruit for the navy.国家的第一个行动是为海军征募新兵。
• This is a nationwide campaign to recruit women into trade unions.这是一次吸收妇女参加工会的全国性运动。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

4 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

5 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

6 recommendation   

n.推荐（信）建议，优点，长处

参考例句：

• I wrote him a good recommendation.我为他写了一封很好的推荐信。
• This method deserves recommendation.这种做法值得提倡。

7 accredited   

adj.可接受的；可信任的；公认的；质量合格的v.相信( accredit的过去式和过去分词 )；委托；委任；把…归结于

参考例句：

• The discovery of distillation is usually accredited to the Arabs of the 11th century. 通常认为，蒸馏法是阿拉伯人在11世纪发明的。
• Only accredited journalists were allowed entry. 只有正式认可的记者才获准入内。

8 recruiting   

招聘( recruit的现在分词 )； 吸收某人为新成员； 动员…（提供帮助）； 雇用

参考例句：

• We are recruiting a sales manager with responsibility for the European market. 我们正在招聘负责欧洲市场的销售经理。
• "Hoist the recruiting flag and hungry men will come. “插起招军旗，就有吃粮人。”

9 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网