VOA慢速英语: 韩国学生面临大学考试的压力（双语）

韩国学生面临大学考试压力

This is the VOA Learning English Education Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语的教育报道。

More than half a million South Korean students in their final year of high school recently took the university entrance examination. Many people consider success on this test the first step toward a good life. But South Korean students say they feel stressed from the pressure.

近期，大概有50多万的韩国高中生参加“大学修业能力考试（韩国高考）”。很多人认为这次考试的顺利通过则是迈向好生活的第一步。但是韩国学生说他们感到压力很大。

Seventeen-year-old student Lee Jee-woo is not ready yet to take the test. But he has a strong opinion about it. He says, “This test can determine the rest of your life."

17岁的李智宇还没准备好要参加考试呢，不过对于考试，他有很清楚的的认识；他说：“这个考试决定你下半辈子的命运。”

South Korean high school students spend years studying for the university entrance examination. People say good scores guarantee entrance to a top university and the possibility of a high-paying job. Some say good test results even improve chances for a good marriage in the future.

韩国高中学生为参加大学修业能力考试，刻苦苦读。人们说高分是进入一流大学的保证，也为得到高薪工作提供可能性。也有些人说考试结果好的话，甚至能增加将来获得良好婚姻的机会。

The test is multiple choice, meaning that the student may choose among several possible answers to a question. Some observers say this system does not help the students learn to think for themselves. They also say South Korea is not the only country to use these tests.

考试是个多项选择，也就是说针对一个问题，学生可以好几个可能性的答案。一些观察员说这个考试体制无助于学生学会为自己考虑，而且韩国不是唯一使用这种考试体制的国家。

Jasper Kim is a professor at Seoul’s Ewha Women’s University.

贾斯珀·金是首尔梨花女子大学的教授。

“I think you’ll see similar things in China and to a lesser degree in Japan. It became the end all, be all, the standardized test, what you got on it. What it created was a system of teaching to the test. So everyone was geared, in terms of, getting to the right answer … and not knowing why that is the right answer.”

“我想你会看到中国和日本都存在类似的高考体制。无论你取得什么结果，高考是不成功便成仁的标准化考试。高考体制产生一种应试的教学机制。所以，每个人都是只想什么是正确答案，而不去探究为什么那个是正确答案。”

Vietnamalso is known for its university entrance examination.

越南的大学考试机制也很有名。

Professor Kim says this system of learning by memorization produces a lot of stressed students. A recent government study found that South Korean children are the least happy compared to children in 29 other developed countries. Many South Koreans blame educational pressure for this unhappiness.

金教授说这种死记硬背的学习方法导致许多学生有很大压力。一项最近的政府研究报告发现：与其它29个发达国家的孩子相比，韩国的孩子是最不开心的。很多人把孩子的不开心归因于教育体制压力。

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has promised to reform her country’s educational system. She urges the system to increase creative thinking and reduce student tension.

韩国总统朴槿惠已经承诺国家要进行教育体制改革。她主张教育应该增加一些创造性的思维的培养，减少学生的紧张不安。

But Jasper Kim does not feel sure that reforms by the top government alone will solve the problem. He says, “The bureaucrats, they can say all they want. But it really starts at home.”

但是贾斯珀·金不认为国家政府的改革就能解决问题。他说：“官员可以发布自己的观点，但是改革真正起源于家庭的改变。”

Still, getting South Korean parents to ease the pressure on their children might not be so easy. Shin Jeong-yeon says she would like not to put so much pressure on her daughter. But, she says there is a lot of competition, so it is impossible for parents not to do so. For now, all Ms. Shin and other parents can do is hope that the pressure brings good results.

但是，让韩国家长减少对孩子的压力也许没那么容易。史金妍说她也不想给孩子那么多压力，但是，当今的社会有太多的竞争，所以家长也不得不这么做。现在，史金妍和其他家长能做的是希望这种压力能让孩子有好结果。

And that’s the VOA Learning English Education Report for today.

这就是今天的美国之音慢速英语的教育报道。

I’m Jeri Watson.

我是杰瑞·瓦特森。

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Words in This Story

stressed – adj. feeling very worried or anxious

nervous – adj. having or showing feelings of being worried and afraid about what might happen

standardized – adj. changed so that things are similar and consistent and agree with rules about what is proper and acceptable

memorization – n. (the process of) learning something so well that you are able to remember it perfectly

bureaucrats – n. people who run a government or big company and who do everything according to the rules of that government or company