英語聽力小短文走遍全世界39: 美國的輟學問題

英語聽力原文：

Articles in magazines and newspapers and special reports on radio and television reflect the concern of many Americans about the increasing dropout rate in our junior and senior high schools.

報刊雜志上的文章以及廣播電臺的特別報道反映了許多美國人對中學日益增長的輟學率的擔憂。

Coupled with this fact is the warning that soon we will no longer have workforce to fill the many jobs that require properly-educated personnel.

伴隨而來的警告是，我們很快將缺乏足夠的勞動力以滿足那些需要受過一定教育的人員所從事的工作。

The highest student dropout rate is not a recent development. Ten years ago, many urban schools were reporting dropout rates between 35 and 50 percent. Some administrators maintain that dropouts remain the single greatest problem in their schools. Consequently, much effort has been spent on identifying students with problems in order to give them more attention before they become failures.

不是最近才大道最高輟學率的。據(jù)報道10年前許多城市學校的輟學率就在35%到40%之間。有的管理者堅稱輟學仍然是他們學校僅有的最嚴重的問題。結果是，為了在學生失敗前給予更多的關注，學?；ㄙM了更多的努力找出有問題的學生。

Since the dropout problem doesn't only start in senior high school, special programs in junior high school focus on students who show promise but have a record of truancy, that is, staying away from school without permission. Under the guidance of counselors, these students are placed in classes with teachers who have had success in working with similar young people.

由于輟學問題不僅僅發(fā)生在高中，在初中，一些特殊項目也在開始關注那些有前途但卻有逃課記錄的學生，逃課也就是未經(jīng)許可而缺課的行為。

Strategies to motivate students in high school include rewarding academic excellence by designating scholars of the month, or by issuing articles of clothing, such as school letter jackets formally given only to athletes.

按照咨詢師的建議，這些學生被放在某些教師的班級中，而那些教師曾有過成功教育類似青年的經(jīng)驗。在高中，激勵學生的措施包括評選月度獎學金獲得者以作為對學生學術成果的回報，獎勵服裝類商品，如只把校服正式授予校運動員。

No one working with these students claims to know how to keep all students in school. Counselors, teachers, and administrators are in the frontlines of what seems at times to be a losing battle. Actually, this problem should be everyone's concern, since uneducated, unemployed citizens affect us all.

沒有一個和這些學生打交道的人宣稱知道如何把所有的學生留在學校。咨詢師、教師和行政管理人員沖在這場有時看似必輸?shù)膽?zhàn)爭的前面。事實上，這是我們每個人都應該關心的問題，因為未接受教育的、無職業(yè)的公民會影響我們所有人。

英語詞匯整理：

1. reflect v. 反映，反思

eg: I have reflected upon his suggestion.

我已經(jīng)認真思考了他的建議。

短語：

reflect on 思考;反省;回想

reflect upon 考慮(回想;回顧)

2. dropout n. 退學學生

eg: I was harvard's most successful dropout.

我是哈佛最成功的輟學生。

短語：

dropout student 失學兒童

college dropout 大學輟學者

3. junior adj. 下級的，年少的 n. 三年級生，年少者

eg: Their youngest daughter Amy's a junior at the University of Evansville in Indiana.

他們最小的女兒埃米是印第安納州埃文斯維爾大學的三年級學生。

短語：

junior high school 初中

junior student 大三學生

junior staff 初級人員;資歷較淺的員工;基層員工

4. senior adj. 年長的，資格較老的 n.長輩，大四學生

eg: The position had to be filled by an officer senior to Haig.

這個位置必須由一名職位比黑格高的軍官來填補。

短語：

senior high school 高中

senior management 高級管理

senior staff 高級職員

senior executive 高級執(zhí)行官

senior citizen 老年人

5. workforce n.勞動力，職工總數(shù)

eg: Only about half of the original workforce remains.

只剩下大約原來一半的勞動力。

短語：

workforce capability 勞動力能力

workforce Planning 勞動力規(guī)劃

Workforce Level 勞動力水平

6. personnel n. 人員，職員:

eg: There has been very little renewal of personnel in higher education.

高等教育事業(yè)中人員更新很少。

短語：

technical personnel 技術人員

personnel training 人員培訓

service personnel 保修人員;服務行業(yè)人員

7. urban adj.城市的，都市的

eg: For a small state it has a large urban population.

作為一個小州，其城市人口算是很多了。

短語：

urban population 城市人口

urban life 城市生活，都市生活

8. maintain v. 維修，保養(yǎng)

eg: The house costs a fortune to maintain.

維修這房子花費巨大。

短語：

maintain contact with 與......保持聯(lián)系

maintain in 維持......;保持......

maintain order 維持秩序

9. consequently adv.所以，因此

eg: She was a bright and eager student and, consequently, did well in school.

她是個聰明好學的學生,因此學習成績很好。

10. identify v. 識別，鑒定

eg: There are a number of distinguishing characteristics by which you can identify a Hollywood epic.

通過其諸多與眾不同的特點,你可以識別出好萊塢的史詩影片。

短語：

identify oneself 證明自己(的身份)

identify oneself with 認為......等同于，與一致

11. truancy n. 逃學，玩忽職守

eg: Truancy is common at this school.

在這個學校曠課是很普遍的。

短語：

truancy officer 勸學員

internal truancy 校內(nèi)逃學

recessive truancy 隱性逃課

12. permission n. 同意，許可

eg: With your permission, he'll go.

如果你允許，他會去的。

短語：

without permission 未經(jīng)許可

with one's permission 如果......允許的話

ask for permission 征求許可;請求允許

grant permission準許

13. guidance n. 引導，指導

eg: Under his guidance, we finished the work smoothly.

在他的指導下，我們順利地完成了工作。

短語：

under the guidance of 在......的指引下

take someone under one's guidance 使某人受自己的指導，置某人于自己的庇護之下

14. motivate v. 激發(fā)，刺激

eg: They are motivated by a need to achieve.

他們被成功的需要激勵著。

短語：

motivate the action 促進這項活動

motivate one's pupils 激勵學生

15. designate v. 指定 adj. 指定的

eg: She designated the place where we were to meet.

她指定了我們將會面的地點。

短語：

designate sb as 稱某人為......

designate sb for (to) some office 任命某人擔任某職

佳句采摘：

Consequently, much effort has been spent on identifying students with problems in order to give them more attention before they become failures.

結果是，為了在學生失敗前給予更多的關注，學?；ㄙM了更多的努力找出有問題的學生。