2017 考博英语 阅读题源经济学人文章每日精析（五十二）

考博英语阅读大部分博士研究生招生院校都使用《经济学人》杂志文章作为题源，考博信息网|http://www.kaoboinfo.com教育考博频道为考博生们将其中的文章进行深度分析，希望能提高大家的考博英语阅读水平，读懂长难句。

导读

PISA(ProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment)(国际学生评估项目的缩写)是一项由经济合作与发展组织的大型学生学习质量比较研究项目。PISA的测试对象为各国正在学校就读的15岁少年，以卷面方式从阅读能力、数学能力和科学素养等三个方面进行测试，以了解各国初中学生，是否具备了未来生活所需的知识与技能。

E for effort

努力做最好

Learning from the world’s swottiest countries

向世界最努力的国家学习

On her “geeky gap year” a science teacher discovers a blueprint for education reform

在她的“极客空档年”里，一位理科老师发现了教育改革的蓝图

Dec 3rd 2016

2016年12月3日

Cleverlands: The Secrets Behind the Success of the World’s Education Superpowers. By Lucy Crehan. Unbound; 304 pages; £16.99.

《智慧之国》：世界超级教育大国成功背后的秘密。作者：露西 克里恩。Unbound出版社;304页，16.99英镑。

FROM 2000 to 2002, about a third of a million 15-year-olds from 43 countries took similar tests in maths, reading and science. The results of the first Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) were a pleasant surprise in countries whose kids aced the exams—such as Canada, Finland and Japan. But for the laggards, the PISA results led to a sense of crisis. “Are German Students Stupid” asked Der Spiegel, a magazine.

从2000年到2002年，在来自43个不同国家的100万名15岁青少年中，大约有三分之一参加了数学、阅读和科学的同类测试。这是国际学生评估计划(PISA)的首次项目，其结果对于加拿大、芬兰和日本来说尤为惊喜，这些国家的孩子在比赛中更胜一筹。而对于那些表现欠佳的国家来说，这个评估计划的成绩给他们带来了危机感。“德国的学生笨吗”德国明镜新闻周刊发问道。

Laggard ['lægəd]：落后者

The tests’ influence has since grown. Teenagers from 72 countries or regions are part of the latest triennial analysis, which will be published on December 6th. Michael Gove, a former British education secretary, is just one politician hoping to see the success of his reforms reflected in future PISA scores.

自那以后，评估计划的影响不断增长。这个评估计划每三年举行一次，而最近一次的参与者是来自72个不同地区和国家的青少年，这次的测试结果将在11月6号公布。英国前教育部部长迈克尔.戈夫，也只不过是众多希望自己的改革成果能在PISA中得到反映的政客之一。

PISA has its opponents. Some query the methodology. Others complain about reducing the purpose of school to passing exams. Still more critics add that policymakers who seek to ape high-achieving countries neglect the unique cultural reasons behind success. This debate forms the backdrop to what Lucy Crehan calls her “geeky gap year”. As a science teacher in London she had read about countries that scored higher in PISA than England, and wanted to see their schools up close. So she taught in Canada, Finland, Japan, Singapore and Shanghai. “Cleverlands”, her first book, is her account of that odyssey.

期待您的翻译，您可以将翻译留言到文章底部，第二天会有详细解析哦。更多的批评家补充道，政策的制定者一味模仿高分数的国家，而忽视成功背后的独特文化因素。这场关于PISA的讨论促使了露西.克里恩的“极客空档年”的形成。露西.克里恩是一名在伦敦的理科老师，她查阅了那些在PISA中所得成绩比英国更好的国家的相关资料，同时还希望能够更近距离地观察这些国家的学校。因此她先后来到了加拿大、芬兰、日本、新加坡和中国的上海任职老师。她的第一本著作《智慧之国》就讲述了她的这次奇妙旅行。

Neglect [nɪ'glekt] ：忽视、忽略

At each stop Ms Crehan discovers idiosyncratic reasons for the area’s results. Finland’s schools were a storehouse of national pride during Swedish and Russian rule. Teaching remains a respected and sought-after job. In Helsinki ten times as many students apply for education degrees as there are places.

每到一站，克里恩都会发现一些特殊的、能促使该地区成绩高的原因。曾处于瑞典和俄罗斯统治下的芬兰，其学校曾是民族自豪感的集聚地。因此，教学一直是一份令人尊敬和受欢迎的工作。在芬兰的首都赫尔辛基，申请教育学位的学生是其他地区的十倍。

Idiosyncratic [,ɪdɪə(ʊ)sɪŋ'krætɪk]：特殊的、奇怪的

Across East Asia she finds a culture that celebrates effort. In China graduation cards praise recipients’ hard work—not how clever they are, as in America. In Singapore, extra tuition is so common that parents hire tutors to help their kids pass entrance exams for the best tuition centres. In Japan, as a mark of shared sacrifice, some mothers give up their favourite food during their children’s punishing exam terms.

在东亚地区，她发现了一种文化现象：崇尚刻苦。在中国，毕业证印着赞美毕业生刻苦的溢美之词——而不是像美国那样夸赞他们有多聪明。新加坡父母都会花额外的钱聘请家教帮助孩子通过考试进入最好的教育中心。在日本，牺牲精神极为普遍，有些日本母亲会在孩子艰难的考试时期放弃她们喜爱的食物。

But dismissing the success of top performers as a result of culture alone is a “grave mistake”, writes Ms Crehan. Policy matters, too, and laggards who change their ways can catch up. In top-performing countries, children do not start school until they are at least six or seven years old. Aside from Singapore, all the places she visits wait until children are in their mid-teens before diverting some to less academic tracks. Teachers are given time to practise and they receive feedback from peers. Pupils are expected to learn both facts and skills.

但是把这些高分表现仅看作是文化的结果而不再予以细究是一个“极为严重的错误”，克里恩女士在书中如是写道。政策也至关重要，那些有所变革的低分国家也可以因此而追赶上来。在那些高分国家，孩子至少要六到七岁才可以上学。在她所去过的所有地区里，除新加坡外，孩子们都是到了青少年时段才开始分流到少些学术性质的领域(职校)。老师们被给予时间练习教学，他们还会收到同行的反馈。学生们都被寄予重望，希望他们既能理解实际，又可掌握既能。

Other authors have gone on peripatetic school tours. In “The Smartest Kids in the World” (2013) Amanda Ripley follows American exchange students in Finland, Poland and South Korea. Her book is an easier read, while covering some of the same ground that “Cleverlands” does.

其他作者进行了学校巡游之旅。在阿曼达.里普利的《世界上最聪明的孩子们》一书中跟踪调查了一些在芬兰、波兰和韩国的美国交换生。她的书通俗易懂，该书的有些观点和《智慧之国》中的一样。

Peripatetic school 漫游的、走来走去

Peripatetic [,perɪpə'tetɪk]：巡回的;(教师)在多所学校兼课的;徒步游历的;漫游的

But Ms Crehan’s work has the edge in relating reporting to research. Studies show that academic work can wait, she explains, because otherwise it can go over the heads of kids while hindering social skills and a love of learning. She shows that schools can delay selection without harming brighter pupils. This is for two reasons. First, intelligence is not fixed: slow starters can catch up, at least a bit. Second, expectations matter: in delaying selection, top-performing countries suggest to all pupils that they can achieve high standards. Theresa May, Britain’s prime minister, who is intent on increasing the number of schools selecting the ablest pupils as early as age 11, should take note.

但是克里恩的工作已经涉及到研究的相关报道。研究表明学习不可操之过急，她解释道，因为一旦它超越了孩子的理解范围，就会阻碍孩子社交技能的发展以及浇灭学生的学习热情。她表示学校可以延迟择优，同时也不阻碍聪明学生的发展。这主要有两个原因。第一，智力发展并非是一成不变的：学习较慢的初学者可以赶得上，至少能赶上一点。第二，对孩子的期望很重要：通过延迟择优，高分国家向所有学生传递道：他们能够达到高标准。对此，英国首相特莉莎.梅尤其应当予以注意，特莉莎.梅有意增加学校的数量并且择优选录出最有天赋的学生，这些学生当中最年轻也只有11岁。

Too much writing about education is polemical and ill-informed. “Cleverlands” is neither. Ms Crehan is refreshingly fair-minded, acknowledges the limits of research and does not idolise highly stressful school systems. And yet her book is a powerful defence of the idea that there is a lot to learn from how other countries learn. It is time to swot up.

很多教育作品要么争辩性太强，要么知识面窄。而《智慧之国》却截然相反，克里恩秉持公正的观点，承认本书研究的局限性，不盲目崇拜高压学校机制。然而她在书中强烈辩护道：我们仍需要大量学习其他国家的学习方法。看来，是时候下一番功夫了。

Idolise [ˈaɪdəˌlaɪz]：把... 当偶像崇拜

Swot up：刻苦攻读