1、优质文档优质文档Unit 5 Travelling abroad来源:Z。xx。k.ComA recent audit at Dickinson State University in the United States will have made uncomfortable re ading for parents in China.Over the last fo ur years, the college in North Dakota had issued diplomas to 400 foreign students despite their failure to comple
2、te the required coursework.Roughly 95 percent of these students were Chinese.It was just one of several controls “waived or intentionally overridden or ignored” by DSU, which has again cast a spotlight on the risks families face in paying out huge sums to have their children educated overseas.Such i
3、nvestments often create what s ociologists call “the new urban poor”.来源:学科网 ZXXK“Parents are surrendering their last resources to wager them on a childs future by sending them abroad,” said Lao Kaisheng , an education policy researcher at Capital Normal University. “If these children dont get the de
4、cent jobs and the salary that is expected, their parents will naturally be sucked into poverty.”The desire to send offspring to schools overseas has existed for de cades, although today it is largely fueled by the belief that it gives youngsters an advantage in the t ough domestic employment market.
5、However, not many Chinese families have enough saved in the bank to cover the tuition fees and accommodation and living expenses. Instead, many are choosing to take on massive debt at a critical time in their own life.It is a gamble, experts say, and the stakes are high.来源:Z&xx&k.Com“People need to
6、think over t he input and potential output, as well as the risks that any investment brings,” said Zhang Jianbai, w ho runs a private school in Yunnan province.He said that parents in small cities across southwestern province, many of whom earn just 对于中国学生家长们来说，一份于近日公布的针对美国狄克森州立大学的审查报告将 令他们感到不安。过去四年
7、中，这所位于美国北达科他州的学府中，有 400 名留学生在未能完成必修课程的条件下，却仍然拿 到了大学文凭。其中，大约有 95%为中国留学生 。这仅仅是狄克森州立大学在管理监督方面的漏洞之一，对于这些漏洞，该校“或置之不理，放任自流，或有意掩饰” 。这一事件，也使人们关注的目光再次投向那些支付高昂费用送子女留学的家庭所面临的种种风险之上。此类的留学投资通常都会导致社会学家口中所谓的“新城市贫民”的产生。首都师范大学教育政策研究员劳凯声表示：“家长花光所有积蓄送子女出国是在拿钱赌孩子的明天。如果孩子们找不到体面的工作、没有预期的收入，那么家长自然就身 陷贫困。 ”这种父 母迫切想要送子女出国深造
8、的情况已存在了几十年的时间了，只不过如今，家长认为出国留学能让孩子在竞争激烈的国内就业市场占据优势，因此，这种想法就愈演愈烈了。然而，只有少数的中国家庭有足够的积蓄来支付学费、住宿费及生活费。很多家长会选择在自己人生的关键时刻背负高额债务。专 家称，这就是一场风险很高的赌博。 来源:学*科*网 Z*X*X*K云南一所私立学校校长张健柏(音译)表示：“人们需要仔细考虑资金投入、潜在回报以及任何一项投资所带来的风险。 ”他说，在云南西南部的很多小城市里，很多月收入只有 2 000 元的家长通常会选择卖掉房子资2,000 yuan a month, often sell their apartmen
9、ts to 优质文档优质文档fund their childrens study overseas.“Those who are now suffering trouble or financial difficulties would not have been in this position had they chosen a more suitable way to educate their children,” he added.Differences in qualityAfter graduating from the university in Guangdong, Wang
10、 Jianhai was sent to Texas to get a masters degree, which his family believed would give him an edge in the job market.来源: 学科网 ZXXKHis father worked at an electronics factory and earned more than 10,000 yuan a month, s o the adventure was not a great financial burden. However, after his return, 26-y
11、ear-old Wang was no better prepared to find work.Even his English skills had not improved, he said that because he stayed with Asians most of the time”.Eventually, his parents had to invest more money to help their only son eke out a meager living by running his own electronics store.“He hasnt earne
12、d a penny back for us, even thou gh weve taken care of him for 26 years, while other people at his age might have earned more than 200,000 yuan by now,“ said h is 66-year-old father.“We could have had a decent life after retirement with our savings, but now weve painted ourselves into a tight corner
13、,” he added bitterly.Althou gh parents see an overseas educat ion as a s hortcut to success, experts argue that very few truly understand the vast differences in quality that exist among colleges in developed nations.Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Renmin University of China, said everybody
14、 knows Chinese parents a re willing to spend money on their children, but he warned that those looking to benefit today are largely “second- and third-rate colleges that dont offer scholarships or subsidies”.来源:Zxxk.ComParents need to be reasonable, he said, as well as “clear about what they expect
15、from the study periodmental development or practical skills”.来源:学*科*网助子女出国留学。他还表示：“如果这些家长能够选择一种更恰当 的方式来教育子女，那么他们就不会像现在这样陷入困境，遭遇经济危机。 ”教育质量差异来源:Z+xx+k.Com王建海(音译)从广东一所大学毕业后，就被送去美国德克萨斯州攻读硕士学位。他的家人坚信这会为他将来就业提供优势。王建海的父亲在一家电子工厂上班，月收入一万多元，所以送孩子出国留学这一险招并不会带来太大经济负担。但回国后，26 岁的王建海在求职时可以说毫无准备。甚至就连他的英文水平也没有进步。王建
16、海称，这是因为自己大多数时间都和亚 洲人待在一起。最终，王建海的父母不得不再次掏腰包资助儿子开了家电器商店，勉强维持生计。王建海 66 岁的父亲表示：“尽管他们抚养了王建海 26 年，但王建海没有为他们挣回一分钱，而其他很多同龄孩子现在可能已经赚了二十多万元了。 ”他苦涩地补充道：“我们本可以靠着自己的积蓄在退休以后过上份舒适、体面的生活，但现在我们深陷困境，自讨苦吃。 ”来源:Z.xx.k.Com尽管家长们将出国留学视为一条成功的捷径，但有关专家称，很少有家长真正了解众多发达国家的大学在教育质量上存在巨大差异这一事实。中国人大社会学教授周孝正(音译)表示，中国家长愿意为孩子花钱这是众所周知的事，但他也提醒说，当下那些利益为先的院校大多都是“二三流的学校，它们既不提供 奖学金也没有补助” 。来源:学科网 ZXXK周孝正称，家长们需要理智一些，并且“弄清楚自己究竟想让子女在留学期间收获些什么，是心智的成长还是实用技能的培养” 。
