Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. enroll (v.) [en-rohl] – to officially join an institution or a program as a member or participant.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. enroll (v.) [en-rohl] – to officially join an institution or a program as a member or participant.
Example: Many Asians are enrolling in Western Universities.
2. stance (n.)
[stans] – an opinion or belief toward an issue
Example: People organized rallies
to show their stance on the
government’s new tax law.
3. emphasize (v.) [em-fuh-sahyz] – to stress the importance of something; to give importance to something
Example: The teacher emphasized the importance of the lesson
in the final exam.
4. diligence (n.)
[dil-i-juhns] – an attitude that shows continued hard work or effort
Example: She was promoted to
manager because of her diligence at
her job.
5. outpace (v.) [out-peys] – to perform better and faster than somebody else
Example: Experts say Asian
students are outpacing Western
students in math and science.
Article
Read the text below.
Recent findings reveal that the number of Chinese students enrolling in American universities has increased significantly in the past few years.
In 2006-2007, there
were only 9,955 Chinese enrollees. The number rose to 16,450 for the next academic
year, and it reached 56,976 in 2010-2011.
William Bennett,
former US Secretary of Education and current senior adviser of an
international education company in China, explained that the reason for the
increase may be the attitude of Chinese toward education.
Bennett said that while
Americans still debate on the cost and importance of college, the Chinese aim
on acquiring higher education, particularly in American universities.
In a trip to
Beijing, Bennett talked with Chinese parents about their stance on academics. He noticed that Chinese emphasized the value of education, and that they set high standards
on children from a very young age.
In China, children
have better knowledge of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects
compared to American children. Furthermore, middle-class Chinese parents are willing
to give up anything, including money for leisure and entertainment, so they
can send their children to school.
According to
Bennett, although US universities are considered the best in the world, many American
students do not give priority to higher education. Chinese students, on the
other hand, realize the opportunities offered by US universities.
Bennett also commented
on how Chinese who go home with American education are economically benefitting
China. The company Apple, for example, said it prefers to offer jobs outside
the US because foreign workers, including the Chinese, have diligence and skills that are already
outpacing those of Americans.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
What is the general attitude of people in your
country toward American universities? Do many people also think Western
universities have the best education?
·
Why do you think foreign exchange students come
to our country to study?
Discussion B
·
Do you think it is really necessary to study
abroad in order to get a good education? Please explain your answer.
·
If you were given a chance, would you want to
study in another country? Why or why not?