经济学人：中国乡村教育
写在前面的话：
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对于本资料的使用：
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如果你是阅读能力强，词汇储备量高，答题正确率高的同学，可直接阅读本篇外刊文章，挑战自己，尽最大能力去理解文章中的句子含义，了解文章大意。之后再看下面的词汇详细介绍，查缺补漏。如此，进一步提升自己的阅读能力，强化语言实力。
So, are you ready now ? Let's read it!
篇章总览
来源：本文来自经济学人2017.4.15.
主要内容：中国乡村教育现状。
语言特点：中国特色表达；高频中等词汇；写作亮点短语；固定搭配短语；熟词僻义。Rural education in China ：Separate and unequal
Last year some images spread on the internet in China. They showed children descending an 800-metre (2,600-foot) rock face on rickety ladders made of vines, wood and rusty metal. Their destination: school. The photographer was told by a local official that "ven or eight" people had died after losing their grip. Yet the children did this regularly—there is no school at the top of the mountain in Sichuan province where they live. The photographs conveyed two striking aspects of life in the Chine countryside: a hunger for education so strong that children will risk their lives for it, and a lack of government attention to the needs of rural students.
In many ways, education in China is improving. Since 2000 the annual tally of students graduating fr
om university has incread nearly eightfold, to more than 7.5 million. But many rural students are neglected by China's school system, and they are not the only ones. So too are the children of migrants who have moved to the cities from the countryside and poor students who want to go to nior high school.
This is not only unfair; it is also counterproductive. China faces a demographic crunch: its workforce is shrinking and it can no longer depend on cheap, low-skilled migrant labour to
power its growth. Its young—especially tho with rural roots—need to become more skilled. That calls for better education. The government has not been completely blind to the need to ensure that rural people have enough schooling to work in factories, but it has shown little n of urgency. The schoolchildren from Sichuan are a ca in point. So perilous was their journey to school that officials arranged for them to board, like tens of millions of children in rural China. They travel back home only every few weeks.
That may sound like progress. Since the population of young people in the countryside is falling, smaller schools are closing. Better to board than to trek for miles every day to one that is still open.
背景介绍：
蛋糕奶油的做法
四川凉山彝族自治州昭觉县支尔莫乡阿土勒尔村，是一座名副其实的“悬崖村”，72户人家居住在这里，小孩子要上学就必须爬这个藤梯。孩子们需要扶着藤梯爬过一段800米（半英里）的绝壁，才能到达学校。这段2小时的旅途是如此令人揪心，他们每月只能回家两次。词汇详解
无花果泡酒第一段词汇
Last year some images spread on the internet in China. They showed children descending an 800-metre (2,600-foot) rock face on rickety ladders made of vines, wood and rusty metal. Their destination: school. The photographer was told by a local official that "ven or eight" people had died after losing their grip. Yet the children did this regularly—there is no school at the top of the mountain in Sichuan province where they live. The photographs conveyed two striking aspects of life in the Chine countryside: a hunger for education so strong that children will risk their lives for it, and a lack of government attention to the needs of rural students.
芥蓝菜★ descend /dɪˈnd/
v. 下降；下去；下来
eg:The plane began to descend.
飞机开始降落。
★ rickety /ˈrɪkəti/
adj. 不结实的；不稳固的；易折断的
eg: a rickety chair
摇摇晃晃的椅子
★ vine /vaɪn/
n. 藤；藤蔓植物
eg: grapes on the vine
藤上的葡萄
父亲的画面★ rusty /ˈrʌsti/
adj. 生锈的
eg: rusty metal
生锈的金属
adj. （体育运动、技能等）荒废的；退步的
eg: My tennis is very rusty the days.
最近我的网球荒疏了。
I haven't played the piano for ages—I may be a little rusty.
党的建设包括我很久没有弹钢琴，可能会有点退步了。
披肩的各种穿法★ grip /ɡrɪp/
n. (on sb / sth) 紧握；紧抓= grasp
eg: Keep a tight grip on the rope.
over的意思紧紧抓住绳索不放。
She tried to get a grip on the icy rock.
她尽力抓住那冰冷的石头。
★ striking /ˈstraɪkɪŋ/
adj. 引人注目的；异乎寻常的；显著的
eg: In striking contrast to their brothers, the girls were both intelligent and charming.
姑娘们既聪明伶俐。又妩媚动人。跟她们的兄弟形成鲜明的对照。
adj. 妩媚动人的；标致的；俊秀的
eg: She was a striking woman with long blonde hair.
她是个留着金色长发的俏女郎。
★ a hunger for sth = a thirst (for sth)
（对某事物的）渴望，渴求
eg: a hunger for knowledge
对知识的渴求
Nothing emed to satisfy their hunger for truth.
似乎没有什么能满足他们对真理的渴求。
★ risk /rɪsk/
v. 1.使…冒风险（或面临危险）risk sth
eg: He risked his life to save her.
他冒着生命危险去救她。
2. 冒险做；（明知结果而）大胆做risk sth/doing sth黄沙石
eg: They knew they risked being arrested.
他们知道自己冒着被捕的危险。
第二段词汇
In many ways, education in China is improving. Since 2000 the annual tally of students graduating from university has incread nearly eightfold, to more than 7.5 million. But many rural students are neglected by China's school system, and they are not the only ones. So too are the children of migrants who have moved to the cities from the countryside and poor students who want to go to nior high school.
★ tally /ˈtæli/
n.记录；积分表；账
v.1.~ (with sth)（说法、数字等）与…符合；与...一致；吻合
= match up
eg: This description didn't em to tally with what we saw.
这个描述似乎与我们所见到的不一致。
2. ~ sth (up) 计算；合计
★ eightfold /'eɪtfəʊld/
adj. 八倍的
eg: Ricehas nearly tripled in price over the same period, whilewheat has rin eightfold.
同期内，大米涨了将近三倍，小麦价格涨了八倍。
★ neglect /nɪˈɡlekt/
v. 忽视，忽略；疏忽
eg: She has neglected her studies.
她忽视了自己的学习。
★ migrant /ˈmaɪɡrənt/
n. （为工作）移居者
eg: migrant workers 流动工人
第三段词汇
This is not only unfair; it is also counterproductive. China faces a demographic crunch: its workforce is shrinking and it can no longer depend on cheap, low-skilled migrant labour to power its growth. Its young—especially tho with rural roots—need to become more skilled. That calls for better education. The government has not been completely blind to the need to ensure that rural people have enough schooling to work in factories, but it has shown little n of urgency. The schoolchildren from Sichuan are a ca in point. So perilous was their journey to school that officials arranged for them to board, like tens of millions of children in rural China. They travel back home only every few weeks.
★ counterproductive /ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv/ adj. 产生相反效果；事与愿违；适得其反 eg: In practice, however, such an attitude is counterproductive.
然而在实际中，这种态度会适得其反。
★crunch /krʌntʃ/
n. 1.（突发的）不足，短缺；（尤指）缺钱
eg: a budget / energy / housing crunch
预算/ 能源/ 住房短缺
n. 2. 压碎声；碎裂声
eg: the crunch of feet on snow
脚踩着雪发出的嘎吱嘎吱声
