VOA慢速英语20060817a

EDUCATION REPORT - In Washington, Summer Is the Season of the InternsBy Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, August 17, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue with our discussion from last week about internships for students. As we said, interns² are sometimes paid. Many times they are not, but they might receive college credit for their work. Sometimes they receive neither pay nor credit. But, as interns are always told, the experience can be valuable.

In the United States, many students get internships in Washington. These positions can be a chance to learn about government and business -- and a chance to meet influential⁴ people.

The Washington Post reports that twenty thousand college students arrive in the capital each summer. About four thousand of them work in Congress, in the offices of representatives and senators⁵. Others work in government agencies or nonprofit organizations or business groups.

Internships in other cities offer a chance to see places like New York or Los Angeles or Chicago. But many students look for internships close to their hometowns or schools.

Wherever they are, interns can tell everyone about their experiences, good or bad, by writing about them on blogs. Sometimes interns write for a Web log on the Internet site of the place where they are doing their internship³. This is how we found the blogs of two interns at Red Hat, a provider of Linux computer software. The company is based in North Carolina.

One of the interns, Claire Sauls, described organizing a summer computer camp for middle school students. The other, Matt Carpenter, wrote about working with different technical systems.

Not everyone has a great experience as an intern¹. But many say they gain skills and experience they could not get in a classroom. They get to meet others with similar interests. They might also get a better sense of what they like and dislike about different jobs. And they might even find that their internship helps them get a job in the future.

Finally, a programming note -- we will begin our Foreign Student series in September. These reports are for students who want information about how to attend a college or university in the United States. If you have any questions about the process, write to [email protected]. We can only accept general questions, and any questions we choose will be answered on our program.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can find our report from last week about internships at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

2 interns   

n.住院实习医生( intern的名词复数 )v.拘留，关押( intern的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Our interns also greet our guests when they arrive in our studios. 我们的实习生也会在嘉宾抵达演播室的时候向他们致以问候。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• The interns work alongside experienced civil engineers and receive training in the different work sectors. 实习生陪同有经验的国内工程师工作，接受不同工作部门的相关培训。 来自超越目标英语 第4册

3 internship   

n.实习医师，实习医师期

参考例句：

• an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
• a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 senators   

n.参议员( senator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When the senators vote, the ayes will have it. 参议员投票时，投赞成票的人将占多数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The committee concluded that the senators had engaged in improper conduct. 委员会断定议员们从事了不正当活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》