VOA慢速英语2018 法国大学将提供更多的英语课程

French Universities to Offer More Classes in English

France aims to bring more foreign students to its universities by offering more classes taught in English.

法国旨在通过提供更多英语授课课程，吸引更多外国学生到该国的大学就读。

French Prime¹ Minister Edouard Philippe announced the plan on Monday. He said increasing the number of foreigners studying in the country would help build French influence overseas.

法国总理爱德华·菲利普周一宣布了这一计划。他说，提高到该国学习的外国人数量将有助于塑造法国的海外影响力。

France is home to famous universities like the Sorbonne in Paris and several leading business schools. The country is a popular choice among non-English-speaking students. But it ranks behind the United States, Britain and Australia in the total number of foreign students who study there.

法国有一些著名大学，像巴黎的索邦大学以及几所一流的商学院。该国是非英语国家学生的热门选择。但是，在法国留学的外国学生总数排在了美国、英国和澳大利亚之后。

Between 2011 and 2016, the number of foreign students studying at French universities fell by 8.5 percent. The country has seen increased competition from Germany, Russia, Canada and China.

在2011年到2016年，在法国大学就读的外国学生人数下降了8.5%。该国面临了来自德国、俄罗斯、加拿大以及中国日益激烈的竞争。

Philippe said that in the education field, “just as in other economic ones, the world’s balance of power is shifting⁴. That’s why we need to welcome more foreign students.”

菲利普表示，教育领域“就像其它经济领域一样，其中的世界的力量均衡正在发生变化，这就是为什么我们需要迎来更多的外国学生。”

The new plan

新计划

Under the new plan, France will ease² student visa requirements. Student visa applications also will be available online.

根据新计划，法国将会放宽学生的签证要求，学生也可以在线申请签证。

Starting next March, foreigners who have earned a French master’s degree will be able to receive a residence⁵ visa. The change is meant to help recent graduates look for work or set up a business in France.

从明年3月开始，获得法国硕士学位的外国人将能获得居留签证，这一变化旨在帮助近期毕业生在法国求职或创业。

France also plans to increase the costs for students who come from outside the European Economic Area. Currently⁶, students in France -- including foreign students – pay (about) 170 euros a year for a bachelor's degree and 243 euros a year for a master’s degree.

法国还计划提高来自欧洲经济区以外学生的学费。目前，包括外国学生在内的法国学生每年到本科学费大约170欧元，硕士学费为243欧元。

Officials said the low cost of education in France leads students from countries like China to believe that the quality of a French education is lower than what other countries offer.

有关官员表示，法国教育成本很低，导致中国等国家的学生认为法国的教育质量低于其它国家。

Beginning in September 2019, non-European students will pay 2,770 euros a year for a bachelor’s degree and 3,770 euros for graduate degrees.

从2019年9月开始，非欧盟学生每年需要支付2770欧元的本科学费，和3770欧元的硕士学费。

That is still much less costly⁷ than some other European countries, however. Prime Minister Philippe said the costs for foreign students “will remain well below the 8,000 euros to 13,000 euros charged by the Dutch or the tens of thousands of pounds paid in Britain.”

然而这仍然比其它一些欧洲国家要便宜得多。菲利普总理表示，外国学生学费“仍然比荷兰收取的8000欧或是英国的数万英镑便宜得多。”

France will use the extra money to build better education facilities and increase the number of scholarships for foreign students.

法国将会利用这些新增资金建设更好的教育设施，并增加外国学生的奖学金数量。

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

shift³ ?-v. to move or to cause (something or someone) to move to a different place, position, etc.?

application -n. an official request (usually written) for something (such as a job, admission⁸ to a school, a loan⁹, etc.)?

residence visa ?-n. legal permission to live in a country?

graduate -n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university?

bachelor's degree ?-n. a document given to a student by a college or university usually after successfully completing four years of study?

master's degree ?-n. a document that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional¹⁰ successful study following a bachelor's degree?

facility ?-n. something (such as a building or large piece of equipment) that is built for a specific purpose?

scholarship ?-n. an amount of money that is given by a school, an organization, etc., to a student to help pay for the student's education

1 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

2 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

3 shift   

n.交换，变化，移动，接班者；vt.更替，移转，变声；vi.改变，定责，更衣

参考例句：

• Lend me a hand to shift this box,will you?来帮一下忙，把这箱子搬开，好吗？
• A sudden shift in the wind warned of the coming storm.风向的突然改变预示暴风雨来临。

4 shifting   

n.移位；转移，偏移；狡猾v.改变(shift的现在分词)adj.移动的；多变的；狡诈的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to prove him wrong because he keeps shifting his ground. 要证明他错是不可能的，因为他不断地改变立场。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These tree belts effectively protect the farmland against shifting sand. 这些防护林带有效地保护了农田，使之免受流沙侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 residence   

n.住处，住宅；居住，(合法)居住资格

参考例句：

• They are only allowed one month's residence.他们获准只逗留一个月。
• He took up residence in Australia.他去澳大利亚居住。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 admission   

n.允许进入；承认；入场费，入会费，入场券

参考例句：

• We attached a condition to his admission to our school.我们对准许他入校附加了一个条件。
• By her own admission,she was responsible for the accident.她自己承认，事故应该由她负责。

9 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？

10 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。