2015年经济学人 法国反思教育评分制度

Bac blues¹

are afoot to reconsider France's harsh grading system

WARY² of competition when it comes to global markets, the French embrace it wholeheartedly in the classroom.

As school pupils enjoy the end of their summer holiday, few will relish³ a return to their harsh grading system.

Termly reports in secondary schools record pupils' marks, in Cartesian fashion, to the nearest two decimal points.

Every child knows how they compare with the average.

A result at the school-leaving baccalaureat exam of 16 out of 20 is considered outstanding.

For younger children, a dictee to test spelling is marked by progressively deducting⁴ points for every error,

which can crush the grade down to zero, or even into negative territory.

Benot Hamon, the education minister, thinks the system, at least for younger people, is too harsh.

He argues that “in France we are defined by failure”, and this begins with poor grades.

He wants schools to “stimulate instead of discourage” and to give pupils more positive feedback.

Mr Hamon has launched a review of the national grading system. It is due to report early next year.

Mr Hamon's concern seems to be over the stress and anxiety that harsh grading inflicts⁵ on French schoolchildren,

and the lack of confidence that this engenders⁶ in a country that is already excessively pessimistic.

Fully⁷ 75% of the children say they worry about getting poor marks in maths,

for example, according to a study by the Paris-based OECD think-tank—only just less than the figure of 78% in South Korea, and far above the 46% in Sweden.

Last year the education ministry⁸ reported on an experiment in middle schools,

in which marks out of 20 were abandoned in favour of comments, or vague letter grades.

Boys, the report noted⁹, disliked a less competitive environment more than girls;

stronger pupils disliked it more than weaker ones.

But by creating less stress over failure, the report found,

pupils were encouraged to take risks and participate in class, and often became more confident.

Curiously¹⁰, it was parents rather than pupils who most resisted the absence of grades.

They worried about over-protected children, and the difficulty of judging their progress.

If Mr Hamon is to get anywhere, he may find that his biggest obstacle is pushy¹¹ parents.

1 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

2 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

3 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

4 deducting   

v.扣除，减去( deduct的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Deducting drop size and velocity from circular blood stains. 如何从循环的血液中降低血滴的大小和速度。 来自电影对白
• Ordinary shareholders receive dividend from profit after deducting the preference shares dividend. 普通股股东可获派剩馀的盈利为股息。 来自互联网

5 inflicts   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Bullfrog 50 Inflicts poison when your enemy damages you at short range. 牛娃50对近距离攻击你的敌人造成毒伤。
• The U.S. always inflicts its concept of human nature on other nations. 美国总是把自己的人权观念强加于别国。

6 engenders   

v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Sympathy often engenders love. 同情常常产生爱情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Some people believe poverty engenders crime. 有人认为贫困生罪恶。 来自辞典例句

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

11 pushy   

adj.固执己见的，一意孤行的

参考例句：

• But she insisted and was very pushy.但她一直坚持,而且很急于求成。
• He made himself unpopular by being so pushy.他特别喜欢出风头，所以人缘不好。