亚裔美国人是美国受教育程度最好的群体

AS IT IS 2016-04-18 Asian Americans Are the Best-Educated Group in US 亚裔美国人是美国受教育程度最好的群体

For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

Asian-Americans make the most money, on average, of any racial group in the United States.

Asian-Americans are also the best-educated racial group, say new statistics released by the U.S. Census¹ Bureau. 54 percent of Asians in the United States have at least a bachelor's degree.

In the U.S., 33 percent of the total population has a college degree.

Asian-Americans — immigrants, and their children born in the U.S., who come from East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent – account for about 6 percent of the U.S. population.

People of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese origin make up the majority of the Asian-American population.

The role of U.S. immigration policy

Asian-Americans have had success, in part, because of U.S. immigration policy.

Experts say that U.S. immigration policy favors highly educated immigrants from Asian countries.

Eliza Noh, an associate professor at California State University, Fullerton, said that the U.S. has given preference to some Asian-American immigrants since 1965.

“Those groups tend to already have educational training and economic resources, which they invest in their children’s education,” Noh said. “Their access to social and economic capital is what fuels academic achievement.”

Highly educated immigrants are likely to invest in their children's education. They pay for tutoring and college-prep courses that help their children to succeed.

Eliza Noh said, “Besides being able to spend more money on their children’s curricular and extra-curricular activities, such as tutoring and academic clubs, middle-class parents can pass on their knowledge of how to be successful in academia, such as study skills, professional networking, and navigating² educational institutions,” she said.

Noh also said that Asian-Americans perceive that education can help them overcome barriers in the labor³ market.

“They know they cannot rely on just their hard work and experience and ‘who they know’ in order to move up the ladder,” Noh said.

Statistics and Stereotypes⁵

Asian-Americans sometimes have been called the “model minority.” But putting all Asian-Americans into one group contributes to a stereotype⁴ that all Asian-Americans are highly educated.

A 2010 report studied Asian-Americans in California — the U.S. state with the highest Asian population outside of Hawaii. It found that the idea that all Asian-Americans are highly educated is false.

The report said that some ethnic⁶ groups from Asia have problems in the United States.

In California, 45 percent of Hmong, 40 percent of Cambodians and Laotians, and one-fifth of Fijians had less than a high school education. The report also found that 20 percent of Pacific Islanders in the state eventually drop out of high school.

The report said that poverty and limited English proficiency⁷ increase the risk that students will drop out of high school.

Words in This Story

favor – v. to prefer (someone) especially in an unfair way : to show that you like or approve of (someone) more than others?

achievement – n. the state or condition of having achieved or accomplished⁸ something

preference – n. an advantage that is given to some people or things and not to others

perceive – v.  to notice or become aware of (something)

drop out – phrasal verb to stop attending a school or university before you have completed your studies

1 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

5 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

8 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。