EDUCATION REPORT - Two U.S. Businesses Aim to Help Students

EDUCATION REPORT - Two U.S. Businesses Aim to Help Students Prepare for Science Jobs
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, October 27, 2005

I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report.

The United States Department of Labor¹ says jobs requiring science and technology training will increase fifty-one percent through two thousand eight. It says this could lead to six million future jobs for those with skills in science. Now, two companies have announced plans to help American students prepare for this future.

The General Electric Company announced it will invest² one hundred million dollars to increase the number of students who go to college. The move is an expansion³ of its education program known as College Bound⁴.

The College Bound program aims to increase the number of students going to college from more than twenty high schools around the country. The latest school district to receive this help is in the state of Kentucky. The Jefferson County⁵ Public Schools and up to four other districts will receive the money over the next five years.

The money will pay for creating new ways to teach math and science, professional development for teachers and a study of the project. Also, company officials will help carry out the project goals in the schools.

Jefferson County school officials praised General Electric for its program. Officials say the gift will help support the schools to prepare students for the increasingly⁶ technical jobs of the future.

Earlier in September, the I.B.M. company announced a program to increase the number of mathematics and science teachers in the United States. I.B.M. said the program will make it possible for some of its workers to become teachers after they leave the company.

 
Science student
Company officials say many workers who are experts in science and math have expressed the desire to teach after they retire from I.B.M. So the company developed the program called Transition⁷ to Teaching⁸. The program will pay each worker up to fifteen thousand dollars while they learn to teach.

About one hundred I.B.M. workers across the country will be the first to take part in the program. I.B.M. says that if they are successful, the program will expand to other areas and maybe even to other companies as well.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. Our reports can be found on the Web at voaspecialenglish.com. Do you have a question about the American education system? We might be able to answer it on our program.  I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 invest   

v.投资；投入(时间等)；授予，赋予

参考例句：

• I have decided to invest in a new car.我已经决定买一辆新汽车。
• The best time to invest is now.现在是投资的最佳时机。

3 expansion   

n.扩张，扩充；扩大；扩充物；扩展部

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The plan will give an impulse to industrial expansion.这个计划将促进工业的扩展。

4 bound   

adj.一定的，必然的；受约束的，有义务的

参考例句：

• I feel honor bound to repay the money I borrowed.我觉得有责任归还我借的钱。
• If he signs that paper,he will be bound hand and foot.如果他签署那份文件，他就会受到束缚。

5 county   

n.县，郡

参考例句：

• When the good news reached there,the whole county rejoiced.喜讯传到那里时，全县的人都欢欣鼓舞起来。
• In that year county after county fell to the enemy.那一年一个又一个的县城沦入敌人手中。

6 increasingly   

adv.逐渐地，日益地，逐渐增加地

参考例句：

• Rivers are being increasingly made use of by man. 河流正在日益为人类所利用。
• I find it increasingly difficult to live within my income.我发现靠收入过日子越来越难了。

7 transition   

n.转变，变迁，过渡

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood.青春期是童年与成年之间的过渡时期。
• They all support a peaceful transition.他们全部都支持和平过渡。

8 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。