Easier to regulate private education than to improve government schools

江苏河海大学 李劲松

难词扫障

1.subsistence（Para.1） n.维持生活

The land provided subsistence and little more.这块土地只能提供人们的基本生活所需，别无富余。

2.grubby（Para.2） adj.肮脏的

Keep your grubby paws to yourself！ 把你的脏爪子拿开！

3.veranda（Para.2） n.走廊；阳台

The veranda was boarded in.阳台用木板隔出了。

4.curry（Para.3） vt.讨好

a businessman who made several attempts to curry favour with politicians一个几次三番想要讨好政客的商人

5.elite（Para.4） n.精英

a struggle for power within the ruling elite统治阶层内部的争权夺利

6.jurisdiction（Para.5） n.司法权；审判权

The committee has jurisdiction over all tax measures.这个委员会有权制定所有税收措施。7.migration（Para.6） n.迁移；移民

You must perform this step manually with any of the migration approaches.您必须采用任意一种移民方式手动执行这一步骤。8.implement（Para.7） vt.实施；执行

We have decided to implement the committee's recommendations in full.我们已决定全面实施委员会提出的建议。

9.wield （Para.8） vt.使用；行使

The Church wields great power in Ireland.在爱尔兰，教会操纵着大权。

10.clout（Para.8） n.影响力；势力

An official protest could carry considerable clout.正式的抗议可能具有相当大的影响力。

11.partnership（Para.9） n.合作关系

Several youth charities have formed a partnership to help these homeless teenagers.为帮助这些无家可归的少年，一些青年慈善团体建立了合作关系。

原文复现

The 80 or so pupils in Class 9 of YDVP Inter College,a private school in Uttar Pradesh,India's most populous state,chorus“good morning”to the visitor,and then turn their attention back to the maths teacher.Smartly dressed in blue-and-white uniforms,the children are seated at desks in brick classrooms in a compound surrounded by fields.Fees are Rs170～Rs250($2.29～$3.37)a month,depending on the grade.That is a stretch for the area'ssubsistencefarmers and labourers,but the school,which has 1,000 pupils,is full.The 11 teachers are paid Rs2,000～Rs5,000 a month,depending on their age,experience and quality.

Atthe government-run UpperPrimary School,Khujehta,a few miles away,63 children are enrolled,of whom 50 are present on the day of your correspondent's visit.They sit on the floor in three classrooms,dressed ingrubbypinkish government uniforms,looking at textbooks.Nobody is teaching them;the school's two teachers are sitting on theveranda.They are paid Rs50,000 and Rs40,000 a month apiece.The average income in Uttar Pradesh is Rs4,600 a month.

Enrolment in the government school has been falling,say the teachers.They blame it on the fact that the head of the village panchayat(council)has opened a private school nearby(not YDVP)and people are sending their children there tocurryfavour with the big man.Bharat Lal,a labourer in the nearby village,has another explanation：“My children will not go to the government school because they say there is no education,so I have to pay for private school.”His children attend YDVP.

India has long hadeliteprivate schools,butoverthe pastdecade low-costprivate schools have also boomed.Their rolls increased from 44 million in 2010～2011 to 61 million in 2016～2017,while those in government schools fell from 126 million to 108 million in the 21 of India's 29 states for which there is any data.Geeta Kingdon,a professor at University College London who also runs a private school in Lucknow,suspects that the private-school numbers are an underestimate because many of them are not registered with the government.

①There are two reasons for the shift.②One is the failure of public education.③Just how bad India's schools are became clear when two Indian states participated in a scheme that compares attainment around the world and came72nd to74th out of74jurisdictions in reading,maths and science（academic research suggests private schools are little better）.④The other reason is the popularity of English-medium education,driven by a combination of social status（English has never quite lost the cachet〈威信〉 it had as the language of the ruling class in colonial times）andpragmatism（the Internet and globalisation have magnified its usefulness）. ⑤ The great majority of private schools teach,or claim to teach,in English.

Shrinking pupil numbers are an embarrassment to chief ministers. “My one target when I took this job was to reverse themigrationout of government schools,”says Sarvendra Vikram Singh,director of education for Uttar Pradesh.

①State governments are reacting in two ways.②One is to make life difficult for private schools.③The Right to Education(RTE)Act of 2009 sets out detailed requirements which they must meet—to have a classroom for every teacher,a library and a kitchen,for instance—in order to get the official“recognition” (i.e.li-cence)they need to operate.④Although many government schools do not meet these norms,the requirements are being used to close private schools.⑤Shivnandan Singh,an education officer in Lucknow,the biggest city in Uttar Pradesh,with215government schools and200recognised private schools on his beat,says he has closed down60unrecognised private schools this year.⑥ “Up until now we have been going easy on them but this year the RTE Act is beingimplementedstrictly.” ⑦The press is supportive,carrying stories about the closure of“fake schools”.

To its credit,the AAP（Aam Aadmi Party）has also pursued a second approach to reviving governmentschools:tryingtoimprove them.“The state of the schools was worse than we expected,”says Atishi Marlena,a former adviser to Manish Sisodia,the local education minister.“There was the smell of toilets in the classroom,children sitting on the floor,children not there,teachers not there.”Mr Sisodia has taken to visiting schools unannounced,which is reckoned to have sharpened upperformance.He says state-school pupils now do better in exams than private-school pupils.But no teachers have been fired for absence,or anything else—Teachers'Unions wield enormous political clout,and tend to torpedo（彻底破坏）reforms that threaten their position.

Uttar Pradesh is trying to improve quality byaddressinga different problem：the range of abilities in classes.Some Grade 8 children can't read,andlaggardswho have slipped too far behind may never catch up.So this year,inpartnershipwith Pratham,an NGO that has pioneered the system,the state government is introducing “gradedlearning”.Pupils will be divided into three ability levels,rather than the standardage-determinedgrades.

文章来源：2018年10月刊The Economist

Part 1整体感知

本文是一篇说明文。由于印度公立教育的失败、英语为教学语言的私立学校的大受欢迎，公立学校的入学人数一直在下降。于是在过去十年中，印度涌现出很多学费比较低的私立学校。对此，印度政府一方面振兴公立学校，但更多的是在限制私立学校的发展，媒体也对此表示支持，报道了关闭“假学校”的消息。

篇章结构梳理：

Structure Paragraph（s） Main idea Introduction Para.1～2 Compared to private schools,the state of the government schools was worse.Phenomenon Para.3～4 Enrolment in the government school has been falling and low-cost private schools have boomed.Reasons Para.5 There are two reasons for the shift：the failure of public education and the popularity of English-medium education.Reaction Para.6～7 State governments make life difficult for private schools.Solution Para.8～9 The government has also pursued the approach to reviving government schools：trying to improve them.

典型段落段内结构分析：

Para.5

句子序号 句义概括① There are two reasons for the shift.② One is the failure of public education.③ How bad India's schools are became clear.④⑤ The other reason is the popularity of English-medium句间关系段落主旨句段落第一个分论点举例论证分论点 education. 段落第二个分论点段意概括：印度公立教育的失败和以英语为教学语言的私立学校的兴起导致公立学校入学人数的下降。

Para.7

句子序号 句义概括 句间关系①② State governments are reacting in two ways,one of which is to make life difficult for private schools. 段落主旨句③④ The Right to Education （RTE） Act of 2009 sets out detailed requirements which they must meet. 解释主旨句⑤⑥ Shivnandan Singh says he has closed down 60 unrecognised private schools this year.举例证明主旨句⑦ The press is supportive. 评论主旨句段意概括：印度政府采取措施限制私立学校的发展，媒体也对此表示支持。

词汇拓展

Part 2语言学习

一、旧瓶装新酒，熟词有生义

1.beat（Para.7） n.管区；辖区；巡逻地段

journalists covering the Washington beat驻华盛顿地区的新闻记者

People like to see police officers on the beat.人们愿意看到有警察在执勤巡逻。

2.credit（Para.8） n.赞扬；认可

To Jamie's credit,he remained calm.值得

表扬的是，杰米始终保持冷静。

She deserves credit for trying her best.她尽了最大的努力，应该得到表扬。

3.performance（Para.8） n.（工作或活动中的）表现

Sean's performance at school has greatly improved.肖恩在学校的表现进步很大。

I was impressed by the team's performance.该队的表现让我印象深刻。

4.address（Para.9） vt.设法解决；处理

Our products address the needs of real users.

我们的产品满足真正用户的需求。

Marlowe now addressed himself to the task of searching the room.马洛现在开始搜查房间。

二、学会“前”词缀，词汇巧拓展

1.pre

preconception 成见

pre-exsiting 先于……而存在的

preelection 预选

2.fore

forehead 前额

foreground （景物、图画等的）前景

foresee 预见3.pro

prologue 序言

programme 计划

protrude 突；伸出4.ex

ex-wife 前妻

ex-president 前总统

ex-dividend 除股息

三、关于教育的词

1.attainment n.成就；造诣；达到

2.pragmatism n.实用主义

3.laggard n.迟钝懒散者

4.graded adj.分等级的

5.age-determined adj.由年龄决定的

难句分析

1.Geeta Kingdon,a professor at University College London who also runs a private school in Lucknow,suspects that the private-school numbers are an underestimate because many of them are not registered with the government.

a professor at University College London是Geeta Kingdon的同位语，who also runs a private school in Lucknow是a professor的定语从句，suspects是及物动词，后面接宾语从句that the private-school numbers are an underestimate，because many of them are not registered with the government是原因状语从句。

2.Shivnandan Singh,an education officer in Lucknow,the biggest city in Uttar Pradesh,with 215 government schools and 200 recognised private schools on his beat,says he has closed down 60 unrecognised private schools this year.

主句是Shivnandan Singh says he has closed down 60 unrecognised private schools this year。 an education officer in Lucknow是Shivnandan Singh的同位语，the biggest city in Uttar Pradesh是Lucknow的同位语，with 215 government schools and 200 recognised private schools on his beat是跟着Shivnandan Singh的复合结构：with+名词词组+介词词组。

写作推荐

善用标点符号，写好长难句

1.括号

Just how bad India's schools are became clear when two Indian states participated in a scheme that compares attainment around the world and came 72nd to 74th out of 74 jurisdictionsin reading,maths and science(academic research suggests private schools are little better).

academic research suggests private schools are little better是补充说明，可以用括号括起来放在句号内，作为整个句子的补充。

2.破折号

But no teachers have been fired for absence,or anything else—Teachers'Unions wield enormous political clout,and tend to torpedo reforms that threaten their position.

破折号后的句子是用来解释破折号前面的句子的，此时的破折号相当于because。

3.冒号

To its credit,the AAP（Aam Aadmi Party）has also pursued a second approach to reviving government schools：trying to improve them.

冒号后说明了a second approach，这句话也可以用同位语或定语从句，如“To its credit,the AAP has also pursued a second approach to reviving government schools，which is trying to improve them.”，但不如冒号利落。

Part 3视角拓展

印度教育小知识

印度实行12年一贯制中小学教育。高等教育共8年,包括3年学士课程、2年硕士课程和3年博士课程。此外还有各类职业技术教育、成人教育等非正规教育。全国现有300多所综合性大学，著名的有德里大学、印度理工学院、加尔各答大学、马德拉斯大学、巴拉蒂尔大学等。

2007年相关数据显示，印度人口识字率达到75%，但成人文盲仍高达3亿，居世界之首。印度正在全国600个行政区中的589

个推广扫盲计划，力争在“十一五”结束时识字率达到85%。2008年到2009年，印度6岁至14岁儿童入学率接近100%，但全国平均小学辍学率高达31%。

印度电影《起跑线》讲述了一对中产阶级夫妇为了让孩子能够从小就获得最好的教育，走上人生巅峰而绞尽脑汁择校的故事。

译文助读

改善公立学校要比约束私立学校难得多

印度私立学校YDVP国际学院坐落于印度人口最多的州北方邦，学校9班有大约80名学生。清晨，班里学生齐声向来访的客人问候“早上好”，然后将注意力转回数学老师身上。他们穿着漂亮的蓝白色制服，坐在砖砌教室的书桌上，在四周环绕着田野的场地学习。这个学校学费按年级每月170卢比到250卢比（2.29美元到3.37美元）不等。对于该地区勉强糊口的农民和工人来说，这是一项多出来的开支。尽管如此，这所学校已经满员，招收了1，000名学生。学校11名教师按年龄、经验和工作质量每月工资2，000卢比到5，000卢比不等。

几英里（1英里=1，609米）之外的公立高小Khujehta有63名学生登记入学，记者采访当天有50名学生来学校上课。学生各坐在三个教室的地板上，身上穿着脏脏的浅粉色政府校服，正看着课本。没有人在给他们上课，学校的两位老师正坐在阳台上。他们每人每月工资分别是5万卢比和4万卢比。北方邦这个州的月平均收入是4，600卢比。

老师们都说公立学校的入学人数一直在下降，他们将此归咎于村民委会主任在附近开的一家私立学校（不是YDVP国际学院），大家为了拍他的马屁，就将孩子送到那里。附近村庄的工人Bharat Lal还有另一种说法：“我的孩子不去公立学校了，因为他们说在那没有老师教，所以我必须花钱送他们上私立学校。”他的孩子上了YDVP国际学院。

印度长期以来一直设有精英私立学校，但在过去十年里，还是涌现出很多学费比较低的私立学校。有数据显示，他们的招收人数从2010年到2011年的4，400万增长到2016到2017年的6，100万，而公立学校的人数从21个州（印度共29个州）的1.26亿减少到1.08亿。伦敦大学学院的教授Geeta Kingdon也在印度勒克瑙经营一所私立学校，他怀疑私立学校学生的人数还要更多些，因为他们中的很多人都没有在政府注册。

有两个原因造成这种转变。一个是公立学校教育的失败。印度的两个州参与了一项比较世界各地教育成就的项目，主要看阅读、数学和科学领域，结果在74个管辖区中排名第72位到第74位，印度的学校到底有多糟糕这时候就显而易见了(学术研究表明私立学校情况稍微好点)。另一个原因是受社会地位(英语作为殖民时期统治阶级的语言，其影响从未完全消失)和实用主义(互联网和全球化增强了它的实用性)双重因素的推动，以英语为教学语言的私立学校大受欢迎。私立学校大多用英语上课，至少他们自己对外是这么宣称的。

首席部长因学生人数的减少而处境尴尬。“我上任时的一个目标是扭转公立学校人数减少的趋势，”北方邦教育部长Sarvendra Vikram Singh说道。

州政府有两种应对方式。第一种是让私立学校的日子不好过。2009年的《教育权法》详细规定了学校必须满足的要求，例如，为了获得经营需要的官方“认可”(即执照)，每个老师都要有一个教室，学校要有一个图书馆和一个厨房。虽然许多公立学校都不符合这些标准，但他们用这些要求来限制私立学校。Shivnandan Singh是北方邦最大的城市勒克瑙的一名教育官员，他所辖区内有215所公立学校和200所被认可的私立学校，他说他今年已经关闭了60所未被认可的私立学校。“到目前为止，我们对私立学校的态度一直很宽松，但今年严格执行了《教育权法》。”媒体对此表示支持，报道了关闭“假学校”的消息。

值得称赞的是，Aam Aadmi党还采取了另一种振兴公立学校的方法：努力改善公立学校。当地教育部长Manish Sisodia的前顾问Atishi Marlena表示：“学校的状况比我们预期的要糟糕。教室里有厕所的味道，孩子们坐在地板上，他们不在那里，老师也不在那里。”Sisodia喜欢不事先通知就探访学校，大家认为这让公立学校有所收敛。他说现在公立学校的学生比私立学校的学生在考试中表现更好。但没有教师因为缺勤而被解雇，或者其他任何事情——教师工会拥有巨大的政治影响力，并且倾向于破坏对他们地位有威胁的改革。

北方邦正试图通过解决另一个问题来提高教学质量：不同班级配以不同能力等级的学生。一些八年级的学生仍不识字，落后太多的学生可能永远也追不上了。因此，今年州政府与倡导这一制度的非政府组织Pratham合作，推出了“分级学习”。 学生将被分为三个能力等级，而不是由年龄决定。

文体写作

怎样写好安慰信

安徽泗县一中 吴安运

◎文体概述

朋友或同学考试失利、亲友生病、受伤或由于火灾、水灾、被盗等不幸事件蒙受了损失，我们都可以写封信表示安慰。安慰信要写得真诚，注意措辞。写安慰信时一定要围绕一个中心——使收信人从中得到安慰和鼓舞。

◎写作模板

◎经典句型

篇首句：表达慰问事由

1.I feel very sad to know that there was...听说发生了……我感到非常难过。

2.I was shocked at the news about the earthquake in...听闻……地震的消息我很震惊。

3.Seeing the related...,I could not help...看到相关的……，我禁不住……

4.We are so sorry to hear the news about...听到……的消息我们很难过。

5.I just heard that you've been on the sickness last week.我刚刚得知上个星期你病了。

6.I was deeply concerned when I learned that...当得知……时，我非常担心。

7.I just can't tell you how sorry I was to learn of your...获悉你……时，我难以形容我有多难过。

8.I read about the recent events in the newspaper and I am writing to extend my deepest sadness.我从报纸上得知了最近的事情，写信表达我深切的悲痛。

篇尾句：鼓励与问候

1.Still you have many more chances to try.你仍然有很多机会可以尝试。

2.I'm certainly relieved to know that.知道这一情况后，我心中感到很宽慰。

3.I am sure you will easily succeed next time.我相信你下次会轻松地取得成功。

4.I quite understand how you feel now.我非常理解你现在的感受。

5.Please pass my concern on to your parents.请代我向你的父母问好。

6.So I hope that you will not take this to heart,and will get ready to try again.因此，希望你不要太在意这件事，准备好再试一次。

7.I hope you like it,and that it will help to pass the time more pleasantly.我希望你喜欢它，并希望它能帮助你更愉快地度过时光。

8.With every good wish for your swift recovery.衷心祝愿你尽快恢复健康。

9.We are looking forward to/hoping/praying for your speedy and full recovery.我们希望/祈祷你能早日完全康复。

10.Please extend our deep sympathy to your family.请向你的家人转达我们的深切慰问。

11.If there is anything I can do to help you,please let me know.如果有需要我帮助的地方，请告诉我。

12.If you need any help,please do not hesitate to contact us.如果你需要任何帮助，请随时联系我们。

◎典例链接

（2017届山西省五校高三第四次联考）假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Jack因爸爸过度饮酒而感到非常苦恼，就此请你用英语给他写一封邮件。主要内容包括：

1.表示安慰：

2.给出建议；

3.寄予希望。

注意：

1.词数100左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文流畅；

3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Jack,

I'm sorry to hear that your father is addicted to drinking.

Best wishes.I'm looking forward to your reply.

Yours,

Li Hua

【试题解读】

1.审题立意

该篇书面表达的命题思路采用的是应用文的考查形式，是提纲类作文，但其形式又是以邮件的模式给出，而最终又要求考生用近年来高考较为普遍的书信体裁进行写作，体现了高考命题的稳定性。

从测试内容上来看，写作的主题为“安慰朋友并提出建议”，这提醒考生要关注生活，虽看似平淡，但事实上教育学生要关爱他人，珍惜生命。

从写作提示上来看，试题仍然具有一定的开放性，给各位考生留出了一定的自由发挥空间，有利于考生充分展示自己的英语书面表达能力。这次英语书面表达试题还是采用了以往的书信形式,试题中已经写好了开头和结尾，考生不必考虑和担心书信格式的问题，可以直接按照材料提示的有关内容进入主题，这有利于帮助考生增强信心，顺利答题。

2.写作要点

（1）导入话题；

（2）安慰朋友；

（3）给出建议；

（4）寄予希望。

3.注意事项

（1）注意文章内容的详略，建议部分要详写，另两点内容略写；

（2）语气要真诚中肯。

【佳作赏析】

Dear Jack,

I'm sorry to hear that your father is addicted to drinking.Don't worry.I'm always here,ready to help you①.

As is known,getting rid of drinking is not easy,so you should be patient with it and give your father a little time.First of all②,find out why your father is addicted to drinking and try to communicate with him about this.Then②,you should think of ways that fit your father's situation.Maybe changing your father's taste,like drinking tea instead of wine,is a good choice③.Besides②,it is important to make your father know the potential danger of drinking.Also②,you can ask doctors for help.I hope the suggestions are available④to you and your father will be happier and healthier with the help.

Best wishes.I'm looking forward to your reply.

Yours，

Li Hua

亮点分析：本篇习作将建议一条条列举出来，使人一目了然，且思路清唽，交代非常清楚。字里行间情真意切，读来非常感人。运用了一些适当的过渡词及高级句式结构，如形容词短语作状语、动名词做主语、定语从句等，同时available等高级词汇的使用，也使文章增色不少，总的来说是一篇好文章。

①作者没有用两个简单句或并列句的形式来表达，而是独辟蹊径，使用了形容词短语ready to help you作伴随状语。

② 作 者 用 First of all、Then、Besides和Also等过渡词一条一条地陈述他的建议，层次分明。

③作者在此用动名词形式changing your father's taste作句子主语，后面还对这个做法进行举例，语言运用非常老道。

④作者在这里运用了高级词汇available，一词胜千言，言简意深，足见作者的语言能力。

◎小试牛刀

假定你是李华，你收到美国好友Jack的来信，他说他期末考试考得不好，受到父母的批评，情绪很低落。请你根据以下要点给Jack写一封信：

1.安慰对方；

2.正确对待考试；

3.与父母多沟通；

4.鼓励对方。注意：

1.词数100左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Jack,

Yours,

Li Hua