Special English 又叫“慢速英语”，是VOA 专为全世界非英语国家初学英语的听众安排的一种简易、规范的英语广播节目。该节目创始于50年代末期，是VOA 的专家们研究如何与世界各地的英语学习者进行交际的产物。它正式开播于1959年10月。当时只面向欧洲和中东，但由于这个节目适合许多国家英语学习者的需要，所以它的广播对象不久就扩大到世界其他地区，并很快在全世界范围内产生了广泛的影响。现在这个节目对欧洲、非洲和拉丁美洲每晚广播一次，对加勒比地区每晚广播一次（星期天除外），对东南亚广播次数最多，每天上午两次，晚上三次。
　　30多年来，VOA 为了办好Special English节目，进行了大量的调查研究工作，对播音速度、内容及用词范围都作了具体规定，基本上达到了既能为英语学习者提供信息，又不损害英语本身风格的目的，使之成为VOA 独具特色，拥有最大量听众的节目。
　

===============================================================

2008.12.04

Foreign Student Series: Admissions Tests

　　This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

　　Many American colleges and universities require applications for the fall term to be completed by January first. But some have deadlines of December first. So this was a fitting week for a research group in California to release its latest "national report card on higher education." The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education calls it "Measuring Up."

　　The report says the price of college has increased more than four hundred percent since nineteen eighty-two. Costs have climbed much faster than other prices —— as well as the wages of average families.

Money

　　The report also expresses concern that the United States is losing its leadership in sending young people to college. Earlier progress can be seen in the percentage of Americans age thirty-five and older who have a college degree. In a comparison of twenty-nine countries, the United States is second, after Canada.

　　But today other countries are making progress more quickly. The United States is tenth in the percentage of college-educated adults age twenty-five to thirty-four. And it is seventh in the percentage of eighteen to twenty-four year olds in college.

　　Also, a lot of students drop out. The report says college completion "has never been a strength" of American higher education. Among the twenty-nine countries, the United States is fifteenth in college completion rates.

　　Completing college first requires getting admitted. This week in our Foreign Student Series, we begin a discussion of entrance tests.

　　Advisers say a student's high school record is the most important consideration. But most American schools require one of the two major college-entrance tests.

　　The SAT measures reasoning skills in math and language and includes an essay question.

　　The four-hour test costs forty-five dollars. The international processing charge is twenty-six —— plus an extra twenty-three dollars in India and Pakistan.

　　Students may also need to take subject tests. Information about the SAT can be found online at collegeboard.com.

　　Next time, we will talk about the other major test, the ACT—— and about schools that do not require either. And we will discuss the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

　　And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.

★★★ 往期节目列表 ★★★