2022年11月13日 VOA慢速英语：社区学院以低成本提供更多课程

When international students think of college in the United States, they may think of top universities like Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. Or they may have heard of large state schools such as the University of Michigan.
当国际学生想到美国的大学时，他们可能会想到哈佛、斯坦福和耶鲁等顶尖大学。或者他们可能听说过密歇根大学等大型公立学校。

But there are many smaller schools, called community colleges, where students can start their education.
但也有许多较小的学校，称为社区学院，学生可以在那里开始他们的教育。
 
Community colleges offer two-year degrees, called associate degrees. In addition to traditional educational subjects, they also provide education in areas such as nursing, automotive technology, plumbing, information technology, and electrical repair.
社区学院提供两年制学位，称为副学士学位。除了传统的教育科目，他们还提供护理、汽车技术、管道、信息技术和电气维修等领域的教育。

Why choose a community college?
为什么选择社区学院？

The American Association of Community Colleges, or AACC, says that in 2022, more than 10 million students are taking classes at 1,043 community colleges across the U.S.
美国社区学院协会 (AACC) 表示，到 2022 年，将有超过 1000 万学生在全美 1,043 所社区学院上课。
 
Many American students choose community colleges because they cost much less than four-year universities. Last year, average yearly tuition and other costs were $3,800 at community colleges, compared to $10,740 at four-year state universities. As for private four-year colleges, tuition cost about $35,000, on average. And it goes up to $76,000 for an Ivy League school.
许多美国学生选择社区学院，因为它们的费用远低于四年制大学。去年，社区学院的平均年学费和其他费用为 3,800 美元，而四年制州立大学为 10,740 美元。至于私立四年制大学，平均学费约为 35,000 美元。常春藤盟校的学费高达 76,000 美元。

Many four-year degree programs require students to complete classes called prerequisites before they can take more advanced classes in their field of study. For example, before taking more advanced mathematics, students must complete beginning calculus and statistics.
许多四年制学位课程要求学生先完成称为先决条件的课程，然后才能参加其研究领域的更高级课程。例如，在学习更高级的数学之前，学生必须完成初级微积分和统计。
 
Because students can take these prerequisites at community colleges, many choose to complete their first two years there. Then, they can study the last two years at a four-year college to complete their degree. This is cheaper than studying all four years at a more costly college.
因为学生可以在社区大学修读这些先决条件，所以许多人选择在那里完成他们的前两年。然后，他们可以在四年制大学学习最后两年以完成学位。这比在成本更高的大学学习四年要便宜。

Over half of all community colleges serve rural areas in the U.S. Some offer training related to the economies of the areas they serve. For example, northern California is the largest wine-producing area in the U.S., and students can study winemaking at Napa Valley College, a community college in the area.
在美国，超过一半的社区大学服务于农村地区。有些社区大学提供与其服务地区的经济相关的培训。例如，北加州是美国最大的葡萄酒产区，学生可以在该地区的社区学院纳帕谷学院学习酿酒。
 
In a discussion on the Community College Voice Podcast, Dr. Joe Schaffer of Laramie County Community College in Wyoming notes that, for rural communities, these schools are especially important centers of activity.
在关于社区学院语音播客的讨论中，怀俄明州拉勒米县社区学院的乔·沙弗博士指出，对于农村社区来说，这些学校是特别重要的活动中心。

Martha Parham works for the AACC. She said that community colleges are becoming known as a place to receive a quality education.
玛莎·帕勒姆为AACC。她说，社区学院正以接受优质教育而闻名。

"You know I think in the past, community colleges have been known to be for people that maybe, you know, aren't serious about education, or, you know, don't know what they want to do, …and that's just not the case anymore. In many cases they offer programs, they're the only ones who offer programs."
“你知道，我认为在过去，社区学院被认为是为那些可能，你知道，不是“不认真对待教育，或者，你知道，不知道他们想做什么，......现在情况不再如此。在许多情况下，他们提供课程，他们是唯一提供课程的人。”
 
A small but increasing number of community colleges are now offering bachelor's degrees, which take four years to complete.
少数但越来越多的社区学院现在提供学士学位，这需要四年时间才能完成。

Compared with four-year colleges, the student population at community colleges tends to be older. The average age is 27. And 36 percent of students are between 22 and 39 years old.
与四年制学院相比，社区学院的学生人数往往偏高。平均年龄为 27 岁。36% 的学生年龄在 22 至 39 岁之间。

Innovation and new programs
创新和新项目

At large research universities, graduate assistants often teach lower-level classes while professors center on research. But at community colleges, professors themselves teach the classes.
在大型研究型大学中，研究生助理通常教较低的水平课程，而教授专注于研究。但在社区学院，教授自己教课。
 
While teaching is the main job of professors at community colleges, professors sometimes work with students on research projects. This year, a team at Front Range Community College in Colorado developed the first model of a machine that uses a new method of cleaning oil spills in water. And Bergen Community College in New Jersey developed a recycling container that can identify, accept, or reject objects to make sure they can be recycled.
虽然教学是社区学院教授的主要工作，但教授有时会与学生一起进行研究项目。今年，科罗拉多州 Front Range 社区学院的一个团队开发了第一款机器模型，该模型使用一种新的方法来清洁水中的漏油。新泽西州的卑尔根社区学院开发了一种回收容器，可以识别、接受或拒绝物品，以确保它们可以回收。

Some schools are known for special programs that deliver advanced technical training. Two community colleges in South Carolina offer the BMW Scholars Program, where students can study advanced automotive training on BMW automobiles and work 20 hours per week at a local BMW factory.
一些学校以提供高级技术培训的特殊项目而闻名。南卡罗来纳州的两所社区学院提供宝马学者计划，学生可以在该计划中学习宝马汽车的高级汽车培训，并每周在当地的宝马工厂工作 20 小时。
 
Martha Parham says large technology firms such as Google, Amazon, and Dell are also partnering with community colleges to develop programs that train students to work in information technology.
Martha Parham 说，谷歌、亚马逊和戴尔等大型科技公司也在与社区大学合作开发培训学生从事信息技术工作的项目。

"….and so, you're looking at these giants in the tech world, are turning to community colleges to provide curriculum, and to really help students that are looking to join that tech community to develop those programs that lead to jobs that they can do from anywhere in the world."
“……所以，你正在寻找在科技界的这些巨头中，他们正在转向社区学院提供课程，并真正帮助那些希望加入该科技社区的学生开发那些能够带来他们可以在世界任何地方从事的工作的项目。”< br/>

International students and English language programs
国际学生和英语语言课程
 
On average, more than 80,000 international students have attended community college each year during the last 10 years in the U.S. The number of students decreased by almost 25 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
在美国过去 10 年中，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，学生人数减少了近 25%。

In the 2020/2021 academic year, the five countries with the most international students at community colleges were China, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, and Brazil.
在 2020/2021 学年，国际学生最多的五个国家社区学院是中国、越南、韩国、日本和巴西。
 
Many important English teaching methods are also developed and tested at community colleges. Students in these programs can improve their English enough to start at community colleges before moving to four-year colleges or graduate studies.
许多重要的英语教学方法也在社区学院开发和测试。这些课程的学生可以提高他们的英语水平，以便在进入四年制大学或研究生学习之前从社区大学开始学习。