High-quality English education and greater exposure to the outside world are opening up better opportunities for children and teachers in rural areas, according to an executive of a language institute.

　　某言语学院的一位主管标明，高质量的英语教育和更多地触摸外部世界，为村庄区域的儿童和教师带来了非常好的机缘。

　　

　　Language study changes a child's mindset and allows them to broaden their perspectives, said Gareth Magowan, vice-president of teacher recruitment and training at EF Education First.

　　英孚教育(EF Education First)担任教师招聘和培训的副总裁加雷思?马高万(Gareth Magowan)标明，言语学习可以改动孩子的思维方法，让他们拓宽视界。

　　"For people from rural areas, especially those remote and poverty-stricken ones, the more they communicate, the more opportunities they will have," said Magowan, who taught in China for over a decade.

　　在我国教了10多年书的马高万说:“关于来自村庄区域的人，特别是那些偏僻贫穷的人来说，他们交流得越多，机缘就越多。”

　　"That will then trigger a string of changes in their life and mindset and they will eventually see the benefits of what's possible and what they're capable of doing."

　　“这将引发他们日子和心态上的一系列改变，究竟他们将看到可以的优点，以?强梢宰龅淖饕怠！?/p>

　　Last year's English Proficiency Index report by EF, a Swedish education company, showed China rose seven places to 40th in the rankings of 100 countries and regions.

　　上一年，瑞典教育公司英孚(EF)发布的英语熟练度指数陈述闪现，在100个国家和区域的排名中，我国上升了7位，至第40位。

　　

　　Overall, China's proficiency level was ranked "moderate" for the first time.

　　全体而言，我国的熟练程度初度被评为“中等”。

　　"It's appreciable that China has combined the idea of alleviating poverty and increasing opportunities for education," Magowan said.

　　“我国将削减贫穷和添加教育机缘联系起来，这是值得欣赏的，”Magowan说。

　　"Such a leap in people's English language proficiency on a large scale comes from the endeavors of the government, society and individuals."

　　“我们的英语水平如此大高低的前进，是政府、社会和自个一起尽力的成果。”

　　Progress made

　　获得的发展

　　According to the index, English proficiency in West China, including rural and urban regions, has made major strides over the past decade.

　　根据该指数，曩昔10年，我国西部(包括村庄和城市区域)的英语熟练程度获得了严峻前进。

　　For example, Sichuan province, with 83 million people and the sixth-largest GDP of all the provincial-level regions, for the first time had a moderate English proficiency level, close to the rankings of Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces.

　　例如，具有8300万人员、国内出产总值排名第六的四川省，英语水平初度抵达中等水平，接近浙江省和广东省的排名。

　　"English learning opens up windows for rural youth to access the latest information and knowledge across the globe, especially in the internet age," Magowan said, adding that almost all academic research papers are in English.

　　马高万说:“英语学习为村庄青年翻开了获取全球最新信息和常识的窗口，特别是在互联网年代。”他弥补说，几乎一切的学术研谈论文都是用英语撰写的。

　　The urban-rural divide in English proficiency is being narrowed by rural teachers' improved skills, a greater enthusiasm for learning and teaching, an increase in learning resources, and opportunities provided by the internet and new technologies, he said.

　　他说，因为村庄教师技能的前进、学习和教育活泼性的前进、学习本钱的添加以及互联网和新技能供给的机缘，英语水平的城乡下隔正在减小。

　　Magowan said English language education in China has become more focused on communicating in English about China's own culture.

　　马高万说，我国的英语教育越来越注重用英语交流我国自个的文明。

　　"So English is not about the West influencing China," he said. "It's about China influencing the West with an increasing number of people going abroad and its massive power, technologically and economically."

　　?杂⒂锊皇俏鞣接跋煳夜囊晌剩彼怠！案旁嚼丛蕉嗟娜俗呦蚝Ｍ猓约拔夜诩寄芎途蒙系奈蘖渴盗Γ夜谟跋煳鞣健！?/p>

　　Magowan said over the past five years, many expats had applied for a job at EF because their interest in the country had been piqued by a friend from China.

　　Magowan说，在曩昔的五年里，许多外国人请求了EF的作业，因为他们对我国的快乐喜爱是被一个我国兄弟激起的。

　　He said increasing exposure to English throughout China resulted in more mutual understanding between the East and the West.

　　他说，在我国各地添加触摸英语的机缘，增进了东西方之间的彼此晓得。

　　In the past, English teaching materials focused on Western culture, which were of little interest to Chinese children, especially those in rural regions.

　　在曩昔，英语教材以西方文明为主，我国儿童，特别是村庄儿童，对西方文明不感快乐喜爱。

　　English educators and policymakers should make greater efforts to help rural youth find practical reasons to learn and speak the language. In cities, parents can see the value of learning English if their children want to study abroad or obtain a job with a foreign company, but those reasons make little sense to parents in rural areas.

　　英语教育者和方针拟定者大约做出更大的尽力，协助村庄年青人找到学习和说英语的实践理由。在城市里，假定孩子想出国留学或在外企作业，父母们可以看到学习英语的价值，但这些理由对村庄区域的父母来说就没啥意义了。

　　Practical reasons

　　实践的缘由

　　Magowan said on a trip to Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region two years ago, he met a street vendor selling honey who spoke no English.

　　马高万说，两年?ス阄髯匙遄灾吻墓鹆致眯惺保龅搅艘桓雎舴涿鄣慕滞沸》罚换崴涤⒂铩?/p>

　　"She tried to describe the merits and flavor of the honey with hand gestures. Just imagine how much more honey she would be able to sell to foreign tourists if she was able to speak English," he said.

　　她试着用手势来描绘蜂蜜的利益和味道。愿望一下，假定她会说英语，她能多卖多少蜂蜜给外国游客。”

　　Learning English to sell specialty products to the world, especially via the internet, could be a motivation for rural people to learn English, he said.

　　他说，经过学习英语向世界出售特征产品，特别是经过互联网，可以变成村庄人学习英语的动力。

　　Sending rural English teachers overseas for short-term study programs and exchanges helped them gain exposure to international counterparts and resources, and boosted their confidence.

　　差遣村庄英语教师到海外进行短期学习和交流，使他们触摸到世界同行和本钱，增强了他们的决心。

　　Over the past three years, EF has given 1,000 English teachers from underdeveloped areas six months of online language training.

　　曩昔3年，英孚为来自欠兴隆区域的1000名英语教师供给了为期6个月的在线言语培训。

　　Those who perform well take offline workshops with EF teachers about teaching methods and skills and 10 of them are sent overseas for two weeks of further language training.

　　体现优良的学员会与英孚教师进行线下培训，晓得他们的教育办法和技能，其间10人会被派往海外承受为期两周的言语培训。

　　Liu Lin, a teacher from Leibo, a poverty-stricken county in Sichuan, was sent to London last year.

　　刘林(音译)是四川雷波贫穷县的一名教师，上一年被派往伦敦。

　　"The kids will be inspired by the teacher's experience to see the opportunities behind English learning, which is confidence in communicating and expressing themselves and breaking down barriers within themselves and geographically," Magowan said.

　　“孩子们会从教师的阅历中得到启示，看到英语学习不和的机缘，即自傲地交流和表达自个，打破自个内部和地舆上的妨碍，”Magowan说。