中国网站品牌栏目（频道）
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Students are desperate to secure university places in 2011 in order to beat a near tripling of course fees in 2012(telegraph.co.uk) |
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Almost 230,000 students face missing out on university this year as the rush to escape higher tuition fees generates record demand for places. By Christmas, an unprecedented 344,000 candidates had completed university applications for the next academic year – more than ever before at such an early stage in the admissions process. Students are desperate to secure university places in 2011 in order to beat a near tripling of course fees in 2012 that could lead to some being charged up to £9,000 a year. According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), demand among English students, who will be hit hardest by the rise in fees, is particularly high. Many students are believed to be abandoning their plans for a gap year to move straight into higher education. The rise in applications is also being stimulated by a sharp increase in the number of students who are reapplying after being rejected last year. If the current trend continues, it will result in about 705,500 people applying for university this year – up from the record of 688,310 last year. That will result in almost 226,500 applicants missing a place completely – about a third of those competing for the expected 479,000 vacancies. The Coalition has already said that the number of university places available this September will be frozen at last year's levels, with institutions fined for over-recruiting. Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the University and College Union, said, "Rationing higher education, and making it more expensive, at a time when the rest of the world is investing in universities, will seriously risk our standing on the world stage." Last month, MPs backed plans to increase the cap on tuition fees in England from £3,290 to £9,000 from 2012. The National Union of Students warned that “many well-qualified applicants look set to have the door slammed in their faces again”. “The imposition of an arbitrary limit on the number of students will halt the aspiration of well-qualified students of all ages and restrict access to high-level skills at a time of growing unemployment, and when it is essential to invest in economic recovery,” said Aaron Porter, the NUS president. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
为躲过学费上涨，英国近期掀起一股入学申请潮，申请人数创下纪录，但近23万学生今年将与大学无缘。 截至去年圣诞节，已有34.4万申请人递交了下一学年的入学申请。目前还处于入学申请的初期，这一数字可谓史无前例。 英国学生拼力争抢2011年的入学资格，以躲过2012年学费涨至目前三倍的窘况。按照这一涨幅，部分学生每年的学费将涨至9000英镑。 据英国大专院校招生委员会（Ucas）统计，受学费上涨打击最大的英国学生的入学需求非常大。据称，很多学生放弃了“空档年”的计划，而直接进入高等学府。去年申请被拒、今年再度递交入学申请的学生大幅增加，这也导致了入学申请者的激增。 按照目前的趋势，今年将有70.55万人递交入学申请，比去年破纪录的68.831万人还要多。 这将导致近22.65万申请者遭拒，约占申请总数的1/3。据预计今年将有47.9万个入学名额。 英国联合政府已表示，今年9月份的招生名额将维持在去年水平，超额招生的学校将受罚。 英国高校联合会秘书长萨利•亨特说：“在世界其他国家都在加大高校投资时，我们却在限制入学名额和提高学费，这将严重威胁我们在全球的地位。” 上个月，英国议会批准了一项学费上涨计划。从2012年起，英格兰的大学学费上限将从每学年3290英镑提高至9000英镑。 英国学生联合会提醒称，“很多优秀的申请者看来又要被拒之门外了。” 英国学生联合会主席亚伦•波特说：“现在失业率还在上升，把这种武断的名额限制强加给人们会使所有优秀学生的大学梦破碎，而且他们也无法学习到高水平技能。而目前很有必要在经济复苏上投资。” 相关阅读 （中国日报网英语点津 Julie 编辑：冯明惠） |
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Vocabulary: gap year: a year's break taken by a student between leaving school and starting further education（空档年，常指中学毕业后上大学前所休的一年假期，常用于实习或旅游） slam the door in someone's face: 把某人拒之门外 |
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