Lesson 4: The Job Market

Lesson 5: Writing College Papers

Lesson 3: Favorite Song about Summer

    This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
    In America, May and June are the traditional months for graduations. A listener in China, Jack Hoo from Jiangsu province, wants to know how American college graduates find jobs. Right now the answer is: not very easily.
    The National Association of Colleges and Employers collects information on the college job market. NACE's latest survey in March found that employers expected to hire twenty-two percent fewer graduates this year than last. Most blamed the recession.
    The most recent student survey showed that just one-fifth of those who looked for jobs before graduation have one by now. This is compared to half of students who had looked for a job by this time two years ago. But one difference: fewer of this year's graduates have started to search for jobs.
    Still, NACE found no big increase in graduates who plan to stay in school and avoid the job market. About twenty-seven percent said they plan to go to graduate school, compared to about twenty-four percent a year ago.
    Engineering and accounting graduates were more likely to have started their job search already and to have accepted a job. These are among the best paid professions for people with just a college degree. On average, engineering majors expect to start at about sixty-two thousand dollars a year. Accounting majors expect about forty-five thousand.
    So how can students increase their chances for a job? Mimi Collins at NACE says the most effective tool is a school's career counseling center. Counselors can help students with job applications and preparing for interviews. They also let students know about job openings and events like job recruitment fairs. They can also help first-year students decide what to study.
    Another way to look for a job is to do an internship. This is when a student gets experience in a position that may or may not be paid. The latest NACE survey found that seventy-three percent of graduates who did get jobs had completed an internship.
    The group reported in March that employers expected to increase hourly wage offers for college interns by five percent from last year. But, because of the economy, employers reduced the number of internships available by twenty-one percent.
    And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can find our Foreign Student Series on studying in the United States at 51voa.com. I'm Steve Ember.
   在美国，五月和六月是毕业的传统月份。一位来自中国江苏省的听众想知道目前美国大学毕业生找工作的情况。现在的答案是：不是很容易。
    美国大学和雇主协会（The National Association of Colleges and Employers，NACE）收集了关于大学就业市场的信息。NACE三月份的最新调查发现，雇主今年期望雇佣的毕业生比去年减少21%。许多人都认为经济萧条是主要原因。
    最近的学生调查显示，毕业前找工作的人到目前为止仅有五分之一找到了工作。而两年前的这个时间，有一半的学生已经找到了工作。但是有一点不同，今年的毕业生开始找工作的人也比以前少。 然而，NACE发现，计划继续留在学校以逃避就业市场的毕业生人数也没有大的增长。大约27%的人说他们打算继续读研究生，而一年前的人数是24%。
    工程和会计专业的毕业生已经开始找工作和已经接受了一份工作的可能性更大。对于仅有学士学位的人来说，工程和会计专业属于薪水比较高的行业。工程专业的学生刚毕业时的平均工资是年薪6.2万美元。会计专业的期望值大约是4.5万美元。
    那么，学生应该怎样增加自己的就业机会呢？ NACE的Mimi Collins说，最有效的工具就是学校的职业辅导中心。辅导员可以帮助学生完成职位申请表，并为面试做准备。他们还可以让学生了解职位空缺和人才招聘会的信息。还可以帮助大一学生决定应该学什么。
    找工作的另外一个方式是进行实习。学生可以通过这种方式获得职位经验，但是可能不会有薪水。最新的NACE调查发现，找到工作的人中有73%的人曾经参加过实习。
    该组织三月份的报告称，雇主期望每小时的实习薪水在去年的水平上增加5%。但是，由于目前的经济形势，雇主将实习的职位减少了21%。
    1.traditional a.传统的, 惯例的 例句：They wear traditional African wedding clothes. 他们穿着非洲传统的结婚礼服。
    2.survey n.纵览, 视察, 测量, 俯瞰, 调查 例句：According to a recent survey, the percentage of working women is stuck at 32%. 根据最近一项调查显示，职业女性的比例保持在了百分之三十二。
    3.blame vt.责备, 归咎于 例句：It's absolutely against my principles to blame people or make them feel guilty without any reason. 无缘无故责备别人或者让别人有罪恶感，是完全违背我的原则的。 某人该受责备，用sb be to blame
    4.effective adj.有效的, 有作用的, 有影响的, 生效的, 得力的 例句：This drug is very effective at the initial stage. 这种药在初期很有效。
    5.counsel vt. 商议, 劝告
    6.recruitment n.征募新兵, 补充，招募，招聘 例句：Union leaders will call for better pay and a qualified recruitment. 工会领袖要求有很好的待遇和更为严格的人才引进政策。
    7.internship n.<美>实习, 实习期 例句：Students were able to take an internship in the summer months between years one and two. 学生在第一和第二年间的暑期可进行实习。
    8.available adj.可以得到的, 可达到的, 可用的

    1.The most recent student survey showed that just one-fifth of those who looked for jobs before graduation have one by now. 参考翻译：最近的学生调查显示，毕业前找工作的人到目前为止仅有五分之一找到了工作。 讲解：这句话的主语和谓语是The most recent student survey showed……that引导的是宾语从句。who looked for jobs是定语从句，修饰those，对其做补充说明。
    2.This is compared to half of students who had looked for a job by this time two years ago. 参考翻译：而两年前的这个时间，有一半的学生已经找到了工作。 讲解：compared to与……相比 compare with与…比较，compare to比喻为 compare...with...把……和……比较(常表示同类相比，比较) compare...to...把……比作……(常表示异类相比，比喻) ①Let's compare this article with that one. 让我们把这篇文章和那篇文章作一下比较。 ②The heart is often compared to a pump. 心脏常被比作水泵。 compare的过去分词短语形式用作状语时, 不管同类还是异类, compared with和compared to都可以用。例： Compared with/to western countries, China uses materials very carefully. 和西方相比,中国使用物资很节省。
    3.On average, engineering majors expect to start at about sixty-two thousand dollars a year. 参考翻译：工程专业的学生刚毕业时的平均工资是年薪6.2万美元。 讲解：On average平均起来 On average he watches three movies a week. 他平均一周看三部电影。
    4.They can also help first-year students decide what to study. 参考翻译：他们还可以帮助大一学生决定应该学什么。 讲解：what to study学习什么。 不定式前可用what，who，which，where，when，how，why等疑问词构成不定式短语，这种短语在句子中可作主语、宾语和表语等成分。 (1)作主语。例如： When to start has not been decided. 什么时候出发还没定下来。 (2)作表语。例如： The question is how to do the job well. 问题是怎样做好这项工作。 (3)作宾语。例如： He told me where to find the book. 他告诉我了在哪找到这本书的。 Do you know how to play football? 你知道怎样踢足球吗
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