瞭望塔

留学热点地区简介美国1 教学质量美国的科技和文化几乎在各个领域取得世界顶尖的地位，很大程度上取决于美国文化教育的高水平。

美国众多的世界知名高等学府，是莘莘学子向往的殿堂。

2 生活质量由于美国地域广阔、气候多样，再加上其历史发展的特点，以及其在科学技术各领域方面所取得的主导地位，决定了美国民众优越的生活质量。

3 就业前景美国的学位证书为国际所认可，因此在美国受过高等教育的高素质外籍毕业生有较多的就业机会。

同时作为头号经济强国，美国每年能为外国人提供大量的工作就业岗位。

4 移民机会美国是一个大的移民国家，更有“民族熔炉”之说。

其积极的移民政策决定了它能够为每一个赴美读书的学子提供一条留美发展定居的道路。

加拿大1教学质量加拿大每年教育经费占国民生产总值（GDP）的7.1%, 拥有众多世界知名高等学府，不少学院在相关领域的教学质量亦是世界知名，各大中学校及职业学校所颁发之文凭被世界各国广泛承认。

2 生活质量作为工业先进七大国（G7）之一，并在联合国发表的年度人类发展指数排名榜中的一百六十个国家中名列第一，是世界上最适合居住的国家之一。

加拿大更因其友善的多元社会环境，美丽的自然环境和良好的社会治安而著称。

3 费用合理加拿大大学在保证教育质量的同时，同等水平国际课程的学费普遍低于欧洲国家和美国，从而使加拿大留学在费用上具有较大的优势。

4 就业前景由于加拿大高校的教育质量名列世界前茅，对课程实行高质量标准的管理，学位证书为国际承认，所以加拿大毕业生深受国际大型公司的欢迎。

由于加拿大毗邻美国，许多美国公司经常在每年的加拿大学生毕业之前到加拿大院校进行员工招聘，因此在加拿大受过高等教育的高素质外籍毕业生有较多的就业机会。

5 移民机会加拿大是世界上的移民大国之一，其移民申请条件相对比美国宽松，学生在加拿大完成大专以上教育，有一年工作经验即可申请加拿大移民签证。

英国1教育质量英式学习方法的历史几乎可以追溯到800年前，它促进了世界各国教育制度的建立，至今依然是最为成功的。

英国教育素以历史久、标准严、质量高著称于世。

各大院校享有良好的声誉，所颁发的文凭国际公认。

英国大学课程紧凑而严谨，因此获取学位的时间相对较短。

2就业前景英国是现代大学的发源地，拥有世界上最古老的大学。

英国的学位文凭一直都在世界上拥有崇高的声誉，备受世界各国的承认和尊敬。

国际学生在英国的大学毕业后，在世界各地包括欧洲、北美洲、大洋洲都有不错的就业前景及可观的收入。

3学习环境英国不仅人文景观出色，英国的自然风光同样举世闻名。

英国的田园、湖景、海峡令人陶醉。

英国也是一个非常安全的地方，世界上只有英国的警察不需要携带枪支上街巡逻。

国际留学生在英国可以享受高福利的待遇，英国是一个高福利的国家，英国的国民福利之一是免费的医疗服务。

4打工环境英国对外国留学生业余打工采取宽松的政策，方便学生通过打工自给自足。

英国的大学实行学分制，学生在平时学习期间每周从事20小时以下的兼职工作，假期更可全日工作。

澳大利亚1教育质量澳大利亚是一个以教育为根本国策的国家，全国有42所大学及230多所专科技术学院，这些大学和专科技术学院几乎都是政府立案的公立学校，基本上教育是由澳大利亚联邦政府控制管理，所以各校都能保持平均但同时又较高的教育质量，从而确保澳大利亚的教育质量具有世界一流水平。

2多元文化作为一个多元文化的移民大国, 澳大利亚是一个种族宽容、由许多来自不同民族背景的人组成的国家。

目前华人社会在澳大利亚繁荣昌盛，华人移民在澳大利亚进入了一个新的历史阶段。

3生活学习环境澳洲是世界上犯罪率较低和最适合人类居住的国家之一。

澳大利亚有纯秀的自然风光，安宁的生活环境。

澳大利亚的生活大多是轻松而友善的，独立性比较强的学生大都喜欢这里充满机会的生活。

4移民政策澳大利亚的移民政策不带有任何歧视色彩，不论是何种族、性别、肤色和宗教信仰都可申请移民澳大利亚。

目前技术移民是澳洲政府接纳海外优秀人才的主要途径，根据澳大利亚移民法，在澳洲接受两年高等教育的海外留学生学业结束后可以立即申请永久居留，享受优厚的福利待遇。

法国1教育体制法国的教育体制由幼儿教育、初等教育、中等教育及高等教育构成。

高等教育制度又分为公立学校和私立学校。

法国之所以在众多方面处于世界一流地位，在很大程度上得益于它富有特色的教育体制。

法国高等教育体系的主体是遍布全国的230所重点高等专科学院、约90所综合性大学以及96所高等经济管理学院。

除此之外，法国还有为数不少的私立高等教育机构。

公立学校由国家资助，一律免学费，只需支付一定的注册费。

2 热点优势a 国家重视教学，每年教育经费近1000亿欧元b 教育制度成熟而且灵活，文凭形式多种多样，适于不同学习能力的求学者c 教学质量优秀，学历在欧盟内部得到广泛认可d 学校数量多：国立大学90所，工程师学院近300所，高等商科学院近100所，还有其他高等艺术类院校和众多普通私立学校e 留学生享有住房、医疗、保险、交通等诸多补贴，而且可以勤工俭学f 学成后即多掌握一门国际性语言，留学毕业生就业前景优势明显g 法国政府对外国留学生和本国学生一视同仁，国际学生享受同等福利h 法国历史悠久，文化积淀深厚，有助于学生丰富人生阅历，提升个人气质i 现在有更好的机会：法国近来不断扩大招收外国留学生的规模，签证通过率相对高3 留学费用法国公立院校是免学费的，学生只需准备每年的生活费，一个公立大学的留学生每年花费大概5万元人民币左右。

赴法留学的花费主要集中在餐费、住宿费、交通费上，而法国又允许大学生合法打工，贴补一部分生活费用。

雅思议论文必备120词汇及加分连接词必备词汇a double-edged sword 双刃剑a staggering rate 惊人的速度adapt to v. 适应administer = regulate v. 管理advance v. & n. 发展affluent adj. 富裕的，有钱的afford sth. v. 提供……aggravate sth. v. 某种事物导致别的现象恶化alienated adj. （人与人之间）疏远的alleviate = ease v. 减轻，缓解an enlightened society 一个开明的社会ancestors n. 祖先awareness = sense = recognition n. 意识ban = forbid = prohibit v. 禁止be tied down by 被……所拖累biased adj. 不客观的biodiversity n. 生物多样性breakthrough n. 突破broaden one’s horizons开阔人的眼界celebrity n. 名人commit a crime 犯罪（动词短语）community n, 社区companions n. 伙伴conflicts n. 冲突conserve v. 节约consumer= deplete v. 消耗（资源）contamination n. 污染contribute to 推动……coverage n. 报道creative adj. 有创造力的crimes = offense = criminal acts n. 犯罪cultivate v. 培养cultural assimilation 文化通话cultural diversity 文化多样性cultural heritage 文化遗产cultural identity 文化特性curb v. 遏制（犯罪、污染等）dependable adj. 可靠的descendants n. 后代deteriorate v. 某种现象自身恶化discharge v. 排放（污染物）domestic violence 家庭暴力eco-friendly adj. 有益于环保的eliminate v. 消除endangered species 濒危动物enhance v. 提高，增强enrich one’s experience 冯夫人的阅历erode v. 侵蚀（本土文化）establish v. 建立ethnic minorities 少数民族exploit natural resources 开采自然资源explore v. 探索facilities n. 设施family bonds 亲情family values 家庭观念gender equality 性别平等generation gap 代沟go extinct 灭绝habitat n. 栖息地harmony n. 和谐household chores 家务事household n. 家庭impoverished adj. 贫穷的indiscriminate adj. 盲目的inferior adj. 质量差的information overload 信息爆炸inhumane adj. 残酷的innovations n. 创新，发明invest in = allocate money to 对……投资lesser-known languages 小语种local residents = local inhabitants当地居民materialistic adj.（人）物质化的，现实的misleading adj. 有误导性的motivation n. 动力mutual understanding 相互了解obligation n. 责任offspring n. 后代parenting n. 家长给小孩的教育personality clashes 性格冲突physical adj. 身体的play a dominant role in…在……占统治地位preserve v. 保护（资源）prevalent adj. 无处不在的priority n. 首要任务profound impact 深远的影响promote v. 促进psychological adj. 心里的punishment n. 惩罚rampant adj. 猖獗的replacements = alternatives n. 替代物scarcity n. 短缺schooling n. 学校对学生的教育scrutinise v. 审查solve = combat = tackle = resolve = address v. 解决stability v. 稳定stringent adj. 严厉的sustainable development 可持续发展sweeping trends 席卷一切的潮流synthesize the Asian and Western cultures 有机结合东西方文化tax revenue n. 税收telecommunications n. 远程通讯the crime rate = the incidence of crime犯罪率the ecosystem 生态系统the gap between the urban area and the rural area 城乡差距the pace of life = the tempo of life生活节奏the present situation = the current situation = the status quo 现状the press 新闻界the proliferation of ……的广泛使用time-honored n. 历史悠久的tourist attraction 旅游点transform = change v. 改变universal adj. 普遍的up-to-the-minute adj. 非常及时的violate the law 违法加分连接词(*为加分亮点词)因果关系：*due to; *thereby（以此达到……的目的）; *therefore;owing to; hence; thus; consequently; as a result举例关系：（切勿举过于生活的例子，不具说服力）to illustrate, …; take…for example; consider + n./从句对比关系：*while= whereas（句首或句中，主从句对比）=whilst; by contrast; despite; in spite of 让步关系：*even though; nonetheless; nevertheless 尽管如此假设论证：provided that…结果是希望看到的（句首句中皆可）if…结果是不希望看到的……常用连接词：as a matter of fact…; obviously,…; apparently,…（很明显）; otherwise（否则）;in general= by and large; overall（整体上来看）;I would be hard-pressed to imagine that （我很难想象……）*黄金连接词：in terms of （在……方面）; regardless of （不管）*on the one hand,…, on the other hand,…（注：所连接的两个部分为意思相对的两方面）Universities in AmericaBy W. Derek AtkinsAmerican colleges and universities are very different from Chinese universities.And yet there are some similarities between them. For example, college students in both countries often complain about how bad their cafeteria food is! However, the differences are often very obvious.Although most American and Chinese freshmen students are away from their families for the first times in their lives, Chinese freshmen are generally better prepared for college studies than American freshmen, because Chinese students study so much during their high school years. Another difference between Chinese and American students is that the vast majority of Chinese freshmen arrive at college already knowing what their majors will be, whereas most American freshmen college students arrive at their schools with little or no idea of which major they want to pursue. This is because most American universities encourage their students to study many different subjects during their first two years of college before deciding on a major. Many American educators believe that one of the primary purposes of a college education is to provide young college students with the opportunity to become well-rounded individuals who possess general basic knowledge in a wide variety of different areas. They believe such diverse knowledge will help these young people to be better citizens once they graduate from college.At the other end of the college experience, most Chinese students spend their entire senior year either looking for a job or studying for graduate school entrance examinations. American students, on the other hand, continue to take a normal number of classes, even while searching for jobs or taking graduate school entrance examinations. This is because finding jobs or gaining admission to graduate schools in America isn’t nearly as difficult as it is in China.But perhaps the most important characteristic of American universities is their goal. In American universities, most professors try to teach their students how to think for themselves. This is done in many different ways. For example, some professors will assign their students books to read, and then ask students to write essays expressing their opinions about the books they’ve read. Other professors will encourage classroom discussions, or even debates, in which students argue with each other about different issues. Almost every professor welcomes questions from students in their classes, and is very willing to answer their students’ questions. Students, for their part, are oftenvery eager to ask questions during a lesson. Thismakes for very lively lessons.Along the way, professors also try to teach theirstud ents how to test what they’ve read or heard, tosee whether what they’ve read or heard is true or not.This skill is much more difficult to teach and learn,because it requires careful thinking, and it is oftenmuch easier to simply repeat what others have saidwithout really thinking about the issues at hand.This skill is called critical thinking, and is also part ofteaching students how to think for themselves.Another ultimate goal of many Americanuniversities is to help their students to becomelif elong learners. The hope is that long after college students have graduated, they’ll continue to learn new things by using the mental “toolbox” that they’ve learned while in college. If college graduates test what they hear and read, think carefully about different issues, use their minds creatively, and continue to learn new things, many American professors will consider their work to be successful. A story from my own childhood illustrates this idea very well. Because I was born deaf, I had to attend a special school for deaf children beginning when I was about 18 months old. I remember when I was three years old one day complaining to my dad that I was tired of school. (I know this sounds very funny!) My dad responded with words I have never forgotten to this day: “Son, people who stop learning grow old; people who never stop learning never grow old.”So, while there are some similarities between American and Chinese universities, there are also many differences. These differences exist because the basic goals of Chinese and American education are different. The aim of American schools is to enable students to develop a well-rounded understanding of the world in a variety of different subjects, to teach students how to think for themselves, and to help students become lifelong learners. There are many other differences between Chinese and American universities, but a careful examination of these two educational systems’ basic goals will show why these differences exist.THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT STUDYING ABROADBy Rachel WalkerStudying Abroad and University Life in the UKAt present there are about 75,000 Chinese students studying in the UK. This includes those on undergraduate and postgraduate courses.The purpose of this article is to give some inf ormation about studying a Master’s degree at university in the UK and to examine some of the differences between university life in China and the UK.Preparing to Go AbroadSince it is very expensive to study abroad it is important to consider why you want to choose this option and how it will benefit you in the long-term. Consider, for example, what you will do after you have been abroad? Will studying abroad help you to better achieve this? Do you want to return to China to work or stay in the UK? Do you want to undertake further study after gaining your first qualification? Undoubtedly one of the greatest advantages of studying abroad is the opportunity to improve your ability to speak and write English.It is also important to consider carefully what you want to study. For example Business Studies is one of the most popular subjects studied by Chinese students in the UK. In fact the Master of Business Administration (MBA) is the best-known and most popular postgraduate qualification. It may not be easy to get employment with such qualifications. Try to study a subject which will give you the greatest chance of findingemployment on completing your studies, by researching what subject is the most appropriate for the field you want to work in. You can use the internet and other sources of information to find out what subjects Chinese students choose to study in the UK. It may be better to choose one of the less popular subjects. It is also a good idea to choose something which you are interested in, since studying in a second language is more demanding and requires more concentration. When you have decided what you want to study think about which university you would like to go to. Although Oxford and Cambridge are probably the universities most well known by Chinese students, there are many very good universities in the UK. Ask yourself if you would prefer to live in a big city or a city which has a ‘smaller feel’.If you don’t want to live in a big city it is better not to choose a London University or one in Birmingham. If you are used to living in a smaller city/town you may feel happier in a smaller UK city such as Lancaster, York, Bath or Cardiff. Because it is relatively easy to travel from one place to another within the UK, you can study in one city and visit most of the cities you want to during the holidays. Try to find out (from the internet or from students who have been to the UK) which university is recommended for the course you want to study.The Application ProcessThe British Council website () gives excellent information about universities, courses, life and culture in the UK. When using the site click on learning, followed by study in the UK and then postgraduate learning. The website also includes details about the British Council China site. Most of the application procedure can be completed online. Unlike in China it is not necessary to take an entrance exam to enter a UK university to study for a Master’s degree. Your past academic achievement is taken into account as are the extracurricular activities which you have been involved in as an under-graduate and some consideration is given to whether you have thought about what you want to do in the future.Student advisers in the UK recommend that you apply to between six and eight universities. Some places fill up very quickly and it is a good idea to apply at least a year before you want to start. It can take a large amount of time to gather information as well as obtain references from referees.Although you don’t need to take an entrance examination, you will be required to achieve a satisfactory score (probably 7.0) in the International English Language Test System (IELTS). This can be taken in China and includes reading, writing, speaking and listening components. If you are considering going abroad in several years time it is worth looking at some IELTS papers and beginning to practise. Information about this is also available on the British Council website.If your qualifications or English language skills are not of the required standard you may need to take a pre-master’s course first. This can last from one term to an academic year and includes academic study, cultural instruction and language training. It is often then possible to progress directly on to a Master’s course at the same university.You may receive more than one offer of a place on a Master’s course. When you have accepted one of them you will probably be asked what type of accommodation you would like. Sometimes overseas students are offered accommodation on the universitycampus. (Universities in the UK do not have dormitories and most students have their own rooms.) Students also have the choice of living off campus and many choose to share a house with other students. The amount of help given by staff at the universities varies considerably from one university to another. The website provides information about finding accommodation and it lists several other useful websites as well.The CourseIn China it takes three years to complete a Master’s degree, whereas the qualification can be obtained in one year in the UK. Students in the UK are required to do more extensive self-study and the number of teaching hours per week may be less than in China. Teaching takes the form of lectures and seminars (smaller groups of students discussing topics with a teacher).The Final ExamA dissertation based on original research must be written as part of the course and final examinations are also taken. These will probably take the form of essay questions, whereas multiple choice questions are probably used more in the exams in China.University LifeAs in China, students in the UK can get involved in many extracurricular activities including student union activities, sports clubs and societies such as Christian Union.If you are studying in the UK it is good to think about ways in which you can meet people as this will help you to make friends, feel less homesick and also improve your English. Try to avoid spending all your spare time with Chinese friends! Going to a local church can be a good way of making friends and many churches in the university cities provide support for British and overseas students in the form of meals together and trips out etc.Universities in the UK have a system of terms and there are three terms – autumn, spring and summer. The Christmas holiday separates the autumn and spring term and the Easter holiday is between the spring and summer term. Then there is the long summer holiday. Some students choose to travel home in the Christmas and Easter holidays, but the time is short and this is a good opportunity to travel around the UK and see some of the beautiful countryside, coastal towns and old cathedrals, museums etc.To summarize - there are a number of differences between studying for a Master’s degree in China and in the UK. Going abroad to the UK can be a very valuable and rewarding experience but it is a good idea to think about why you want to go abroad, what you want to study and what you want to gain from your time there. The British Council website is a useful source of information which can be used as you are considering whether studying in the UK is the right option for you.。