法国儿童将三岁入学

By Gavin Thomas/崔海燕（译）

◆语篇导读

常言道：“三岁看大，七岁看老”。中国老话还说：“三岁定十八。”三岁可谓是人生的一个重要节点，孩子长到三岁，已经学会了许多本领。所以，宝宝一到三岁，我国的很多家长就忙着送孩子去幼儿园。而在法国，三岁的宝宝已经可以开始上学了！你信吗？

There is much debate about when children should begin formal education.Children in some countries start school at the age of seven，like Finland，Poland and Estonia—three of Europe's most academically successful countries.But children in those countries have usually been in a nursery，where they have been learning through play and games.Class sizes are also generally smaller.However，children in France will start school at the age of three instead of six，under new reforms announced by President Emmanuel Macron.

The change will give France one of the lowest compulsory school starting ages in Europe.But it will only affect a small number of children，as the majority of French families already choose to send their children to school at three.Only 2.4%of children are not enrolled at that age，government figures show.

Mr.Macron said the change was intended to reduce inequality in education，as parents in poorer areas of France and in overseas territories are less likely to send their children to school at an early age.In Paris，93%of three-year-olds are enrolled but the figure is much lower in some overseas territories，according to Le Monde.

“I hope that with this obligation，from the start of the school year in 2019，we can correct this unacceptable differential，”Mr.Macron told in a conference on Tuesday.He hailed the change as“a founding moment in the French education system”.

◆词语积淀

debate/dɪ'beɪt/n.争议；辩论

academically/,ækə'demɪklɪ/adv.学业上；学术上

announce/ə'naʊns/v.宣布;述说；声称；预告

compulsory/kəm'pʌlsəri/adj.必修的；义务的

enroll/ɪn'rəʊl/v.招收；注册；登记；加入

territory/'terətri/n.领地；领土；版图；领域

obligation/ɒblɪ'geɪʃn/n.义务；责任

hail/heɪl/v.赞扬；称颂

◆典句赏析

1.There is much debate about when children should begin formal education.关于儿童应何时开始接受正规的教育有诸多争议。

when引导的从句是介词about的宾语（宾语从句也可作介词的宾语）。debate是不可数名词，因此表示“诸多争议”时，其前面用much修饰，而不用many。

【即时尝试】这个问题已讨论太多了。

2.However，children in France will start school at the age of three instead of six，under new reforms announced by President Emmanuel Macron.然而，法国总统马克龙宣布的最新改革举措规定，法国儿童的入学年龄将从六岁降至三岁。

instead of是固定的介词短语，意为“代替；而不是……”。在语言的实际运用中，instead of的后面几乎可连接各种词类及短语，如名词、代词、动名词等；announced by是固定词组搭配形式，意为“由……宣布”。过去分词短语“announced by President Emmanuel Macron”放在名词reforms后，作后置定语。

【即时尝试】它是一栋古罗马人建的房屋。

3.Mr.Macron said the change was intended to reduce inequality in education，as parents in poorer areas of France and in overseas territories are less likely to send their children to school at an early age.马克龙表示，这项改革旨在减少教育不平等现象，因为生活在法国较贫困地区和海外领地的父母不太可能让孩子较早入学。

as这里用作连词，意为“因为；由于”，引导原因状语从句。as、because、since都可以连接原因状语从句，表示因果关系，但as一般放在句首，语气较弱，较口语化；句中be likely to do sth.为固定词组搭配，意为“有可能做某事”。

【即时尝试】因为下过雨，空气比较凉爽.

（答案见第63页）

译文助读

关于儿童应何时开始接受正规的教育有诸多争议。一些国家的孩子在七岁开始上学，如芬兰、波兰和爱沙尼亚——欧洲三个学术上最有成就的国家。但这些国家的儿童通常之前都会上幼儿园，在那里他们通过玩耍和游戏进行学习，班级规模一般也更小。然而，法国总统马克龙宣布的最新改革举措规定，法国儿童的入学年龄将从六岁降至三岁。

此举将使法国成为欧洲义务教育入学年龄最低的国家之一。不过，这项改革将仅仅影响少数儿童，因为多数法国家庭的孩子在三岁时都已经入学了。据政府数据显示，仅有2.4%的儿童在三岁时没有入学。

马克龙表示，这项改革旨在减少教育不平等现象，因为生活在法国较贫困地区和海外领地的父母不太可能让孩子较早入学。据《世界报》报道，在巴黎，有93%的三岁儿童入学读书，但在一些海外领地，这一比例要低得多。

马克龙在周二的会议上说：“我希望有了这项义务教育政策之后，从2019学年开始，我们能够纠正这种不可接受的教育差异。”他称颂这项改革为“法国教育体系的奠基时刻”。