參加美國SAT考試會被洗腦嗎?

Although the Chinese state news media has cited concerns recently that the United States is indoctrinating Chinese students by including its founding documents upholding freedom and human rights in the SAT, teachers and parents don't seem to be too alarmed.

中國媒體報道了對於美國利用在SAT考試中加入其主張自由和人權的建國綱領性文件來向中國學生灌輸思想的擔憂，但老師和家長卻對此不以爲意。

As American universities become a popular choice among affluent Chinese who want their children to receive top-quality higher education, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students are taking the SAT college admission test every year. Last year, nearly 200,000 Chinese students went to universities in the United States, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

隨着美國大學成爲想讓子女接受一流高等教育的中國有錢人的熱門選擇，每年有數萬名中國學生參加SAT大學入學考試。據新華社報道，去年有近20萬中國學生考入了美國大學。

The growing number of young Chinese who are eager to attend American universities has spawned a large number of companies vowing to help students ace the test, forming a lucrative industry for SAT test preparation across the country.

渴望就讀美國大學的年輕中國學生族羣的不斷擴大催生了一大批誓言幫助這些學生在SAT考試中拿高分的公司。這些公司形成了一個利潤豐厚、遍佈全國的SAT備考產業。

An English-language newspaper in Hong Kong, The South China Morning Post, published a column last month by Kelly Yang, a local SAT tutor, who asserted that the SAT redesign scheduled for 2016 would be "the first time America is able to systematically shape the views, beliefs and ideologies of hundreds of thousands of Chinese students."

香港英文報紙《南華早報》上月發表了一篇當地SAT輔導教師楊諹(Kelly Yang)的專欄文章。楊諹在文中斷言，SAT計劃在2016年實行的改革將使“美國首次能夠系統地塑造成千上萬中國學生的觀點、信仰和意識形態”。

The Beijing Youth Daily reported recently that some Chinese were worried that the minds of the country's young would be "forcibly infiltrated with American values." The report, which was distributed by Xinhua, was paired with a cartoon of Uncle Sam holding a hamburger and a movie reel on one side while, with another hand, thrusting forward a piece of paper that says, "SAT ideology and politics."

《北京青年報》近期報道稱，有些中國人擔心他們國家青年的頭腦中會被這個考試“強行植入美國價值觀”。該報道被新華社轉載。報道還配以一個卡通插畫，畫中的“山姆大叔”一手拿着一個漢堡和一個電影卷軸，另一手向前舉着一張寫着“SAT思想政治”的紙張。

The College Board, the organization that administers the SAT, in March announced a broad SAT overhaul that will be implemented in 2016 in response to criticisms in the United States. Among the changes is a new evidence-based reading and writing section, which will contain a passage from one of America's founding documents — including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers — or from a text inspired by the documents, like the Gettysburg Address.

負責管理SAT考試的美國大學委員會三月宣佈將在2016年對SAT實行一場大規模改革，以迴應美國國內對這個考試的種種批評。變革中的一個，就是會新設一個叫做“以證據爲基礎的閱讀和寫作”的部分。這個部分將包含從美國建國綱領性文件中節選的一段內容——文件包括《獨立宣言》、《美利堅合衆國憲法》、《權利法案》及《聯邦黨人文集》——或是從受這些文件啓發而產生的文本——如《葛底斯堡演說》——中節選的一段內容。

Despite the state media criticism of the overhaul, some teachers and parents say they believe that studying the American documents can better prepare Chinese students for life abroad.

儘管國家媒體對這個改革頗有微詞，一些老師和家長說他們相信學習這些美國文件能幫助中國學生更好的應對出國以後的生活。

"This has already been a highly diversified society," said Ju Jinrong, an SAT tutor at New Oriental, a large, private education company in China. "Young people get exposed to such Western values all the time through the Internet and Hollywood movies. It's not that they can only come to know the values through SAT," she said.

“這已經是一個高度多元化的社會了，”新東方SAT輔導教師琚晉榮說。新東方是中國一個大型私有教育公司。“年輕人隨時都可以從網上、從好萊塢電影裏接觸到這些西方價值觀。不是說他們考SAT才能接觸到這些價值觀。”

Ms. Ju says she doubts that the United States is intentionally exporting its ideologies through the test, which is the same for Americans and students from other countries.

琚晉榮說，她不認爲美國是有意藉此考試輸出意識形態——SAT考試對美國和外國學生採用統一內容。

"The majority taking the SAT are still American students. If America wants to export its ideology, why don't they redesign TOEFL?" she asked, referring to the Test of English as a Foreign Language, which all students from non-English-speaking countries must take to apply to universities in the United States.

“大多數考SAT的還是美國學生。如果美國要輸出意識形態的話，它爲什麼不改託福呢？”她問道。託福(TOEFL)是所有非英語國家學生要申請美國大學都必考的語言能力考試。

Mr. Yu, who gave only his surname, is the father of a Beijing student who is to take the SAT next year. He said he would not be concerned even if his son were to take the test in 2016 and believes it is good for his son to understand different political systems.

於先生是一名明年將考SAT的北京學生的父親。他只願透露姓氏。他說就算他的兒子是要參加2016年的考試，他也不會擔心，因爲讓兒子瞭解不同的政治制度是好事。

"Even if he doesn't learn such Western ideologies in the test, he will be exposed to them throughout the four years in college anyway," he said. "I don't think learning Western ideologies will completely change his mind. People of his generation are able to think independently and see merits in every system."

“就算他不在這個考試裏學這些西方意識形態，他在那邊大學四年也總會接觸這些東西吧，”他說。“我不覺得學這些西方意識形態就能一下完全改變他的想法了。他這一代人已經能夠獨立思考了。他應該能看到每種制度都有它的好處。”

Li Zhou, who is in charge of the elite Beijing No.4 High School's special program for students seeking to apply to American universities, believes that studying such historical documents before students leave for the United States will serve them well.

李周在名校北京四中負責學校爲準備申請美國大學的學生特別組建的出國班。他認爲學生在赴美前學習這些歷史文件對他們有好處。

"Only through studying extensively can we develop critical thinking," he said.

“多學習才能培養批判性思維，”他說。

"Asking students to read those documents and learn world history is in no way brainwashing. Nothing to fear," Mr. Li said. "Only Chinese think education means brainwashing."

“讓學生去學這些文件、學習世界歷史絕對不是洗腦。沒什麼可怕的，”李周說。“只有中國人覺得教育是洗腦。”

He said the redesign was a "positive change" because it "forces" Chinese students to understand American society beforehand.

他說SAT的改革是一個“積極的改變”，因爲它“逼着”學生在去美國之前瞭解美國社會。

Dong Yuxiu, an SAT tutor at FocusEdu, which specializes in SAT test preparation, agrees.

時代焦點教育SAT輔導教師董玉秀表示同意。時代焦點教育主攻SAT備考輔導業務。

"Understanding how American history and politics has developed will definitely help students better adjust to the new environment and integrate into American society," she said.

“去了解美國的歷史和政治是如何發展的肯定對學生適應新環境、融入美國社會有幫助，”她說。

Ms. Dong believes the redesign will not put Chinese students at a severe disadvantage so long as they have overcome the language barrier. She said SAT preparation companies could also easily cope with the change by providing students with more reading material about American history and politics.

董玉秀認爲，只要學生英語能力過硬，SAT的改革不會使中國學生處於嚴重劣勢。她說SAT備考機構也可以通過多給學生提供一些與美國史政相關的閱讀材料來從容應對改革。

"I think as long as a student has strong English, plus a little bit of common sense, she should be able to cope," she said, adding that her company will start to tweak its curriculum in 2015 for the new test.

“我覺得只要學生英語好，加上有一點常識，考試應該沒什麼問題，”她說。她補充說她的公司將從2015年開始修改教學大綱應對新SAT。

A 16-year-old student at a prestigious Beijing high school agreed. She will take the test in 2016 and says she is not troubled by the redesign. She asked not to be named.

一名在一所北京知名高中就讀的16歲學生表示同意。她將在2016年參加SAT考試，並說她不爲考試改革感到特別憂心。她要求不在報道中具名。

"Of course it will be harder for us Chinese students because we never studied the documents before, but we can from now on read more about American history and politics to get fully prepared," she said.

“考試難度對我們中國學生來說肯定是加大了，因爲我們沒學過這些文件。但是我們可以從現在開始多讀一些關於美國曆史、政治的東西來做好準備，”她說。

Asked whether she realized she would be studying ideologies drastically different from the ones she has been instilled with, she said: "There is no way to skirt the political stuff. It will be part of our life sooner or later."

當被問及她是否意識到她將會學習與她被灌輸的意識形態截然不同的意識形態時，她說：“政治的東西肯定是繞不過的。它遲早都會是我們生活的一部分。”