Thia dialogue takes place in Bāijīng. Early one morning, Professor
Armstrong is out for a walk near his hotel when he runs into Lin XiXohé
of the China Travel Service.

L:   Jiàoshòu, nín zào.'

A:   Zāo, ni hāo! Zāoshangde kōngqì

bījiāo xīnxian yidiānr. W3 hén xīhuan zāoshang zài wàimian zòuyizSu.

L: Jíntiǎn tiānqi y? bú cuò, méiyou féng, chūlai zSuzou duì shèntī y3u
hāochu.

A:   Shi a! Jíntiǎnde tiānqi zhen

shūfu.

L: Jiàoshòu, nín jíntiǎn hāoxiàng hān gāoxìng ma!

A: W3 hān gāoxìng. Nī zhīdao, duó jiú le, w3 xiāng qù kànkan Bāidà,
kāshi yìzhí méiyou jfhui qù.

L: Jíntiǎn wSmen jiu kéyi qù cānguān le.

A: Shi a. W3 shi gāo jiàoyu gòngzuòde. Zài Māiguéde shihou, vS
chāngchéng xlhuan kàn xie guānyú Zhōngguó jiàoyu qíngkuàngde shǔ, kāshi,
yào zhènde yínjiúde huà, z3ng juéde cāiliào bú gòu, y3u hān duo dSngxi
bú gòu liāojiā, érqiā, yòu shihou yāude céiliào hé Zhǒngguóde qíngkuàng
chābié hān dà, suāyī . . .

L: Nín y8u shénme wèntí jiu tíchulai, yāxú wō kéyi bāng nín yidiānr māng
ne?

A: Nī dāngyidāng, wō shìshi, kàn néng bu néng shuǒqíngchu a!

L: Mei guānxi, nín mànmānr shuǒ.

Good morning, Professor!

Good morning, how are you. The morning air is a little fresher. I like
to go for a walk outside in the morning.

The weather is pretty nice today too. There’s no wind. It’s good for the
health to go out and do some walking.

Yes. The weather today is ranily pleasant.

Professor, you seem so happy today.

Yes, I am. You know, I've been wanting to go visit Bāijíng University
for such a long time, but I never had the chance to.

But we’re going today.

That's right. I’m in education. When I'm in the States I often like to
read books about education in China, but I always feel that we don't
have enough data to do actual research on it. There's a lot we don’t
understand well enough. Furthermore, some of the data is very different
from the Ctrue2 situation in China, so . . .

Ask me any questions you have, maybe I can help you with them.

Wait a second, let me try and see if I can explain it clearly.

It doesn't matter, take your time.

so

A:   Zài nimen zhèr, dàxué fen yllèi

èrlèi, zhōngxué xiāoxué y? y3u zhòngdíān zhSng- xiāoxué hé pútōng zhōng-
xiloxuéde qíTbié. Zhèiyang zuòde mùdi shi shénme ne? WS shi shuo . . .

Here, your universitiet are divided into Class I and Class II, and your
middle schools and elementary schools distinguish between key and
regular ones. What is the purpose for doing that? I mean ...

L: ftg, nl shuǒxiaqu.

A: WSde yìsi shi, yàoshi bā zhòng-diān fang zai Jlgè xuéxiào-shang, néng
bu néng pùbiàn tí-gāo Jiàoyu shulpíng ne?

L:   Zhèi shi yíge hèn hāode wèntí.

Nl zhidao, Zhōngguó ySu shíyìduō rénkBu, ySu name duo rén xūyào shòu
Jiàoyu, késhi Jiàoyude qíngkuàng bù néng rang rén mXnyì.

A: fig.

L: Tebié shi Jīngguà Wénhuà Dà Gé-mlng ylhèu, Jiàoyu fāngmian zhēn y3u
bù shío wèntí, suSyl zài mùqiánde qíngkuàng xià, wSmen déi bà zhòngdiān
fang zai yíbùfen dàxué, zhSngxué, hé xiāoxuéshang.

A:   Name, zài zhòngdiān dàxuéli,

nimen rènwéi zuì zhūyàode gōngzud you shi shénme ne?

L: ShSuxiǎn déi xiíng bànfā tígāo Jiáoshlde shulpíng. Xiànzài Jiàoshi
shùliàng bú gōu, shulpíng bù gāo.

A: ftg, zhèi shi yíge zhángyàode wèntí.

L: Shi, zhèige wèntí hé tígāo zhénggèr mínzúde Jiàoyu shulpíng ySu hén
dàde guānxi.

A: Hlo, name dìèr ne?

L:   Gāo Sìge Xiàndàihuà xūyào hén

duo shòuguo Jiàoyude rén, kèshi zhèijiàn shi bú shi zài duín

5Í

Uh-huh, ga on.

I mean, if you put the emphasis on a few schools, will you be able to
make a general improvement in the level of education?

That’s a very good question. You know, China has over a billion people
people. There are so many people who who need to get an education, but
educational conditions are not satisfactory.

Uh-huh.

Especially since the Cultural Revolution, there have been a lot of
problems in the area of education, so under the present conditions, we
must put the emphasis on a portion of our colleges, middle schools, and
elementary schools.

Then in key colleges, what do you consider to be the principal Job?

First of all we must try to raise the level of the instructors. At
present the number of instructors is insufficient and their level is
low.

Mm, that's an important problem.

Yes, it's a question that has great bearing on raising the educational
level of the whole nation.

Okay, then the second thing?

To carry on the Four Modernizations we need a lot of educated people,
but this can't be accomplished in

shíjiínli kéyi zuōhàode. Zhèi yidiàn nín digit tōngyì ba?

A: Wō dōng, v8 dōng.

L:   Suoyi, wōmen bin yixiē zhōng-

diàn xuéxiào, wèide shi JiSkuài Jiàoyu sùdu.

A: Jiākuài Jiàoyu sùdu? Nīde yìsi shi shuō, zhōngdiàn xuéxiàode tiíojiàn
bījiào hào, xuésheng, Jiàoshīde shuípíng y? bījiào gāo, zhèiyang,
xuésheng Jiu yōu Jīhui zài bījiào duànde shíjiàn-li xué bījiào duode
dōngxi.

L:    Duì le.

A: Name nīmen pài chū guōde liúxué-shěng shì bu shi dōu shi cōng
zhòngdiXn xuéxiàoli láide ne?

L: Tǎmen duōbànr shi cōng zhōngdiàn dàxué láide, tèbié shi yánj iūshēng.

A: Wō Jiànguo Jīwèi líi Méiguō niàn shūde liúxuéshěng, tamen dōu shi xué
kexué Jìshude. Tīngshuō támen xuéde fetching nùlì. Zhōngguō
liúxuéshēngde xuéxí zhōngdiàn shi kexué Jìshu, duì bu dui?

L: Nín shuōde duì, tāmen zhùyào shi xué zirán kexué. Zhèi shi wōmen
mùqián zuì dàde xūyào.

A: Tǎmen huí guō yīhōu dōu gào yánjiū gōngzuō ma?

L: Bù yídìng. Wō xiàng yōu yí dà bùfen hái dll zài dàxué danrèn
Jiàoshīde gōngzuō. Shíxiàn Sìge Xiàndàihuà líbukíi Jiàoyu ma! Jiàoshōu,
yōu shíjiān géi wō Jièshao Jieshao Méiguōde Jiàoyu qíngkuàng a!

A: HXo, nī duì nXifángmiànde qíngkuàng zuì yōu xìngqu?

a short time. You probably agree with that point, don't you?

I understand, I understand.

So we are setting up some key schools in order to speed up the
educational process.

To speed up the educational process? You mean, key schools have better
conditions, and the level of their students and teachers is higher, so
the students have the opportunity to learn more things in a shorter
time.

Right.

Then are all the students you send abroad from key schools?

They're mostly from key universities, especially the graduate students.

I've met several Chinese going to school in the United States. They were
all studying science and technology. I hear that they were very
hard-working. Chinese students abroad concentrate on science and
technology, isn't that right?

That's right, they mainly study the natural sciences. That's our
greatest need at present.

After they return home do they all do research work?

Not necessarily. I think that a large portion of them still have to take
up teaching positions in universities. Education is essential to
achieving the Four Modernizations! Professor, when you have the time,
tell me about education in America!

Sure. What aspect are you most interested in?

L:   W8 duì xiāoxué Jiàoyu, értóng

Jiàoyu suì yōu xìngqu, yínwei, vS xiXng yíge rén kāishí shòu Jiào-yude
nèiduàn shiJiàn shi fetching zhdngyàode.

A: W3 tóngyì níde kànfā, érqiě, chúle shàng xué ylwài, Jiātíng he
shèhuìde Jiàoyu y? féicháng zhòngyào. Y3ude shihou, fùmùmen-de Jiàoyu
qíngkuàng he háizimen yōu féicháng dàde guānxi.

L:   Duì. Suóyi gSohāo Jiàoyu shi

zhenggèr shèhuìde gōngzuò, wǒmen méige rén dǒu ySu zéren.

A: Ni shuōde zhěn hāo. Duì le, Jintiǎn wǒmen cānguānde Béidà, shi bu shi
Zhōngguó zuì hāode dàxué ne?

L: Běidà shi hěn yōu míngde dàxué, kěshi hěn nán shuo shi bu shi zuì
hāode. Zài Zhōngguó yōu Jíge dàxué dōu bú cud. Béidàde Jiàoyu zhiliang
Jlbenshang ràng rén minyì.

ShiJian bù zio le, nín chi zāo-fàn le meiyou?

A: Ou, vS hái méi chi zíofàn ne, wǒ mlshàng Jiù qù.

L:   Bié Jí, wǒmen děngzhe nín.

A:   Hāo, vS hěn kuài Jiu lái.

I’m most interested in primary school and child education, because I
think the period when a person begins his education is very important.

I agree with you. Furthermore, besides attending school, the education
one gets in the home and in society are also very important. Sometimes
the parents' education has a great bearing on the children ' s.

Right. So improving education is the Job of our entire society. Each of
us has the responsibility for it.

Well said. Oh yes—is Běijlng University, which we're going to visit
today, the best university in China?

B.U. is a very famous university, but it's difficult to ssy if it's the
best. There are several universities in China that are pretty good. The
quality of education.at B.U. is basically satisfactory.

It's getting late, have you had breakfast?

Oh, I haven't had breakfast yet. I'll go right away.

No hurry, we'll wait for you.

Okay, I'll be there shortly.