注：原文发表于2020年2月。

在英格兰，5000多门很少或根本无人就读的资质课程被取消。在12000门可供16岁以上学生选择的资质课程当中，英国教育部停止资助约40%的课程，并计划在9月份推出新的 T-level 课程（英国学生在完成 GCSE 考试后可选择的职业技术类课程）。

This will reduce by half the number of qualifications on offer for 16 to 19-year-olds. Some courses, due to lose their funding, have fallen out of use, others attract small numbers. They include some BTecs, City & Guilds, NVQs, and diplomas.

精简课程的这一举措将减少16至19岁学生可选择的资质课程数量的一半。一些将失去资助的课程已无人就读，还有的课程只吸引少数人学习。这包含英国商业与技术教育委员会提供的资格证书（BTecs）、英国伦敦城市行业协会发放的职业证书（City & Guilds）、英国国家职业资格证书（NVQs）及其它文凭。

Ministers want to shift gradually to three main options for 16-year-olds to choose from - apprenticeships, A-levels, and the new T-levels. Each T-level will be equivalent to three A-levels and will include work-based learning.

英国教育部大臣们希望把目前的考试制度逐步精简为三个主要课程种类，供16岁学生选择：学徒制、A-level 课程（相当于英国大学入学考试）和新 T-level 课程。每门 T-level 课程将等同于三门 A-level 课程，而且会包含以工作为基础的学习。

The first students will enrol on three new T-levels this autumn, with fewer than 2,000 places available. Tom Bewick from the Federation of Awarding Bodies said care needed to be taken with pruning away qualifications before the new system is fully established.

首批学习新 T-level 课程的学生将于今年秋季注册修读，总名额不足2000个。英国颁证机构联会的汤姆·比伊克表示，在新制度完全建立前，需谨慎地缩减资格认证课程。

词汇

qualifications 资格认证课程
on offer 可供……选择
apprenticeships 学徒课程
equivalent 相当于，等同于
work-based 以工作为主的
enrol on 注册（课程）
places 就读名额
pruning away 削减，精简

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题 。

1. True or false? Half of the total qualifications on offer to 16 to 19-year-olds will be removed.

2. Which are the three main options of the new system of qualifications?

3. How many A-levels will each T-level be equivalent to?

4. When will the first students register for three new T-levels?

答案

1. True or false? Half of the total qualifications on offer to 16 to 19-year-olds will be removed.
True. Pulling the funding will reduce by half the number of qualifications on offer for 16 to 19-year-olds.

2. Which are the three main options of the new system of qualifications?
The three main options are apprenticeships, A-levels, and the new T-levels.

3. How many A-levels will each T-level be equivalent to?
Three. Each T-level will be equivalent to three A-levels.

4. When will the first students register for three new T-levels?
The first students will register for three new T-levels this autumn.