The Economist [04] | Lifelong learning 终身学习 Part 3

The market is innovating to enable workers to learn and earn in new ways. Providers from General Assembly to Pluralsight are building businesses on the promise of boosting and rebooting careers. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have veered away from lectures on Plato or black holes in favour of courses that make their students more employable. At Udacity and Coursera self-improvers pay for cheap, short programmes that bestow “microcredentials” and “nanodegrees” in, say, self-driving cars or the Android operating system. By offering degrees online, universities are making it easier for professionals to burnish their skills. A single master’s programme from Georgia Tech could expand the annual output of computer-science master’s degrees in America by close to 10%.

Such efforts demonstrate how to interleave careers and learning. But left to its own devices, this nascent market will mainly serve those who already have advantages. It is easier to learn later in life if you enjoyed the classroom first time around: about 80% of the learners on Coursera already have degrees. Online learning requires some IT literacy, yet one in four adults in the OECD has no or limited experience of computers. Skills atrophy unless they are used, but many low-end jobs give workers little chance to practise them.

The market is innovating to enable workers to learn and earn in new ways. 市场正在创新以让工人能够有新的方法学习和赚钱。

Providers from General Assembly to Pluralsight are building businesses on [开创业务] the promise of boosting and rebooting[推动和重启] careers. 从General Assembly到Pluralsight，各类供应商纷纷以推动和重启职业生涯的承诺开创业务。

【build on sth】

to use a success or achievement as a base from which to achieve more success基于，依赖，以…为基础

We must build on our reputation to expand the business.我们必须依靠信誉来扩展业务。

A good relationship is built on trust.良好的关系建立在信任的基础上。

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have veered[改变方向] away from lectures on Plato or black holes in favour of[倾向于] courses that make their students more employable. 大规模开放式在线课程（MOOC）不再讲授柏拉图或黑洞，而向帮助学生就业的课程倾斜。

【veer】

to change direction改变方向；转向

All of a sudden, the car veered off the road.突然那辆车改变方向冲出了公路。

Moments before crashing, the jet was seen veering sharply to the right.坠机之前的一瞬间，有人看见那架喷气式飞机猛地转向右方。

Three men were feared dead last night after a helicopter veered off course into an oil platform.昨晚一架直升飞机偏离航线撞上了石油钻井平台，恐怕有3人因此死亡。

Our talk soon veered onto the subject of money.我们的谈话很快就转到了足球上。

At Udacity and Coursera self-improvers pay for[支付] cheap, short programmes that bestow[获得] “microcredentials”[微证书] and “nanodegrees”[纳米学位] in, say, self-driving cars or the Android operating system. 在优达学城（Udacity）和Coursera，进修者付费学习低价的短期课程，获得如自动驾驶汽车或安卓操作系统方面的“微证书”和“纳米学位”。

【bestow】

to give something as an honour or present赠予；给予

The George Cross is a decoration that is bestowed upon/on British civilians for acts of great bravery.乔治十字勋章是为了表彰英国平民的英勇行为而颁发的。

By offering degrees online, universities are making it easier for professionals to burnish[提升] their skills. A single master’s programme from Georgia Tech could expand the annual output of computer-science master’s degrees in America by close to 10%. 大学也开始提供在线学位，帮助专业人士更方便地提升技能。单是佐治亚理工学院（Georgia Tech）的硕士课程就能把每年美国计算机科学硕士的毕业人数提高近10%。

【burnish】

If you burnish something such as your public image, you take action to improve it and make it more attractive.给…增色；改善（公众形象）

The company is currently trying to burnish its socially responsibleimage.公司目前正在努力改善形象，把自己塑造成一个有社会责任感的公司。

Such efforts demonstrate how to interleave[交织] careers and learning. 这些革新显示了如何交织工作和学习。

But left to its own devices, this nascent[新生] market will mainly serve those who already have advantages. 但是，如果任其自行发展，这一新生市场将会主要服务那些已经具备优势的人。

【leave sth to/for sb】

to give someone responsibility for dealing with something把…留给（某人）去处理

I've left the paperwork for you.我把文案工作留给了你。

Leave it to me - I'll sort it out tomorrow.留给我来干吧——明天我会把它处理好的。

【nascent】

only recently formed or started, but likely to grow larger quickly新生的，萌芽的；开始发展的

a nascent political party新成立的政党

a nascent problem新出现的问题

It is easier to learn later in life if you enjoyed the classroom first time around: about 80% of the learners on Coursera already have degrees. 如果你在年轻时就享受课堂学习，那么日后学习起来也会更容易：在Coursera，大约80%的学生已经拥有学位。

Online learning requires some IT literacy[知识], yet one in four adults in the OECD[经合组织国家] has no or limited experience of computers. 在线学习需要一些IT知识，而在经合组织国家里，四分之一的成年人没有或只有很少的计算机经验。

【literacy】

knowledge of a particular subject, or a particular type of knowledge（某领域或某方面的）知识，能力

Computer literacy is becoming as essential as the ability to drive a car.会用计算机与会开车一样将成为一种必备的技能。

【OECD】

经济合作与发展组织，简称经合组织

经济合作与发展组织，简称经合组织（OECD），是由34个市场经济国家组成的政府间国际经济组织，旨在共同应对全球化带来的经济、社会和政府治理等方面的挑战，并把握全球化带来的机遇。

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development: an international organization whose members are countries with advanced economies and whose aim is to encourage economic growth around the world.

Skills atrophy[衰退] unless they are used, but many low-end jobs give workers little chance to practise them.

技能不用则退，但在很多低端工作中，工人基本没有机会实践技能。

【atrophy】

(of a part of the body) to be reduced in size and therefore strength, or, more generally, to become weaker（身体部位）萎缩，衰退

After several months in a hospital bed, my leg muscles had atrophied.我在医院病床上呆了几个月后，腿部肌肉已经萎缩了。

In the 1980s, their political power gradually atrophied (= became weaker).20世纪80年代他们的政治权力逐渐衰落。

The market is innovating to enable workers to learn and earn in new ways. Providers from General Assembly to Pluralsight are building businesses on [开创业务] the promise of boosting and rebooting[推动和重启] careers. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have veered[改变方向] away from lectures on Plato or black holes in favour of[倾向于] courses that make their students more employable. At Udacity and Coursera self-improvers pay for[支付] cheap, short programmes that bestow[获得] “microcredentials”[微证书] and “nanodegrees”[纳米学位] in, say, self-driving cars or the Android operating system. By offering degrees online, universities are making it easier for professionals to burnish[提升] their skills. A single master’s programme from Georgia Tech could expand the annual output of computer-science master’s degrees in America by close to 10%.

市场正在创新以让工人能够有新的方法学习和赚钱。从General Assembly到Pluralsight，各类供应商纷纷以推动和重启职业生涯的承诺开创业务。大规模开放式在线课程（MOOC）不再讲授柏拉图或黑洞，而向帮助学生就业的课程倾斜。在优达学城（Udacity）和Coursera，进修者付费学习低价的短期课程，获得如自动驾驶汽车或安卓操作系统方面的“微证书”和“纳米学位”。大学也开始提供在线学位，帮助专业人士更方便地提升技能。单是佐治亚理工学院（Georgia Tech）的硕士课程就能把每年美国计算机科学硕士的毕业人数提高近10%。

Such efforts demonstrate how to interleave[交织] careers and learning. But left to its own devices, this nascent[新生] market will mainly serve those who already have advantages. It is easier to learn later in life if you enjoyed the classroom first time around: about 80% of the learners on Coursera already have degrees. Online learning requires some IT literacy[知识], yet one in four adults in the OECD[经合组织国家] has no or limited experience of computers. Skills atrophy[衰退] unless they are used, but many low-end jobs give workers little chance to practise them.

这些革新显示了如何交织工作和学习。但是，如果任其自行发展，这一新生市场将会主要服务那些已经具备优势的人。如果你在年轻时就享受课堂学习，那么日后学习起来也会更容易：在Coursera，大约80%的学生已经拥有学位。在线学习需要一些IT知识，而在经合组织国家里，四分之一的成年人没有或只有很少的计算机经验。技能不用则退，但在很多低端工作中，工人基本没有机会实践技能。

【build on sth】基于，依赖，以…为基础

【veer】改变方向；转向

【bestow】赠予；给予

【burnish】给…增色；改善（公众形象）

【leave sth to/for sb】把…留给（某人）去处理

【nascent】新生的，萌芽的；开始发展的

【literacy】知识，能力

【atrophy】萎缩，衰退

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