英国推行九九乘法表升级版 2020年将成为强制性考试

A multiplication test in some of England's primary schools is sparking debate in both the UK and China – where the test originates.

英国部分小学推行的乘法表测试在中英两国引发热议，乘法表源自中国。

The new multiplication test, or times table check, will be trialed at England’s primary schools in March. Some 7,250 pupils in Year 4 at 290 primaries, are expected to take part in the multiplication check before it becomes mandatory throughout the country in 2020.

今年3月起，英国小学将试推行这套新的乘法表测试。预计来自290所小学的约7250名4年级学生将参与该测试，之后将于2020年在全英国强制推行。

The test, which assesses knowledge of the times tables up to 12, is believed to be more suitable than the Chinese version which goes up to 9, since the duodecimal system is widely adopted in the UK.

英国人认为，这套12*12口算乘法表测试比中国的九九乘法表更适合英国学生，因为该国广泛采用的是十二进制系统。

The test is extensively favored in Chinese schools, and is being gradually introduced to the UK, following the results of an experiment where British pupils who were taught math in the traditional Chinese way outperformed their peers by 10 percent. The experiment took place at Bohunt School in Hampshire in 2017.

乘法表测试在中国的学校中广受欢迎，2017年汉普郡博航特中学进行的一项实验结果显示，通过传统的中国教学方式学习数学的英国小学生数学成绩比同龄人高出10%，由此乘法表也将逐步引入英国。

Supporters have hailed the new test, saying it contributes to a grasp of fundamental math.

支持者们对这项新测试表示欢迎，认为它对掌握基础数学有帮助。

“We have been teaching [the] times tables in our after school class for over 35 years and without doubt it is the most important skill we give our students,” a reader, whose screen name is “mad scientist,” wrote in a comment on the BBC's website.

网友“mad scientist”在英国广播公司网站上评论道：“我们的课后班教乘法口诀表已经超过35年了，毫无疑问，这是我们传授给学生最重要的技能。”

“I still don't know them, and it's been a source of embarrassment to me ever since,” boundah, another reader, said on the same website.

网友“boundah”也在该网站留言称：“我现在还不会乘法表，这一直让我很尴尬。”

“Happy for the British pupils! They will do an even better job than their Chinese peers,” said scorpion_wa on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.

国内微博网友“scorpion_wa”称：“为英国小学生感到开心！他们的数学要超过中国小学生了。”

However, not everyone is pleased with the move.

然而，并不是所有人都对这一举措感到满意。

“There are so many things wrong with math education in this country that a times table test is really just picking at a sore,” said Mike Cameron on Twitter.

麦克•卡梅隆在推特上称：“英国的数学教育存在太多问题了，乘法口诀表测验只是治标不治本。”

“British students will hate Chinese,” joked Weibo user Bujiubujiu.

微博网友“Bujiubujiu”开玩笑称：“英国学生要恨死中国人啦。”

“I believe it is a pressure on them,” said another Weibo user Feixufeixu.

另一位微博网友“Feixufeixu”则表示：“我认为这对他们有压力。”

The UK has been trying to replicate the success of math education in China by encouraging teachers to use a series of textbooks called “Real Shanghai Mathematics,” which have been translated directly from Chinese into English.

为了复制中国数学教育的成功，英国一直试图倡导教师使用《真正上海数学》系列教材，这是一套被翻译成英文的中文教科书。

Despite these efforts, the question of would a Chinese-style math education work in the UK, still remains to be answered.

尽管英国采取了上述措施，但关于中国式数学教育是否适用于英国的问题仍没有明确答案。