最近一位美国朋友来稿，向本报记者谈了谈她关于暑校的看法。其实，补习课已经成为中国孩子暑期避不开的生活部分。孩子们从紧张的一学期课程中解脱出来，又一脚踏入另一条“学业之路”。
而在西方，孩子们的暑假往往……
有网友Po出自己家孩子的暑（学）假（习）计划：
美国孩子的暑期生活：
以下是GlobalTimes (Metro Shanghai)刊登的相关评论，配有中文翻译喔。
Summer sports camps are ideal for stressed Shanghai students
In most Western societies, summer school is a kind of punishment for naughty students who failed to make the grade during the school year.Well-behaved Caucasian kids are rewarded with summer camp in the woods, while the dumb ones are stuck in a campus bungalow repeating their lessons. The 1987 comedy movie Summer School perfectly sums up the experience.
在很多西方国家，暑校是一种针对调皮捣蛋孩子的惩罚方式，针对他们在校没有取得优异的成绩。表现好的白人小孩能被奖励参加丛林野营，但是笨拙的孩子们只能被困在学校教室内重复上课。1987年的喜剧电影《暑期学校》完美地揭示了这种现象。
Meanwhile in China, where Western-style summer camps do not exist due to the absence of camping culture, summer school is a fact of life for most Chinese children starting at kindergarten. Private training centers and some local public schools hold back-to-back classes designed to keep kids preoccupied between July and September.Their parents, busy with work and desiring an academically competitive edge for their child, pay the fees.
然而在中国，因为野营文化的缺失，西方传统意义上的暑校并不存在。夏令营从幼儿园开始就伴随着中国孩子成长。为了能使孩子们在假期也能全神贯注地学习，私人培训机构和当地公立学校都在7月到9月开设连续的课程。父母们忙于工作，但都想让自己的孩子出类拔萃，在学业上有所竞争力，所以愿意花钱让孩子们在暑假补习。
As a foreign expat in Shanghai, I sympathize with all the Chinese kids I see being dragged to all-day language centers in the middle of summer.I've often been recruited to teach English at these so-called "summer camps." I used to think it meant going camping in a tent in Moganshan with a bunch of kids, which would be fun; now I know better - it means being stuck in a hot classroom for two months!
作为一个在上海的外籍人士，我很同情那些在大夏天被拖到语言中心上一整天课的中国孩子。我经常被招去这些所谓的“夏令营”教英语。我曾经以为会很有趣，可能就是在莫干山的一个帐篷里和一群孩子们一起野营。我现在看清了——去夏令营上课就意味着两个月都将被困在闷热的教室里!
Their Western counterparts, at this exact same moment, are either out swimming at the neighborhood pool with their friends or camping with their family in the woods. No wonder a growing number of Chinese students are applying to overseas schools: they probably do it just for the summer vacations!
而在相对应的时空里，西方的孩子不是和朋友在家附近的游泳池游泳，就是和家人在树林里露营。这也难怪越来越多的中国学生申请海外的学校:他们这么做可能只是为了一个心之向往的暑假!
But this is changing. According to a recent article in Jiefang Daily, sports training classes are becoming more popular among urban Chinese parents, who are realizing that their children need some fun under the sun after a year of intense studies.
但这种情况正在改变。据《解放日报》报道，体育培训班越来越受到中国城市里的父母们的青睐，他们意识到，在一年的紧张学习之后，他们的孩子需要在阳光下尽情地玩耍。
The article said that tennis, swimming and soccer are among the most popular classes, as they enhance not only children's physical abilities but also their confidence-building and teamwork capabilities. In this era of spoiled, soft "little emperors," that's what they need.
《解放日报》的这篇文章提到，网球、游泳和足球是最受欢迎的课程，因为它们不仅提高了孩子们的体能，而且有助于提高他们的自信心和团队合作能力。在这个孩子们被宠坏、甚至被诟病为软弱“小皇帝”的时代，这正是他们所需要的。
The Global Times reported that China now has the largest overweight population in the world - home to around 43 million obese men and 46 million obese women, accounting for 16 percent and 12 percent of obese men and women in the world - bumping the US to second, according to Lancet Medical Journal.
《环球时报》曾报道, 据柳叶刀医学杂志称，中国现在是世界上有最多超重人口的国家——大约有4300万名肥胖的男性和4600万肥胖女性,分别占世界肥胖男女比例的16%和12%，甚至把美国挤到第二的位置去了。
For children and teens, the numbers are higher: the World Food Program noted that 23 percent of all Chinese boys and 14 percent of all Chinese girls under 20 are overweight or obese, the Guardian reported in January, 2017.
《卫报》于2017年1月报道，儿童和青少年的肥胖数更高，世界粮食计划署指出，20岁以下的中国孩子，其中23%的中国男孩和14%的中国女孩都超重或有肥胖症状。
The reason for this, most people would agree, is that the average Chinese child today is sitting on their butt all day studying; any leisure time they might have is spent playing computer games. This self-isolation is exactly why so many Chinese youth are quite bad at teamwork or getting along with others.Competitive team sports like soccer are the perfect remedy for this problem.
大多数人都认为，造成这种情况的原因是，如今绝大多数的中国孩子整天坐在那里学习，一有闲暇时光，也被用来坐着玩电脑游戏。这种自我孤立正是很多中国年轻一代不擅长团队合作或与人相处的原因。像足球这样带有竞争性团体性的运动可以很好地补救这一问题。
In 2015, China's central reform group, chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping, approved a plan to boost the level of football throughout the country. The measures included establishing 50,000 football schools within 10 years and making the game a compulsory course at school, according to the Global Times. District youth centers, after-school sports leagues and summer camps are also emphasizing soccer.
2015年，以国家主席习*平近**为首的中央改革小组批准了一项计划，要求采取一系列措施，在全国范围内提高足球水平。据《环球时报》报道，这些措施包括在10年内建立5万所足球学校，并将足球列为学校的必修课。地方青年训练中心、课外体育联盟和夏令营也在强调足球培训。
But sports camps are not cheap. One elite international "activities club" for children aged 3-12 with branches all over Shanghai charges 3,500 yuan ($522) per week for full-day camps. Many local families simply cannot afford 28,000 yuan for an entire summer.
但是体育营并不便宜。一个由3-12岁孩子组成，在上海有许多分支培训部的国际精英“活动俱乐部”，每周向参与者收费3500元(522美元)。许多当地家庭根本负担不起28000元的暑期学费。
Nor is dropping that kind of cash on a sports camp necessary. Just take a look around - Shanghai is one big sports camp! There are empty, unused stadiums and sports arenas in practically every district, where parents could potentially organize and coach their own neighborhood soccer teams. And with the growing number of running paths the municipality has been building, such as the new 45-kilometer Huangpu riverfront public space, there's no excuse not to stay in shape.
其实也没有必要把这些钱花在送孩子去夏季体育营上。看看四周——上海本身就是一个大型的运动场!几乎每个区都有空置的、未使用过的体育场，家长们完全可以在那些地方组织并训练自己社区的足球队。而且随着越来越多的运动场地正在建设，比如新建的45公里长的黄浦江滨江公共空间，孩子们没有理由不将自己的身体保持在一个良好的体型状态。
Chinese parents and students might be competitive when it comes to academics, but what better outlet for all that mental stress than some good-old-fashioned competitive sports over the summer?
中国的父母和学生在学术上可能很有竞争力，但在暑假，有什么比一些耳熟能详的运动项目更能发泄积蓄的心理压力呢?
原文：Annabel Eaton
翻译：Li Yangyichuan
图：Chen Xia、网络