6.3 Environmental Issues in China

Short answer: “education system pressure” → 教育系统压力 (jiàoyù xìtǒng yālì). Other natural alternatives depending on context: - 教育体制的压力 (jiàoyù tǐzhì de yālì)—emphasizes the institutional/systemic side. - 教育压力 (jiàoyù yālì)—shorter, common in conversation (can overlap with 学业压力). - 学业压力 (xué yè yālì)—specifically “academic pressure” (tests, homework, 高考). Quick notes for AP use: 教育系统压力 or 教育体制的压力 match CED vocabulary like 教育系统 and 学业竞争 and are good to use in free-response and the cultural presentation when discussing systemic causes (高考, 双减政策) or impacts (心理健康, 内卷). For practice, check the Unit 6 overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6) and Fiveable practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature). If you want a study-guide refresher on Topic 6 themes, see the Topic 6 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w).

Short answer: 压力 (yālì) is the feeling or burden students experience (mental, physical, emotional). 竞争 (jìngzhēng) is the external process or behavior—rivals, exams, limited spots—that causes that pressure. More detail: 压力 describes outcomes: anxiety, sleep loss, burnout, family conflict, mental-health issues mentioned in the CED (心理健康危机, 睡眠不足). 竞争 refers to the systems and actions driving those outcomes: 高考’s high-stakes testing, 校外培训, limited university quotas, and 内卷-style escalation (学业竞争, credential inflation). So you’d say “高考的竞争很激烈” (the competition is intense) but “学生因为竞争感到很大压力” (students feel a lot of pressure because of that competition). For AP work: use both terms accurately on free-response tasks—describe the systemic causes (竞争) and the individual effects (压力) when explaining impacts on student well-being. For review, see the Topic 6.3 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w) and practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

“996”指的是工作时间制度：早上9点上班到晚上9点下班、一周工作6天（9 AM–9 PM, 6 days/week）。它在中国尤其是科技和初创公司里比较常见。虽然中国劳动法规定标准工时和加班补偿，但996常常超出法律限制、缺乏有效执法，所以会导致工作倦怠、睡眠不足、心理健康问题，并加剧就业压力和“内卷”。社会上有年轻人通过“躺平”反抗这种文化。对你在AP Topic 6.3的复习来说，理解996怎么连接教育竞争（学历膨胀、实习剥削）和劳工权益很重要，因为写作或口头题可能要求你解释其社会影响或政策应对。想看更多与第六单元相关的复习资料，参考本单元总览（https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6）和练习题库（https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature）。你也可以看看相关学习指南（https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w）以联系单元主题。

Short answer: use 高考 when you mean the national college entrance exam (Gaokao) specifically; use 考试 for tests in general (quizzes, midterms, finals, or any exam). How to pick in writing: - 高考 = 高 stakes, system-level topic (CED: “The Gaokao System and High-Stakes Testing,” education reform, provincial quotas, 双减政策). Example: “很多学生为高考准备多年，产生严重的学业压力。” Use 高考 in essays or presentations about structural pressures, policy, and social impact. - 考试 = general tests or assessment behavior (期中考试、期末考试、测验). Example: “老师给我们下周有一场期中考试。” Use 考试 in conversations, emails, or when describing daily school pressure (应试教育、校外培训). AP tip: on free-response tasks (email, cultural presentation, conversation), pick the precise term that matches the prompt—using 高考 shows you know the unit vocabulary (高考, 应试教育, 内卷, 双减政策) and helps score higher. For more topic review see the Unit 6 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w) and unit overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6). Practice with 1000+ questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

写关于“教育和就业系统压力”的作文时，常用衔接词能让你的论证更清晰，符合 AP 自由回应里“使用过渡元素和衔接手段”的评分标准。常见有： - 添加：此外、而且、同时、再者 - 转折/对比：但是、然而、尽管如此、相反（地） - 因果：因此、所以、由于、导致、结果是 - 举例：例如、比如、像……一样、具体来说 - 递进/强调：更重要的是、尤其是、甚至、不仅……而且…… - 让步：虽然……但是、即使……也、尽管……仍然 - 总结/结论：总之、综上所述、因此可以看出、由此可见 - 顺序/时间：首先、其次、最后、随后 在写故事叙述或邮件回复时，合理使用这些衔接词能提高组织性（AP 评分里强调“组织清晰、衔接自然”）。想练习把这些用到具体题材（如高考、双减政策、内卷、996、心理健康危机）里，可参考 Fiveable 的专题复习和练习题（专题学习指南： (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w)，单元总览：(https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6)，大量练习题：(https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature)）。

躺平 (tǎng píng) is a youth reaction to intense academic and work pressure—it means “opt out” of rat-race expectations: less overtime, lower consumption, and refusing hyper-competition (内卷) like endless考试/升学焦虑 or 996工作制. In an AP speaking task (Conversation or Cultural Presentation) explain it briefly, give causes, and show opinions. Sample structure (in Chinese, ~30–45秒): 1) 定义：躺平就是年轻人不再追求高强度工作和高消费的生活方式。 2) 原因：高考压力、升学和就业竞争、996与内卷导致身心疲惫。 3) 影响/观点：有人觉得有助于心理健康，有人担心影响社会流动和经济。 4) 结论：政府推出双减等政策，但结构性问题仍存在。 Key vocab to use: 躺平、内卷、高考、996工作制、心理健康、双减政策、就业压力. Practice this answer for the 2-minute Cultural Presentation or 20-sec turns in Conversation. For more unit review and practice questions, see the Unit 6 page (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6) and the practice bank (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

Short answer: Chinese verbs don’t conjugate. To talk about future education reforms, use time words and modal/auxiliary words that mark future tense and likelihood. Common patterns you’ll use in Topic 6.3 language: - 会 + verb (general future or likelihood): 政府会改革高考。 - 要 / 要…了 (near future/plan): 教育部要加强职业教育。 - 将 / 将要 / 将会 (formal future): 双减政策将会继续推进。 - 即将 / 预计 + clause (about-to / expected): 学校即将实行新的分流制度；预计毕业生就业压力会下降。 - 打算 / 计划 + verb (plans): 政府打算鼓励职业教育发展。 - Passive for policy effects: 改革将被广泛讨论 / 学生会被更好保护。 - Conditional to discuss consequences: 如果降低应试教育，学生心理健康可能会改善。 Use varied structures (会/要/将/预计/打算 + passive/conditional) in free-response to show range—AP graders look for grammatical variety and accuracy. For more Topic 6.3 vocabulary and examples, check the Unit 6 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w) and practice thousands of prompts at (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

“Tiger parents” (虎爸虎妈) come from a cultural mix: belief that academic success secures social mobility in China, plus the high-stakes 高考 system that makes one exam shape life chances. That creates 应试教育 pressure, heavy 校外培训 spending, and 家庭巨大牺牲—parents push long hours, extra tutoring, and close monitoring to avoid falling behind in an 内卷 environment. Consequences include student 心理健康 problems, strained parent–child relationships, and reactions like 躺平 or calls for reform (e.g., 双减政策 limiting homework and tutoring). For AP prep, this topic connects to Unit 6 themes (education/employment pressures) and is a good Cultural Presentation or writing topic—use specific CED terms (高考, 校外培训, 内卷, 心理健康, 双减政策) and cite effects on social mobility and mental health. Want more review or practice? Check the unit page (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6), the topic study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w), and 1000+ practice items (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

Short answer: 就业 = the process/condition of being employed (employment, job market); 工作 = a specific job or the tasks you do at work. More detail: 就业 (就业压力, 毕业生就业难) is used when we talk about macro issues—unemployment rates, job prospects for graduates, skills mismatch, government policies to boost youth employment. Example: “大学毕业生的就业形势很严峻。” 工作 refers to an individual position, duties, or daily tasks—you can 有一份工作, 换工作, or 工作时间长 (e.g., 996工作制 leads to 工作倦怠). So you’d say “很多人找不到就业机会” (no employment opportunities) but “他现在有一份稳定的工作” (he has a stable job). For AP prep: know both terms and contexts; they show up in Topic 6.3 discussions about employment pressure and work culture. For more unit review, check the Unit 6 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6) and this topic’s study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w). Practice vocab and passages at Fiveable’s practice page (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

双减政策（“双减”）是中国在2021年推出的教育改革，目标是“减轻义务教育阶段学生作业负担和校外培训负担”。主要做法：严格限制校外学科类培训（尤其语数外）时间与资质，规范学校布置作业（控制量和难度），并对培训机构实行更严格的监管。政策意图解决应试教育、校外培训造成的教育不平等、家庭经济和心理负担（关键词：校外培训、学业竞争、心理健康、内卷）。对你学AP Chinese的意义：会出现与教材Topic 6.3相关的文章或听力，考题可能要求你分析政策影响并用CED词汇解释社会后果（如家庭压力、教育公平、行业影响）。想复习这个主题可看Unit 6 overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6) 并做练习题（https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature）。如果你 want, I can give a short Chinese paragraph you can memorize for the exam.

Use clear causal connectors and vary structures so your writing shows a range of grammatical forms (CED wants a wide range of grammatical structures for top FR scores). Common patterns: - 因为…所以… / 由于…（导致）… Example: 因为高考是决定性考试，所以学生会承受极大的学业竞争压力。 - 之所以…是因为… / 之所以…，在于… Example: 学生心理健康问题之所以越来越普遍，是因为应试教育和校外培训时间过长。 - 导致/造成/促使/使得 + 结果 Example: 长时间补课导致睡眠不足，进而影响学习效率和身心健康。 - 以致/结果是…（formal, good for essays） Example: 家庭为子女投入大量金钱和精力，以致家庭经济和代际关系紧张。 - 不仅…而且…，与…有关 Example: 教育资源不均不仅影响城乡学生升学机会，而且与户籍制度和经济差距有关。 - 虽然…但是…（contrast + cause effect） Example: 虽然“双减政策”限制了校外培训，但在短期内学校和家长适应不良，结果竞争并未完全缓解。 Tip for AP free-response: mix these patterns, use topic keywords (高考、内卷、双减政策、心理健康、职业教育) and connect causes to social/economic consequences to show depth. For more topic review and practice, see Fiveable’s Topic 6 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w) and 1000+ practice items (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

你可以用这些具体例子谈中国学校里的心理健康问题，贴合CED关键词和考试话题： - 高考压力：把高考描述成“决定命运”的一次性考试，导致长期焦虑、失眠和考试恐惧（与高考、应试教育、内卷相关）。 - 学业倦怠与睡眠不足：补习、课后作业和校外培训让学生常常熬夜，出现注意力下降和抑郁倾向（双减政策为改革背景）。 - 家庭冲突与“虎爸虎妈”现象：家长期望过高引发亲子关系紧张、社交孤立。 - 咨询服务不足与污名化：学校心理咨询师数量有限，学生因耻感不愿求助，干预不到位。 - 城乡差距：农村学生资源缺乏，心理支持更薄弱（城乡教育差距、户籍制度影响）。 在AP写作/口语中，用这些例子支持你的观点，说明因果并提改革（双减、心理教育）。更多复习资料见相关学习指南（https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w）或整单元概览（https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6）。若要练习题目，可去Fiveable做题（https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature）。

Use formal language when you’re writing or presenting about policies (emails to teachers, the AP cultural presentation, newspapers, or academic essays). The AP free-response tasks expect register-appropriate language: presentational writing/speaking should be formal and precise. Typical formal phrases: 政府应采取措施、出台政策、实施改革、有必要完善法律/监管. Use CED vocabulary (双减政策, 996工作制, 内卷, 躺平, 心理健康危机) in full and neutrally. Use informal language in conversations with friends, classmates, or in a casual classroom discussion. Informal phrasing: 政府应该做点什么、他们要不要改变、这事很难受. In spoken answers (Conversation Q3) you can be slightly less formal but still clear and respectful. Practice: write one formal paragraph (email/presentation) and one informal version (chat). For topic review, see the Unit 6 study guide on Fiveable (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6) and related topic study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w). For more practice Qs, use Fiveable’s practice page (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).

内卷 = 两个字：内 (nèi, 4声) + 卷 (juǎn, 3声)。记住音调：nèi 是第四声（降），juǎn 是第三声（降升）。练法：先单个练 nèi（从高往低），再单个练 juǎn（先低再升），然后连起来说 nèi juǎn（第四声→第三声，不会触发第三声变调，因为前面是第四声）。注意：在快语速里，第三声常被念成“半三声”（低降不明显），但考试里要尽量念出完整的降—升，保证听者能分辨。例句（读时注意声调）：现在很多学生感到内卷（Xiànzài hěn duō xuésheng gǎndào nèi juǎn）。在 AP 口语（对话/文化陈述）里，准确声调和自然语流会影响发音评分，练好声调能提升分数。想要更多练习题和复习资料，看 Fiveable 的单元复习（https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6）和本课题学习指南（https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w），还有 1000+ 练题在练习页（https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature）。

Memorize this core vocabulary (Chinese + pinyin + English) for talking about work–life balance in Topic 6.3—these map directly to CED themes and free-response tasks (conversation, email, cultural presentation): - 工作与生活平衡 gōngzuò yǔ shēnghuó pínghéng—work–life balance - 就业压力 jiùyè yālì—employment pressure - 996工作制 996 gōngzuò zhì—996 work system - 加班 jiābān—work overtime - 工作倦怠 gōngzuò juàndài—burnout - 心理健康 xīnlǐ jiànkāng—mental health - 社会保障不足 shèhuì bǎozhàng bùzú—insufficient social protections - 弹性工作安排 tánxìng gōngzuò ānpái—flexible work arrangements - 工会 gōnghuì—labor union - 劳动法 láodòng fǎ—labor law - 年龄歧视 niánlíng qíshì—age discrimination - 实习剥削 shíxí bōxuē—internship exploitation - 躺平 tǎngpíng—“lying flat” movement - 内卷 nèi juǎn—involution/intense competition - 职业发展 jìyè fāzhǎn—career development - 城乡教育差距 chéngxiāng jiàoyù chājù—urban–rural education gap - 双减政策 shuāngjiǎn zhèngcè—“double reduction” policy - 毕业生就业难 bìyèshēng jiùyè nán—difficulty for grads to find jobs Practice using these in sentences for the Conversation and Cultural Presentation tasks on the AP exam. For the Topic 6 study guide and extra practice questions, see Fiveable’s study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6/environmental-issues-china/study-guide/UW7xKqeSnkhD4XH5DZ8w) and the unit page (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-chinese-language-and-literature/unit-6). For more drills, try Fiveable’s practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-chinese-language-and-literature).