This week will be joyful for those who have gotten high scores in their national college entrance examinations, but miserable days for those whose scores may deny them the opportunity to study in a university.

对于高考取得高分的同学来说，本周肯定是快乐的一周，而高考失利的同学难免会难过，因为他们可能会错失上大学的机会。

While gaokao is a milestone of personal development for any high school graduate who takes it, those for whom it has not opened the door to a university should console themselves with the truth that higher education is not necessarily a guarantee of a successful career even for those who have grabbed an opportunity to study in a prestigious university.

console：to make someone who is sad or disappointed feel better by giving them comfort or sympathy；

对于任何参加过高考的人来说，高考都是他们个人发展的重要里程碑，而没能考入大学的同学也应该清楚，上大学，甚至是上名校，都不能保证你未来的事业一帆风顺。

Although for those from rural families or low-income households, the exam is undoubtedly the most likely means of upward social mobility, and entry to a prestigious university may indeed be a life-changer.

prestigious：very much respected and admired, usually because of being important；

不过对于农村家庭和低收入家庭的孩子而言，高考无疑是提高社会流动性的最佳方法，进入名校可能真的会改变命运。

This year, 10.31 million students sat the exams, the largest number since 2008. Nearly 75 percent of them will be able to enter a university; the percentage was only 6 back in 1979 and 34 in 1998.

今年，1031万名学子参加了高考，刷新了自2008年以来的记录。近75%的学生可以进入大学，而1979年仅有6%，1998年也不过34%。

But while fortune may have smiled on them, the growing number who will graduate should bear in mind that they will face greater competition when trying to land a job after graduation, although they will also enjoy more autonomy in seeking a job than their predecessors.

autonomy：the ability to make your own decisions without being controlled by anyone else

这75%的学生固然很幸运，但随着大学毕业生人数激增，新晋大学生应该铭记，虽然他们的就业选择会比前几代人更加丰富，但也会面临更加激烈的竞争

Universities are under heavy pressure to reform so their graduates are better equipped for life after they graduate. Since it is easier to enter a university now, it is neither fair nor rational to select different students using the same test, and universities of different levels and types should target students with different talents.

大学也面临着巨大的改革压力，以确保其毕业生能更好地适应社会生活。由于现在进入大学的门槛降低了，用同一场考试选拔不同的学生既不公平也不合理，不同层次、不同类型的大学应针对不同的人才设计不同的考试。

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and other technologies, some traditional professions will be replaced by new ones and universities need to update their specializations so as to meet the changing demands of the workplace.

随着人工智能等技术的迅速发展，一些传统的职业将被新的职业所取代，高校需要更新专业，以满足就业市场不断变化的需求。

If anything, the national college entrance examination can be compared to a way station in a person’s life journey. It is hard to do a great job in gaokao, but it is even harder to equip oneself well enough, whether at college or not, for what will unfold in the next section of the journey.

如果一定要把高考比喻成什么，那就是人生旅途中的一个中转站。高考超常发挥很难，但让自己明白人生的下一个阶段该干些什么更难，这是上或不上大学都必须想清楚的问题。

The growing number of gaokao examinees has resulted in an intensified scramble to squeeze through the doors into university, with accompanying pressure of being a winner or loser in that competition. Yet the changing nature of work means that for some, vocational education may be the best way station that better serves their interests and offers the path to a rewarding career.

intensified：to become greater, more serious, or more extreme, or to make something do this；

高考人数的上升导致进入大学的竞争更加激烈，能否成功升入大学也给考生带来了更大的压力。然而，随着一些工作性质的变化，职业教育对于一些考生来说可能是最好的选择，因为职业教育更符合他们的兴趣，能带来更好的就业前途。

The enrollment for vocational colleges has increased by 1 million this year, which is meant to meet the urgent demand for technicians, engineers and highly skilled workers in the fields of some new industries. This may provide opportunities for those for whom the door to universities is closed.

今年，职业学校的招生人数增加了100万人，这大大满足了一些新兴行业对于技术人员、工程师和高级技工的迫切需求。这可能会给无法进入大学的考生提供新的机遇。