【双语阅读】从小选拔“数学家”（下）

CaixinGlobal财新国际 · 公众号 · · 2025-03-21 18:10

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Pipeline problems

The purpose of the Yau Youth Classes was to create a talent pipeline for the Yau Mathematical Sciences Leaders Program by establishing them at key middle schools across the country. In April 2023, Yau authorized 18 schools to launch the class. Since then, they have sprung up at 50 schools around China.

到目前为止，丘班已在全国50所中学开设，分布在19个省份和直辖市。根据各中学丘班招生简章，部分班级直接招收小学生，实行初高中贯通培养；也有中学面向初三毕业生，开设高中阶段的丘班。丘班每年在各省的入选学生规模200人左右。

Selection criteria varies by school, but written exams that assess math proficiency are a mandatory component. The admissions brochure outlines a selection process that comprises an initial assessment of application materials, specialized tests and physical examinations, with evaluations conducted by a committee led by Yau. The evaluations cover reading in Chinese and English, math and physics. The specialized tests assess middle school math, calculus and linear algebra, among other subjects. The brochure notes that assessment does not emphasize uncommon or difficult questions.

有志于此的孩子需要做好哪些准备？《招生简章》介绍，选拔程序包括报名材料初评、专业测试、体质测试、入围认定、确认、预科培养等。具体考核选拔将由丘成桐领衔的招生评审专家委员会执行，全程接受纪委监督。

从《招生简章》要求看，知识方面的测评并不强调“偏题、怪题、难题”。其中，综合测评环节考查中英文阅读、数学和物理。专业测评环节考查中学数学全部内容、微积分、线性代数、群与群作用的基本概念，以及非固定形式的开放性内容。

On the ground, however, some parents have run into the kinds of difficult math questions seen in competitions like the International Mathematical Olympiad. A parent we’ll call Liu Xiao said that Olympiad math problems were part of her child’s entrance exam for a designated Yau Youth Class in Central China’s Henan province.

However, Yau himself has repeatedly said that studying this kind of competition math doesn’t usually produce great mathematicians because these narrow, difficult or unusual math problems often leave competitors with an incomplete and shaky grasp of advanced mathematics.

不过，丘成桐屡次公开表态，奥数很难培养出大师——奥数只是数学中很小的一部分，竞赛往往考的是偏题、难题，考查面窄，导致竞赛生对高等数学知识掌握不全面、不扎实，也因此无法在研究道路上走得更远。

Still, many parents believe that learning competition math is essential to getting into a Yau Class. Some children begin studying competition math as early as the third or fourth grade. According to publicly available information and accounts from interviewed teachers and students, elementary-level Olympiad math is often unavoidable in the exams.

在现实中，考丘班要先学奥数，这却是不少家长的共识。为了进入丘班等拔尖人才早期培养项目，一些孩子从小学三、四年级开始学习小学奥数。“如果以后要考丘班的话，就要快速学完奥数，然后慢慢开始接触初中的数学、物理。”一位长沙的培训机构老师介绍说。

At a school in southwestern China that launched a Yau Youth Class, class head Wang Lei told Caixin that its curriculum still focuses on math competitions.

Math competition coach Shu Zhang suggested that schools may not have a better way to screen students for a Yau Youth Class. The selection process is supposed to put an emphasis on testing an applicant’s cognitive abilities, with competition math problems seen as the best way to do so.

数学竞赛教练舒张分析称，丘班的选拔更注重学生的思维能力，但由于小学生的学习内容有限，学校只能通过数学筛选，并以奥数题目作为工具。这种筛选方式吸引了众多家长。在他看来，传统竞赛以中学知识为基础，强调技巧与思维，而领军计划的考试更多基于大学一年级或二年级的数学知识，“通俗地说，领军计划的考核更接近于数学、物理、化学、生物和信息学五门学科之外的第六类学科竞赛”。

The Yau program also gives students an incentive to study competition math. According to its admissions guideline, applicants must list their mathematical achievements and awards under the Additional Information section of the application. This violates Ministry of Education regulations issued in March 2022 that prohibit competition results from being used as criteria for school admissions.

实际上，“领军计划”评估丘班学生数学天赋的第一道门槛，即与竞赛有关。《招生简章》要求，学生报名材料“附加信息”一栏中，需要填报数学相关特长及获奖情况，此外需自撰“申请理由”及他人的推荐信。

【双语阅读】从小选拔“数学家”（下）

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