未能適應文化轉變 低齡留學生在美硬着陸

A growing number of Chinese teens who are flocking to US high schools, looking for a Western education and a competitive edge in gaining admission to US universities and then finding a job back home.

現在，越來越多的中國青少年涌入美國高中，他們想要接受西式教育，希望在美國大學錄取時獲得競爭優勢，並回國找到一份工作。

But the pursuit of the American dream can quickly turn into a nightmare, experts warn, as many of these so-called parachute kid live in the US with little parental supervision and can end up in trouble — and even in prison.

但是相關專家警告稱，對於美國夢的追求可能將很快變成一場噩夢，許多在美國生活的所謂"降落傘兒童"缺少家長的監督，可能會陷入麻煩、甚至鋃鐺入獄。

Of nearly 1 million international students enrolled in public and private institutions in the United States in 2014 and 2015, about 304,000 — or 31.2 percent — were from China, according to the Washington-based Institute of International Education.

總部位於華盛頓的國際教育協會的數據顯示，2014-2015年，美國公立和私立院校錄取的近100萬名國際學生中，有31.2%，也就是30.4萬人來自中國。

About 30,000 of those students attended secondary schools, compared with fewer than 1,000 a decade ago.

其中有大約3萬名學生是在美國讀的中學，而這一數字在十年前不足1000人。

Many of these kids, aged between 14 and 19, are in for a hard landing in America, ill-equipped to navigate the cultural transition and their newfound independence.

這些小留學生年紀在14-19歲之間，由於未能做好準備應對文化轉變以及適應從未有過的獨立生活，許多人在美國會遭遇"硬着陸"。

Last month, three Chinese teens enrolled at a private school in Rowland Heights were given stiff prison sentences for attacking two other teens. The incident attracted widespread attention in China and prompted soul-searching on the wisdom of sending teenagers to a foreign country with no close parental supervision.

上月，在羅蘭崗一傢俬立學校就讀的3名中國青少年就因爲襲擊其他2名青少年而被判監禁。該事件在中國引發廣泛關注，並促使人們反思將青少年送至脫離父母嚴格監管的異國他鄉是否可取。