1.美國職業教育概況
段落大意：美國的職業教育在中學和社區大學裏進行，部分由聯邦政府資助，也有一些由企業、工人組織、軍隊等開展。這些教育項目各有特點。
In the US, vocational education programs are conducted in public secondary schools and community colleges and are financed in part by federal funds. Other programs are conducted by business and industry, labor organizations, the armed forces, and private vocational-technical schools. Programs in both public and private institutions are general in scope （範圍）, providing training for several jobs in an occupational cluster（群）. Programs conducted by business, industry, and the armed forces usually focus on particular aspects. Under the Vocational Education Amendments （1968）, vocational programs are administered by the US Department of Education.
2.無門檻的職業教育
段落大意：美國的職業教育采取開放政策，目的在於為每個人提供高質量的職業指導。
Many public and private schools offering vocational instruction （教育） adopt a so-called open-door policy, that is, anyone who can profit from the instruction may attend the school. The goal of the public school vocational program is to provide access for all people to high-quality instruction that will meet occupational demand. Every state department of education in the US employs specialists in vocational education.
3.一些有關職業發展的問題
段落大意：一些常見的與職業發展相關的問題。
You might want to pose questions that relate to your vocation as follows;
1）the key skills and core competencies （能力） that employers are looking for in the field;
2）the hottest sectors of the job market for this type of work;
3）three to five of the most important issues currently being addressed in the field;
4）the professional resources used by the movers and shakers in the field;
5）changes that could impact the field and industry;
6）how to gain status and recognition in the field or industry.
4.職業教育的涵蓋範圍
段落大意：職業教育有短期和長期之分，包括辦公技能、農業、貿易、健康服務和技術培訓等，覆蓋麵很廣泛。
Vocational education programs range from short-unit （ten weeks or less） to long-term programs up to two years in length. The programs include numerous occupational areas, such as office skills, agriculture, various trades, health services, and technical training. The scope of vocational education is broad, ranging from occupations requiring little skill to those requiring a high degree of skills and scientific knowledge. Jobs requiring minimum training are not generally included in formal programs because the necessary skills can be readily learned on the job.
5.職業教育的必要性
段落大意：技術對職業的衝擊、雇主要求雇員有更高的教育背景、對擁有專門技能的人才的需求等因素促使職業教育勢在必行。
Vocational education refers to instruction on skills necessary for persons who are preparing to enter the labor force or who need training or retraining in the technology of their occupations. The impact of technology on occupations, the tendency of employers to set higher educational requirements, and the need for employees to gain specialized skills have made vocational training imperative （急需的）. Part-time programs are essential to provide occupational mobility among workers and to overcome the effects of job obsolescence （過時）.
6.職業谘詢的概念
段落大意：現在，職業谘詢對每個人來說都很重要，它可以幫助人們了解自己的性格特點及職業要求，為以後的職業發展作準備。
Although the vocational guidance and vocational education movements developed separately during the early 1900s, they later became closely associated. Today career counseling is recognized as being important for everyone. The basic principle of career counseling and guidance is that a person is better equipped to make occupational plans after exploring his or her own characteristics, examining the requirements of various occupations, and matching the two sets of facts with the aid of a skilled counselor. Various standardized tests and inventories （詳細目錄） have been developed to measure skills, aptitudes（資質）, interests, and other abilities and traits（特征）. In addition to school records, job-shadowing techniques and computerized programs are also used to assist students with occupational selection.
7.職業谘詢有助於了解工作種類
段落大意：職業谘詢有助於人們了解各種各樣的工作，從而更加自由地選擇職業。
A major aspect of career counseling and guidance is the knowledge of the field of work. Ignorance of work has been a great deterrent （阻礙物） to freedom of occupational choice. To help solve this problem, some schools provide opportunity for students to gain actual work experience as part of their vocational preparation. The value of work experience in education has long been recognized and is now emphasized in the counseling of youth.
8.教育指導的概念
段落大意：教育指導指幫助學生獲得自我認知和自我定位的過程，對個人的成長具有重要作用，需要所有參與者的共同努力。
Educational guidance is the process of helping students achieve self-understanding and self-direction which is necessary to make informed choices and move toward personal goals. Guidance, a uniquely American educational innovation, focuses on the complete development of individual students through a series of services designed to maximize school learning, stimulate career development, and respond to the personal and social concerns that inhibit individual growth. Although guidance activities are usually associated with educational professionals known as counselors, educational guidance is actually a cooperative enterprise （努力） involving the participation of teachers, administrators, other educational specialists, and parents.
9.美國教育指導的起源
段落大意：美國的教育指導起源於職業指導服務，並迅速發展了起來。
The origins of educational guidance are firmly rooted in the development of vocational guidance services. In 1908.the Vocation Bureau of Boston was established under the direction of the American lawyer and educator Frank Parsons to assist young men in making vocational choices based on their occupational aptitudes and interests. It soon became obvious that individuals needed vocational guidance while still in school so that they could prepare for their chosen careers. By mid-century, counseling services had been provided for a larger range of people, and counselors extended their activities beyond vocational advice to problems of social adjustment.
10.美國國防教育法的目的
段落大意：美國國防教育法鼓勵並幫助能力突出的學生接受更高的教育，也為培訓機構提供財政支持以促進教育指導的發展。
The National Defense Education Act （NDEA） of 1958.more than doubled the number of trained personnel available to provide expanded guidance services in the public schools. The purpose of the act was to identify students with outstanding abilities, to encourage them to seek higher education, and to assist them in following studies best suited to their abilities. NDEA also provided financial incentives （激勵） like grants （補助金） to train institutions to make educational guidance an integral part of public secondary education.
11.美國教育指導項目：製訂學術計劃和進行學生評估
段落大意：美國教育指導項目包括一係列服務，如製訂學術計劃和進行學生評估等。通過學術計劃和學生評估，幫助學生更好地學習。
In public schools, guidance programs are organized as a series of services. One service is academic planning. Counselors assist students with curriculum and individual course selection, and they also help students who have academic difficulties. Student appraisal （評估） is another counseling function. Standardized tests are administered to assess academic achievement, to identify individual aptitudes, to explore vocational interests, and to examine personal characteristics. Tests are also used to identify gifted students and those with special learning problems.
12.美國教育指導項目：其他一些項目
段落大意：美國教育指導項目還包括職業發展項目、人際關係技能項目和實際工作技能培訓等。顧問與老師、行政人員及家庭一起共同為學生提供幫助。
Other counseling services include career-development programs to foster （培養）awareness of career alternatives, programs in human relations skills, and training in practical job skills, as well as the acquisition and dissemination （宣傳） of related information. Counselors work with teachers, administrators, and families in coordinated efforts to help resolve problems of specific students. If necessary, they can introduce students to therapists for additional assistance. In colleges and universities, administrative offices concerning student affairs, admissions, financial aid, housing, and student health and so on, provide guidance services. College counseling centers assist students with academic, vocational, or personal problems.
13.美國教育指導的發展現狀
段落大意：除學校頒發的證書，專職教育指導者還希望取得從業執照。對教育指導行業的規範要求從業者表現出更強的責任心，並進一步優化他們的工作，從而促進美國教育指導工作的細化與全麵發展。
In addition to state certification as educationally qualified personnel within schools, many guidance professionals are seeking licensing （獲得許可） outside of school settings. Several states currently grant license to counselors. Increased efforts to license and regulate guidance workers also elicit （引出） greater demands for professional accountability. Guidance workers are required to develop specific programs with measurable goals and systematic evaluation procedures to demonstrate their effectiveness. Programs have been developed for such special problem areas as abusive（虐待的） families, divorce, and substance abuse（濫用藥物）, and for specific groups such as minorities and the physically and developmentally disabled. Community-based programs also emphasize prevention and crisis intervention as primary guidance strategies.