Students from Tsinghua University run in a barefoot race, organized for freshmen. XINHUA
For many students, as soon as they enter high school, choosing an ideal university is a big thing on their to-do list. Among the many variables to consider, university ranking is a key factor.
对于许多学生来说，一进入高中，选择一所理想的大学就成为了大家待办清单上的头等大事。这种选择需要考虑诸多变量，其中一个关键因素就是大学的排名。
On Sept 2, Times Higher Education (THE) published its latest rankings of the world’s top universities, which covered 1,662 universities this year.
9月2日，《泰晤士高等教育》(THE)发布了最新的世界顶级大学排名。今年，排名总计包括了1662所大学。
China’s Tsinghua and Peking universities tied for 16th place, marking the highest position ever achieved by Chinese mainland universities, reported China Daily.
据《中国日报》报道，中国的清华大学和北京大学并列第16位，这是中国大陆高校有史以来的最高名次。
According to the rankings, Tsinghua climbed four places from last year and Peking seven places. This is the first time that two institutions from the Chinese mainland have ranked among the top 20 universities in the world. The two have also reached the highest positions that institutions in Asia have had so far, noted The Paper.
根据榜单，清华大学排名较去年上升4位，北京大学排名上升7位。中国大陆两所大学首次进入世界大学前20名。澎湃新闻指出，北大、清华的排名也是亚洲高校迄今为止的最高排名。
In addition, a record 10 universities from the Chinese mainland were in the top 200, with nine of them improving on their previous rankings. Eight universities made their debut in the rankings, taking the Chinese mainland’s total representation to a record 97 universities.
此外，中国大陆创纪录地有10所大学进入前200名，其中9所大学的排名较之前有所提高。8所大学首次进入该榜单，从而以97所的总数刷新了中国大陆高校上榜的纪录。
In terms of the total number of universities listed, the Chinese mainland ranked the fourth, behind the US with 183, Japan with 118 and the UK with 101.
就上榜高校的数量而言，中国大陆排名第四，仅次于美国（183所）、日本（118所）和英国（101所）。
China Daily noted that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the rankings this year, as universities involved in research on understanding and managing the pandemic saw great boosts in their rankings. For example, 11 Chinese mainland universities benefited from such research, including Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province, which ranked 181 on the list.
《中国日报》指出，新冠疫情影响了今年的排名，因为涉及疫情研究和管控的大学排名均大幅上升。例如，中国大陆有11所高校的排名因新冠疫情研究而上升，包括位于湖北省武汉市、排在第181名的华中科技大学。
According to Phil Baty, chief knowledge officer at THE, the world’s elite universities have enjoyed a long period of dominance at the top of the table with help from historic reputations, global status and reliable income. “But our data shows us there are clear shifts happening across higher education around the world, and perhaps most rapidly in the Chinese mainland.”
《泰晤士高等教育》的首席知识官菲尔•巴蒂表示，世界名校凭借历史声望、全球地位和可靠收入在排行榜中长期占据靠前的名次。“但我们的数据显示，世界各地的高等教育在发生着明显的转变，中国大陆的转变也许最为迅速。”
He added that Chinese mainland institutions have continued to improve in the university rankings despite the pandemic. “It will be interesting to witness what happens in the post-pandemic world, and whether the Chinese mainland can challenge the US and UK’s long-running dominance in the global top 10,” Baty said.
他补充道，尽管受到全球疫情的影响，但中国大陆高校在泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名中仍在继续提升。巴蒂说:“见证疫情大流行后期世界怎样发展变化，关注中国大陆是否能够挑战美国和英国在全球前十的长期霸主地位，将会非常有趣。”
