A multiplication test in some of England's primary schools is sparking debate in both the UK and China – where the test originates.
英國部分小學推行的乘法表測試在中英兩國引發熱議，乘法表源自中國。
The new multiplication test, or times table check, will be trialed at England' s primary schools in March. Some 7,250 pupils in Year 4 at 290 primaries, are expected to take part in the multiplication check before it becomes mandatory throughout the country in 2020.
今年3月起，英國小學將試推行這套新的乘法表測試。預計來自290所小學的約7250名4年級學生將參與該測試，之後將于2020年在全英國強制推行。
The test, which assesses knowledge of the times tables up to 12, is believed to be more suitable than the Chinese version which goes up to 9, since the duodecimal system is widely adopted in the UK.
英國人認為，這套12*12口算乘法表測試比中國的九九乘法表更適合英國學生，因為該國廣泛採用的是十二進位係統。
The test is extensively favored in Chinese schools, and is being gradually introduced to the UK, following the results of an experiment where British pupils who were taught math in the traditional Chinese way outperformed their peers by 10 percent. The experiment took place at Bohunt School in Hampshire in 2015.
乘法表測試在中國的學校中廣受歡迎，2015年漢普郡博航特中學進行的一項實驗結果顯示，通過傳統的中國教學方式學習數學的英國小學生數學成績比同齡人高出10%，由此乘法表也將逐步引入英國。
Supporters have hailed the new test, saying it contributes to a grasp of fundamental math.
支援者們對這項新測試表示歡迎，認為它對掌握基礎數學有幫助。
"We have been teaching [the] times tables in our after school class for over 35 years and without doubt it is the most important skill we give our students," a reader, whose screen name is "mad scientist," wrote in a comment on the BBC's website.
網友“mad scientist”在英國廣播公司網站上評論道：“我們的課後班教乘法口訣表已經超過35年了，毫無疑問，這是我們傳授給學生最重要的技能。”
"I still don't know them, and it's been a source of embarrassment to me ever since," boundah, another reader, said on the same website.
網友“boundah”也在該網站留言稱：“我現在還不會乘法表，這一直讓我很尷尬。”
"Happy for the British pupils! They will do an even better job than their Chinese peers," said scorpion_wa on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
國內微博網友“scorpion_wa”稱：“為英國小學生感到開心！他們的數學要超過中國小學生了。”
However, not everyone is pleased with the move.
然而，並不是所有人都對這一舉措感到滿意。
"There are so many things wrong with math education in this country that a times table test is really just picking at a sore," said Mike Cameron on Twitter.
麥克•卡梅隆在推特上稱：“英國的數學教育存在太多問題了，乘法口訣表測驗只是治標不治本。”
"British students will hate Chinese," joked Weibo user Bujiubujiu.
微博網友“Bujiubujiu”開玩笑稱：“英國學生要恨死中國人啦。”
"I believe it is a pressure on them," said another Weibo user Feixufeixu.
另一位微博網友“Feixufeixu”則表示：“我認為這對他們有壓力。”
The UK has been trying to replicate the success of math education in China by encouraging teachers to use a series of textbooks called "Real Shanghai Mathematics," which have been translated directly from Chinese into English.
為了復制中國數學教育的成功，英國一直試圖倡導教師使用《真正上海數學》係列教材，這是一套被翻譯成英文的中文教科書。
Despite these efforts, the question of would a Chinese-style math education work in the UK, still remains to be answered.
盡管英國採取了上述措施，但關于中國式數學教育是否適用于英國的問題仍沒有明確答案。
英文來源：CGTN
編譯：董靜
審校：yaning
