英语新闻丨Vocational student makes it to global math contest finals

A 17-year-old student recently amazed millions of people worldwide by ranking 12th in the preliminary round of a global math competition, despite being up against formidable rivals from top universities, her own mentor and even artificial intelligence.最近，一名17岁的中专生姜萍在阿里巴巴全球数学竞赛初赛中排名第12位，引发网友热议。她的强大对手有来自顶尖大学的学生、她的导师甚至人工智能。Jiang Ping, who is majoring in fashion design at Lianshui Secondary Vocational School in Huai'an, Jiangsu province, taught herself advanced mathematics for about two years, and then made it to the finals of the 2024 Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition with a high score of 93 out of 120.江苏涟水中等专业学校服装设计专业的姜萍自学了两年的高等数学，以93分（满分120分）的高分入围2024年阿里巴巴全球数学竞赛的决赛。She became the first vocational school student to reach the finals and the only girl among the top 30 contestants. Most of the finalists, totaling around 800, are from prestigious institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, MIT and Princeton University. 她成为第一位进入决赛的中专在读生，也是前30名参赛者中唯一的女生。大多数决赛选手来自北京大学、清华大学、麻省理工学院和普林斯顿大学等著名学府，总计约800人。Vocational schools like the one Jiang attends usually focus on providing students with practical knowledge and training related to specific professions. 姜萍所就读的这类中等职业学校通常专注于为学生提供特定专业的实践知识和培训。Jiang's story, which has touched and inspired countless internet users, clearly demonstrates that one's potential does not necessarily depend on one's educational background, and that dreams do come true if one is diligent and persistent.姜萍的故事感动和启发了无数网民，人的潜力并不一定取决于教育背景，只要勤奋和坚持，梦想终会成真。Jiang's keen understanding of numbers began in junior high school, when she was easily able to solve complex math problems. Most students in China learn advanced math in college.她对数字的敏锐理解始于初中，当时她能够轻松解决复杂的数学难题。而大部分中国学生大学才开始学习高等数学。"I lean toward subjects such as advanced math, as they spark my desire to explore," she said. "I enjoy the step-by-step process of mathematical deductions, and reaching the desired result brings me great joy." Jiang said she believes that regardless of which subject she is studying, fashion design or advanced mathematics, interest and effort are both crucial.“我倾向学习高等数学，因为它们激发了我的探索欲望。我喜欢循序渐进的数学演绎，得到我想证明的让我觉得很有成就感。”姜萍说，她认为无论学习是学习服装设计还是高等数学，兴趣和努力都是至关重要的。The teen, who spends most of her spare time solving math problems, keeps an English dictionary handy, so that language doesn't become a barrier when she's learning from Lawrence C. Evans' book Partial Differential Equations. 姜萍将课余时间花在解决数学问题上，她随身携带英语词典，在自学（PDE）《偏微分方程》时，英语不会成为她数学道路上的障碍。All of Jiang's books are full of notes, as she hopes to attend college someday and further explore her interest in math.她所有的书都写满了笔记，因为她希望能考上大学，进一步探索数学世界。Wang Runqiu, a teacher at the vocational school, recognized Jiang's talent in mathematics and recommended books to her on the subject. He offered her personal guidance and encouraged her to give the Alibaba competition a shot.Wang, who himself ranked 125th in the preliminary round of the contest, said, "I want to help young people as much as possible, and let them know they can have a different future."姜萍的数学老师王闰秋在本次竞赛初赛中排名第125，他认可了姜萍在数学方面的天赋，并向她推荐了这方面的书籍，提供辅导，并鼓励她去尝试阿里巴巴全球数学竞赛。“我想尽力帮助年轻人，他们能够拥有不同的未来。”王闰秋说。Multiple top universities congratulated Jiang on her success, and some even encouraged her to pursue higher studies at their campus. 许多顶尖大学都对姜萍表示祝贺，甚至鼓励她在进入本校深造。In a post addressed to Jiang on Sina Weibo on Friday, Shanghai-based Donghua University wrote: "Welcome to apply to Donghua University!" Two photos uploaded with the post showed the university's leading position in China in both fashion design and math.6月14日，东华大学在新浪微博上发给姜萍的帖子中写道：“欢迎申请东华大学！”随帖上传的两张图片显示了其服装设计和数学在中国大学名列前茅。Jiangsu University, based in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, also welcomed Jiang through Weibo. Tongji University in Shanghai said on Weibo: "Every effort will bring its own rewards."位于江苏镇江的江苏大学也通过微博欢迎姜萍。同济大学在微博上发布：“每一次努力都会带来回报。”Jiang's story has also received widespread attention on social media. A hashtag item about her, which read "In a life not defined by others, anyone can be a dark horse", garnered more than 16 million views as of Sunday. 姜萍的故事在社交媒体上也受到了广泛关注。关于她的话题标签写着“#在不受他人定义的生活中，任何人都可以成为一匹黑马#”。截至6月16日，该话题已获得超过1600万的阅读量。The annual Alibaba math competition, which started in 2018, is open to all math enthusiasts regardless of age and background. Tens of thousands of people from across the globe participate in it every year.一年一度的阿里巴巴数学竞赛始于2018年，向所有数学爱好者开放，不分年龄和背景。每年，数万名来自世界各地的数学爱好者参与其中。This time, the competition was open to AI, but it failed to enter the finals.本次比赛也对人工智能（AI）开放，但AI未能进入决赛。The competition's organizing committee told JSTV.com that questions asked in the preliminary round were equivalent to undergraduate level, while those in the final round would be comparable to doctoral programs. The eight-hour final round is scheduled for Saturday, and all participants will answer online.比赛组委会告诉江苏卫视，初赛的问题相当于本科水平，而最后一轮的问题与博士课程相当。八小时的决赛将于6月22日线上进行，所有参赛者将线上作答。This year's competition will select five gold medalists, 10 silver medalists, 20 bronze medalists and 50 excellent award winners. The total prize money is $560,000, according to the competition's website. 今年的比赛将诞生金奖5人，银奖10人，铜奖20人 ，优秀奖50人。比赛的总奖金高达400万元。Alibaba Global Mathematics Competitionn.阿里巴巴全球数学竞赛vocational schooln.中等职业学校