VOA慢速英语:Number of Foreign Students in US Hits New High

1.That was eight percent higher than the year before, the largest percentage increase since nineteen eighty.

表示数量增加

1).increase(rise,grow,go up...)表示数量的增加。 increase(rise...)5 times 增加四倍（为原来的5倍） increase(rise...)30% 增长30% increase(rise...)by 30% 增长30% 例如： As compared with last year,the output goes up 5 times.也去年相比，产量增长5倍。 The production of TV sets has been increased by 6 times since 1985. 1985年以来电视产量增加了6倍。

2).double(twice)n times表示倍数的增加 double(twice)...为。。。两倍，增加一倍，翻一番 n times... 为。。。n倍，例如： The production is now double what it was.目前的产量是过去的两倍。 Robert drove twice the distance from New York to Huston.罗伯特驾车驶过从纽约到休斯敦两倍的那么远的距离。

3).用...more(higher,better...)than...表示数量的增加。例如：The school used to have boys only,but it now has both boys and girls with the number of girls more than 15 percent.这所学校曾经只有男学生，而现在这所学校既有男学生也有女学生，女生人数超过15%。 The sun is thousands of times larger than the earth.太阳的大小是地球的几千倍。（或：太阳比地球大几千倍）

4).用as much(many,long,fast...)as...表示数量的增加。 6 times as much as...六倍那么多，多五倍 half as long as... 一半那么长 30% as heavy as... 30%那么重。 one fourth as great as...四分之一那么大 as large（long) again as...;again as large(long) as... 比...... 大(长）一倍，两倍大（长） half as much again as...;half again as much as ... 比......多半倍，有......一倍半那么多例如： The bridge is twice as long as that one.这座桥长是那座桥的两倍。

2.In all, seven of the ten top countries sent more students last year, just as the economic downturn was worsening.

in all总计,总共,总的说来

There are fifteen books on the first shelf, twenty-one on the second, that makes thirty-six in all.
书架的第一层有15本书, 第二层有21本, 总共是36本。

3.China again sent the second largest number, more than ninety-eight thousand, an increase of twenty-one percent.

最高级的常见修饰语有 (by) far, much, nearly, almost, not quite, by no means, very, second, next 等：He is far more careful than I am. 他比我仔细得多。This is by far the best news for a long time. 这是很久以来最好的消息。This is much the most important. 这是最重要的。I think this is the very best dictionary. 我想这是最好的词典。The Yellow River is the second longest river in China. 黄河是中国第二长河流。Of the three boys Jim is by no means the cleverest. 在这三个男孩中，吉姆绝不是最聪明的。【说明】very不能修饰比较级，却可修饰最高级，但它与一般的修饰最高级的副词有所不同，即它要放在最高级前的定冠词之后，而不是之前(另外，second, third, next等也要放在定冠词之后)。