上周二发布的一份报告显示，利用美国选择性实习训练（OPT）项目的中国学生数量已连续7年增长。
The number of Chinese students taking advantage of an Optional Practical Training (OPT) program in the US has seen growth for seven straight years, according to a report released last Tuesday.
多数情况下，OPT项目允许毕业生在其所学专业领域工作一年。
The OPT programs allow graduates to work in the field of their major area of study for a year in most cases.
根据国际教育协会发布的《2017年门户开放报告》，2016-17学年，参加OPT项目的中国毕业生人数近6万，较上年增长14.6%，是2009-10学年的数字的5倍多。
The number of Chinese graduates in such programs reached nearly 60,000 in the 2016-17 academic year, an increase of 14.6% from the previous year and more than five times the figure in the 2009-10 academic year, according to the 2017 Open Doors report by the Institute for International Education.
OPT是国际学生有可能将学生身份转换为工作身份的过渡阶段。
OPT is a transitional period in which international students may be able to change from the status of student to employee.
美国驻上海领事馆新闻文化处官员高葆玲表示，OPT学生人数之多反映出留学生认识到在毕业后获得工作经验的价值：使他们在就业市场更具竞争力。
The large number of OPT students reflects the value students see in acquiring work experience after graduation, which makes them more competitive in the job market, said Pauline Kao, a public affairs officer at the US consulate in Shanghai.
该报告还显示，中国连续第八年蝉联最大的留美学生生源国，中国留学生占在美就读国际学生总数的32.5%。2016-17学年，在美就读的中国学生人数达350755人。
The Open Doors report also showed that China remains the leading place of origin for students going to the US for the eighth year, comprising 32.5% of all international students studying in the country. In the 2016-17 academic year, 350,755 students from China were studying in the US.