在美国富人眼中，军校(military school)已是一种古旧的惩罚手段。过去，当他们别无他法的时候，就会把被宠得无法无天的孩子扔到军校。不过，现在，中国的一些富豪家庭把美国军校视为培养明日商界勇士的训练场。富豪家长们一掷千金，把孩子送到异国他乡去脱胎换骨。

　　“打是亲，骂是爱。”

　　"Beating is a sign of affection, cursing is a sign of love."

　　随着收入增加，家长们受教育程度也较之前有所提高。如今，很多人可能都不想再听到这句老掉牙的话，但有专家指出这句话仍然在理。

　　Many may not expect to hear the words of the old Chinese saying in these modern times - with parents wealthier and better educated than they have ever been - but experts say they still ring true。

　　与几年前相比，现在的中国家长似乎不再变着法地宠溺子女，他们更愿意把自己的孩子送往美国的军事预科学校(大学前)锻炼，希望这份严厉的爱能够开拓孩子成功之路。

　　Today, it seems, Chinese parents are less inclined to be of the pampering and spoiling variety than they were a few years ago and more likely to send their children to pre-college military academies in the United States in the hope that some tough love will pave the way to success。

　　一些国家的家长们将娇蛮任性的孩子送到军校，试图让他们学会遵守规矩；与此同时，不少中国的父母把军校看作是一个能够让好孩子更优秀、更聪明、更富有领导才能的地方。

　　While parents in some countries send unruly children to these military schools in an effort to get them to learn some discipline, in China, many parents are treating the camps as a place where good children can become even better, sharpening their integrity and leadership skills。

　　“良好的教育并不意味着让孩子养尊处优、坐享其成，尤其是男孩更不该如此。”中国东部浙江省金华市的企业家宋文名表示。

　　"Good education doesn't mean letting your child enjoy privileges, especially our boys," said Song Wenming, an entrepreneur in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province。

　　“他们应该在艰苦的环境中成长，以便知道将来如何去打拼。”

　　"They should be raised in tough conditions to know what to fight for in the future."

　　今年八月宋文名将自己17岁的儿子送到美国宾夕法尼亚州的瓦莱弗戈男子中学(VFMA)学习。

　　In August, Song sent his 17-year-old son to Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) in Pennsylvania。

　　尽管每年费用高达48，000美元，但绝非只有宋先生一人选择将子女送到这样严格的军事化学校。

　　And he is far from alone, even though it takes a lot of money - around $48,000 per year - to send a child to a strict military school。

　　数据显示，此类军事学校中中国学生的报名人数正在增长。

　　Statistics show that an increasing number of Chinese students have been registering with such academies。

　　几年前，瓦莱弗戈男子中学还没有中国学生，而如今已有二十八人之多。

　　A few years ago, there were no Chinese students at Valley Forge. Today, there are 28.

　　“所有在瓦莱弗戈男子中学学习的中国学生都来自于富裕家庭，其中一些被娇惯坏了，”该校市场公关部总监珍妮佛•迈尔斯说。

　　"All of the Chinese students at Valley Forge came from wealthy families, some of them were spoiled," said Jennifer Myers, director of marketing and communications at the school。

　　“他们大都表现良好，训练刻苦。”

　　"They are generally performing well and hard working."

　　宋先生的儿子宋思宇是独生子，来学校最初的六个月过得很不容易。

　　Song's only son, Song Siyu, had a rocky start during his first six weeks at the school。

　　尽管这个孩子表示他是自愿来军校的，但他还是没想到训练如此艰苦。

　　The teenager said he went to the school voluntarily but did not expect it to be as difficult。

　　“早上5：30到8：00安排得很满，体能训练、行军、擦军鞋及徽章、熨烫衣服和领带、背诵行为规范及规章制度。成绩最差一名会遭到长官呵斥并接受体罚，通常要做俯卧撑。”

　　"From 5:30 am to 8 pm, we are occupied with physical training, marching, shining shoes and badges, ironing clothes and ties, memorizing codes and rules. Worst of all, being scolded by seniors loudly and taking punishment, which means doing push-ups frequently."

　　“这些规定听起来很可笑，但你没有争辩质疑的余地，”宋思宇说。

　　"The rules sound ridiculous and there is no room to argue or question," said Song Siyu。

　　多亏之前参加了一项中美交流学习的项目，对宋思宇来说，听懂命令还不成问题。

　　Thanks to a previous exchange program in the US, Song has learned enough English to understand orders。

　　“过去的三个月里我起码做了8000个俯卧撑，”他说。

　　"I have done at least 8,000 push-ups in the past three months," he said。

　　三个月的训练“苦不堪言”，他也曾想过要离开这里。

　　It was so "miserable" at the school he considered quitting。

　　如今三个月过去了，他已熟练掌握了许多技能，如：35秒内洗完澡，狼吞虎咽地用餐，床被整理得有棱有角。无论多么无理的批评，他也都能接受。

　　Now, three months later, he has perfected the art of taking a bath in 35 seconds, finishing a meal without looking at his food, and making his bed with precision. He can even take criticism, no matter how unreasonable。

　　“训练很艰苦，但我知道这对自我发展大有好处，”宋思宇说。

　　"The training is harsh but I know it is good for self-development of individuals," said Song Siyu。

　　“长期不断的训练及训斥打磨了我们的性格，不再那么自我了。”

　　"The endless training and scolding are just ways to build up our character, they are not personal."

　　但并不是所有人都像他一样充满热情。

　　But his enthusiasm is far from universal。

　　今年加入该校学习的十三位中国学生中，已有十人要求转校。

　　Ten of the 13 Chinese students who joined the academy this year have asked for transfers to other schools。

　　而那些坚持下来的学生，他们所付出的辛苦也获得了不小的收益。

　　But for those who stick with it, there is a reward for all the hard work。

　　“从随从到领导，我学到了很多。我学会了如何去领导别人，也知道了如何给予他人”韩天宇说，他如今已是西储大学的本科学生，今年三月他刚从卡尔弗军校毕业。

　　"From a follower to leader, I learned a lot - to lead and to contribute," said Han Tianyu, who is now a student at Case Western Reserve University. He graduated from Culver Military Academy in March。

　　“在连队里，我尽最大努力去帮助别人并以身作则，”韩天宇说。

　　"I did try my best to help out in the unit and lead by example," Han said。

　　莫凡，一位中国企业家的孙子，他是芝加哥蓝道夫马肯学院的四名队长之一。他很高兴能够有机会领导别人。

　　Mo Fan, the grandson of a Chinese entrepreneur, is one of four squad commanders at Randolph-Macon Academy in Chicago. He too enjoys the opportunities to lead。

　　开始时莫凡只负责三名学员，现在他已领导该校300名学员中的80人。

　　Mo started out in charge of three cadets. Now he leads 80 of the academy's 300 cadets。

　　看到儿子身上发生了如此大的转变，母亲陆薇芳一直非常高兴。

　　His mother, Lu Weifang, has been delighted to see the many positive changes in her son。

　　“他变得更独立，更有责任感，”她说：“我认为男孩子做做俯卧撑，跑跑步没啥坏处。”

　　"He is more independent and responsible," said Lu. "I don't think a boy will come to any harm from doing a few push-ups or a bit of running."