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(2021·成都模拟)
WASHINGTON—Thousands of public schools stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade, according to a survey. But another contrary trend has educators and policy makers abuzz: a rush by schools in all parts of America to offer instructions in Chinese.
Some schools are paying for Chinese classes on their own, but hundreds are getting some help. The Chinese government is sending teachers from China to schools all over the world—and paying part of their salaries.
No one keeps an exact count, but rough calculations based on the government’s survey suggest that perhaps 1, 600 American public and private schools are teaching Chinese, up from 300 or so a decade ago. And the number is growing exponentially(成倍地).
“It’s really changing the language education landscape of this country, ” said Nancy C. Rhodes, director at the center. Other indicators point to the same trend. “The number of students taking the Advanced Placement test in Chinese, introduced in 2007, has grown so fast that it is likely to pass German this year as the third most-tested A. P. language, after Spanish and French, ”said Trevor Packer, vice president at the College Board.
“We’ve all been surprised that in such a short time Chinese would grow to surpass A. P. German, ” Mr Packer said.
A decade ago, most of the schools with Chinese programs were on the East and West Coasts. But in recent years, many schools have started Chinese programs in heartland states, including Ohio and Illinois in the Midwest, Texas and Georgia in the South, and Colorado and Utah in the Rocky Mountain West.
America has had the study of a foreign language grow before, only to see the bubble burst. Many schools began teaching Japanese in the 1980s, after Japan emerged as an economic rival. But thousands have dropped the language, the survey found. Japanese is not the only language that has declined. Thousands of schools that offered French, German or Russian have stopped teaching those languages, too, the survey found.
【文章大意】中国随着经济的发展, 在世界上的地位日益重要, 全美国掀起了学汉语热潮。
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “abuzz” in the first paragraph?
A. Be noisy like the sound of a bee.
B. Be lively for various activities.
C. Cause people to discuss something hotly.
D. Motivate people to march bravely.
【解析】选C。词义猜测题。根据语境可知美国的教育者和政策制定者都针对一个现象而议论纷纷——美国各地的学校都在争先恐后地提供汉语教育。C项符合语境。
2. What can we infer from what Mr Packer said?
A. More and more people choose Chinese in A. P. test.
B. A. P. test is the most difficult one in the world.
C. Chinese is more important than Spanish and French.
D. Chinese is a necessary subject in most important tests.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第四段第三句话可知参加中文高级课程考试的学生人数增长很快, 今年很可能会超过德语考试, 成为A. P. 语言考试的第三名。由此可知越来越多的人选择汉语A. P. 语言考试。
3. What can we know from the last two paragraphs?
A. Many schools started Chinese programs in the Midwest ten years ago.
B. Chinese programs have been started in more areas in America recently.
C. American schools have stopped teaching French, German and Russian.
D. People are gradually fond of learning Chinese and Japanese in recent years.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的But in recent years, many schools have started Chinese programs in heartland states可知, 汉语在美国更多的地区流行起来。
4. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Chinese is being learned as an official language in America.
B. Foreign languages fade in American schools except Chinese.
C. Teaching Chinese in foreign countries has become a trend.
D. Foreign languages are no longer being taught in America.
【解析】选B。主旨大意题。本文用对比的手法表明在美国汉语言学习呈流行趋势, 但同时, 其他外国语言却越来越不受重视。
