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       You have been working hard to learn English. Do you know American kids are trying to learn

Chinese? More than 60,000 American students now study Chinese.

      “Because of China's fast development, Chinese has become more useful, and more and more

Americans begin to learn it," said Scott McGinnis, a Washington language expert (专家).

       For example, in 1999, only three schools in Chicago had Chinese lessons. This year more than

30 schools there have Chinese during school days. Last year China gave them 3,000 textbooks

because they had done a good job.

      Although Chinese is becoming more and more popular, it is one of the most difficult languages to

learn. Usually, an English speaker takes about 1,320 hours to become good at Chinese. He needs

only 480 hours for French, Spanish or Italian.

1. According to Scott McGinnis, more and more Americans begin to learn Chinese  _____.  

A. because of China's fast development  

B. because of China's interesting culture  

C. because they have more free time

D. because Chinese is easy to learn    

2. This year, _____ schools in Chicago give students Chinese lessons.

A. only three         

B. thirteen

C. over thirty      

D. less than thirty  

3.The students at those schools in Chicago take Chinese lessons   _____.

A. after school

B. at weekends    

C. on school nights    

D. on school days

4. Last year China gave _____  textbooks to those schools in Chicago.

A. thirty      

B. three hundred

C. three thousand      

D. thirty thousand

5. From the last two sentences we know that  _____.

A. Chinese is easier to learn than French, Spanish or Italian

B. Chinese is more difficult to learn than French, Spanish or Italian  

C. English speakers like to learn French, Spanish or Italian more than Chinese

D. English speakers like to learn Chinese more than French, Spanish or Italian