阅读理解。
If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big
cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United
States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the
birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a
bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western
universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80
countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture
usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners
philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese.So they will be
ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States.Businessmen who hope
to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius
and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________.
A. . provide some key facts about Confucius
B. attract the readers' interest in the subject
C. show great respect for the ancient thinker
D. prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______.
A. have a great interest in studying Chinese
B. take an active part in Chinese competitions
C. try to get high scores in Chinese exams
D. fight for a chance to learn Chinese
3. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Forgotten Wisdom in America
B. Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C. Chinese Culture for Westerners
D. Old Thinker with a Big Future
4. The passage is likely to appear in ________.
A. a biography
B. a history paper
C. a newspaper
D. a philosophy textbook
