It may look like just another playgroup,but a unique educational center in Manhattan is really giving babies something to talk about. "It’s a school to teach languages to babies and young children with games, songs—some of the classes also have arts and crafts," said Francois Thibaut, the founder of the Langrage Workshop for Children, a place where babies become bilingual.
Children as young as few months are exposed to French and Spanish before many of them can even speak English. Educators use special songs and visual (视觉) aids to ensure that when a child is ready to talk, the languages will not be so foreign. "Children have a unique capacity to learn many languages at the same time," said Thibaut. "Already at nine months, a child can tell the differences between the sounds he or she has heard since birth and the sounds he or she has never heard yet." Thibaut says the best time to expose children to language is from birth to 3 years old. For the last 30 years, the school has been using what it calls the Thibarut Technique, a system that combines language lessons with child’s play.
"I always wanted to learn Spanish, but by the time I got to high school it was too late to pick it up and speak fluently," said Marc Lazare, who enrolled his son at the school. "I figured at this age, two, it’s a perfect time for him to learn."
Aside from learning a language, the kids also gain a tremendous sense of confidence. One young student boasted that aside from French, she can speak five languages (though that included "monkey" and "lion"). The school gives children the tools to communicate, and sometimes that gives them an advantage over their parents. "I think they sometimes speak French when they think I won’t understand them," said parent Foster Gibbons.Depending on the age group, classes run from 45 minutes up to 2 hours. Even when students are not in class, the program is designed to make sure the learning continues at home. Tapes and books are included, so kids can practice on their own.
According to Thibaut, it is possible ().
A. for children to rake advantage of their parents by using a foreign language
B. to expose children to a foreign language after they can speak English
C. to combine language lessons with sports games
D. for children to learn several languages at the same time
参考答案:D
解析:
本题是细节题。答案在第二段,可用排除法。文章中没有提到take advantage of parents,只提到了use special songs and visual aids,故排除A选项。根据第一句“Children as young as few months are exposed to French and Spanish before many of them can even speak English.”可推知B选项是错的,原文是说在会说英语之前(before),选项中变成了会说英语之后(after)。根据最后一句“…a system that combines language lessons with child’s play”可知是把语言课和孩子的玩耍结合在一起,而选项中是说和体育比赛结合,文中没有提到,故排除C项。根据第三句“Children have a unique capacity to learn many languages at the same time,’said Thibaut.”可知D为正确选项。