Next Hot Language to Study: Chinese
The fourth-graders at Chicago’s McCormick Primary School are unaware of the difficulty in learning Chinese. For most, who speak Spanish at home, it’s becoming their third language. They’ve been learning and using Chinese words since kindergarten, and it’s now second nature to give a hearty “ni hao” when strangers enter the classroom.
The classroom scene at McCormick is unusual, but it may soon be a common fixture(固定物) in American schools, where Chinese is rapidly becoming the hot new language. Government officials have long wanted more focus on security—useful languages like Chinese, and pressure from them—as well as from business leaders, politicians, and parents—has driven a quick growth in the number of programs.
Chicago itself is home to the largest effort to include Chinese in US public schools. The program here has grown to include 3,000 students in 20 schools, with more schools on a waiting list. Programs have also spread to places like Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and North Carolina. It’s true that the number of students learning Chinese is tiny compared with how many study Spanish or French.
Advocates (提倡者，拥护者) see knowledge of the Chinese language and culture as a help in a global economy where China is growing in importance. “This is an interesting way to begin to engage with the world’s next superpower,” says Michael Levine, director of education at the Asia Society, which has started five new public high schools that offer Chinese. “Globalization（全球化) has already changed the arrangements in terms of how children today are going to need to think about their careers… The question is, when not whether, the schools are going to adjust.”
In Chicago, the trend extends beyond schools with high numbers of Asian students. “The fact that my students are 98% low income and 99% Latino(拉丁美洲人) and they are succeeding in this, tells me everyone should have a try at learning languages,” says Virginia Rivera, principal at McCormick.“We want to give our young people opportunities to advance… and Chinese is a great opportunity to survive in today’s economy,” says Richard M. Daley, Mayor of Chicago.
小题1:The first paragraph is mainly written to _______.
A．show the importance of Chinese learning
B．introduce the topic to be followed
C．advise primary schools to teach Chinese
D．prove it’s easy for children to learn language小题2: How many languages are mentioned in this passage?
A．Six.
B．Two.
C．Three.
D．Four.小题3: In the last paragraph, the underlined word “this ”probably refers to _____.
A．the competition between Latino and Asian students
B．the global economy
C．the interesting way to engage with China
D．the Chinese learning小题4: What CANNOT be learned from this passage?
A．Most students at McCormick can speak three languages.
B．Chinese is gaining its popularity in all schools in Chicago.
C．French has far more speakers than Chinese does in Chicago.
D．Globalization in a way makes it necessary to learn Chinese.小题5: Which of the following is mainly about in this passage?
A．The Chinese learning in Chicago.
B．The ways to learn Chinese.
C．McCormick Primary School.
D．Globalization and Chinese learning.
