Question

Bursting into the classroom from recess(学生的课间休息), 15 children take their seats and face the woman they know as Ms. Yang.

“What day is it today?”she asks, in Mandarin(普通话的旧称) Chinese.

“Confucius’ birthday!”the fifth graders shout in Mandarin.

“Why do we celebrate Confucius’ birthday?”

“Because he’s the greatest teacher in the history of China!”exclaims a brown-haired girl. She too is speaking Mandarin.

English is rarely heard in Lisa Yang’s class at the Chinese American International School(CAIS), despite the fact that few students are native speakers of Mandarin.

The United States is actively trying to increase the group of students in“critical languages”such as Mandarin. The students at CAIS are way ahead in such a trend.

Mandarin explosion in America

Founded 25 years ago, this small private school in San Francisco, USA, does what few other American schools do: It produces fully fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese, by far the most commonly spoken language in the world.

Mandarin Chinese is suddenly hot in American schools. As China becomes the world’s leading economy sometimes this century, schools in the U.S. are scrambling to add Mandarin to their roster of foreign languages or expand Chinese programs already in place.

“It really is almost unprecedented(无前例的). People are looking at China as a force to be reckoned with…And to ensure that the U.S. has the ability to conduct trade, and to work with the Chinese, certainly having an understanding of Chinese language and culture is an advantage,”said Marty Abbott of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(ACTFL)(美国外语教学协会).

Cultural differences in teaching styles

To develop Chinese-language programs has not been smooth. A shortage of trained teachers has made it difficult for some schools to join the race. When schools do get teachers, they often hire them straight from China, and the teachers usually suffer culture shock when they come to the U.S.

Robert Liu remembers his first two years in an American classroom. It was not an easy adjustment. “In China, students respect their teachers,”he said. Liu found that American students, however, expect an active teaching style. He had to use games to engage them rather than lectures.

To avoid many of the problems with foreign teaching styles, the CAIS has been working with the Chinese government to improve training of teachers who are sent to the U.S.

1.Which of the following is the best title?

A．Mandarin speaks to a growing audience in America

B．Chinese-language programs

C．Mandarin Chinese

D．The Chinese American International School(CAIS)

2.What kind of problem is the most difficult to adjust in teaching Chinese in America?

A．To adapt to the life there.

B．To communicate with the American students.

C．To get along well with the American students.

D．To be fit for the cultural differences in teaching styles.

3.The meaning of the underlined word“scrambling”is similar to      .

A．climbing

B．rushing

C．changing

D．beating

4.It can be inferred from the passage that       .

A．the students in Lisa Yang’s class usually speak Chinese

B．there are few American students in Lisa Yang’s class

C．we celebrate Confucius’ birthday because he’s the greatest teacher in the history of China

D．in America the students don’t respect their teachers

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：

1.主旨题：从第一部分最后一段The United States is actively trying to increase the group of students in“critical languages”such as Mandarin. The students at CAIS are way ahead in such a trend.可知美国现在很多人说普通话。选A

2.细节题：从文章倒数第二段的句子：Robert Liu remembers his first two years in an American classroom. It was not an easy adjustment. 可知最大的困难是文化差异。选D

3.猜词题：从Mandarin Chinese is suddenly hot in American schools. 这句话可知scramble是紧急起飞，选B

4.推理题：从整篇文章看现在美国越来越多的人说汉语。选A

考点:考查教育类短文

点评;这篇文章介绍美国美国越来越多的人说汉语，解释了原因和一些困难，题目以推理题居多，考生做题时要多的通过句子看到本质。