题目

阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中，选出最佳选项。     The US teenager Thomas Cheatham had planned to study Latin during his time at Hebron High School in Texas. But when he learned that the school district was going to offer a Mandarin class, he quickly changed his mind. "I thought Mandarin would be more useful than Latin," said Cheatham, who is now in his second year of studying the language. He speaks Mandarin to order food at Chinese restaurants and can read social media posts from his Chinese-speaking friends. While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career. "Chinese is a good language to know, especially with China becoming more powerful," he said. Many experts agree that proficiency in a language spoken by a billion people worldwide will give American students the edge (优势) in the global economy. "People are looking on China as our next economic competitor, and interest in Mandarin is growing," said Marty Abbott, the executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. "We're seeing it in all parts of the country."     According to Abbott, as many as 100,000 students are now studying Mandarin throughout the US, in public and private schools. She said the US government has designated (指定) Mandarin as a "critical needs" language and provides professional development programs for teachers. "Our government wants to increase our language competency for economic competitiveness," Abbott said. At the same time, the Chinese government is spreading knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes set up in many US states. For example, the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas has been the home of a Confucius Institute for 10 years. It sponsors (资助) Confucius Classrooms at 21 local public and private schools, where tens of thousands of students are learning Mandarin. （1） Why did Thomas Cheatham decide to study Mandarin instead of Latin? A . Mandarin was easier to learn than Latin. B . Mandarin could be helpful in his future career. C . Mandarin could enable him to make more friends online. D . Mandarin might help him learn more about Chinese food. （2） What does the underlined word "proficiency" in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A . Great skill. B . Strong interest. C . Shortage of practice. D . A level of difficulty. （3） Which of the following statements might Marty Abbott agree with? A . Mandarin should be taught in classrooms throughout the US. B . The US government's policy has helped popularize Mandarin in the US. C . Many Americans learn Mandarin because they worry about their economic competitiveness. D . Those who master Chinese will be the most competitive in the US in the future. （4） What is the main idea of the text? A . The benefits of learning Mandarin for American students. B . How Confucius Institutes in the US help develop Mandarin. C . The rising popularity of Mandarin among American students. D . The influence of China's growing power on American education. 答案： B A B C

查看本题答案和解析