Bursting into the classroom from recess , 15 children take their seats and face the woman they know as Ms. Yang. "What day is it today?"she asks, in Mandarin 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 _ to add Mandarin to their roster of foreign languages or expand Chinese programs already in place. "It really is almost unprecedented . 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) . 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... 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
A
The Internet has greatly changed the way people communicate. But some teachers think the changes are not all for the better. Eleanor Johnson, an English professor, thinks that text messaging has made students believe that it is far more acceptable than it actually is to just make terrible spelling and grammatical errors. And she says her students over the past several years have increasingly used less formal English in their writing. Words and phrases like "guy" and "you know" now appear in research papers. Professor Johnson supposes there is a strong relationship between the rise of informal online communication and an increase in writing mistakes. But she says there may not be much scientific information, at least not yet. David Crystal, a British linguist , says the actively changing nature of the Internet makes it difficult to keep up-to-date in studying its effects. But he believes its influence on language is small. The main effect of the Internet on language is the way it has added to the expressive richness of language, providing language with a new set of communicative tools that haven't existed in the past. Erin Jansen is founder of NetLingo.com, an online dictionary of the Internet and text messaging terms. She says the new technology has not changed existing language but has greatly added to its vocabulary. Basically it's freedom of expression. And what about those teachers who find these new kinds of mistakes in spelling and grammar in their students' work? What is her message to them? Erin Jansen said, "I am always on the students' side and won't get angry or upset about that. If it's helping the kids write more or communicate more, that's great. That's what teachers and educators want--to get kids communicating." But Erin Jansen and David Crystal agree with Eleanor Johnson on at least one thing. Teachers need to make sure students understand the uses and rules of language. The author wants to tell us that _ . A) different opinions on informal expressions exist B) what language is now used on the Internet C) informal expressions are popular among teachers D) why the Internet is welcomed by all students
A
Are you interested in travelling in the dangerous mountains in America? Here are some tour plans for you to choose. Tour 1 Garland Valley Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Book in advance. Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15 Tour 2 Flashlight Adventure Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly controlled on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours. Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22 Tour 3 Black Bear Count There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Remember to book in advance. Cost: Free When: May 8 Advice to be followed: Please bring enough water and food for all walks. Wear good walking shoes---no high heels. Wear a hat for day walks. Dress warmly for night walks. Children must be with an adult. Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks. Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are so dangerous that you have to care. What is the best title for the passage? A) Some Adventure Tours in America B) Hunting around the Great Mountains C) Interesting Tours in Different Parks D) Discovery Tours in the Mountains
D