Question

【题目】 When 4-year-old British Prince George started his first day of school in September, 2017, Chinese language was in his course.

And he wasn’t alone. According to a report published by the British Council in September, about 51 percent of UK parents want their children to learn Chinese, as it’s believed to be one of the most useful languages to know.

In fact, the popularity of Chinese drove the UK government to launch the Mandarin Excellence Program in September last year. Its aim is to make at least 5,000 British state secondary school students speak Chinese very well by 2020.

The language has become the second most spoken foreign language in the US, after only Spanish (西班牙), according to a survey by 24/7 Wall St, a US financial news website.

Many US famous persons such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Malia Obama, US President Barack Obama’s daughter, study Chinese as a second language.

So far, 67 countries have included Chinese in their national course, so why are so many countries interested in learning Chinese?

One reason could be that as China continues to develop quickly, Chinese is increasingly becoming a useful tool for people’s personal and professional growth. “I think everyone believes that China will be the next great superpower…even if it’s not a superpower like America. It’s still significant,” said Aisling McCaffrey from Canada, who studied at the Renmin University of China. “Learning Chinese is the best way to make sure that you can be part of that growth.”

This opinion was shared by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who encouraged British students to learn Chinese to “seal tomorrow’s business deals” in 2013.

【1】Why do UK parents want the children to learn Chinese?

Because __________________________________________

【2】根据短文内容填空：

The most spoken foreign language in the US is ____________.

【3】选出文中提到的把汉语作为第二语言学习的美国名人, 将字母序号填写在答题纸上。（多选）

__________________________________________________

A.Aisling McCaffreyB.Mark ZuckerbergC.Malia ObamaD.Barack Obama

【4】找出划线词汇This opinion所指代的内容。

_________________________________________________

【5】选出本文的主旨大意。将字母序号填写在答题纸上。__________

A.The way to learn Chinese well.

B.The fact of increasing number in learning Chinese.

C.Why learning Chinese influences the world.

D.The relationship between language and development.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】Chinese is one of the most useful languages to know.

【2】Spanish.

【3】BC

【4】learning Chinese is the best way to make sure that you can be part of that growth

【5】C

【解析】

这是一篇新闻报道类阅读。主要介绍了英国并不是唯一对汉语兴趣日与俱增的国家，如今，汉语已成为美国第二大外语。到目前为止，已有67个国家和地区将汉语纳入国家课程。汉语在世界各地兴起的原因——中国发展很快，汉语成为有用的工具。

【1】根据文中“as it’s believed to be one of the most useful languages to know.”可知汉语被认为是最有用的语言之一，这便是英国父母让自己的孩子学习汉语的原因。故填Chinese is one of the most useful languages to know.

【2】根据文中“The language has become the second most spoken foreign language in the US, after only Spanish (西班牙)”可知汉语已成为美国的第二大外语口语，仅次于西班牙语。也就是说西班牙语是美国的第一大外语口语。故填Spanish。

【3】根据文中“Many US famous persons such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Malia Obama, US President Barack Obama’s daughter, study Chinese as a second language.”可知Mark Zuckerberg和Malia Obama这两位名人把汉语作为第二语言。故填BC。

【4】根据文中“Learning Chinese is the best way to make sure that you can be part of that growth.”和下文的“this opinion”可知前句是承上启下作用，所以this opinion指代前句。故填Learning Chinese is the best way to make sure that you can be part of that growth.

【5】通读全文，文中介绍了随着中国的发展，越来越多的国家和地区将汉语列入到他们的学生课程，汉语在世界各地兴起的原因是因为中国发展的很快，汉语成为有用的工具。故选C。