You probably hear it all the time — people telling you to “learn English”. But does this mean children in English-speaking countries don’t need to bother learning a new language? Not at all. In fact, an even larger number of young people will soon be taught foreign languages, thanks to the mental advantages of bilingualism.
Psychologists once thought that growing up bilingual might lead to verbal delays－a late or absent development of talking. But US magazine Scientific American has revealed that this is not true, and reported that children who speak more than one language “show greater mental flexibility, a superior grasp of abstract concepts and a better working memory.” As the New York Times put it, “being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter.”
In Europe, learning foreign languages is increasingly popular. A European report shows that from 2005-2010, the percentage of European students learning a foreign language rose from 67.5 percent to 79.2 percent. Most European kids start learning another language at age 6. In Belgium, it starts at 3. New reforms being introduced in the UK will mean all children could be taught a foreign language, such as Mandarin or Greek, from the age of 7. The most popular foreign language for European kids was English, followed by German and French.
In comparison, Americans don’t
give a fig for learning foreign languages. Compared to 50 percent of European adults who are bilingual, only 9 percent of adults in the US are fluent in more than one language, according to a 2011 report. American students are often not exposed to a second language until high school.
However, recent statistics show demand is growing in the US for people to become more bilingual. According to a USA Today chart released in July, 21 percent of US children speak another language at home. A number of institutions in the country are also pushing foreign languages in schools. Three school districts in Delaware will launch Chinese and Spanish programs next year. More people are learning Chinese, French and Spanish.
小题1:Psychologist used to believe that children who grow up bilingual ________.
| A．are more flexible mentally |
| B．are slow in the development of talking |
| C．have a poorer working memory |
| D．are smarter in understanding abstract concept |
小题2:It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．Americans are more interested in learning another language than Europeans |
| B．British kids began to learn foreign languages at the earliest age |
| C．21% of US children study a foreign language in the school |
| D．not all schools in America are teaching foreign languages |
小题3:What does the underlined phrase “give a fig for” in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．attach importance to |
| B．have talent for |
| C．invest money in |
| D．have demand for |
小题4:Which are the most popular foreign languages in the US?
| A．Mandarin and Greek. |
| B．English, German and French. |
| C．Chinese, French and Spanish. |
| D．Chinese, German and Greek. |
小题5:What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Chinese is becoming more popular in western countries.
B. The benefits and advantages of growing up bilingual.
C. Western worlds are paying more attention to learning foreign languages.
D. The differences between bilingual education in Europe and USA.
