2009年职称英语教材阅读理解新增部分(综合类)

　　答案与题解：

　　1.B 问题问的是：下面的哪个有关Yamamoto Mika的命题是不对的? 第一段的最后一句话是这么说的：我酷爱中国文化，并且作为交换生在天津学习过。所以认为Yamamoto Mika从来没有去过中国是不对的。

　　2.C 问题问的是：为什么许多日本学生在三年里把所有的必修课都读完? 第四段是这么说的：许多日本学生在三年里把所有的必修课都读完是为了空出一年来，他们常常用这一段时间去国外学习、做研究和旅行。

　　3.A 问题问的是：下面的哪一种活动不是大学节的特色? A说的是：要求政府官员吃饭。文章没有提到过在大学节有请政府官员吃饭这种事。

　　4.D 问题问的是：当参加一种叫做Mochiyori的聚会时你需要做什么?倒数第二段的第三句话是这么说的：如果你想参加这种聚会的话，你要带一个你自己做的菜。

　　5.B “compulsory course”也可以说“required course”。

　　Declining Interest in Developing Foreign Language Skills

　　Australia's foreign language skills are declining, voice of America1 has reported. New figures show that only 13 percent of high school graduates can speak a foreign language. But four decades ago, 40 percent had foreign language skills.2

　　Professor Elise Tipton, from the University of Sydney, says increasingly students do not feel the need to learn another language to boost their career. She believes that Australia's economic boom, which is driven by red-hot demand for its minerals, is helping mask serious deficiencies in its language skills.

　　Australia does business very successfully in English with most of its trading partners. But as the world's economic power shifts to emerging regions such as Asia, its language gap could soon be exposed. According to the new figures, less than 6.5 percent of high school graduates are proficient in an Asian language. Academics worry that this means Australia will increasingly be isolated from its economically important Asian neighbors. Dilip Dutta, from the economics and business faculty at Sydney University, says language skills can enhance trading opportunities. If Australians want to trade with Asian countries, it is very important for them to learn the language that will help them to get closer to the culture.

　　But students have different opinions about Asian language learning. Pippa McCowage, a 22-year-old Australian student, says many young Australians have a half-hearted approach to foreign languages3, and the language curriculum is often weak. "While we're encouraged in high school to learn another language, it's not really apparent to me as a realistic expectation that you will have to speak it," said McCowage. "For example, I learned Japanese in high school, when I went on an exchange in Year 10, I found that the Japanese students of my age had a much greater proficiency in English than I did in Japanese. So in that sense, it almost discourages you.

　　At present, about 70 percent of Australia's major exports go to Asia and the Australian government has been keen on developing closer economic and diplomatic ties with Asia. Academics say that, as Asia becomes one of the world's economic powerhouses, Australia needs to improve its language skills if it is to take full advantage of the business opportunities on its doorstep.

　　词汇：

　　red-hot adj. 非常有活力的

　　academic n. 学者

　　half-hearted adj. 不热心的

　　powerhouse n. 经济体

　　注释：

　　1.voice of America 美国之音

　　2.She believes that Australia’s economic boom, which is driven by red-hot demand for its minerals, is helping mask serious deficiencies in its language skills.她相信，由疯狂的矿物需求驱动的澳大利亚经济的繁荣进一步掩盖了该国语言技能方面存在的严重缺陷。

　　3.a halfhearted approach to foreign languages半心半意地对待外国语言

　　练习：

　　1. How much percent of high school graduates were proficient in foreign languages forty years ago?

　　A) 70.

　　B) 13.

　　C) 40.

　　D) 6.5.