Chinese Learning on the Rise 学汉语热升温
By Mandy Jory
语音：美式发音 适合泛听
语速：175词/分钟
关键词：Chinese, language, opportunity
Well, in the 1980s, many parents thought about teaching their children Japanese to help them better 1)adapt to Japan's economic rise, which seemed so certain then. Now the language 2)de jour is Chinese and some parents are 3)going to great lengths to make sure their children can speak it, read it and write it.
At a time when foreign language in many schools is being hurt by budget cuts, Chinese instruction in U.S. classrooms is growing rapidly. With China's growing importance on the world stage, parents, students and educators are all hoping that learning Chinese may mean new opportunities. 
While the relationship between China and the United States goes through its usual strains over currency and trade imbalances, there's no denying the growing importance of China to our economy, a fact that many parents here in New York have not ignored.
Children: .
This is a Chinese Immersion School in New York. The parents are of diverse backgrounds, but the reasons for sending their children here have a common 4)thread.
Parent A: It's obvious that Mandarin's gonna play an increasing role in the future.
Parent B: If he keeps up with it, I think it opens up doors…
In 2003 5)Goldman-Sachs predicted that China would overtake the United States as the world's largest economy in 2041; now it says 2027. That'll be just as these children here are hitting the marketplace.
Little wonder that the demand for accelerated Chinese learning is growing from as early as age two.
From 1997 to 2008, the number of middle and high schools offering Chinese has 6)quadrupled. Among elementary schools it has grown ten-fold…
Sharon Huang (Chinese School Owner): When we started this six years ago, it was in the basement of my home—it was about five kids—and now we've expanded to two locations. We have over 150 students combined.
… something which will hopefully optimize communication and cooperation with our second-largest trading partner.
Job experts we spoke to say that speaking Chinese may not only get you in the door in many places, but could also mean a bigger salary.
回溯到上世纪八十年代，日本经济的上升势头在当时看来似乎是板上钉钉的事。为顺应这个形势，许多家长考虑让自己的孩子学习日文。而今天，中文成了外语中的新宠。有的家长竭尽全力确保自己的孩子能够讲汉语，读中文，写汉字。
现在许多学校的外语教学深受财政削减的影响，但汉语热在美国课堂却快速升温。随着中国在世界舞台的影响力不断增强，家长、学生以及教育工作者都希望掌握中文能打开机遇的大门。
尽管中美关系一如既往地因货币以及贸易不平衡等问题而备受考验，但中国在美国经济中的重要性日益增强，这是毋庸置疑的，纽约的许多家长并未忽略这一点。
孩子：你好。
这是一所位于纽约的中文浸泡式学校。学生家长的背景各不相同，但他们将孩子送到这里来，都出于同一个目的。
家长甲：显然，汉语将来会越来越重要。
家长乙：如果他能继续学汉语，我想可以有不少机会……
2003年，高盛银行预测中国将于2041年赶超美国成为世界第一大经济体；现在该机构将预期提前至2027年，那时刚好是这些孩子长大成人走向社会的时候。
这就难怪社会上对汉语学习的需求越发旺盛，有的孩子甚至两岁就开始学习中文了。
1997至2008年间，提供中文课程的美国中学校数量已经增至四倍，有汉语课程的小学更是增至十倍。
莎伦·黄（中文学校老板）：我们六年前创办这所学校的时候，学校设在我家的地下室，当时的学生大概只有五个小孩。而现在学校已经有了两个校址，共有一百五十多名学生。
……希望这种趋势有助于改善我们与第二大贸易伙伴（中国）之间的沟通与合作。
受访的职场专家称，懂得说中文也许不仅给你带来更多工作机遇，甚至还能成为你争取高薪的砝码。
