Chinese 303 Advanced Chinese 三年中文 春季班
Greater China:   Commerce and The Media

Spring 2004

Sample Essay: 作文4

學生：森茉莉

題目﹔美國的外語教育

學外語是教育很重要的一部分。根據科學真理報﹐如果你不學外国語言﹐你是不能理解外國的。大部分的美國學生中學或高中才學外語。最近﹐財政困難的學校在較低的年級無法開外語課程﹐這是因為他們必須把經費及師資用在提高學生數學﹐科學和英文的水準上面。因為美國的地理位置，一般美國人也不感到學外語的重要性或必要性。他們甚至期望外國人學英文。多數的歐洲人可以用英文說話。在很多這些歐州國家﹐他們從六歲就開始學英文。現在經濟政治和文化都有全球化的趨向﹐不扶植學生學外語是美國的一大缺點。

Learning Chinese is an important part of education. According to Christian Science Monitor, you cannot understand other people without learning their language. Most American Students do not start studying foreign language until middle or high school. Recently, the schools with financial difficulties are even cutting the foreign language studies in the lower grades in order to meet the higher standards in math, science and English. Americans have not felt the importance and the need to learn other languages because of their geology. They even expect other people to learn English. Most Europeans can speak English, and in some countries, they start learning English from the age of six. With the globalization today, not supporting the students to study language is America’s weak point.

財政 cai2zheng4 – finance

困難 kun4nan2 – difficulty

無法 wu2fa3 – unable

必須 bi4xu1 – must

經費 jing1fei4 – funds

及 ji2 – and

師資 shi1zi1 – qualified teachers

水準 shui3zhun3 – level

位置 wei4shi3 – location

重要性 zhong4yao4xing4 – importance

必要性 bi4yao4xing4 – necessity

趨向 qu1xiang4 – tendency

扶植 fu2zhi2 – support