EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Language Learning in the United S

EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Language Learning¹ in the United² States
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, April 22, 2004

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report.

It seems more and more Americans want schools to teach foreign languages to children younger than five years old. The most popular way to teach these young children another language is called immersion³.

Children in immersion programs hear only the new language in the classroom. The children play games, sing songs and talk to one another in the new language. Some experts say immersion programs are the most effective way for young children to learn a language.

But there can be a problem when children in the United States begin to learn another language at such an early age. Not many elementary schools continue the effort as the children get older.

Only seven of the fifty states require schools to teach a foreign language to students between the ages of six and twelve. Language experts say it is easier for younger children to learn a language. Still, American schools generally do not begin to teach foreign languages until secondary⁴ school. By then, students are about thirteen years old.

American schools face difficult choices about the cost of educational programs. The federal⁵ government has increased support for foreign language study in its education law called No Child Left Behind.

At the college level, the Modern Language Association⁶ says more students than ever are studying foreign languages. The group recently announced its findings⁷ for the period from nineteen-ninety-eight until two-thousand-two. The number of students who studied foreign languages in American colleges and universities increased by seventeen percent.

Spanish is the most widely taught language in American colleges and universities. Other popular languages include French, German, Japanese, Chinese and Italian. The Modern Language Association says more languages are being studied now than in the past. It says the largest growth⁸ since nineteen-ninety-eight has been in the study of American Sign Language, Arabic⁹ and biblical Hebrew.

The association says about nine percent of college students in the United States study foreign languages. That is the highest level since nineteen-seventy-two.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Steve Ember.

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

3 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。

4 secondary   

adj.中级的，中等的，次要的；n.次要位置，副手

参考例句：

• It's a question of secondary importance.这是个次要的问题。
• Secondary school means junior school and high school.中学是指初中和高中。

5 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

6 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

7 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

8 growth   

n.生长，栽培

参考例句：

• All living things depend on the sun for their growth.万物靠太阳生长。
• Youth is the time of physical growth.青年时期是长身体的时期。

9 Arabic   

n.阿拉伯语；adj.阿拉伯语的，阿拉伯人的，阿拉伯式的

参考例句：

• It is not easy to learn Arabic.学阿拉伯语不容易。
• Arabic script reads from right to left.阿拉伯文是从右至左读的。