The classroom scene at McCormick is unusual, but it may soon be a common phenomenon in American Schools, Where Chinese is rapidly becoming the hot new language. Government officials have long wanted more focus on useful languages 1ike Chinese, and pressure from them-as well as from business leaders, politicians, and parents-has produced a quick growth in the number of programs.
Chicago city officials make their best effort to include Chinese in their public Schools. Their program has grown to include 3, 000 students in 20 schools, with more Schools on a waiting list. Programs have also spread to places like Los Angeles, New York City, and North Carolina.Supporters see knowledge of the Chinese language and culture as an advantage in a global economy where China is growing in importance. “This is an interesting way to begin to engage with the world’s next superpower,” says Michael Levine, director of education at the Asia Society, which has started have new public high schools that offer Chinese. “Globalization has already changed the arrangements in terms of how children today are going to think about their careers. The question is when, not whether, the schools are going to adjust.”
(80)The number of students learning Chinese is tiny compared With how many study Spanish or French. But one report shows that before-college enrollment (报名人数) nearly quadrupled between 1992 and 2002, from 6, 000 to 24, 000.Despite the demand, though, developing programs isn’t easy. And the NO.one difficulty, everyone agrees, is having enough teachers. Finding teacher “is the challenge,” says Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser for a language institute and a Chinese teacher for 15 years at the college level “Materials are easy in comparison. Or getting schools funded.”
The best the for this passage might be______.
A. Next Hot Language to Study:Chinese
B. Next Hot Language to Study:Spanish
C. Next Hot Language to Study:French
D. Chicago IS the P1ace to Learn Chinese
If you want to get off to the fight start, you should treat the receptionists as your potential bosses.
A. Y
B. N
C. NG
Suggestions for Your Work
Annie is a longtime secretary/receptionist for two senior vice presidents at a big company. They have been doing a lot of hiring lately, and almost all of the new middle-management personnel have been interviewed by one or the other of Annie's two bosses, so naturally they come through her office first.
Some of these people are unbelievably rude. Either they treat Annie like a piece of furniture (no hello, no eye contact) or they think she is their errand (差使) girl. Lately, Annie's two bosses have started asking her for her impressions of job candidates. So far this week, two have been discourteous (失礼的) and dismissive, so Altair gave both the thumbs-down. Neither is getting called back for the next round of interviews.
No one knows how common this is, but if you are job hunting, it's necessary to be aware that the dummy at the reception desk may be anything but not "just a secretary".
Suggestions to Job Hunters
According to Annie Stevens and Greg Gostanian, two partners at a Boston-based executive coaching firm called Clear Rock, it's not unusual these days for a hiring manager to ask everyone who meets a potential new hire to give an opinion of him or her. "One of the biggest reasons so many newly recruited managers fail in a new job is their inability to fit in and get along with the people who are already there," says Stevens. "So employers now want to get staffers' impressions right at the start."
Adds Gostanian: "A lot can be learned from how candidates treat receptionists. If the jobseeker is rude, condescending, or arrogant, this might be an indication of how he or she would treat coworkers or direct reports."
Obviously, anyone looking for a new job would do well not to alienate the person who sits outside the interviewer's door. Stevens and Gostanian offer these six tips fur getting off to the right start:
?Introduce yourself as you would to any other potential new colleague. Smile, shake hands, and so on. It seems odd that this has to be spelled out, but apparently it does; and, besides being a matter of common courtesy, ordinary friendliness offers a practical advantage. "Learning and remembering an interviewer's receptionist's name can only help as you advance in the interviewing process," Stevens notes.
?Don't regard a receptionist or other assistant as an underling (部下) —at least, not as your own personal underling. "Always ask the interviewer if you need help from anyone else in the office where you're interviewing, instead of seeking this directly yourself," says Gostanian. In other words, if you'd like to leave an extra copy of your resume, refrain from sending the interviewer's assistant to the Xerox machine.
?It's fine to accept if you're offered a beverage, but keep it simple. "Don't ask for particular brand names or expect to be brewed a fresh pot of coffee," Stevens says. And of course, need we add that dispatching anybody to Starbucks is out of the question?
?Feel free to make small talk, but know that anything you say may well get back to the interviewer. "Don't ask probing questions about the company or offer unsolicited opinions," Gostanian advises. No matter how hideous the office door, endless the hike from the parking lot, or inconvenient the wait to see the interviewer, keep it to yourself. Plenty of time for whining (抱怨) and grumbling after you're hired.
?Don't talk on your ceil phone in front of the receptionist, and try to put your BlackBerry aside. "If you have to make or take a call, leave the reception area," Stevens says. Preoccupation with wireless devices will mark you, she says, as "a cold and fixated person".
?Don't forget to say good-bye. "Failure to say good-bye to someone you've just met reflects negatively on you," Gostanian notes. "You'll come across as impersonal and uncaring
A. Y
B. N
C. NG
听力原文:M: Hello, will you please send someone up to my apartment. The hot water is running, and I can't turn it off.
W: There's no one in the office right now. I'll send someone up as soon as I can.
Q: Why did the man want someone to come up to his apartment?
(16)
A. He needed an electrician.
B. The water was running.
C. He had no hot water.
D. There was no heat.