Being a kidult is not all about being selfish, though. With the untold uncertainties of war, fluctuating(波动)markets, disease and terrorism, many see this world as a poor place to live in—let alone bring kids up in. This seems especially so in urban living. All anyone wants after a long, hard day at work is some peace and quiet.

My classmate, Jenny, mused(沉思)recently how our friends living in small Malaysian towns were onto their second or third kids. Maybe they just loved having children around. Or maybe, in their own way, they wanted to leave the world a better place than they found it.

That’s how you, I and everyone know we have the chance to breathe air, touch grass and see sky. I think out parents understand that just being alive is an experience worth passing on.

28. What is a kidult in the writer’s opinion?

A. A person who doesn’t have a child

B. An adult who actually has a psychology of a child

C. A child who doesn’t want to grow up

D. A person who doesn’t know that what values he has

29. What does the underlined word “paper” in Para. 4 mean?

A. money

B. reputation

C.qualification

D. power

30. The author explains the kidult phenomenon by ________.

A. presenting research findings

B. making comparison

C. showing her own experience

D. using examples

31. We can learn from the text that kidults________.

A. know little what they can pass on to their children

B. are sure of their abilities for good life

C. living in urban can enjoy more peace

D. living in small towns know well what they’re living for

D

At Dulles High school in Sugar Land, Texas, the roster(候选名单)for Advanced Chinese begins with Jason Chao and ends with Kathy Zhang. In between comes an unexpected name: Elizabeth Hoffman. Hoffman, now a 12th grader, began learning Chinese in the eighth grade, has spent a summer studying in Nanjing and plans to perfect her Mandarin next fall. When asked by her peers---why she is learning Chinese, she responds with a question: “why aren’t you?”

As China rushes toward superpower status, America’s schools and government officials are responding to Hoffman’s opinion. Earlier this year Rush Holt of New Jersey introduced legislation(立法)calling for increased money of programs for less commonly taught languages, “For reasons of economics, culture and security, we should have much better facilities(设备)with Chinese languages and dialects,” he said. The State Department has pointed out Chinese is becoming a “critical language”, but the most recent data show that only 24,000 students in Grade 7 to Grade 12 study Chinese.

Still, the number is growing. In Chicago public schools, enrollment in Chinese classes has skyrocked from 5000 students in 2005 to nearly 35,000 students this year. In the Santa Clara County, California, enrollment has quadrupled during the same period. In 2007, when the College Board first introduces advanced-placement language exams in Chinese and Italian, 2,400 high school plan to offer AP Chinese---10 times the number of students that plan to offer AP Italian.

Much of the interest can be explained by China’s increasing competitiveness. “People are always trying to judge what languages are going to be useful for the future,” says Marty Abbot, the director of education at the National Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Stephanie Wong, a student At Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, chose Chinese so that she could speak with her grandfather. Wong also predicted that Chinese will be important if she becomes a doctor. 80 percent of people in her hometown are Asians.

32. What does the first paragraph mainly discuss?

A. Dulles High School offers a Chinese course

B. Jason and Kathy are the top students at Dulles School

C. Elizabeth Hoffman suggests her school offer a Chinese course

D. Elizabeth Hoffman takes the lead in learning Chinese

33. According to the text, Chinese is becoming a “critical language” because ______.

A. American government has pointed it out

B. Rush Holt introduced legislation calling for opening Chinese

C. China rushes toward superpower status

D. many students in the world choose to learn Chinese

34._______ arouses America’s schools interest in Chinese.

A. The fact that Chinese is becoming a “critical language”