新高级阅读前（双语）68（716）

PASSAGE SIXTY-EIGH

Au pair

1.One of the latest trend in American childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, Conn., for example, has got increasing numbers of request for Chinese au pairs from zero to around 4, 000 since 2004.  

2.And that’s true all across the country. “I thought it would be useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age” Joseph Stocke, the managing director of s company, says of his 2-year old son.  

3.“I would at least like to give him the chance to use the language in the future.” After only six months of being cared by 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says.

4.Li Drake, a Chinese native raising two children in Minnesota with an American husband, had another reason for looking for an au pair from China: She didn’t want her children to miss out on their roots.  

5.“Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to the language and culture. ” she says.

6.“Staying with a native speaker is better for children than simply sitting in a classroom,”says Suzanne Flynn, a professor in language education of children. 

7.“ But parents must understand that just one year with au pair is unlikely to produce wonders. Complete mastery demands continued learning until the age of 10 or 12.”

8.The popularity if au pairs from China has been strengthened by the increasing numbers of American parents who want their children to learn Chinese.  

9.It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years.

第六十八篇

互惠生

1.中国互惠生是美国儿童保育的最新趋势之一。以康涅狄格州斯坦福德的互惠生为例，自2004年以来，对中国互惠生的需求从零增加到4,000人左右。

2.全国各地都是如此。S公司的总经理约瑟夫·斯托克在谈到他两岁的儿子时说:“我认为让他从小学习中文会很有用。”

3.“我至少希望将来给他一个使用这种语言的机会。”他的父亲说，在这位来自中国的25岁女子的照顾下，小男孩已经能听懂基本的汉语日常表达了。

4.李·德雷克是土生土长的中国人，与美国丈夫在明尼苏达州抚养两个孩子。她寻找中国互惠生的另一个原因是:她不想让自己的孩子失去自己的根。

5.“因为我是中国人，我丈夫和我希望孩子们能接触到中国的语言和文化。她说。

6.儿童语言教育教授苏珊娜·弗林说:“对孩子来说，和母语人士在一起比单纯坐在教室里更好。”

7.但家长们必须明白，仅仅一年的互惠生不太可能产生奇迹。完全掌握需要持续学习，直到10岁或12岁。”

8.越来越多的美国父母希望自己的孩子学习中文，这也加强了中国互惠生的受欢迎程度。

9.预计未来几年美国对互惠生的需求将继续上升。