Mandarin learners boom in U.S. schools  

美指定普通话为“特需”语言 学生热衷学中文

随着中国经济影响力与日俱增，美国次世代年轻人正越来越视学习中文为未来就业的“敲门砖”。达拉斯新闻晨报21日报道称，专家指出熟练掌握汉语将帮助美国学生在全球经济中立足，学习中文普通话正在成为全美、特别是得克萨斯州达拉斯-沃斯堡地区学生们最热衷的外语选修课。

Houston (CNS) -- As China grows, so does the number of Mandarin learners in U.S. schools, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Dallas Morning News reported on Wednesday.

The U.S. government has designated Mandarin as a "critical need" language and provides professional development programs for teachers to improve citizens' language abilities, said Marty Abbott, executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

She estimated that as many as 100,000 students are now studying Mandarin in public and private schools throughout the whole nation.

More and more English-speaking people realize the necessity of learning Chinese, said Gu Mingdong, director of the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas.

According to the newest survey by the ACTFL, the number of Mandarin learners in grades seven to twelve in all U.S. public schools has grown to 60,000 from 20,000 in the past three years.

The Confucius Institute at UT Dallas has already opened Confucius lectures in 11 local public schools, attracting more than 700 students to learn Mandarin, Gu said.