阅读理解。
If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday
with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles.He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help
him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on this special day, few people in the
United States will give him a passing thought.It's nothing personal.Most Americans don't
even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius.In many ways he has
become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding
of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in
Western universities.More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes
in more than 80 countries.These schools teach both Chinese language and culture.The main
courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学).Some
social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese
wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy.Students in the United
States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese.So they will be ready for life in a world
where China is an equal power with the United States.Businessmen who hope to make
money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce
Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his
birthday is.
1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ______
A.provide some key facts about Confucius
B. attract the readers' interest in the subject
C. show great respect for the ancient thinker
D. prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______
A.have a great interest in studying Chinese
B. take an active part in Chinese competitions
C. try to get high scores in Chinese exams
D. fight for a chance to learn Chinese
3. What is the best title for the passege?______
A. Forgotten Wisdom in America
B. Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C. Chinese Culture for Westerners
D. Old Thinker with a Big Future
4. The passage is likely to appear in ______.
A. a biography
B. a history paper
C. a newspaper
D. a philosophy textbook