Cª¥

One of the latest trends (Ç÷ÊÆ) in American childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, Conn., for example, has got increasing numbers of requests for Chinese au pairs from zero to around 4, 000 since 2004. And that¡¯s true all across the country. ª¥

¡°I thought it would be very useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age,¡±Joseph Stocke, the managing director of a company, says of his 2-year-old son. ¡°I would at least like to give him the chance to use the language in the future.¡±After only six months of being cared for by a 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says. ª¥

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. ¡°Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to (½Ó´¥) the language and culture (ÎÄ»¯),¡± she says. ª¥

¡°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. ¡°But parents must understand that just one year with an au pair is unlikely to produce wonders. Complete mastery demands continued learning until the age of 10 or 12.¡±ª¥

The popularity of au pairs from China has been strengthened by the increasing numbers of American parents who want their children to learn Chinese. It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years.

9. What does the term ¡°au pair¡± in the text mean?

A. A mother raising her children on her own.

B. A child learning a foreign language at home.

C. A professor in language education of children.

D. A young foreign woman taking care of children.

10. Li Drake has her children study Chinese because she wants them ________.

A. to live in China some day

B. to speak the language at home

C. to catch up with other children

D. to learn about the Chinese culture

11. What can we infer from the text?

A. Learning Chinese is becoming popular in America.

B. Educated women do better in looking after children.

C. Chinese au pairs need to improve their English skills.

D. Children can learn a foreign language well in six months.