美国人亚洲择邻居只为孩子学中文_BEC初级作文

美国人亚洲择邻居只为孩子学中文

已经回到美国的两个孩子说，即使现在无法完全坚持学习普通话，他们也很看重在中国学习的那一年。九岁的埃林说，虽然掌握普通话的声调还是很困难，但在另外一个国度生活一年还是非常棒的。11岁的哥哥康纳说，在不想让其他人──比如父亲──听懂自己的话时，他能改说另外一种语言，这让他感觉很好。康纳说，有时候爸爸知道的东西没有我们多，所以在商量送他什么生日礼物的时候，我们可以不让他知道。

Recruiters say Mandarin gives candidates an edge in the job market. "When it comes to Mandarin speakers, we don't have them [in the U.S.], so does it give you a competitive advantage to have it? The answer is yes," says Michael Distefano, a Los Angeles-based senior vice president at executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International. Mr. Distefano's own son is studying Mandarin in high school, with an eye towards possibly working in Asia.

据招聘机构说，会讲普通话可以让求职者在就业市场获得加分。高管猎头公司光辉国际(Korn/Ferry International)驻洛杉矶高级副总裁迪斯泰法诺(Michael Distefano)说，美国没有多少讲普通话的人，所以会讲普通话是不是一个竞争优势呢？答案是肯定的。迪斯泰法诺正在上高中的儿子也在学习普通话，并希望有机会在亚洲找一份工作。

Jim Rogers, 69, and his wife, Paige Parker, 43, sold their New York City home and moved to Singapore in 2007, specifically so their children could grow up speaking Chinese. The couple now rent a house across from Singapore's Botanic Gardens. The address positioned them to get their 9-year-old daughter, Happy, into a top local school called Nanyang Primary, where core subjects are taught in Mandarin. Her sister, Bee, 4, attends Nanyang Kindergarten, where instruction is completely in Mandarin for two years.