问题补充：
There has been much discussion recently about reducing the weight of English in Chinas high-stake tests such as the national college entrance examination. It is argued by some applauding the recent change to reduce the importance of English in tests so that it will lead students to focus more on learning Chinese. The TV program Writing in Chinese has exposed the problem that students and the general public cannot write in Chinese as they used to do.
Some blame the design of the curriculum for giving English an equal or greater amount of emphasis, which might have contributed to the failure in teaching Chinese. But this is probably not a fair accusation since children in English speaking countries cannot spell either.
I doubt that studying English in itself hurts the study of Chinese. In fact, high achievers in English or another foreign language are more likely to be high achievers in Chinese. It has been proved many times in recent Chinese history that those capable of using a foreign language are also masters in their mother tongue. Qian Zhongshu, Lu Xun and Lin Yutang are just a few examples.
Another trend of thought for curriculum reform is related to the perception of worth. It is true that English is one of the subjects that students do spend too much time on, with pitiful results. This makes some doubt if it is worth giving it priority. But this is not a sound argument either as students still need to study things that matter more to their future in spite of challenges learning English presents to them.
Improvements in Chinese language education should not be achieved by sacrificing another important subject. There should be a robust(健康的) foreign language education program, as a foreign language improves a students future job prospects. Bashing(抨击) English education as a waste of time or using it as a goat for failures in Chinese education are both harmful tendencies.
To be constructive, we ought to start a dialogue on ways to make improvements in learning outcomes so that students time learning English is spent more effectively. There are a few things that could improve English education, such as assessment design，learner motivation and teaching style，
I am sure there are many other areas where changes can greatly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of English learning. The public discourse at present is a little oversimplified. People are arguing for or against English having less weight in major tests, when the dialogue should be taken a step further, to the improvement of learning or teaching methods that may benefit the teaching of other subjects as well, Chinese included.
【小题1】In paragraph 3 Qian Zhongshu, Lu Xun and Lin Yutang are mentioned to .A．show respect for their capabilities of learning languagesB．prove English and Chinese are not contradictoryC．confirm the importance of learning English in ChinaD．tell the readers English Education is to blame【小题2】According to the passage, which of the following statements is right?A．The TV program Writing in Chinese is very popular at present.B．Good results of learning English are not worth so much time.C．Some are in favor of attaching less importance to English in exams.D．Sacrificing English can improve Chinese language education.【小题3】In the writer’s opinion, what should be done to solve the argument?A．Increasing time spent in learning Chinese.B．Increasing time spent in learning English.C．Reducing the weight of English in examinations.D．Improving the learning outcomes effectively.【小题4】Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?A．English education is still important in China.B．Chinese education is more important in China.C．English contributes to the failure in teaching ChineseD．Ways to make improvements in learning Chinese.B
答案：
(答案→)B
解析：文章介绍先在很多地方进行的考试改革，要削弱英语在考试中的地位，因为过分的强调英语让很多学生忽视了母语的学习，但是作者提出了不同的观点，认为不应该简单的减少英语的重要性，而应该从改进教学方法入手，提高学习的效果。
【小题1】细节题：从第三段的句子：It has been proved many times in recent Chinese history that those capable of using a foreign language are also masters in their mother tongue.可知文章提到钱钟书，鲁迅和林语堂，是为了证明英语和汉语不是矛盾的，恤B
【小题2】细节题：从文章第二段的句子：Some blame the design of the curriculum for giving English an equal or greater amount of emphasis, which might have contributed to the failure in teaching Chinese.可知一些人是赞同不要太重视英语考试的，选C
【小题3】细节题：从文章第六段的句子；To be constructive, we ought to start a dialogue on ways to make improvements in learning outcomes so that students time learning English is spent more effectively.可知作者认为为了解决问题应该有效的提高教学的效果，选D
【小题4】标题确定题：文章介绍先在很多地方进行的考试改革，要削弱英语在考试中的地位，因为过分的强调英语让很多学生忽视了母语的学习，但是作者提出了不同的观点，认为不应该简单的减少英语的重要性，而应该从改进教学方法入手，提高学习的效果。所以英语仍然在中国是重要的，选A
