Texts and Questions - Language Classes in America

Hey people!

Today we're starting a new section here. I'll post a text, any kind of text, and I'll give you some questions about it and you'll have to interpret it. It's very good to practice the language.
Today's text says that language classes are popular in America's public schools and was written by Mohamed Elshinnawi:

Language Classes Popular in America's Public Schools

More than 900 young students arrive at Kent Gardens Elementary every morning to take part in a system-wide language training program known as partial immersion. Its aim is to help students become fluent in a foreign language of their choice. In this particular school, French is the language being offered.

"Half of the day is spent with a French immersion teacher, where they learn math and science in French and the other part of the day is spent with the English teacher where they are taught social studies and language arts in English," says Annie Dwyer, a 5th grade French teacher.

Students not only receive instruction in the French language but are also exposed to the cultures of French-speaking countries. They interact with teacher-interns from France. Some students host the French interns in their homes, establishing personal cultural links.

Students at Kent Gardens Elementary come from many different cultural backgrounds, and they give many different reasons for wanting to be fluent in a foreign language.

"I am actually Muslim," says Rosa Ahmat, "so my parents want me to learn about other cultures and people from other places."

Anwar Mendes says he expects to travel a lot in the future. "So I will have a pretty good chance of meeting a person that speaks French."

"It will be very hard to get a good job if you do not know the other languages," says Neha Rana.

Many educators support that belief. They say immersing young students in foreign language study for at least half of their school day gives them the mult-lingual skills they'll need to succeed in an increasingly global economy.

There are other benefits as well. "It expands the mind of the child and also gives them a greater cultural awareness of other cultures and makes them more tolerant of others' differences," says 6th grade French teacher Christine Bedoret.

Some critics of immersion programs believe that spending half the school day learning in a foreign language could negatively impact students' fluency in English. Richard Gordon, a 6-grade English and social studies teacher, disagrees. "One thing I noticed when I teach my students coming from the foreign language program is that they are very oral, they are very vocal, and they can express themselves very well in my English classes."

But French teachers like Francoise Brottet admits there are challenges involved in the immersion program. "Since they do not understand everything (we say), we have to find creative and different ways to teach them."

Young students have their own challenges. "It can be a bit confusing at times, because you learn the terms in French and sometimes some tests and homework you get are written in English," says 6th grader Kimia Zadegan.

Over the past decade, hundreds of American public schools have begun offering partial immersion programs to teach students Latin, Spanish, German, Japanese and many other languages.

Dr. Robyn Hooker, Kent Gardens' Principal, says that many of the students at the school are already multi-lingual, as well as multi-cultural, when they enroll. "Many of the children in our school, because it is an international school, come to us speaking perhaps two or three and in some instances four languages, so it becomes a part of our responsibility to prepare children for global society — and that always includes the languages."

Hooker believes the training students are receiving at Kent Gardens — and in similar language immersion schools across the country — will help them to communicate more effectively not just in their own American polyglot, but in the 21st century's increasingly global village.

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1. (UFV 2008) What kind of program is offered by Kent Graden Elementary to its students?

2. (UFV 2008) Does the text present arguments for or against this type of program? Justify.

3. (UFV 2008) According to Richard Gordon, the students participating in immersion programs

 (a) double the quotient of intelligence by practicing the language.

 (b) improve their English fluency.

 (c) forget their mother language.

 (d) become, in general, shy and quiet.

 (e) greatly improve the writing skills.

4. (UFV 2008) In a studyon the relationship between language and culture, Kramsch explains that trans, inter and multicultural communication is a complex and mental ability, involving a specific aspect of language learning: the ability to learn the language/culture of another without losing your own and thus move between these "worlds"."Multicultural" people can play different social roles, linguistically and culturally appropriate in a situation of contextualized interaction.

Considering Kramsch's tought, choose the alternative that presents a phrase from the text that confirms this explanation:

 (a) "It expands the mind of the child and also gives them a greater cultural awareness of other cultures and makes them more tolerant of other's differences."

 (b)"It can be a bit confusing at times, because you learn the terms in French and sometimes tests and homework you get are written in English."

 (c) "It will be very hard to get a good job if you do not know the other languages."

 (d) "So I will have a pretty good chance of meeting a person that speaks French."

 (e) "Since they do not understand everything we say, we have to find creative and different ways to teach them."

5. (UFV 2008, adapted) The words their (5th line, 2nd paragraph) and they (1st line, 4th paragraph) refer, respectively, to the words:
 (a) "Schools" and "languages"
 (b) "Students" and "schools"
 (c) "Educators" and "students"
 (d) "Students" and "educators"
 (e) "Language" and "educators"




6. (UFV 2008) The passage of the text in the 6th paragraph in Passive Voice "some tests and homework you get are written in English" can be written in the Active Voice as:


 (a) Someone wrote the tests and homework you get in English.
 (b) Someone writes the tests and homework you get in English.
 (c) Someone will write the tests and homework you get in English.
 (d) Someone is writing the tests and homework you get in English.
 (e) Someone writes the tests and homework you got in English.

I hope you like this!

See you!
____________________

Hey people!

Hoje estamos começando uma nova seção aqui. Eu postarei um texto, qualquer tipo de texto, e darei a você algumas perguntas sobre ele e você terá que interpretá-lo. Esse é um bom jeito de praticar o idioma.
O texto de hoje fala que aulas de idioma são populares em escolas públicas da América e foi escrito por Mohamed Elshinnawi:

(Leia o texto acima, destacado em azul)

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1. (UFV 2008) Que tipo de programa é oferecido na Kent Graden Elementary para seus estudantes?

2. (UFV 2008) O texto apresenta argumentos contra ou a favor deese tipo de programa? Justifique.

3. (UFV 2008) De acordo com Richard Gordon, os estudantes que participam em programas de imersão

 (a) dobram o quoeficiênte de inteligência ao praticar o idioma.

 (b) melhora sua fluência no Inglês.

 (c) esquecem o idioma materno.

 (d) se tornam, em geral, tímidos e quietos.

 (e) melhoram bastante as habilidades de escrita.

4. (UFV 2008) Em um estudo sobre a relação entre idioma e cultura, Kramsch explica quea comunicação trans, inter ou multicultural é uma habilidade complexa e mental, envolvendo um aspecto específico do aprendizado de um idioma: a habilidade de aprender o idioma/cultura de outro sem perder a sua própria e então transitar entre esses dois "mundos". Pessoas "multiculturais" conseguem desenvolver dois papéis diferentes na sociedade, linguistica e culturalmente adequados em uma situação de interação contextualizada.

Levando em conta o pensamento de Kramsch, escolha a alternativa que apresenta um frase do texto que confirma essa explicação:

 (a) "It expands the mind of the child and also gives them a greater cultural awareness of other cultures and makes them more tolerant of other's differences."

 (b)"It can be a bit confusing at times, because you learn the terms in French and sometimes tests and homework you get are written in English."

 (c) "It will be very hard to get a good job if you do not know the other languages."

 (d) "So I will have a pretty good chance of meeting a person that speaks French."

 (e) "Since they do not understand everything we say, we have to find creative and different ways to teach them."

5. (UFV 2008, adapted) As palavras their (5ª linha, 2º parágrafo) e they (1ª linha, 4º parágrafo) referem-se, respectivamente, às palavras:
 (a) "Schools" e "languages"
 (b) "Students" e "schools"
 (c) "Educators" e "students"
 (d) "Students" e "educators"
 (e) "Language" e "educators"




6. (UFV 2008) O trecho do texto no 6º parágrafo na Voz Passiva "some tests and homework you get are written in English" pode ser escrito na Voz Ativa como:


 (a) Someone wrote the tests and homework you get in English.
 (b) Someone writes the tests and homework you get in English.
 (c) Someone will write the tests and homework you get in English.
 (d) Someone is writing the tests and homework you get in English.
 (e) Someone writes the tests and homework you got in English.

 

Espero que goste!

See you!