新奇事件簿 学习中文,而不是法文（在线收听）

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron is implementing a big change in the languages taught in UK schools.On a visit to China, he told journalists that British schools should teach Mandarin instead of French and German. He told his hosts that he plans to double the number of students studying Chinese in British schools to 400,000 in the next three years. He will also provide subsidies to schools that start teaching Mandarin. He believes stronger educational ties with China are a necessary element in keeping Britain competitive in the Chinese market. He said: "I want Britain linked up to the world's fast-growing economies, and that includes our young people learning the languages to seal tomorrow's business deals."

英国首相戴维·卡梅伦正在对英国学校的语言教育实施大变革。在访华期间，他告诉记者称英国学校应该教授中文，而不是德语或法语。他对主持人说他将把学习中文的学生数量增加一倍，并将在未来三年内上升到40万人。他还将对开始开设中文的学校提供补助资金。他相信与中国的教育纽带是让英国保持中国市场竞争力的重要因素。他说：“我希望英国能够与全球经济增长速度最快的经济体产生联系，这包括让年轻人来学习语言，为未来的商业合作创造契机。

Mr Cameron explained to journalists the importance of introducing Mandarin in UK schools. He said: "By thetime the children born today leave school, China is set to be the world's largest economy, so it's time tolook beyond the traditional focus on French and German and get many more children learning Mandarin." The initiative includes a tie-up with the British Council and the Chinese office for teaching Mandarin as a foreign language. They have already signed an agreement to double the number of Chinese language assistants in UK schools. The British Council puts Mandarin in the top five most important languages for British children to study to improve their job prospects.

卡梅伦先生向记者解释道了在英国学校开设中文的重要性。他说：“所有今天出生的孩子，到他们毕业那天，中国将成为全球第一大经济体，所以，是时候超越传统的以法语和德语为主导的语言教学，让更多的人学习中文。”而这一想法包含了英国文化委员会与中国对外汉语部门的通力合作。他们已经就在英国学校中增加中文助教的人数达成了协议，人数将增加一倍。英国文化委员会将中文放在了提高就业前景的5大语言之首。