English is fast becoming the only language of a new generation of educated Arabs.
This isn't a good thing for the region or the rest of the world. The journalism school at the AUD(迪拜美国大学)is the only modern program in the Middle East that allows students to study in Arabic. Still, many students arrive with poorly written Arabic and the formal spoken language and require refresher Arabic language courses.
Literacy(识字能力) in the Gulf States is 98%, according to UNESCO. But that literacy is increasingly in English, not Arabic.
This English bias(偏爱) starts early, with children in private "model" schools in the United Arab Emirates studying all their subjects, including math and science, in English. But the trend appears to be taking hold regionwide. In Saudi Arabia, many upper-middle-class families speak English at home -- not just at work .
One Arabic official told me his own children do not speak Arabic fluently. He said he put them in English schools to help ensure they'd have great career prospects. But now he says he regrets that his children don't feel comfortable speaking the language of their forefathers.
Why is there the anxiety among these elites? I am continually told that what I've experienced anecdotally is true: The wealthier the family, the less likely its members speak Arabic at home. If people in the same country don't speak the same language, how can they work across class lines to solve the problems of high unemployment that affect even oil-rich Saudi Arabia?
For executives(行政主管) trying to build local businesses, the English bias is a challenge. The dean of the AUD's school of journalism, Ali Al Jaber, told me, "If you can't address your own people, then you can't be successful."
Sure, English is the world's business language. More Chinese are learning English right now than there are Americans in the U.S. But China has struck a bilingual balance. Its research universities teach some of the world's brightest minds in Chinese. Professor Wardeh finds much for Arab nations to admire in this model.
The passage mainly tells us_____________.

A．English is the world’s business language

B．the English bias in Saudi Arabia

C．the school education in Saudi Arabia

D．the bilingual balance in China

Many Arabic parents prefer their children to speak English because__________.

A．they think it’s a symbol of class

B．English is the world’s business language

C．they consider Arabic hard to learn

D．they believe it’s an advantage in their future careers

The underlined phrase “this model” refers to__________

A．the education system in China

B．the popularity of English in Saudi Arabia

C．to popularize English in upper-class families

D．to improve literacy in Arabic countries

We can know from the passage that__________.

A．the popularity of English in Saudi Arabia is a good thing

B．there is no problem of unemployment in Saudi Arabia

C．the poor in Saudi Arabia are more likely to speak Arabic

D．the English bias doesn’t affect the local business

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