19．If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28birthday with a big cake，there would be a lot of candles．He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out．
While many people in China will remember Confucius on this special day，few people in the United States will give him a passing thought．It's nothing personal．Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius．In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．
In the past two decades，the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities．More recently，the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80countries．These schools teach both Chinese language and culture．The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art，history and philosophy．Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy．Students in the United States，at the same time，are racing to learn Chinese．So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States．Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers．
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well．
Today China attracts the West more than ever，and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．
As for the old thinker，he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West，even if his birthday is．
54．The opening paragraph is mainly intended toB．
A．provide some key facts about Confucius
B．attract the readers'interest in the subject
C．show great respect for the ancient thinker
D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
55．We can learn from Paragraph 4that American studentsC．
A．fight for a chance to learn Chinese
B．try to get high scores in Chinese exams
C．have a great interest in studying Chinese
D．take an active part in Chinese competitions
56．What is the best title for the passage？B
A．Forgotten Wisdom in America
B．Old Thinker with a Big Future
C．Chinese Culture for Westerners
D．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
57．The passage is likely to appear inC．
A．a biography
B．a history paper
C．a newspaper
D．a philosophy textbook．
分析 本文是一篇新闻报道．本文主要讲述了外国人对中国文化的兴趣越来越浓，对于孔子的思想也越来越感兴趣这一社会现象．孔子思想已经深入西方，成为西方人深入了解中国人的一座桥梁．美国学生对汉语产生了浓厚兴趣，这就需要更多的老师传播孔子思想和中国文化．
解答 54 B．作者意图题．根据文章第一段"If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake，there would be a lot of candles．He'd need a fan or a b wind to help him put them out．"可知文章开篇做了一个有趣的设想，假如孔子活到现在，给他过生日，需用扇子或大风帮他熄灭生日蛋糕上的蜡烛，目的是吸引读者，引起读者兴趣．引起本文要讨论的真正话题，故答案B正确．
55 C．推理判断题．根据"Today China attracts the West more than ever，and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．"说明中国对每个人有很强的吸引力，很多美国人对中国都很感兴趣，故答案C正确．
56 B．主旨大意题．本文主要讲述的正是中国越来越引起世界的关注，同样，中国的文化也引起了世界人民的兴趣，很多人都开始了解中国的文化，这给孔子这位中国的思想家带来了新生，故答案B正确．
57 C．推理判断题．本文主要讲述了外国人对中国文化的兴趣越来越浓，对于孔子的思想也越来越感兴趣这一社会现象，那么很有可能是新闻报道的内容，文章新颖有时效性，所以选C．A项指传记，详细描述人物的生平；B项指历史论文，用词要术语化；D项指哲学课本，应着重哲学概念和思想．故答案C正确．
点评 本文是一篇历史文化类阅读．本文主旨鲜明，题目很容易在文中找到答案．做题时要注意文章的首段和每一段的首句或尾句，因为它们往往就是文章的主题句．阅读中要注意要点之间的关系．然后带着问题，再读全文，找出答题所需要的依据，完成阅读任务．
