18．If Confucius 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 his 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 include Chinese art，history and philosophy．Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks（不足处） of Western 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．
24．The opening paragraph is mainly intended toC．
A．show great respect for the ancient thinker
B．provide some key facts about Confucius
C．attract the readers'interest in the subject
D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
25．We can learn from Paragraph 4that American studentsA．
A．have a great interest in studying Chinese
B．try to get high scores in Chinese exams
C．take an active part in Chinese competitions
D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese
26．What is the best title for the passage？C
A．Forgotten Wisdom in America
B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C．Old Thinker with a Big Future
D．Chinese Culture for Westerners
27．The passage is likely to appear inB．
A．a scientific report
B．a newspaper
C．a history paper
D．a philosophy textbook．
分析 这篇文章主要讲了中国伟大的思想家孔子以及孔子学说对后世的深远影响．中国政府在很多地方建立了孔子研究院，国内外的很多人都热衷于孔子的理论．
解答 24．C．写作手法题．文章首句If Confucius were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28birthday with a big cake，there would be a lot of candles，以想象孔夫子在现代庆祝生日的幽默的写法开头，目的在于吸引读者的注意，故选C．
25．A．细节理解题．根据Students in the UnitedStates，at the same time，are racing to learn Chinese．So they will be readyfor 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 Confuciusto understand their Chinese customers．可知美国的学生们也在竞相学习中文．希望将来在中国赚钱，通过阅读有关孔儒的书籍，了解他们的中国客户．可知他们对此很有兴趣，故选A．
26．C．主旨归纳题．根据全文内容可知这篇文章主要讲了中国伟大的思想家孔子以及孔子学说对后世的深远影响，所以答案为C．
27．B．理解推断题．根据More recently，the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries．These schools teach both Chinese language and culture．最近，中国政府在80多个国家设立了孔子学院．这些学校同时教授中文和文化．可看出这样的报道事件类的文章最可能出现在报纸上，因此选B．
点评 这类文章的特点在于篇幅较长，词汇及信息量大．要想答好题目，重在理解全文意思．这篇文章比较难，先看问题，再带着问题读短文，找出各段落的主旨句，理解全文内容，注意细节，总结全文中心，然后再回到问题上来，选出正确答案．
