5 . With 11 foreign languages under her belt, 68-year-old villager-turned tour guide Xu Xiuzhen has become a celebrity in the town of Yangshuo.
Xu was born in a poor family at the base of Moon Hill. In the late 1970s, Yangshuo became one of the country’s first tourist destinations to welcome foreign visitors after China’s reform and opening up in 1978. “I began to see more foreign faces near Mt. Moon, and locals who spoke some English sold more bottled water than me,” said Xu. “No English, no money.” With the influx of foreign guests in Yangshuo, a large number of villagers sought opportunities to learn English given the booming tourism market. Xu eagerly joined the craze. At that time, she made a living on farming and occasionally sold bottled water to tourists near Mt. Moon.
Over the past 16 years, Xu never stops learning and has taught herself 11 foreign languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. But the polyglot farmer’s success has been hard-won. She started learning simple English phrases 16 years ago. “I used Pinyin to memorize the pronunciation of English words, but my strong southern accent made it quite difficult to understand,” said Xu. So, “I turned to foreign visitors for help, and I always appreciate their feedback because they have helped me correct my word choices and pronunciation.”
Not content to simply serve as a tour guide, she now owns a popular restaurant and operates a reputable hotel. Huang Yongzhong, director of Yangshuo’s tourism bureau, said Xu’s success has encouraged many farmers to follow suit. He added that the government supports local tour guides by providing frequent training on the laws and regulations of the tourism industry. Farmers in Yangshuo are passionate, sincere and hard-working, and this spirit will lead to more success stories like that of her, he said.
1. What does the underlined word “craze” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Learning English. | B.Living by farming. |
C.Selling bottled water. | D.Welcoming foreign visitors. |
2. According to Paragraph 3, Xu learnt English by the following means EXCEPT ______.
A.making use of Pinyin | B.imitating southern accent |
C.learning from foreigners’ feedback | D.polishing the pronunciation of words |
3. What is the government’s attitude towards Xu’s success?
A.Neutral. | B.Skeptical. | C.Positive. | D.Cautious. |
4. What is the most suitable title for this passage?
A.Practice makes perfect | B.One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero |
C.Don’t judge a book by its cover | D.The “late” bird strives to catch the worm |