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Asia is home to more than half of the world's population and three of the four most crowded countries are in
Asia. China, India, and Indonesia alone have more than 2.5 billion people.
Until recently, most Asian nations fell behind the western countries in many fields. Government reform(改革),
however, has led to important progress in each of these Asian countries. Across the area, education systems
have been improved and economies (经济) have been growing. Most Asian countries now have a system of
compulsory (义务的) education. Many countries have recently allowed private universities to be built, which
was not allowed before. There are more chances for students to go to university now.
However, in Asia, there are still not enough chances for students to get higher education and many people
prefer to go abroad for further study. As a result, India, China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries
send thousands of students to study in the United States and Europe each year.
Part of the people in Asian countries can speak English, and English has become the most important language
for business across the area. The percentage (百分比) is the largest in Japan, Singapore, the Philippines,
SriLanka and South Korea. Many people in China, India and Malaysia can also speak English. Some countries
have made English part of the primary and secondary education programme. In some countries, children begin
to study English even at the age of 4 or 5.
1. The population of Asia is about . [ ]
A. 2.5 billion
B. half of the world's population
C. 1.3 billion
D. 6 billion
2. Most Asian countries the western countries in many fields. [ ]
A. are better than
B. are more powerful than
C. get greater progress than
D. are not as good as
3. In the past, was not allowed in many Asian countries. [ ]
A. speaking English
B. moving to other countries
C. building private universities
D. building middle schools
4. Why do so many students in Asia go to study in the USA and Europe?[ ]
A. Because they are rich.
B. Because there are not enough chances for students to get higher education in Asia.
C. Because they don't want to work hard.
D. Because they can speak English very well.
5. Which of the following is NOT true? [ ]
A. There're more than 2.5 billion people in China, India and Indonesia.
B. The economies in Asian countries are becoming worse.
C. Education in Asia has had great changes.
D. In some Asian countries, English has become very important for business
