【解析】本文属于说明文。在文中作者提出美国现在存在的一种潮流趋势，即越来越多的美国人希望孩子能够学汉语，而且他们都希望孩子能够在家里和来自中国的学生学习汉语，他们认为这样在生活中通过交流来学习汉语要比在学校学习有优势。

1. D 考查词义猜测。结合语境可知au pair指的是在国外寄居的人, 他们帮助房东照看孩子甚至学习语言换取免费食宿, 又称互惠生。

2. D 考查细节理解。依据第三段第二句中的"Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to (接触) the language and culture"得知他们这样做的目的是让孩子接触到中国文化。

3. A 考查推理判断。依据最后一段尤其是最后一句"It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years"可推断在美国学习汉语热潮会继续高涨。

B篇导读:妈妈在遇到需要帮助的人时, 热心帮助, 她的行为告诉我要善待他人, 做一个有爱心乐于助人的人。

　　When I was about twelve, I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was a windy winter night. As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car, a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare change. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in a parking across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car, which was the same size as my own family.

　　My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars. She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings(兄弟姊妹). But she didn't come.

　　Later, I found out she had gone home and practically emptied our cupboards into a few bags. Then, she brought that food over to the car and handed the bags to the family. I wasn't there when that part happened, but I can only imagine the joy it brought to their faces.

A few days later, when I actually found out about what she had done, I asked her why she helped those people. She told me that they were not lucky. I remember the face of that girl who had asked us for change; she was the same age as me, yet we looked so different.

Here I stood, dressed in almost new clothes, headed to dine in a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister. I remember thinking that the girl didn't have any food to eat and that she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people.

　　After painting this picture in my mind, I understood why my mom had done what she did. I will never forget what she did that night. And that night I also learned one of the best lessons she taught.

4. We learn from the passage that the girl about the writer's age 　　　.

A. made friends with the writer B. had her own bedroom

C. received a good education D. lived a hard life

5. Which of the following is the right order of the story?

a. My mom gave the girl a few dollars.

b. My family was on the way to a restaurant.

c. My mom went home and brought some food.

d. We met with a girl and her mother asking for dollars.

A. b a c d B. b d a c C. d a c b D. d c b a

6. Which of the following words can best describe the writer's mother?