Read the text below and choose the best option (a, b or c) to answer the

questions after it.

SPANISH OVERTAKES GERMAN AS LANGUAGES DECLINE FINALLY HALTS

Mandarin, Arabic and Italian also on the rise in state secondary schools.

Spanish has replaced German as the second most popular language learnt in schools,
it was revealed yesterday. And the number of state schools offering Mandarin as an
option has more than trebled in the past two years from one in 25 to more than one in
seven.

The figures are revealed in the annual census of secondary schools compiled by the
Centre for Information on Languages Teaching, which also shows that the dramatic
decline in languages since it was made optional for 14 to 16-year-olds has halted for
the first time. However, there has been no increase in take-up.

The census also suggests a revolution in the language options offered in secondary
schools. The figures show 75 per cent of state schools are now offering Spanish
compared with 67 per cent offering German. French remains the most popular
language, with 99 per cent offering it.

The number of schools offering Italian has doubled in the past two years from 9 per
cent to 18 per cent while Mandarin has risen from 4 per cent to 14 per cent.

Last night, language experts said they believed TV's "obsession" with programmes
about the Second World War had contributed to the decline in take-up of German.

Linda Parker, director of the Association for Language Learners, said: "You can always
find Hitler on the TV. I think German is seen as a difficult language to learn – yet that
isn't necessarily the case. Children don't see it as an exciting or interesting language
and the culture doesn't appeal to them."

Teresa Tinsley, director of communications at CILT, added: "I've certainly heard

German teachers say 'not another programme about Hitler'."

She said businesses feared the demise of German because the country is one of the
UK's largest non-English speaking trading partners.

By contrast, Spain was seen as a "language of leisure" – useful for holiday

destinations, she said.

Languages take-up in state schools mirrors what has been happening in the
independent sector – where Spanish had already taken over from German as the
second language.

However, after an initial spurt in Mandarin, the numbers have slightly declined this
year. Even so, 28 per cent of private schools offer it.

Overall, the figures show the number of youngsters taking a modern foreign language
at GCSE fell again this summer to 44 per cent. However, a census taken by CILT in
September revealed they were now holding up for the first time since the decline
started seven years ago.

A breakdown of the figures reveals there is still a class divide in the take-up of
languages – with 78 per cent of state schools saying it was now optional at GCSE and
only 18 per cent of private schools.
 1. The most popular language learnt in British schools is ...

a. French
b. German
c. Spanish

2. According to the text, ...

a. more 14-16-year-old students are studying languages now than a decade

ago.
b. many students aged 14 to 16 years old stopped studying languages when
these became a voluntary subject.
c. the number of 14-16-year-old students studying foreign languages is still
going down.

3. The biggest increase in demand is for ...

a. French
b. Italian
c. Mandarin

4. The main reason why children’s demand for German is declining is because ...

a. it is a difficult language to learn.

b. of Hitler.
c. they are not interested in the German way of life.

5. The word ‘demise’ in the text means ...

a. death
b. survival
c. take-up

6. The first schools where Spanish became more popular than German among
students were ...

a. private schools
b. state schools
c. both state and private schools

7. It is easier to find Mandarin in ...

a. private schools
b. state schools
c. universities

8. The word ‘breakdown’ in the text means ...

a. analysis
b. collapse
c. debacle

KEY: 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. C 5. A 6. A 7. A 8. A