【双语学习】英国首家中英双语学校在伦敦开课

　　当下汉语潮席卷全球，越来越多的国家开始重视中文学习。名为肯辛顿韦德的英国第一所中英双语学校于9月份正式开始上课。

　　该学校的校长表示，“教室里没有一个英文单词”。所有的摆设里只有中国的元素和符号。书是全中文的，墙上的画卷、小摆设都极具东方气息。就连学校里的世界地图都和普通的地图不同。这张地图的中央并不是欧洲，而是将亚洲和太平洋放在更为显著的位置。校长表示，“我们这样做就是为了给学生们打造一种氛围，希望他们在学校里能过做到从英文到中文的转换，甚至转换思考方式”。在西欧，肯辛顿韦德是第一所中英双语学校，为3-11岁的儿童提供双语教育。学校欢迎各国、各民族的学生来学习，没有背景的限制。

　　英国的家长们认识到，中国对于他们的下一代的重要性。他们也清楚，只有在语言氛围中才能够最快的学会一种语言。学校甚至承诺，如果父母将孩子送到这里来，等孩子去上中学时，他们会说一口流利的普通话，同时也受到了和任何一个普通英语学校的学生一样好的教育。通过双语式的灌输和教育，相信从这里走出去的孩子讲比其他英国学生更能够积极应对21世纪的残酷挑战。

　　校长还表示，在学校内进行的任何一项活动都可以说是被一分为二的。英语老师和中文老师各半、中英文课程各半。各种活动和游戏也分为普通话版本和英文版本。就连食堂供应的每一餐都按照中英的饮食习惯均匀配比，让学生们从各个方面感受到“双语”和双文化的魅力。

　　参考文章：UK's first Chinese-English bilingual school opened in London

　　原文：

　　There are just two classrooms at Kensington Wade, a shiny new independent prep school opening in west London in September.

　　"There isn't a word of English in here," the headmistress, Jo Wallace. The charts contain only Chinese symbols, the books are in Mandarin, and laid out are traditional oriental fans, scrolls and artwork. Even the school's world map, which might normally have Europe at the center of the picture, instead shows gives Asia and the Pacific the limelight.

　　"That's what we mean by this being totally immersive learning," Wallace said, "the children will switch as soon as they're in here, and that's how they'll begin to think in two ways."

　　Kensington Wade is the first of its kind in western Europe: a dual language English-Chinese prep school, offering completely bilingual education for children between the ages of 3 and 11. Children of any background are welcome - encouraged, even - and no previous connection to the Far East is necessary.

　　"That's what we mean by this being totally immersive learning," Wallace said, "the children will switch as soon as they're in here, and that's how they'll begin to think in two ways."

　　Kensington Wade is the first of its kind in western Europe: a dual language English-Chinese prep school, offering completely bilingual education for children between the ages of 3 and 11. Children of any background are welcome - encouraged, even - and no previous connection to the Far East is necessary.

　　There will be a British teacher and a Chinese teacher, and half of lessons, games and activities will be held in English, while the other half will be in Mandarin （hence the two classrooms）。 Even the food served in the dining hall will aim for an even mix.

　　"The best way of learning any language is by immersion from very young, and for a very difficult language like Chinese, that's especially important," said Professor Hugo De Burgh, Kensington Wade's chairman and founder, who named the school after Sir Thomas Wade, who wrote the first Chinese-English textbook in the 1860s.