单项选择题
In only two decades Asian Americans
have become the fastestgrowing the U. S. minority. As their children began
moving up through the nation’s schools, it became clear that a new class of
academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the
nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering
departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for
mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact’ that Asian-American
students who began their educations abroad arrived in the U.S. with a solid
grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English. They are also
influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel they will be
judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more
immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree. Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are deter- mined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education. Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the Victims of social isolation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship. |