It seems more and more Americans want schools to teach foreign languages to children younger than five years old. The most popular way to teach these young children another language is called immersion（沉浸式语言教学法）.
Children in immersion programs hear only the new language in the classroom. The children play games, sing songs and talk to one another in the new language. Some experts（专家）say immersion programs are the most effective（有效的）way for young children to learn a language. But there can be a problem when children in the United States begin to learn another language at such an early age. Not many elementary schools continue to teach a foreign language. Only seven of the fifty states require（要求）schools to teach a foreign language to students between the ages of six and twelve. Language experts say it is easier for younger children to learn a language. Still, American schools generally do not begin to teach foreign languages until secondary schools. By then, students are about thirteen years old.
American schools face difficult choices about the cost of educational programs. The government has increased support for foreign language study in its education law called No Child Left Behind.
At the college, the Modern Language Association says more students than ever are studying foreign languages and more languages are being studied now than in the past. Spanish is the most widely（广泛的）taught in American colleges and universities. French, German, Chinese and Italian are also popular.
