The opportunity to study abroad should be something that sounds very exciting. For most students, going abroad is a life-changing experience. There are benefits for the host country as well. Not only do foreign students spend money on tuition, housing, fo

The opportunity to study abroad should be something that sounds very exciting. For most students, going abroad is a life-changing experience. There are benefits for the host country as well. Not only do foreign students spend money on tuition, housing, food and clothing, but they also often take home positive impressions of their stay and the people they met.

But Japan, which hosts over 100,000 foreign students a year, is having trouble making the most of its foreign students. “I’ve been here for three years,” says a 26-year-old Chinese student in Osaka. “I don’t have any Japanese friends, I’ve never been invited to a Japanese home, and I’ve never felt very welcome here.”

That’s hardly the kind of impression that the Japanese government wants foreign students taking home to their families and classmates, but it seems to be a widespread sentiment(情感). One newspaper complained that, “If foreign students tell everyone how they hate this country when they go home, we should ask for what purpose we are hosting them to begin with.”

Many of the students arrive with hopes to learn Japanese and stay on for a few years working for a Japanese company. However, that doesn’t always work out. Many foreign students graduate from a Japanese university only to discover that “Japanese companies don’t hire foreigners because they think they cannot trust non-Japanese people,” says one job-seeker from the Philippines.

This is a problem for universities. With the Japanese birth rate one of the lowest in the world, Japanese schools are turning to foreign students to fill their classrooms.

The government has actively tried to increase the number of foreign students, up from fewer than 10,000 only 20 years ago. But, as one student in Tokyo says, “Japan’s policy is one of persuading people to come and then dissuading them from staying.”

1). According to the author, studying abroad ________.

A. does good to most foreign students and the host country

B. ensures a chance to get promoted

C. has a great effect on most foreign students

D. both A and C

2). How is life in Japan in the eyes of most foreign students?

A. Helpful and meaningful.

B. Busy yet attractive.

C. Boring and disappointing.

D. Tiring yet rewarding.

3). The word “dissuading” in the last paragraph probably means ________ .

A. discouraging

B. encouraging

C. advising

D. informing

4). Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Japan is one of the countries with the lowest birth rate worldwide.

B. The present situation in Japan lies in the slow action by the government.

C. It is almost impossible for foreign graduates to work in Japanese companies.

D. learning Japanese and having work experience are the hopes of many arrivals.

5). A suitable title for this passage might be ________.

A. Poor Reception in Japan

B. Japanese Foreign Policies

C. Japanese Shifting Population

D. Successful Careers in Japan