【正确答案】Chinese is a language used by people of all the nationalities in China and is one of the official and working languages in the United Nations. It is also among the world's most highly developed languages with the longest history, a recorded history of at least 6,000 years. Whether in the past or at present, the Chinese language has had great influence both at home and abroad and occupied a prominent status. The current worldwide interest in learning Chinese is attributable to the long history of the Chinese nation, its glorious and magnificent culture and its tremendous contribution to human progress. More importantly, as China's overall national strength has grown in the course of reform and opening-up over the last three decades, more and more countries, international organizations and people come into contact with China and take interest in Chinese culture. For them, learning the Chinese language has become the only road to a profound understanding of China. No language is separable from the economic and cultural environment where it is used. The language of a nation which is well developed in economy and culture plays a very important role. In the past 20 years, China's average GDP has increased by 9.7 percent annually, and in the years to come, its economy will continue to grow. An upsurge of enthusiasm in learning Chinese indicates that the world is placing greater and greater expectations on the future development of China. It may well be predicted that with the further development of China's economy and the rise of its international status, an ever-increasing number of people around the world will take to studying the Chinese language and culture.