在美国,高校外语教学一直不受重视。《外语学习标准:为21世纪做准备》发表后,美国中学外语教学改革卓有成效。受此影响,高校外语教育呈现出新的发展趋势。这些发展趋势预示着21世纪将是美国高等院校外语教育发展史上的一个里程碑。 In the United States, foreign language teaching in colleges and universities has been neglected. After the publication of “Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century,” foreign language teaching reform in the U.S. high schools has been fruitful. Affected by this, foreign language education in colleges and universities presents a new trend of development. These trends indicate that the 21st century will be a milestone in the history of foreign language education in American institutions of higher learning.