"Don't pretend to be innocent."

Wow, this NYT article on how the Chinese are trying to improve their English skills before the Olympics is uber hilarious.

Here are some classic quotes:

when I asked my students about their aspirations, the first boy yelled, "When I grow up, I want to be a foreigner!"

On the blackboard, I wrote down the English for fry-cook, road builder and - for a girl who called herself Cher - fashion designer. She pointed at a classmate and said in English and Chinese, "His father is a prisoner!"

The police, 60 percent of whom are supposed to be competent in English in time for the Olympics, study from a book called "Olympic Security English." Dialogues called "Dissuading Foreigners From Excessive Drinking" and "How to Stop Illegal News Coverage" introduce useful phrases like "Don't pretend to be innocent.”

Now those are some classic quotes!