A、They might get a good position in their nation’s armed forces. B、They get to know different people from different backgrounds.

West Point is a college for future Army officers. It has more than four thousand students, called cadets. The school is located about 80 kilometers north of New York City. (29)West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. General George Washington built a fort there during the Revolutionary War to protect the Hudson River from the British. He moved his headquarters to West Point in 1779 in the middle of the war. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation to establish the military academy. The education centered on civil engineering. (30)West Point graduates designed many roads, bridges, harbors and railways for the young nation. Today, math and science are still a large part of the education. But cadets can choose from almost 50 areas of study. If cadets major in the humanities, they must have an engineering minor.
    Not all the young men and women at West Point are American. This year, 58 are from other countries. Up to 60 cadets can be international students. (31)International students are nominated by their governments. They must satisfy physical and educational requirements and do well on the Test of English as a Foreign Language. After graduation, they return home to serve in their nation’ s armed forces. Other services besides the Army also accept foreign students at their academies. Major Joe Sowers, a West Point public affairs officer, says information is available through American embassies. He says the presence of international students at West Point serves a purpose for the Army. (32)But he thinks that the big payoff is at the individual cadet level, establishing relationships with those who come from much, much different backgrounds.
29. Q: What is the original function of West Point?
30. Q: What was the contribution of the early West Point graduates to America?
31. Q: What kind of international students might be accepted by West Point today?
32. Q: According to Major Joe Sowers, what benefit would the international students get from the study in West Point?