【推荐1】For the past few months, my three-year-old daughter has spent an hour every week learning a foreign language. She walks into a small room in a local school, where she and a handful of three and four-year-old spend the next hour dancing to ^“La Vaca Lola”, a song about a Spanish cow, creating finger puppets(木偶) to voice what they like and don’t like (me gusta, no me gusta) and shouting out which animals are big (grande) or small (pequeno).

She tells us little about the classes. In fact, for the first few weeks, nothing at all. I begin to wonder if it was a huge mistake (each lesson works out at about £9) but then I show her “La Vaca Lola” on YouTube. She shouts vaca with enthusiasm and with what I hope is a Spanish accent.

The wish to enroll(使……加入) her in language lessons came, like most things, gradually and then in a sudden rush. In my day job, I read and edit stories about the Chinese economy. For a long time, I felt that it would be good for her to learn another language but I had no great plan as to when.

Then I read Edward Luce’s The Retreat of Western Liberalism and all my thoughts and worry about the economy combined into a panic. Waking in a sweat, it seemed obvious that if my daughter was to have any kind of future, she would have to learn another language. Ideally (理想地) immediately.

I thought about Mandarin Chinese, one of the top 10 languages most important for our future, according to the British Council (others include Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Dutch and Japanese). But there were no classes for young children nearby. There were, however, local Spanish classes—the number-one language on the list. When she started to sing “Incy Wincy Spider” in Spanish and English—helped by a Spanish nursery worker-our decision was made.

1. What can we learn about the author’s daughter from the first paragraph?

A．She uses finger puppets to make her voice heard.

B．She is the oldest student in her Spanish class.

C．She learns Spanish by dancing to songs.

D．She has learnt Spanish for one month.

2. How did the author feel about her daughter’s class at first?

A．Proud.

B．Surprised.

C．Delighted

D．Doubtful.

3. Why did the author ask her daughter to learn a foreign language?

A．To prepare her for the coming school education.

B．To equip her for her future.

C．To encourage her to have belief in herself.

D．To develop her interest in singing.

4. What made the author decide to enroll her daughter in Spanish lessons?

A．Her performance.	B．Her great interest.
C．The nursery worker’s suggestion.	D．The fast-growing economy.

【推荐2】Growing up in Venezuela, there was never really much cause to learn English. For five years, I spent two hours a week completely involved in understanding "to be", numbers, colors, and the differences between saving “good evening” and “good night”. I would always get top marks. Yes, that used to be me, walking like a queen among everyday, Spanish speakers. “Bring it on, life.” I said. “I can deal with whatever you've got.”

But when I moved to Canada, life hit me so hard that it knocked me down. Years later, I am still recovering. Living in a new land, with different people, new rules, new weather, a new culture and language, 1 was no longer a queen. Did I speak English? No, not at all. So, I went back to school, thinking that it was a challenge I would conquer in record time. But English was more like a wall in my path. Even after getting a job, it took all my courage to stop myself from crying, completely at a loss and scared. Learning English, speaking, listening—it hurt me. Not the language. Not the unkind people. It hurt because I wasn't good, despite my efforts.

Now, after almost seven years in Canada, I've decided not to say sorry for my accent. grammar mistakes, or pronunciation. I'm going to run after my dreams and enjoy a beautiful, rich and fascinating language. Don't get me wrong. My brain still screams “Give me a break!" from time to time, but that's completely natural. I know it's going to take a while, but at least now I accept the person I am— not the perfect person I thought I was.

1. What can we learn about leaning English in Venezuela from the passage?

A．Everyone put much lime in it.	B．It didn't need much effort.
C．Its standard was very high.	D．It brought advantages to students.

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph I show about the author?

A．She was proud of her level of foreign languages.	B．She fell confident enough lo face any challenge.
C．She was brave in competitions.	D．She looked down on others.

3. What happened right after the author moved to Canada?

A．She found her feet in the new environment quickly.	B．She regretted not working hard in English.
C．She quickly put her language talent to use.	D．She expected to improve her English easily.

4. We can infer from the last paragraph that the author            .

A．has a practical understanding of herself	B．can now speak English quite beautifully
C．has conquered English finally	D．is worried about her English

【推荐3】As a leading Chinese language school and a cultural exchange institute in China, Global Exchange Education Center has been providing Mandarin (or Putonghua) language courses and cultural exchange programs for over a decade.
How to apply for our programs
■In order to apply for all of our programs, you must be
at least 18 years old.
in good health,
a senior high school graduate.
■Application Procedure for Chinese Language Programs
Step 1. Send us a completed application form by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $ 60 application fee after receiving our email confirmation.
Step 3. Arrange the payment transfer.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
■Application Procedure for Chinese Business Internship (实习）Program
Step 1. Send us a completed application form with your CV and personal statement for the program by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $ 310, including $60 application fee and $ 250 internship placement deposit, after receiving our letter of acceptance for the program.
Step 3. Arrange final payment transfer after receiving our second confirmation.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
■Personal Statement for applicants for Chinese Business Internship Program
You should state why you want to take this program and what your expectations of the program are. How you will make use of this program in your future career.
■ APPLICATION DEADLINES
The applications for most programs are reviewed on a rolling basis. You are encouraged to submit your application ahead of the application deadlines.
■Confirmation
Having received your application, Global Exchange Education Center usually sends out an email confirmation for the booking within 2-5 working days.
1. The text is probably written for ______.

A．junior high graduates	B．international students
C．job seekers	D．language trainers

2. If you apply for both of the programs, the total application fees will be ______.

A．$120

B．$310

C．$250

D．$ 370

3. Which of the following is not necessarily included in applicants’ personal statement?

A．Their purposes of taking the program.

B．Their expectations of the program.

C．Their future practice of the program.

D．Their feedbacks on the program.

【推荐2】Across the world, language and history are connected. As society and tradition change, new words or phrases are created to show the present cultural understanding. Some old phrases and words simply turn into the accepted usages with their backgrounds forgotten.

One such phrase “grandfathered in” has become a common one now. Although it often makes people think of the image of a gray-haired, older gentleman, who gets out of trouble because of his age, it actually means that one person or a business has the right to refuse the new rules.

A deeper look into the first use of the phrase shows an interesting story in history. It happened in a town in the 1980s, a new law was passed there not to allow illiterates(文盲)to participate in the making of rules as they couldn’t read or write and might not help in the process. The limit was potent because except for the old and children, there were close to 30 percent of young adults in the town who had little or no education. Being strong and energetic, they made up an important part of the town’s development.

Considering that, some officers in the town didn’t readily accept the rule. Instead, they carefully gave their advice to the head of the town. At the same time, they encouraged these young adults to pass the literacy(读写能力)tests. Thus a “grandfather clause(条款)” was added to allow illiterates to participate as long as they or their grandfathers had once been participants. The clause no doubt helped remove the unfairness and benefited all.

The phrase “grandfathered in” is of course still widely used today without being limited to a certain field. But even as culture and tradition change, whether we’re aware of it or not, language has the power to hold our history.

1. According to Paragraph 1, what has happened to some old phrase with time going?

A．They have got lost in history.

B．Few people can use them correctly.

C．They are rarely used in popular culture.

D．Few people know much about their history.

2. The phrase “grandfathered in” is used nowadays when ______.

A．an old man dislikes new rules

B．a person is free from new rules

C．a business has a long history and culture

D．a businessman fails to follow the market rules

3. What does the underlined word “potent” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．annoying.

B．powerful.

C．depressing.

D．reasonable.

4. What does the author think of the “grandfather clause” in the history?

A．Funny.

B．Incorrect.

C．Positive.

D．Disappointing.

5. What does the author intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Language and history are always connected.

B．The birth of some phrases can be interesting.

C．History plays an important role in communication.

D．Some phrases are created to show the present culture.

【推荐3】There are many non-verbal cues(信号)that have completely different meanings in different cultures. One of the most important means of non-verbal communication is eye contact. Eye contact, which simply means one person looking directly at another person's eyes, seems to have strong implications(含意)in almost every culture, although these implications change vastly across the globe!

What does eye contact mean in the United States? Here, if you have good eye contact with a person, it generally shows that you are interested in the person you are looking at and in what that person is saying. If you look down or away from a person rather than meeting his or her gaze(凝视)，you are considered to be impatient or uninterested in him or her. Also, if you avoid making eye contact with a person, you may be thought to lack self-confidence.

However, eye contact is much less common and considered less appropriate in many other cultures than it is considered in the United States.

In Japan, eye contact equals aggression. If you look someone in the eye, they look away. Direct eye contact is considered rude or aggressive. It's all right to make brief eye contact, but during most time of the conversation you should look somewhere else.

As you can see, it is vital to know what eye contact communicates before you visit a new place.   Before traveling, you could go to your local public library or a bookstore and look through a book about the culture of the country you plan to visit. Learn how to use eye contact and other body language wisely so that you are considered polite, and so that you can better connect with people in a culture that is foreign to you!

1. What is stressed in the first paragraph?

A．The variety of body language.

B．The development of globalization.

C．The importance of non-verbal communication.

D．The existence of cultural differences.

2. What does good eye contact mean in America?

A．Reaching an agreement.	B．Improving self-confidence.
C．Continuing the conversation.	D．Stopping talking aimlessly.

3. What does the author suggest people do before visiting a foreign country?

A．Bring some books.	B．Make detailed plans.
C．Know the local culture.	D．Learn a new language.