My high school English teacher used to tell us stuff like, “Learning a foreign language can change you forever.” Despite being an obvious attempt to make. us passionate about her subject, it really is true that learning a new language can change your personality.
Later, I moved from Italy to England. Here, I started speaking and writing 10 times more English than I had ever done before. The more I spoke, the more my teacher’s prophecy was fulfilled. I wasn’t only changing: my Italian-speaking self and my English-speaking self had become two very different individuals.
Blogging is where the signs of this effect first showed. Every time I write something in Italian, my mother tongue, it leads me to profound thoughts. When I reread my old posts, I can imagine myself drinking delicious wine and lips chanting “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables (悲惨世界). Whenever I blog in English, on the other hand, it’s a different story. I feel like my mind is experiencing wild adventures or sliding down rainbows.
This personality divide also started to show in different social situations. At Italian-speaking parties, I’m dressed in the normal black suit so I can mix up with other guests, careful not to make eye contact with strangers. Surprisingly, I don’t have this problem at English-speaking parties. It’s just that I feel more free, more funny whenever I speak English.
Later, I came across an interesting article from the New Republic. Over the past several decades, scientists have studied whether speaking different languages makes us any different. All their findings seem to suggest that — indeed, bilingual or trilingual people’s personalities slightly differ depending on which language they are using.
But it’s not the terms we know (or don’t know) that shape our personalities. Maybe we can have the whole Oxford Dictionary in our brain, but it isn’t until we pour all that into the ear of someone who’s willing to listen, react and respond, that language really has an impact on who we are.
1. What does the underlined word “prophecy” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Impact. | B．Warning. | C．Prediction. | D．Requirement. |
| A．The author feels it easy to access deep thoughts. |
| B．The author feels a sense of wild adventure. |
| C．The author feels trapped in old memories. |
| D．The author feels a wave of profound sadness. |
| A．The method of mastering various languages. |
| B．The weaknesses of multilinguals’ personalities. |
| C．The impact of different languages on personalities. |
| D．Unique habits of bilingual or trilingual people. |
| A．Successful conversations. | B．A wide vocabulary. |
| C．Knowledge of difficult terms. | D．A talent for languages. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the better the effect is. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.
"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language," said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vanghan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. "Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible.(灵活的) " he said, "You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in: a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between 2 and 34. Reading, writing.and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn,the better. "Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world."explained the scientists.
1. The main subject talked about in this passage is ________.| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man's ability of learning a second language |
| C．findings that language learning can help brain power |
| D．language learning and math study |
| A．say language learning is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．show the importance of using muscles when you learn a language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| A．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effects on people's brain |
| D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
| A．researchers on language learning |
| B．people who are good at learning foreign languages |
| C．people who can speak two languages |
| D．active language learners |
【推荐2】Living abroad will make you a different person and it will change you forever in a good way. I lived abroad for more than four years.
Improve your job chances.
Create a memory of a lifetime. Spending time abroad will be an adventure and those memories will last for a lifetime. I know a lot of people that once lived abroad and none of them regrets the time they spent abroad. Yes, there will be difficult times. When you don't understand the people around you, everything is foreign and nothing makes sense.
Everyday tasks seem like a major problem.
Become independent. Living in a foreign country all by yourself will surely make you independent. You are forced to make decisions by yourself as you don't have other choices.
| A．Get away from home. |
| B．Improve your language skills. |
| C．It was and still is the biggest adventure in my life. |
| D．Show yourself, your parents and friends that you can do it. |
| E．Different cultures have different values, traditions and customs. |
| F．But I can tell you from my experience that it is definitely worth it. |
| G．Experiences abroad will give you an advantage over other job-hunters in the job market. |
【推荐3】After finishing my teaching for a school year. I thought that I should go back to Montreal, Quebec, my hometown, for a visit. My main goal was to relax in preparation for the challenges of my retirement in the coming year.
Through my stay in Montreal, I met lots of Chinese who were trying hard to succeed and then led a better life in Canada. Some travelled thousands of miles to get knowledge. When I spoke with some of them about the major barrier they had to face after they arrived in Canada, they all talked about the two official languages of Canada. But I was impressed by their ability to express their ideas while they were changing between English and French.
Almost all of those people said they often felt homesick. They missed their families and friends. Though Montreal had lots of Chinese restaurants, they longed for a home-cooked meal.
I met some tourists who were trying to realize their childhood dreams of experiencing the life in a developed country. When I asked them if Montreal had lived up to their expectations, they hesitated. They said that reality never agreed with fantasies. However, they were glad to have the opportunity to visit Montreal and didn’t regret taking the trip.
Not all the Chinese people I met were happy. I once met a young lady who met with a gentleman through the Internet. However, to her disappointment, he disappeared after he promised to marry her in Montreal.
I was served by another Chinese person who could not deal with the challenges of studying in an English-speaking environment and ended up working in a restaurant with low pay.
Exploring different parts of the world, without any doubt, is a rich experience .However, one should be realistic when it comes to leaving his hometown to start a new life in a foreign country. One should spend time examining the advantages and shortcomings of the adventure before he decides to chase an uncertain dream of achieving success or leading a better life.
1. Why did the author go back to his hometown?| A．To meet his old friends. | B．To study a new language. |
| C．To go on with his teaching. | D．To prepare for his retirement life. |
| A．Food. | B．Languages. | C．Homesickness. | D．Income. |
| A．overseas Chinese are good at communication in Canada |
| B．people often express their regret at the trip to Montreal |
| C．overseas Chinese feel disappointed at their life in Canada |
| D．people should think carefully before chasing their dreams abroad |
| A．Improving Life Skills in Canada | B．Exploring Different Parts of Canada |
| C．Struggling for a Better Life in Canada | D．Going to Canada — Your Ideal Destination |
【推荐1】Each night, small groups of a species called free-tailed bats emerge from their habitat in the Panamanian rain forests to hunt for the prey （猎物）using echolocation.
“When bats are hunting, especially when they're in open areas, they produce two really different call types. They have their ‘search-phase calls’ when they're just scanning the environment. And then they have ‘feeding buzzes’ when they actually detect food, like insects. ” said Jenna Kohles, a graduate student at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany.
Both types of calls are typically too high-pitched for us to hear. Other bats can hear those feeding buzzes and use them as a hint for finding food. But it's always been assumed that the other call, search-phase call, doesn’t include that kind of social information. Kohles and her team wondered if search-phase call might also be social and help bats stick together in the dark.
“This is why we then tested first whether these echolocation calls they produce when they’re scanning the environment contain information about a bat’s identity, like in the form of an individual signature. And then, more importantly, we wanted to test whether bats can actually use this information to tell between different individuals, just using these search-phase echolocation calls.”
The researchers captured wild bats and exposed them to a particular call over and over again until they became bored and stopped reacting. Then the researchers played the same type of call but recorded from a different bat. If the bats reacted, it means that they noticed that the identity of the caller had changed.
And that's exactly what happened, which suggests that some kind of individual signature is encoded （编码）within search-phase call. The results are in the journal Behavioral Ecology.
Many other animals that hunt in groups use vocalizations （发声）to keep connected. But bats already invest most of their vocal resources in echolocation for hunting. So it appears that these bats have figured out how to accomplish both tasks-hunting and cooperation-using a single type of vocalization.
1. How does the free-tailed bats hunt for their prey?| A．Finding the sound of their prey. |
| B．Locating the echoes they produce. |
| C．Producing the sound like a group of insects. |
| D．Using search-phase calls. |
| A．The call sounds low. |
| B．The call acts as a signal of finding food. |
| C．The call is commonly thought to be social. |
| D．The call may contain some kind of bats’ identity. |
| A．The purpose of the experiment. |
| B．The content of the experiment. |
| C．The background of the experiment. |
| D．The steps of the experiment. |
| A．Do you know bats’ calls? |
| B．Why do bats produce two types of calls? |
| C．Let’s explore the usage of vocalization. |
| D．Bat says hi as it hunts. |
【推荐2】To get kids into science for the long term, new findings suggest it’s best to engage them alongside their families. The finding runs counter (背道而驰) to the current framework, in which children attend science-related summer camps and after-school programs apart from their families. That approach may reduce the long-term potential of what they learn.
“Most kids have interest in science,” says lead author Megan Ennes. “For them, it’s about curiosity and wonder, but research shows that as they make their way through middle school, there’s a significant decline. So we want to focus on the finding so that we can build a support system around it.”
In partnership with North Carolina State University, the researchers based their study on a family science program hosted at three museums. Over the course of ten months, families met on weekends for science themed events. Afterward, the participants attended an activity led by professionals in science, technology, engineering or math, allowing families to experience what it’s like to work in those fields.
During an event with a focus on local wildlife, a bird expert helped families capture birds with nets and unite the ones that hadn’t been caught before to monitor their populations. “After the bird banding, one of the parents took it home so they could continue talking about birds at home,” Ennes says. “Our goal isn’t to persuade students to become scientists. But if we can help families see science as something they do for fun together, then we can help ensure they have a lifelong engagement with it.”
“Some of the greatest challenges and opportunities our society is faced with will be solved by teams rather than by individuals,” Ennes says. “Helping families see science as something they do together with a community can help build 21st-century skills needed to be successful in science and society. It also builds a supportive network to allow youth and families to explore new careers and lifelong hobbies related to science.”
1. Why did the researchers carry out the study?| A．Most children show no interest in science. |
| B．Children are curious about many things. |
| C．Students should be encouraged to love their families. |
| D．Middle school students reduce their interest in science. |
| A．Experience the work in science. | B．Host events about science. |
| C．Share the information in science. | D．Visit three museums for free. |
| A．To get students into science for the long term. | B．To monitor the number of some birds. |
| C．To make more students want to be scientists. | D．To encourage students to learn to love wildlife. |
| A．Students will face great challenges and chances. |
| B．It’s hard for students to solve problems by themselves. |
| C．It’s good to let students engage in science with families. |
| D．The community is good for science development. |
【推荐3】A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those who want a good night’s sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off—if it is milked from a cow at night.
Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety.
The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder that made from cows which are milked both during the day and at night.
Those who are given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those who are fed with the milk which is collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.
Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.
While the effect of cow milk which is harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who are struggling to fall asleep at night.
Previous studies have also indicated that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.
Milk is also sugar-free and additive-free(不含添加剂) with nutritionists recommending skimmed milk as the best choice before bed because it is the least fattening. The more fat you take in before bedtime, the greater burden you will put on your body at night.
1. According to the text,the mice that were fed with daytime milk ________.| A．started sleep more easily | B．woke up later |
| C．were less active | D．were more anxious |
| A．It’s been tested on mice for ten times. | B．It’s used in sleeping drugs. |
| C．It exists in milk in great amount. | D．It can make people more energetic. |
| A．Because it contains calcium. | B．Because it is the least fattening. |
| C．Because it contains sugar. | D．Because it is full of fat. |
| A．Milk Drinking and Health | B．Fat, Sugar and Health |
| C．An Experiment on Mice | D．Night Milk and Sleep |
【推荐1】What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient’s face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion (蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad’s face as he unwrapped those black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame (框架), I knew I had given the perfect gift.
1. The author’s inspiration for the gift came from ______.| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．an article about Christmas |
| A．the father | B．the author |
| C．Edgar Allan Poe | D．William Blake |
| A．searching for the poems online | B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colors | D．matching the words with pictures |
| A．Because it was more expensive. | B．Because it was a surprise to her father. |
| C．Because it was a homemade gift. | D．Because it was treasured by her father. |
| A．To show how to design images for gifts. | B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart. |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts. | D．To describe the gifts the author has received. |
【推荐2】Jason Ahn’s favorite parts of Marvel’s (漫威) Iron Man movies are scenes showing inventions being developed. Many of these scenes are similar to the experiences he went through himself before winning national recognition for an innovative classroom whiteboard design.
For Ahn, 17, a rising senior at Ames High School in Iowa in the US, there was a good month’s worth of nights staying up until 4 am — before going to school the next day — during which he first gained the idea for an auto rolling and erasing whiteboard, or ARE Board. He then submitted it to the Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention US Nationals.
All that work paid off for Ahn in 2022 when he was among inventors from across the country to win awards at the competition.
In his physics class — and throughout most of his time in school — he noticed his teachers struggle with having to write and erase (擦) the same notes for each of their classes; that was if they could even reach the top of their traditional whiteboards. However, electronic whiteboards are too expensive.
He made a working prototype (原型) of a whiteboard on a motorized (机动的) conveyor belt system that can be scrolled (滚动) up and down. It is more time and space efficient than a traditional whiteboard. He wanted to make something similar to an electronic whiteboard but far cheaper and easy to use.
“I’ve seen my friends kind of joking, ‘Isn’t this kind of a step backward? We’ve evolved all the way to electronic whiteboards’.” Ahn said.
“In some cases, it’s good to keep the traditional aspects and characteristics of some fundamental tools,” because markers and erasers are more tangible (有形的) and accessible to people, he added.
One of the awards he won at the competition provided him with a patent lawyer to help him get a patent application with the fee covered. He’d be willing to sell a patent to a company.
Ahn thinks of things in daily life that might make the world a better place. “I’m making a notebook of all the ideas that I’m thinking of,” he said.
1. What about Marvel’s Iron Man movies interests Ahn the most?| A．Iron Man’s hi-tech suit. | B．The hi-tech fighting scenes. |
| C．The various hi-tech inventions used. | D．The scenes of hi-tech products being made. |
| A．His teachers’ struggles to erase whiteboards. | B．An electronic whiteboard he came across. |
| C．A motorized conveyor belt system he found. | D．His cooperation with other inventors. |
| A．It is smaller and lighter. | B．It is more futuristic. |
| C．It is cheaper and more user-friendly. | D．It is expensive. |
| A．How to Upgrade Your Classroom |
| B．An Inspirational Inventor Creates Motorized Whiteboard |
| C．Teenagers Can Make a Big Difference |
| D．ARE Board — Whiteboard’s Bright Future |
【推荐3】Najib is an Afghan who grew up in Iran. He led a tough life. When he found his children would be in the same situation, his family initially returned to Afghanistan. But with the country filled with conflicts, they decided to leave for Indonesia.
“When we first came here, we were in a bad situation. Its language, culture and even weather were different. We had moved away from friends and family,” says Najib. “I was in a tough position but I acted strong because there were no other choices.”
Refugees (难民) cannot work in Indonesia and there are limited choices for refugee children to attend local schools. Determined to avoid such a fate, a group of refugees in Puncak took action and scraped together (东拼西凑) their resources to set up a school—the Refugee Learning Center (RLC).
“Our only goal and task is to provide basic education, and prepare the refugee children for their future,” says Abdullah Sarwari. “We’re also trying to provide a normal life as much as possible for them.”
The RLC has also started offering Bahasa Indonesia classes to the refugee community. “Between the refugee and the local community, I feel like there’s a language barrier which stops the refugee from having an honest and open interaction with Indonesians,” says Abdullah.
“If you try your best, to learn the language of a particular place or country, it really helps make things easier,” says Najib. He is among those who signed up for classes, although he admits progress has been slow. But life has improved in some ways for him and his family.
Najib says, “The centre is an opportunity for refugee to show that they are not a burden. If they have the opportunity, they can accomplish big and great things like this.”
1. Why did Najib decide to leave for Indonesia?| A．To escape the conflict in Afghanistan. |
| B．To experience Indonesian culture. |
| C．To help refugees in Indonesia. |
| D．To get equal rights to vote. |
| A．To help them learn English. |
| B．To make them stay away from bad luck. |
| C．To provide them with chances to live in Indonesia. |
| D．To make them have access to receiving basic education. |
| A．He is the leader of refugees. |
| B．He founded the RLC himself. |
| C．He studies Indonesian in the RLC. |
| D．He lives a wealthy life in Indonesia. |
| A．The Goal of Founding a School |
| B．A School for Refugees by Refugees |
| C．A Reason for Leaving for Indonesia |
| D．The Benefit of Learning a New Language |
