“Who’s a good reader? It’s you, isn’t it?” This is a typical example of “parentese (父母语)”. Recent research suggests that parents speaking parentese to their babies can give their language development a serious boost. In the study, researchers found that teaching parents how to speak proper parentese enhanced their ability to communicate with their babies — and even improved the children’s long-term language skills.
Parentese is distinct from conventional baby talk, which mostly relies on silly sounds and made-up words. In the 1960s, scientists studying speech patterns across different languages noticed a unique style that adults used addressing young children. This language was characterized by simple words and grammar, high pitch (音调) and a much slower speed. The baby-directed speech was first named “motherese” before it was called “parentese”.
Later research showed parentese is grammatically correct, with real words and phrases, which helped babies differentiate between words and process what was being said. “We’ve known for some time that use of parentese is associated with improved language outcomes, but we didn’t know why,” says Patricia K. Kuhl, the study’s senior author. But Kuhl thinks the new research suggests why parentese helps babies learn language skills.
“We now think parentese works because it's a social attraction for the baby brain,” she says. “Its high pitch and slower speed are socially engaging and invite the baby to respond.”
All 71 families in the new study had their children equipped with a special coat with an audio recorder built in. During four separate weekends when the babies were 6, 10, 14 and 18 months old, the researchers recorded all of the interactions between family members and the babies. The 48 families who were randomly selected for a course in parentese learned about ways to include more parentese in conversation.
And even though all of the participating families used some form of parentese at the start of the study, the babies of parents who received coaching showed the most improvements in their conversation skills. Beyond that, those babies had a 100-word vocabulary compared with the control group, who only knew 60 words at 18 months.
1. Which aspect of the study does paragraph 1 focus on?| A．Its aim. | B．Its result. | C．Its procedure. | D．Its participants. |
| A．It was easy to follow. | B．It was unique to mothers. |
| C．It was full of made-up words. | D．It was similar to traditional baby talk. |
| A．It teaches babies more social skills. | B．It inspires babies to speak more. |
| C．It has short-term effects on babies. | D．It helps babies differentiate words and phrases. |
| A．The parents knew more parentese skills. |
| B．Their babies grasped 60 words at 18 months. |
| C．The parents failed to use parentese through the study. |
| D．Their babies received more coaching on a 100-word vocabulary. |
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King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted “kings don’t give up the throne(王位）, they die in their sleep.” But embarrassing scandals and the popularity of the republican left in the recent Euro-elections have forced him to eat his words and stand down. So does the Spanish crisis suggest that monarchy(君主制) is seeing its last days? Does that mean the writing is on the wall for all European royals, with their magnificent uniforms and majestic lifestyles?
The Spanish case provides arguments both for and against monarchy. When public opinion is particularly polarized, as it was following the end of the Franco regime, monarchs can rise above mere politics and symbolize a spirit of national unity.
It is this apparent transcendence（超越） of politics that explains monarchs continuing popularity as heads of state. And so, the Middle East excepted, Europe is the most monarch- filled region in the world, with 10 kingdoms (not counting Vatican City and Andorra). Most royal families have survived because they allow voters to avoid the difficult search for a non-controversial but respected public figure.
Even so, kings and queens undoubtedly have a downside. Symbolic of national unity as they claim to be, their very history and sometimes the way they behave today symbolizes outdated and indefensible privileges and inequalities. At a time when Thomas Piketty and other economists are warning of rising inequality and the increasing power of inherited wealth, it is strange that wealthy noble families should still be the symbolic heart of modern democratic（民主的）states.
The most successful monarchies try their best to abandon or hide their old noble ways. Princes and princesses have day-jobs and ride bicycles, not horses (or helicopters). Even so, these are wealthy families who party with the international 1%, and media interference makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the right image.
1. According to the first two paragraphs, King Juan Carlos of Spain| A．used to enjoy high public support |
| B．was unpopular among European royals |
| C．eased his relationship with his rivals |
| D．gave up his throne in embarrassment |
| A．owing to their undoubted and respectable status |
| B．to achieve a balance between tradition and reality |
| C．to give voters more public figures to look up to |
| D．due to their everlasting political symbolizing |
| A．The noble families’ excessive dependence on inherited wealth |
| B．The role of the nobility in modern democracies |
| C．The simple lifestyle of the noble families |
| D．The nobility’s sticking to their privileges |
| A．Carlos, a good example of All European Monarchs |
| B．Europe, the most monarch-filled region in the world |
| C．Carlos, a Lesson for All European Monarchs |
| D．Europe, symbolic heart of modern democracy. |
BackRub was the name two graduate students gave to the new search engine they developed in 1996. They called it BackRub because the engine used backlinks to measure the popularity of Web sites. Later, they wanted a better name — a name that suggests huge quantities of data. They thought of the word googol. (A googol is a number followed by 100 zeros.) When they checked the Internet registry of names to see if googol was already taken, one of the students misspelled the word by mistake, and that’s how Google was born.
Google is just one example of a name change in the business world. Many other companies have decided to change their names or the names of their products. Here are some more examples:
Jerry Yang and David Filo, two young computer specialists, developed a guide to Internet content in 1994. They called it “Jerry and David’s Guide to World Wide Web.” But they soon realized that this wasn’t a very catchy name, so they searched through a dictionary and found a better one: “Yahoo.”
Sometimes companies change their names because of the popularity of one of their products. In 1962, a young runner named Phil Knight started a company called Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, Knight decided to design and manufacture his own brand of shoes. He named the shoes after the Greek goddess of victory — Nike. Nike shoes became so well known that Knight changed the name of the whole company to Nike.
1. According to the text, Google .
| A．has been famous since 1996 |
| B．is a result of a spelling mistake |
| C．means a number followed by 100 zeros |
| D．is the original name of the search engine |
| A．had been registered | B．had been forgotten |
| C．was not attractive | D．was too short |
| A．its founders | B．its customers |
| C．its popular products | D．its advanced techniques |
| A．The name changes | B．The history of Google |
| C．How to choose a name? | D．Why are names important? |
King’s Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to ‘learn from the masters’ or get more creative with paint–free of charge.
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
The Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called ‘Hissing Sid’ is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron’s Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron’s time as a student of Cambridge University. Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of “mess and drunkenness”. However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I’m not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his rooms. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron’s Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don’t trust me, then perhaps you’ll take it from Virginia Woolf, a famous writer,—over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool.
1. The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A．interesting stories of Lord Byron |
| B．an approach to becoming creative in art |
| C．the colorful life in the countryside |
| D．some places for weekend break |
| A．Byron’s Pool | B．the Botanic Garden |
| C．King’s Art Centre | D．Cambridgeshire |
| A．there is a small charge for attending the masters’ class |
| B．Byron liked swimming naked in the lake |
| C．Byron seemed to like keeping pet bears |
| D．Hissing Sid and Flytrap are impressive animals |
| A．she was a famous writer |
| B．she was keen on swimming |
| C．she was Byron’s admirer |
| D．Byron’s Pool is a pleasant place |
【推荐1】American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, there are some important differences between British English and American English.
First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say each word separately. They say several words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of “I don’t know.” Or they may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?” However, the British are more careful in their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.
Also, some letters have different sounds. For example, the Americans say the “a” in half like the “a” in cat. But the British say the “a” in half like the “o” in soft. Sound is not only the difference between British English and American English. Words sometimes have different meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.
Many expressions are also different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone your friends, you “phone them up”. In America, you “give them a call”. When you are saying goodbye in England you might say “Cheerio!”In America you might say “See you later.”
There’re also some differences in grammar. For example, Americans usually use the helping verb “do” when they ask a question. They say “Do you have a storybook?” But the British often leave out the helping verb. They say “Have you a storybook?”
All these differences can be confusing if you are learning English. But most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what has happened to English. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French but their French is very different from the French of France.
1. What does the author think of the differences between American and British English?| A．American and British English are the same languages. |
| B．American and British English are quite different. |
| C．Although American English came from the British English, there are still some important differences. |
| D．There are slight differences between American and British English. |
| A．Together. | B．One by one. |
| C．In common. | D．In different ways. |
| A．The words of American and British English are the same. |
| B．The spelling of American and British English are the same. |
| C．Although they don’t sound the same, the words are the same. |
| D．Some British English words are not used in American English. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Geography plays an important role in the changing. |
| B．Different people have different living habits. |
| C．Different people have different jobs. |
| D．The income of the native English speakers is different. |
【推荐2】Two languages worldwide are lost every week. Cherokee is a highly endangered Native American language. Currently, there are fewer than 2,000 speakers of the language remaining in the world, and the number is declining every year. Keeping a language alive can strengthen people’s sense of identity and most importantly, lead to the preservation of a whole culture. The creation of an album of original songs performed in the Cherokee language is one of the most original methods.
Cherokee and non-Cherokee music artists decided to create a music album in the Cherokee language. This is part of a project to preserve this ancient, fading language. The album features a dozen Cherokee artists and includes a real variety of genres (类型) ranging from folk, country, and heavy metal to hip hop.
There are different ways to keep a language alive, and the album intends to bring a modern approach to the revitalization (复兴) of the Cherokee language. One promising strategy is to introduce it to young people, and what better route than to use the language of contemporary music to achieve such a meaningful goal.
“Wherever our kids are, our language needs to be there, too,” the executive director of the Cherokee Nation Language Department, Howard Paden, explained. “Our belief is very simple. The Cherokee language is so powerful that people can enjoy using it very easily and are unable to stop using it. If we can get the language around to people and make the language enter their hearts at a very young age, then they will always be connected with who we are as a people.”
Multilingualism (多语种主义) is very powerful since it provides a different way of understanding and perceiving the world. This can result in technological and scientific advancement for humankind. So preserving endangered languages like Cherokee is not only about helping specific communities affected but also about recognizing and celebrating diversity as one of humankind’s greatest strengths.
1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To describe the features of the Cherokee language. |
| B．To stress the importance of learning different languages. |
| C．To explain why artists make the Cherokee music album. |
| D．To introduce the development of the Cherokee language. |
| A．Diverse. | B．Beautiful. | C．Mysterious. | D．Popular. |
| A．The Cherokee language is very addictive. |
| B．Young people should love music in their hearts. |
| C．The Cherokee language is difficult for people to learn. |
| D．Young people should learn how to connect with others. |
| A．Multilingualism is powerful for humankind |
| B．The Native American language faces a great crisis |
| C．Preserving endangered languages needs great efforts |
| D．An artistic approach to preserving a language is on track |
【推荐3】In scientific literature, baby talk is called “parentese” and is a unique way of communicating with babies. Classic baby talk will include speaking at a higher pitch, with exaggerated (夸张的) intonation, simplified vocabulary, and repetitive phrases. It has a melodic quality, coupled with exaggerated facial expressions. Adults also tend to speak more slowly and emphasize key words or phrases when engaging in baby talk. What’s the point of using such a ridiculous style of talking with babies? Why not just talk to a baby with normal speech, like we’d talk to another adult?
Primarily, we use baby talk to capture the baby’s attention. The exaggerated vocalizations and facial expressions serve to engage the child’s focus by being distinct from all the other noise and visual stimuli around the baby. Remember, the brain of a newborn baby is still developing and needs different cues to engage and learn something.
Baby talk also helps to establish an emotional connection between the adult and the baby. The melodic and nurturing tone conveys affection, love, and care. As a result, in a way, it reassures the child by giving them a sense of security.
Interestingly, there was a study where researchers tested 2,329 babies from 16 countries on their preference for this high-pitched, animated vocalization... babies love it when adults engage in baby talk. The study also revealed that babies from almost all cultures have an inherent love for baby talk.
Newborns can’t speak, but they come ready to learn. Evidence suggests that human brains are primed to absorb and process linguistic input. The melodic patterns and simplified language of baby talk help infants differentiate speech sounds and identify keywords, facilitating more efficient language development.
However, it’s important to strike a balance between baby talk and normal adult conversation as babies grow older and their language skills develop. As children become more proficient in understanding and producing language, adults should adapt and advance their communication style accordingly.
1. Which of the following is the characteristic of baby talk?| A．Vivid expressions. | B．Rich information. |
| C．Complex grammar. | D．Large vocabulary. |
| A．To entertain adults. | B．To form emotional bond. |
| C．To learn more about babies. | D．To help babies understand the adult world. |
| A．Describing a phenomenon. | B．Offering advice. |
| C．Analyzing causes. | D．Interpreting facts. |
| A．What is baby talk? | B．Why can’t adults talk like babies? |
| C．How do babies talk with adults? | D．Why can’t adults talk normally to babies? |
