【推荐1】Over the past half-century, scientists have settled on two reasonable theories related to baby talk. One states that a young child’s brain needs time to master language. The second theory states that a child’s vocabulary level is the key factor. According to this theory, some key steps have to occur in a logical sequence before sentence formation occurs.

In 2007, researchers at Harvard University, who were studying the two theories, found a clever way to test them. More than 20,000 internationally adopted children enter the U.S. each year. Many of them no longer hear their birth language after they arrive, and they must learn English more or less the same way infants(婴儿) do. International adoptees don’t take classes or use a dictionary when they are learning their new tongue. All of these factors make them an ideal population in which researchers could test these competing theories about how language is learned.

Neuroscientists Jesse Snedeker, Joy Geren and Carissa Shafto studied the language development of 27 children adopted from India between the ages of two and five years. These children began learning English at an older age than US natives and had more mature brains. Even so, just as American-born infants, their first English sentences consisted of single words. The adoptees then went through the same stages as typical American-born children, though at a faster clip. The adoptees and native children started combining words in sentences when their vocabulary reached the same sizes, further suggesting that what matters is not how old you are or how mature your brain is, but the number of words you know.

This finding—that having more mature brains did not help the adoptees avoid the baby talk stage—suggests that babies speak in baby talk not because they have baby brains, but because they have only just started learning and need time to gain enough vocabulary. Before long, the one-word stage will give way to the two-word stage and so on. Learning how to chat like an adult is a gradual process.

But this finding also raises an even older and more difficult question. Adult immigrants who learn a second language rarely achieve the same proficiency in a foreign language as the average child raised as a native speaker. Researchers have long suspected there is a “critical period” for language development, after which it cannot proceed with full success to fluency. Yet we still do not understand this critical period or know why it ends.

1. What is the writer’s main purpose in Paragraph 2?

A．To argue that culture affects the way children learn a language.

B．To give reasons why adopted children were used in the study.

C．To reject the view that adopted children need two languages.

D．To justify a particular approach to language learning.

2. What does the Harvard finding show?

A．Language learning takes place in ordered steps.

B．Some children need more conversation than others.

C．Children with more mature brains skip baby talk stage.

D．Vocabulary makes little difference to sentence formation.

3. When the writer says “critical period”, he means a period when_______.

A．children start to learn a second language

B．immigrants want to learn another language

C．adults need to be taught by native speakers

D．language learners may achieve native-like fluency

4. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．What is baby talk.

B．Why babies learn a second language easily.

C．What affects children’s language development.

D．How children expand their vocabulary gradually.

【推荐2】A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms (习语), though my teacher stressed the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished.

Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his words: “You don’t say!”. I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?”

“Well, I didn’t request you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “‘You don’t say!’ actually means ‘Really!’. It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.”

Only then did I realize I had made a fool of mysell. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: What the English teachers said is always right to us students.

1. A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because________.

A．English idioms were not important

B．my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them

C．I had no interest in them

D．I didn’t realize the importance of English idioms

2. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.

B．The Englishman thought the Great Wall is worth visiting.

C．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.

D．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.

3. At first, on hearing “You don’t say!” I thought the foreigner meant ________.

A．he was only interested in the Great Wall

B．he was not interested in the topic

C．I had talked too much

D．I had to stop talking

4. After the Englishman explained the idiom, ________.

A．I felt very foolish

B．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool

C．the Englishman became a real fool

D．I became more carefully in everything

【推荐3】If you plan to learn a foreign language, you might think it’s going to be really challenging. You’ve probably heard a lot of talks about how it’s easier to learn languages as a young child, and that learning as an adult can be difficult. You might even know friends or family members who have tried to learn a foreign tongue and failed. That’s because they are surrounded by the failure. We’re here to cheer you up with some good news and inspire you to get started.

The amazing adult brain: whether you can learn languages at any age? Scientists are always learning about the human brain. Decades ago, experts believed that the brain developed during childhood and then kept that way for life. However, modern studies have shown us that the brain has the ability to continually form new neural (神经的) connections throughout adulthood. A 2010 Swedish study tested two groups of people, one in the range of age 21 through 30 and another between 65 and 80. Remarkably, they found no significant differences in neuroplasticity (神经可塑性). In other words, this suggests that it’s possible for you to learn new things at any age.

Besides being possible to learn languages: research also suggests that it improves the adult brain in general. In a 2012 Chinese study, experts looked at a group of adults who were learning Mandarin over a nine-month period. They found that these adults showed improved integrity in their white matter, the part of the brain that allows neural cells to communicate. The better your neural cells communicate, the easier it will be for you to learn new things.

Why may adults have an easier time learning? Children might be blessed with a naturally high degree of neuroplasticity, but that doesn’t mean learning is necessarily easier for them. In fact, adult brains have a number of great qualities that might actually make learning easier, especially if you take advantage of free language learning apps like Mondly.

1. Why do some adults fail in the language learning?

A．Because they have bad memories.

B．Because they have no plans for language learning.

C．Because language learning is too difficult for adults to learn.

D．Because maybe they are influenced by some adults who have failed.

2. What can we learn from the text?

A．Children can learn a language more easily.

B．Adults can learn a language even at old age.

C．The learning apps like Mondly are good for children.

D．Adults can learn a language more easily after learning Chinese.

3. What will the text refer to next?

A．How to learn a new language for adults.

B．How to use the app Mondly.

C．How to improve neuroplasticity.

D．How to tell the kids to learn a language.

【推荐2】If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare,” “Samuel Johnson,” and “Webster,” but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English-William the Conqueror.
Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon (or Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.
But this state of affairs did not last. In l066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of Eng-land while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of Politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction (区别) between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more "foreign" than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man's ambition.
1. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before l066 were       

A．Welsh and Scottish	B．Nordic and Germanic
C．Celtic and Old English.	D．Anglo-Saxon and Germanic

2. Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?

A．president, Lawyer, beef	B．president, bread, water
C．bread, field, sheep	D．folk, field, cow

3. Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?

A．Most advertisements in France appear in English.

B．They know little of the history of the English language.

C．Many French words are similar to English ones.

D．They know French better than German.

4. What is the subject discussed in the text?

A．The history of Great Britain.

B．The similarity between English and French.

C．The rule of England by William the Conqueror.

D．The French influences on the English language.

【推荐2】I have well travelled in Spain and visited a good number of Spanish cities. However, no city will ever quite match Cadiz, where I spent six months studying as a student.

Before that, I knew very little about Cadiz but I decided to take a risk and explore it. Well, the risk certainly paid off.

Cadiz, Europe’s oldest city, hangs off Spain’s southern coast on a peninsula (半岛), surrounded almost entirely by water. As you leave the shady streets of the historical old city and explore more of it, you are met with vast areas of the blue Atlantic Ocean and white sandy beaches, which in my opinion are some of the best in Spain!

One of the great things about Cadiz is the wonderful, rich culture of food and drink. There are little tapas (小吃) bars lining every street and most will serve tapas for around 1.50~2 euros, meaning you can try a whole variety of Andalusian dishes.

Cadiz has also come to be known as “The Singing City”. It comes from the annual carnival (狂欢节), one of the biggest in Europe. A very large number of people go to Cadiz to see it. During those ten days, Cadiz’s narrow streets are filed with the sound of singing as musical groups fight for a place in the contest, which takes place on the last Saturday of carnival. The songs perfectly show the sense of humor of the Gaditanos, who, besides being so warm and welcoming, are said to have the best sense of humor in Spain!

That is my experience of Cadiz: a wonderful, typically Andalusian city which is often overlooked but well worth a visit. I can currently living in Huelva, just a short drive from Cadiz, so please pay attention to my next sharing!

1. What dose the word “that” underlined in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Studying in Cadiz.	B．Competing in a match.
C．Teaching a student.	D．Becoming an explorer.

2. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The unknown origin and long history of Cadiz.	B．The beautiful life of people living to Cadiz.
C．The geographic position and scenery of Cadiz.	D．The author’s complex attitude towards Cadiz.

3. Why is Cadiz called “The Singing City”?

A．A number of local people enjoy humorous songs.

B．Singing is everywhere during a big annual carnival.

C．Many grand carnivals attract well-known singers.

D．A lot of singing competitions take place each year.

4. From which is the text most probably taken?

A．A post on the Internet.	B．A geography textbook.
C．A travel brochure.	D．A biography.

【推荐3】Huang Danian, the renowned Chinese geophysicist, was bornin1958in Guangxi, China. As a keen and able student, Huang went to the UK in 1993 to further his studies.

By 2008, he had a good job and a life there, but he gave it all up to return to home, driven by the idea that he needed to contribute to his country. As one of the world’s leading experts in deep earth exploration technology, Huang was approached to participate in the “Thousand Talent” programme and took up a position at Jilin University, Changchun.

Huang was named lead scientist on China’s deep earth exploration programme, developing advanced cameras that can see through the Earth’s crust so that it can be analysed without having to dig into it. He setup a state-of-the-art lab, sometimes paying for equipment with his own money. Huang’s dedication contributed to China’s lunar probe Yutu being landed on the moon in 2013 and the launch of the spacecrafts Shenzhou-11 and Tiangong-2 in 2016.

Huang’s health also paid the price for his commitment to his work. But even from his hospital bed, he continued his work, writing letters of reference for his colleagues and replying to questions from his students. He had great faith in the talent of the up-and-coming generation. “Our country is in urgent need of talented people,” he said. “If we spend more time and pay more attention to the young, masters and even Nobel prizewinners may rise among them.”

Huang died in January 2017, aged just 58. More than 800 people attended his funeral to celebrate a life that burned so bright, but was so short.

1. Why did Huang Danian return to China?

A．To serve for his motherland in need.

B．To apply for a job at Jilin University.

C．To make a bigger fame in geography.

D．To stay away from former colleagues.

2. What can the camera mentioned in paragraph 3 do?

A．Dig a deep hole through the Earth.

B．Discover urgently-needed resources.

C．Analyse the components of the crust.

D．Take photos below the Earth’s surface.

3. Why did Huang Danian continue to reply to his students’ questions in hospital?

A．Because he was appreciative of what they did to help him.

B．Because he was aimed at winning the Nobel Prize himself.

C．Because he wanted to develop the next generation of talent.

D．Because he believed this would help them get higher scores.