Can you speak more than one language? Being able to communicate with people in another language is a great way to make friends and feel more confident.
Language is the way we communicate with each other. It includes speaking, writing and using hand and face movements, known as sign language. Unlike countries, languages have no borders (边界) and can connect people around the world. The UN celebrates six of the world’s most widely used languages every year.
Chinese language day, on 20 April, and Spanish, on 23 April, are good opportunities to try learning a new language.
Speaking another language helps you talk to people you may not otherwise understand, and makes you feel more connected to them. Havana, who is aged 12, says speaking Hungarian as well as English means she can talk to her relatives in Hungary. This makes her feel closer to her cousins because they are able to share their interests. Learning another language can also increase your confidence—for example, by being able to chat to local people when you travel. Studies show that being able to speak two languages also exercises the brain and makes you better at concentrating on more than one thing at a time.
Alex Rawlings is a language teacher and writer who speaks more than 15 languages. He thinks it’s easier to learn words that he can see or hear, rather than from a list. It’s also important to stay active.
Rawlings suggests writing down reasons why you want to learn the language and keep reminding yourself of them. “I’ve met lots of friends through my languages. The more you learn, the easier it gets,” says Rawlings.
1. How do we use language to communicate with others?2. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
3. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
4. 从文中找出与“If you learn more, you’ll find it’s easier to learn a language.”意思相同或相近的句子。
5. Follow the example to list two advantages of speaking more than one language.
①Making more friends.
②
③
相似题推荐
【推荐1】As we all know, Chinese has a history of thousands of years. But few people know that Pinyin doesn’t. It is very necessary and important for everyone who learns Chinese because it tells people how to pronounce Chinese characters(汉字). This year, Pinyin becomes 64 years old.
In 1958, Chinese 52-year-old linguist(语言学家) Zhou Youguang and his team made Pinyin. There are 63 Pinyin in total. Before that, Chinese people used many other ways to show how to pronounce Chinese characters. But these ways are not as easy to use as Pinyin. Because of Pinyin, more people learn how to pronounce.
Pinyin is a big part of our daily life. We learn to speak Putonghua with the help of Pinyin. We write Chinese characters on computers by using Pinyin.
Pinyin is young. But it is now very popular outside China. It is becoming a bridge between China and the world. Many people around the world start to learn Chinese by learning Pinyin. You might say “nihao” to mean “hello” to a foreign friend.
People are using Pinyin more often than before. For example, fewer foreigners use “dumplings”. They like to use “jiaozi”. And “mantou” is for “steamed bun”. The Oxford English Dictionary(《牛津英语字典》) has more than 100 Chinese words in Pinyin such as “zhongguomeng” for “Chinese dream”, and “wanggou” for online shopping.
1. Why is Pinyin important for Chinese learners?2. Who made Pinyin?
3. Why was it necessary to make Pinyin?
4. What uses of Pinyin are mentioned(提及) in the passage?
5. How many Chinese words in Pinyin are included in the Oxford English Dictionary?
People in different countries speak different languages. But is there a language that can be understood by everyone in the world? If there is, the answer might be EMOJIS (表情符号).
Emojis are a kind ①________ special language. Pictures are used to put meaning across. A group called the Unicode Consortium works on choosing emojis has added new emojis every year since 2014. They show what people think about and like.
Emojis can be used to represent (代表) different groups of people. In 2015, emoji faces with different skin tones (肤色) were added. In 2016, ②________ jobs were added, such as doctor, police officer and painter. This year, emojis of disabled people were added including emojis of blind people and people in wheelchairs.
But there is also more to emojis. They can also refer to (指的是) pop culture and new cultural trends (潮流).
New emojis in 2019 also include several animals, such as sloths (树懒) and flamingos (火烈鸟). These animals are not very common, but are known to many people. For example, sloths have become popular because of the 2016 film Zootopia (《疯狂动物城》). Many fashion designers (设计师) have included flamingos in their designs in recent years. This animal makes people feel like they’re ③________ a tropical (热带的) vacation.
It seems that emojis are a mirror of the world we live in. It will be interesting to see how they change and grow in the years to come.
1. What do emojis use to put meaning across?2. When were emojis of disabled people added including emojis of blind people and people in wheelchairs?
3. What kind of animals have been included in 2019?
4. Fill in the blanks with proper words.
①
5. Translate the underlined sentences into Chinese.
6. 请给短文拟一个适当的英文标题。
US President Donald Trump showed the video of his 5-year-old granddaughter, Arabella, singing and reciting poems in Chinese to President Xi Jinping when he paid his first visit to China. It became a hot topic.
What the video didn’t show is the growing movement by many American families to have their children study Chinese at a young age.
“It was a surprise for everyone to see the little girl speak Chinese excellently, and it’s such a wonderful honor to their parents,” said Corman, founder and president of a private language school in Manhattan where Ivanka Trump’s three children studied Chinese.
She said the school has seen a major increase in American families having their children learn Chinese, and now there are more than 100 at the school.
“It’s a huge investment(投资) in their children’s future, not only because of China’s large market, but Chinese is an attractive language — children love to learn Chinese because it’s such a tonal language(声调语言), and it is the language with the most native speakers in the world,” Corman said.
She said the families learning Chinese at the school are from all over the world and they are there for different reasons. There are families where one or both parents are from China, who want their children to keep their traditional culture, and there are American families who are interested in China and its culture.
“Americans have completely changed their plans about learning foreign languages, and they even have their children start learning foreign languages as young as four months,” added Corman.
Besides Ivanka Trump, many wealthy parents are also pushing their young children to learn Chinese, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.
1. How old was Donald Trump’s granddaughter in the video?2. What was the hot topic during Donald Trump’s first visit to China?
3. Where did Ivanka Trump’s three children study Chinese?
4. Why do families with one or both parents from China have their children learn Chinese according to Corman?
5. Do American parents want their children to learn foreign languages early?
【推荐1】Daisy was in the bathroom of her flat. She was brushing her teeth and the tap (水龙头) was on.
"Turn that tap off," a voice said loudly. Daisy looked round, but saw no one. "Turn that tap off. You're wasting water," the voice sounded again.
"Who…who are you?" "I'm water. It's not easy for me to get here. Do you know where I'm from?"
"From the tap, of course." said Daisy.
"Yes, yes, but before that?" the voice said. "24 days ago, I was in a cloud in Jiangxi. Then the cloud dropped me into a stream and I ran down the mountain into the Yangtze River (扬子江). It carried me to a lake. I stayed there for a few days, and then I travelled a long way and ran into the Huangpu River. Then it was time to get cleaned up. "
"Cleaned up?" Daisy was surprised.
"Yes. I was dirty after my journey, so they took me to a water factory. They gave me a cleaning and added some chemicals (化学品) to me. Then I travelled in the pipes under the streets. I waited there until you called me, and here I am. "
Daisy said, "So this is the end of your journey."
"No. When you've finished with me, I'll go to a sewage plant (污水处理厂). Then they'll pour me into the river and I'll be back in the sea again. "
"Again?"
"Yes. That's where I came from in the first place. Remember not to waste me or make me dirty. I' m precious (珍贵)like gold. See you. "
"Wait a minute. What do you mean by that?" But there was no answer. The water left.
1. What was Daisy doing when the tap was on?2. Who told Daisy to turn the tape off?
3. How long was the water's journey from a cloud to the tap?
4. How did the water get cleaned up?
5. Do you think water is precious like gold? Why or why not?
Every time you’re online, you are bombarded (轰炸) by pictures, links and videos trying to tell their stories. These stories always spread quickly. However, not all of them are true and some of them turn out to be completely fake.
To recognize fake news, read these tips and don’t get fooled!
1. Check the website
Look at the website where the story comes from. Fake news websites often use addresses that sound like real newspapers. If you aren’t sure, click on the “About” page and look for a clear description of the organization.
2. Watch out for fake photos
Many fake news stories use images (图像) that are photoshopped or taken from an unrelated website. Sometimes, if you just look closely at an image, you can see if it has been changed. Or use a tool like Google Reverse Image search. It will show you if the same image has been used in other contexts.
3. Find the story in other places
Look to see if the story you are reading is on other news websites that you know and trust. If you do find it on many other websites, and it probably isn’t fake as many big news organizations try to check their sources before they publish a story.
If you know these things about online news, and apply (应用) them in your everyday life, what to believe and most importantly what to share. If you find a news story that you know is fake, the most important advice is: don’t share it!
Tips on 1. | |
| 2. | go into the website and know more about the organization |
| Watch out for fake photos | look closely at an image or 3. |
| Find the story in other places | see if the same story is published by 4. |
| Stop 5. | |
(A)Technology helps people in life but we can’t use it to do bad things.
How do you usually pay for taking the subway? By bus card or by phone? Now people can just pay by scanning the palm (刷掌). People in Beijing can take the subway like this after May 21st. How does it work? First, you need to register your palm print on the computer. Then scan your palm when you enter the gate. (B)It’s getting popular to take the subway this way.
Many people like to watch videos (C)_______ TV or Douyin. But do you know some people’s faces are not real? People can make their face look like another person by using AI technology. It can change (改变) your appearance: your face can be small, you skin can be white, AI can also change your voice. Even your parents may not know you. Some people are just for fun, but some people use AI to cheat others out of money.
1. (A)“Technology”的意思是2. How do people take the subway by scanning the palm in Beijing?
①
②
3. 翻译句子：(B)It’s getting popular to take the subway this way.
4. 在(C)处填入适当介词
5. 判断下列句子是否正确(正确选A , 错误选B)
①People can just pay by phone when they take the subway in Beijing now.
②You can look different by using AI technology.
Everyone has a body. Every part of the body is useful（有用的）. We can see with our eyes. We can eat with our mouth. We can hear with our ears. We can smell with our nose...
Is hair useful? It can keep our heads warm in cold days like a hat. The nose can clean and warm the air before the air goes into the body. When we eat meat or rice, we can use our teeth. If a body is two months old. It has two teeth. If a girl is four years old, she has twenty teeth. Her father or mother have 28-30 teeth. We must look after our bodies to keep us healthy（健康的）.
1题判断正（T）误（F）； 2题完成句子；3. 4 回答问题；5将文中划线句子译成汉语。
1. Hair can keep our heads warm on cold days.
2. The adult（成年人）has
3. Is each part of our body useful?
4. What can we eat with ?
5.
Some people would like to have a trip around the world with their family or friends during the holiday. These years are not the right time to take a trip to far places because of COVID-19. So online tourism（网络旅游）comes out.
With the help of mobile phones, computers and some apps like Kuaishou and Douyin, people don’t need to go out to enjoy great places. They can “visit” museums and enjoy some places they always dream of visiting at home. Now, more and more people like a trip online.
Many great museums in China like the National Museum also provide（提供）online trips. Visitors can enjoy plenty of great things in the museums online. Guides in the museums show visitors around and they can also ask the guides questions in real time online. These trips make people know about museums and the things in them better.
Now, there are 5G networks（网络）on the north side of Qomolangma（珠穆朗玛峰）. Qomolangma is very high, so not everyone can reach the top. Now some people show the beauty of the mountain online and people can enjoy it at home.
What will online tourism be like after COVID-19? Will people just lose interest in it? Well, I think it will develop（发展）very well, because if someone wants to go somewhere, he or she can get a taste of the place online first.
Online tourism | |
| | ※COVID-19 ※Mobile phones, computers and apps |
| How it is going on | It’s very People can take a trip to far places Example 1: People can follow the guides to travel around and learn more about them and the things in them by Example 2: Qomolangma People can enjoy its |
| | It will develop well—people can learn about the place |
Men don’t usually move out of their parents’ home easily. According to a survey（调查）in the UK, sons leave home at the age of 25. Danny Carlyle, a businessman（商人） from Sheffield, is 29 years old and he still lives with his parents.
How does he feel about it?
“Life with my parents is cool.” Danny says, “I don’t have any problems. I’m happy and they’re happy, too.”
What about housework?
“I get up early in the morning and work all day, so I don’t have any time for the chores,” he says. My mom makes my breakfast and my evening meals. She also irons（熨烫） my clothes. I only tidy my room every Saturday morning.”
What do his parents think?
“I’m happy Danny lives with us,” Danny’s mother says. “He’s lazy and he doesn’t help with housework, but that’s OK. We have a good relationship and we talk just like friends.” Danny’s father doesn’t agree: Danny is spoilt（宠坏的）, but it isn’t his fault （错误）. His mom does everything for him. This isn’t a hotel, you know.”
1题完成句子；2、3题简略回答问题；4题找出并写下全文的主题句；5题将文中画线句子译成汉语。
1. Danny Carlyle is
2. What does Danny think of life with his parents?
3. How often does Danny tidy his room?
4.
5.
