1 . Learning a second language is tough at any age. Now, in a new study, scientist have found out the exact age after which your chances of reaching fluency（流利）in a second language seem to plummet:10.
The study published in the journal Cognition, found that it's "nearly impossible" for language learners to reach native-level（母语水平）fluency if they start learning a second language after age 10. "It turns out you're still learning fast," says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne. "It's just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old," People who start a few years after age 10 may still become quite good at a language, the authors say, but they are unlikely to become fluent.
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children's brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they're better able to adapt and respond to new information. Kids may also be more willing to try new things than adults are. Their comparatively new understanding of their native language may also be advantageous.
These findings may seem discouraging, but it was inspiring for scientists to learn that the key period for fluent language learning might be longer than previously thought. Some scientists believed that the window begins to close shortly after birth, while others made it longer to very early childhood. Compared with those judgments-age 17 or 18 —when language learning ability start to drop off—seems relatively old.
For this study, the researchers created an online test promising to guess people's native language and home country based on their responses to English grammar questions. Almost 670,000 people took it, giving the researchers huge amounts of data from English speakers of many ages and backgrounds. Examining the responses and grammar mistakes allowed them to made unusually exact judgments about language learning.
1. What does the underlined word "plummet" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Drop sharply. | B．Increase greatly. |
| C．Appear gradually. | D．Double suddenly. |
| A．Adults tend to perform badly in learning a second language. |
| B．Children are at an advantage in acquiring a new language. |
| C．All these new findings are quite discouraging for scientists. |
| D．People have different key periods for mastering a language. |
| A．The purpose of the study. | B．The findings of the study. |
| C．The subject of the study. | D．The process of the study. |
| A．Kids Are Better at Learning New Languages |
| B．Adults Can't Learn a Second Language Well |
| C．Never Say Die When Learning a New Language |
| D．Better to Learn a New Language Before Age 10 |
2 . If you really want to enjoy what Bermuda has to offer, cruising (乘船游览) there is the way to go. Not only is it fun, it is also affordable. It’s advisable to come in summer (Mid May- August).
BOOKING YOUR CRUISE
Most tourists prefer small cruise lines that dock in downtown Hamilton. It’s an ideal destination since it’s right on Front Street, from where you can easily get to Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, and other parts of the island. Large cruise lines dock at Royal Navy Dockyard, which is inconveniently situated at the far western end of the Island.
TRANSPORTATION
Getting off a small cruise, you can easily go to Hamilton and other places by bus. From Royal Navy Dockyard, you can take a bus, a taxi or a boat. The most saving way of travelling around is by buying a day’s pass. You will enjoy unlimited transportation services using any public means.
ATTRACTIONS
The Bermuda Caves (洞穴)
This is a popular attraction that you have to tour. Anyone who loves to explore caves will definitely enjoy this place. You’d better wear sports shoes as some caves are a bit wet and slippery.
Beaches of Bermuda
Your trip to Bermuda is surely incomplete without spending some time at the amazing pink-sand beaches. Try Tobacco Bay and Horseshoe Bay, which are suitable for family visits. Bermuda is the world’s most famous shipwreck (沉船) site. If you’re a good diver, there are too many shipwrecks waiting to be discovered.
Sea Glass
If you want to pass time doing something for fun, head straight to the Alexander battery beach to collect lots of sea glass.
1. When is the best time to cruise Bermuda?| A．April. | B．July. | C．October. | D．November. |
| A．Buy a day’s pass to travel around the island. |
| B．Book a small ship at Royal Navy Dockyard. |
| C．Keep away from the crowded beaches. |
| D．Collect sea glass at Horseshoe Bay. |
| A．Exploring the far eastern end of the island. |
| B．Taking a bus to visit the capital city. |
| C．Diving to discover sunken ships. |
| D．Walking in the Bermuda Caves. |
3 . Imagine a cat that does not need someone to clean up after it keeps an older people company and helps them remember to take their medicine. That is the shared dream of the toy maker Hasbro and scientists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The researchers received a $ 3-million-dollar from the National Science Foundation for a special project. They want to find ways to add artificial intelligence, or AI, to Hasbro’s “Joy for All” robotic cat.
The cat has already been for sale for two years. Though priced at over 1,000 dollars, it sold quite well. It was meant to act as a “companion”(陪伴) for older people. Now the project is aimed at developing additional abilities for the cat. Researchers are working to decide which activities older adults may need the most. They hope to make the cat perform a small number of activities very well. Such activities include finding lost objects and reminding the older people to take medicine or visit their doctor. They also want to keep the cost down to just a few hundred dollars.
It is an idea that has appealed (有吸引力) to Jeanne Elliott. Her 93-year-old mother Mary Derr lives with her in South Kingstown. Derr has dementia (痴呆). The Joy for All cat that Elliot bought this year has become a true companion for Derr. The cat stays with Derr and keeps her relaxed while Elliott is at work. Elliot said a robotic cat that helps her mother to remember to take her medicine and be careful when she walks would be greater.
The researchers are trying to learn how the improved cats will complete helpful activities and how they will communicate. They say that they do not want a talking cat, however. Instead they are trying to design a cat that can move its head in a special way to successfully communicate its message. In the end, they hope to create an exchange between the human and the cat in which the human feels the cat needs them. By doing so, the researchers hope they can even help prevent feelings of loneliness and sadness among elderly people.
1. What’s the purpose of the project?| A．To reduce the pain of the elderly. |
| B．To increase the sales of a medicine. |
| C．To help make the robotic cat smarter. |
| D．To invent a robotic cat for the elderly. |
| A．It will be on sale in two years. |
| B．It may be cheaper in the future. |
| C．Its abilities will be made simpler for the elderly. |
| D．It can tell the activities that older adults need the most. |
| A．The cat gives much help to the elderly. |
| B．The cat works well to talk with the patient. |
| C．The cat can make the dementia patient less painful. |
| D．The cat should be designed to satisfy patients’ need. |
| A．Each family can afford such a cat in the future. |
| B．A talking cat is quite popular among the elderly. |
| C．Feelings of sadness among the elderly are unavoidable. |
| D．The feeling of being needed is important to the elderly. |
