1 . 语法填空

I’ve been studying English for 6 years. At first, I had trouble     1     (speak) it fluently. When I     2     (lose) heart, my school adviser recommended that I sign up     3     a summer camp     4     children all spoke English and I could practice a lot. Now I can actually communicate with people and I am looking forward to     5     (find) many other methods to make learning English fun.

2 . Ramirez Castañeda, a Colombian biologist, spends her time in the Amazon studying how snakes eat poisonous frogs without getting ill. Although her findings come in many shapes and sizes, she and her colleagues have struggled to get their biological discoveries out to the wider scientific community. With Spanish as her mother tongue, her research had to be translated into English to be published. That wasn’t always possible because of budget or time-and it means that some of her findings were never published.

“It’s not that I’m a bad scientist,” she says. “It’s just because of the language.”

Castañeda is not alone. There is plenty of research in non-English-language papers that gets lost in translation, or is never translated. A research looked through more than 400, 000 peer-reviewed papers in 16 different languages and found 1, 234 studies providing evidence on biodiversity conservation which, because they weren’t in English, may have been overlooked. These included Japanese-language findings on the effectiveness of relocating the endangered Blakiston’s fish owl, the largest owl species.

Some experts argue that for the sake of the bigger picture, scientific knowledge should converge (转换) into one common language. Science is very globalised and becoming more so, so the use of a global language is enormous for that.

Of course, scientists can work with an English partner, or use a translator-but this ultimately strengthens the cycle of dependency on the global north, leading to inequality in international influence. The specific meanings of words can also pose a problem in translation. For example, it is difficult to find in English one single word to describe forest snakes and frogs in the work Castafieda does with indigenous (土著的) communities in the Amazon.

“So we’re losing observations for science, too, ” says Castañeda. “For me, it’s not possible to just have everything translated into English. We need multilingual (多语种的) science, and we need people that feel comfortable doing science in their own languages. It could be possible to switch to a world where, say, Chinese, English and Spanish are the three languages of science, just as English, French and German were the languages of science in the 19th century.”

1. What prevented Castañeda’s discoveries from being more widely known?

A．Poor management.	B．Opposition from her colleagues.
C．Her bad reputation.	D．The language barrier.

2. What’s the consequence of the dominant focus on English in scientific research?

A．Inefficient wildlife conservation.

B．A knowledge gap in the scientific world.

C．A growing interest in non-English papers.

D．Inadequate job opportunities for translators.

3. What does the author want to illustrate by mentioning forest snakes and frogs?

A．The urgency to protect rare species.

B．The need to adopt one global language.

C．The challenges in translating scientific texts.

D．The biodiversity on the South American continent.

4. What is presented in the last paragraph of the text?

A．A potential solution.	B．A theoretical model.
C．A popular belief.	D．A global trend.

4 . The English language borrows many words from other languages. You may come across some. Here we will take a look at some of the most common English words found in other languages.

Faux Pas

Faux pas is a French phrase, translated as “false step”. When speaking, you can say “A certain celebrity made a faux pas by wearing black to a floral (花的)-themed event” or “I made a faux pas by ordering pineapple on my pizza in Italy”. It is something that usually means an incorrect judgment is made in a social situation determined by social customs or traditions.

Rendezvous

Also from French, rendezvous means “meeting” or “date”. Interestingly, in the 1590s, military used “rendezvous” as an expression of “a place for assembling troops”. Even today military tacticians (有策略的人) may use the term “rendezvous point”, as you may have heard in some war films. Next time you can ask your English friends. “What time shall we rendezvous?” It is seen as a cute and charming expression.

Caveat

Caveat is a word taken directly from Latin and means a limitation and a warning in an agreement. It is a written term initially applied in the legal field. However, it has been brought into spoken language as well now. For example, you can say, “The owner of our beach house gave an important caveat that we should keep the doors locked at all times” or “The offer is fantastic except for one caveat: having to work on weekends”.

Ergo

Ergo comes directly from Latin, meaning consequently and accordingly. It is used to introduce the logical result of something that has just been mentioned. An example of its use can be “You saw the robbery, ergo, you will be called as a witness” or “The summer is coming and many people are going on holiday, ergo, the city will be empty”.

1. How will you feel if you make a social faux pas in a ceremony?

A．Curious.

B．Overjoyed.

C．Embarrassed.

D．Respected.

2. What does the two words “rendezvous” and “caveat” have in common?

A．They are used in a wider range now.

B．They are limited to formal writings.

C．They are of the same long history.

D．They are from the same language.

3. What do you usually use “ergo” to introduce?

A．A condition.

B．A conclusion.

C．An assumption.

D．An addition.

7 . 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.

2. According to the passage, what’s the function of baby talk?

A．To entertain adults.	B．To form emotional bond.
C．To learn more about babies.	D．To help babies understand the adult world.

3. What does the last paragraph focus on?

A．Describing a phenomenon.	B．Offering advice.
C．Analyzing causes.	D．Interpreting facts.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

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?

9 . My interest in body language began with a professor of mine at university. He mentioned “Pinocchio” to me one cold morning after saying that I always rubbed my nose when giving excuses for being late to his courses. Actually, when someone tells a lie, the person’s blood rushes to the nose and the extra blood makes it itchy (发痒的). This little example of non-verbal communication inspired me to become a body language expert. Now, I earn my living by training people in non-verbal communication. Knowing when someone is lying and knowing how to persuade people you’ re telling the truth are two of the most important skills you’ll ever learn.

I have spent a lot of time studying the ways the human body gives more reliable information than the words we speak. The words say one thing but the body may say something completely different. We know that crossed arms can be seen as either defensive (防御性的) or aggressive (攻击性的), but what about facial expressions, postures and gestures? All of these say a lot and can only be understood if you know how to make sense of the signs.

Business clients are always in need of my services and I try to improve their confidence by teaching them about body language. I give advice about handshakes, which should always be firm and steady, and I teach the importance of personal space. They may seem like minor matters, but these codes of behaviour can be the key to making or breaking a business deal.

My working life gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I feel that I’ m providing a public service, but it is a service that has had its downside. Whenever I meet someone new and I tell them what I do for a living, they immediately put their guard up and they’re no longer relaxed. They quite literally freeze in the attempt to hide all the signals that they think I’ m reading. It makes life difficult at times, but I consider it a small price to pay for a job I enjoy so much.

1. What is the author’s purpose of mentioning his professor?

A．To describe his professor’ s success.	B．To explain why he chose his career.
C．To show his professor’s study of the “Pinocchio” effect.	D．To introduce what impressed him most during his career.

2. Why does the author think non-verbal communication is important?

A．It usually tells the real story.	B．It always benefits one’ s career.
C．It plays an important part in persuading people.	D．It provides people with great career opportunities.

3. Why do people react in an unnatural way when knowing the author’s profession?

A．They dislike his services.	B．They think he is too proud.
C．They consider him unreliable.	D．They believe he is studying them.

4. What can we learn about the author from the text?

A．He thinks little of minor gestures.	B．He travels the world giving advice.
C．He is happy with his work.	D．He is good at pretending.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In 1910, Chairman Mao had his first contact with English when he entered     1     new-style school. By 1913, when he enrolled in Hunan First Normal School, formal English courses     2     (be) already in place.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chairman Mao seized opportunities to practice spoken English when interacting with foreign journalists. Despite inaccurate pronunciation, he had managed     3     (grasp) some simple English expressions.

In the Liberation War period, Chairman Mao’s English communication skills improved to con duct basic daily dialogues. He also     4     (create) translated “paper tiger” into English.

After the establishment of New China, in 1954, Mao began to systematically self-study English     5     the aim of directly reading original works. He insisted in reading English newspapers and magazines, learning vocabulary, as well as making comments while reading the     6     (origin).

In his later years of illness, Chairman Mao persisted in learning English and used simple English vocabulary to express     7     (he) when meeting foreign guests. Throughout his life, Chairman Mao never ceased     8     (learn) English, which witnessed different stages of his revolutionary career.     9     (drive) by determination and practical needs, Chairman Mao’s progress in English demonstrated the spirit of struggle     10     defines a visionary leader.