China is
Is English an easy language to learn? It actually
I don’t think memorizing the word list is the best way to learn words. First, you should learn words in
In a study, subjects who practiced the made-up language moderately beforehand made
How long we stay on the clock and how we spend that time are under careful examination in many workplaces. The young banker who eats lunch at his desk is probably seen as a go-getter,
5 . The British love word-play and they’re enthusiastic about defending the use of their language. In recent years, books about the grammar, pronunciation and punctuation (标点) of English have been written by the dozen, and sold extremely well, reflecting people’s love of the English language. People want to defend the “correct” use of their language, but also to preserve its ability to evolve along with society. Lynne Truss’s book Eats, Shoots & Leaves is an excellent example of these two opposite ideas. Its title shows the way that punctuation can change meaning in a sentence. “Eats shoots and leaves” is a perfectly normal description of a panda’s diet: he eats the shoots and leaves of bamboo trees. But the position of the comma (逗号) turns those nouns into verbs, and makes up a ridiculous little story: the panda eats (his dinner), he shoots (a gun), and he leaves (the building). It’s a silly joke, but it shows how changing something as simple as a comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence.
Published in 2003, Eats, Shoots & Leaves was an unexpectedly huge success. It is easy to assume the typical reader of this kind of book as the humourless type. However, the book has sold thousands and thousands of copies — it must be appealing to a wide range of people. The book’s winning secret is this: it makes some serious points about language and punctuation, but also has a light-hearted dimension, and uses stories and jokes to show its points. It has invited some tough criticism, too, especially from the US. On a broader range, Eats, Shoots & Leaves has opened up a lot of public debate on Truss’s ideas. Whether they agree with her or not, punctuation and grammar has become a popular topic to discuss.
In every generation there will be people who think that the standard of language is in decline, and who are more than happy to write to the newspapers to express their concern and opinions. Truss’s book also appeals to those who think that texting and blogging is lowering the standard of literacy. Whether the standard of the English language is decreasing, or simply evolving into new forms, the success of Eats, Shoots & Leaves proves that this is a subject that many English speakers find interesting and important.
1. The title of the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a joke which shows ________.| A．a funny feeling | B．a trend in writing |
| C．a fact about animals | D．a grammatical point |
| A．it causes concern for proper use of language in a fun way |
| B．it shows the British like to teach English to other people |
| C．it solves a serious English language problem |
| D．it presents the new research on English |
| A．The English language was better in the past. |
| B．The English language is being improved by technology. |
| C．There is often dissatisfaction with the standard of English. |
| D．There have always been debates on the use of punctuation. |
| A．The Problem Punctuation Created | B．The Difference a Comma Made |
| C．Public Debate about Language Standards | D．Proper Understanding of Silly Jokes |
6 . Learning a language literally changes your brain
If you’ve ever learned a new language, you know how difficult it can be. Native languages seem almost built-in.
Learning anything changes your brain, at least a little bit.
Those extra pathways can come in handy. Grundy offers a useful analogy (类比): Imagine that you always take the same route to work. Then one day, the road is washed out. Now what? If you’d varied your route over the years, you’d have options already in mind. You could hop on another road and maybe make it to your desk before your boss noticed you were late. “It’s really just a remodeling of the brain that allows it to become more efficient,” Grundy says.
Knowing a second language can also help prevent or at least delay cognitive decline. “There is a consistent finding that bilinguals are able to stave off symptoms of dementia for about four to six years compared to monolinguals,” says Grundy.
If you’re thinking it’s too late, you’re probably wrong. We often think only children can learn languages with ease. It’s true that young children do more quickly learn whatever language they’re exposed to, but when it comes to adding on a new one, adults aren’t at as much of a disadvantage as you might think.
| A．But learning a language does it in high gear. |
| B．We soak them up naturally when we’re very young. |
| C．And these changes don’t help with only language functions. |
| D．A 2012 study found that this remodeling can be significant. |
| E．It’s not so much the age at which you learn a new language as the way you learn it. |
| F．Picking up a new language could change your brain, and may even help stave off dementia. |
| G．And that’s pretty impressive considering the best medications we have can postpone the symptoms for only about a year or so. |
The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smart phones, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (怀旧的)skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful—both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks—both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe(转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
1. What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?2. What did Berninger’s study published in 2009 focus on?
3. Decide which part is false and underline it and explain.
Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It has no linking with ideas.
4. What’s your idea about spelling plays an important role in our daily life? Explain why.( In about 40 words)
I came to England last summer. I have been in England for eleven months. I am going to finish my studies in England soon, and will leave
1、 你的困难；
2、 寻求帮助
注意：
1、词数 80 左右；
2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Alex,
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Yours,
Li Hua
English was never my favourite subject until I joined Mr. Wu’s class. He gave me some great advice on
