1 . A book called The Power of Language explores influences of speaking more than one language on the way people think and act.
Language plays a significant role in all aspects of human social and cognitive（认知的）life. People communicate with each other in a language. The language people speak also influences the way they think. These effects become even more complex when people speak more than one language.
If you speak more than one language, chances are you use them in different situations. You may speak one language at home and another at work. If you are asked to think about something fun in the language you speak at home, you are more likely to think of an event with your family, but when asked in the language you speak at work, you will think of an enjoyable interaction with colleagues.
The language used to answer the question makes it easier to think of memories associated with using that language. The memories you are reminded of in a situation affect what you are likely to do and even how you are likely to feel in that situation.
In addition, properties of the language can affect your decisions. In the book, the writer points out that some languages（like English）require you to use different tenses when talking about events in the present and the future. Other languages（like German and Chinese）do not. Existing evidence suggests that people who speak languages whose grammar uses a different tense between present and future are less likely to make choices that benefit their future selves than people who speak languages that do not. Consequently, the actions you take when speaking different languages can have very different influences on your future.
1. How does the writer explain the influence of language in Paragraph 3?| A．By explaining facts. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making statements. | D．By sharing experiences. |
| A．Features. | B．Types. | C．Origins. | D．Impacts. |
| A．It is related to their mastery of grammar. |
| B．It is mainly based on personal expectations. |
| C．It is linked with the number of languages they use. |
| D．It can be affected by the tenses used in a language. |
2 . Learning English can be fun and useful. However, it can also seem difficult sometimes. But be relaxed! We’ve got some top tips on how to learn English effectively.
Find a routine. Learning a language takes a lot of time and practice. Therefore, it helps if you have a routine when you are studying.
Connect with the culture. Understanding English is easier if you can understand the culture of those who natively speak it. If you’re particularly interested in British English, for example, you could learn about the culture and history of the UK.
Make mistakes. You won’t be perfect at English straightaway. All learners(and many native speakers!)make mistakes in English.
| A．Set a goal. |
| B．Read what you like. |
| C．Develop a fixed study habit. |
| D．This method helps you to stay motivated. |
| E．There are 19 native English-speaking countries. |
| F．These errors can help you learn and improve your English skills. |
| G．You should think about how long you can study for each day or week. |
1. What is an advantage of learning idioms (习语) according to the speaker?
| A．It can improve your English test scores. |
| B．It can make you sound like a native speaker. |
| C．It can increase your knowledge about animals. |
| A．Nest egg. | B．Hold your horse. | C．Dog days. |
| A．Sunday. | B．Saturday. | C．Friday. |
| A．Colors. | B．Animals. | C．Food. |
4 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| A．A potential solution. | B．A theoretical model. |
| C．A popular belief. | D．A global trend. |
5 . Authentic Is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2023
The Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.” Authentic food. Authentic voice. Authentic self Look ups for the word are routinely heavy on the dictionary eampany’s site but were put to new heights throughout the year, editor at large Peter Sokolowski told The Associated Press.
“We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity,” he said before the announcement of this year’s word on November 27. “What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.”
Sokolowski said that this year interest in the word authentic did not increase suddenly at any particular time, but that the word was a constant object of interest. This was the year of Al, and also of a moment when ChatGIPT-maker Open AI suffered a leadership crisis. Taylor Swift and Prince Harry looked for authenticity in their words and deeds. Elon Musk, at February’s World Government Summit in Dubai, requested the heads of companies, politicians and other leaders to “speak authentically” on social media by running their own accounts(账号).
“Can we trust whether a student wrote this paper? Can we trust whether a politician made this statement? We don’t always trust what we see anymore,” Sokolowski said. “We sometimes don’t believe our own eyes or our own ears. We are now recognizing that authenticity is a performance itself.”
Merriam-Webster’s entry for authentic provides several definitions. There is “not false or imitation(模仿): real, actual.” There’s “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character.” There’s “worthy of acceptance or belief as based on fact.” And there is “made or done the same way as an original(原版).”
1. Which of the following is the reason why authentic is chosen the word of the year?| A．A good many significant events are related to the word. |
| B．The word is looked up on the online dictionary routinely. |
| C．The word was voted out by many netizens questioning it. |
| D．The searches of the word reached a high level this year. |
| A．To introduce those who have lost authenticity. |
| B．To emphasize continued attention to the word. |
| C．To highlight the importance of being authentic. |
| D．To prove the sudden popularity of the word. |
| A．Few people are trustworthy nowadays. |
| B．Students are expert at cheating with AI. |
| C．Authenticity can be created on purpose. |
| D．People are more likely to be tricked by eyes. |
| A．He is a man of authentic charm. |
| B．I don’t know if the painting is authentic. |
| C．This is an authentic description of the situation. |
| D．This is an authentic model of the ancient town. |
6 . A recent study from the University of California San Diego reveals that young children between the ages of 3 and 5 can improve their musical abilities, especially in understanding musical pitches (音高) , when learning Mandarin, compared to those who speak English.
This research challenges the idea that our mental abilities are entirely separate from each other. It suggests that the skills children learn in one area can influence their learning in another. This raises-questions about how our mental abilities relate to each other.
The study involved two experiments with similar groups of Mandarin and English learners, totaling 180 children. They were tested on tasks related to pitch (high or low notes)and timbre (音色) (the quality of sound). Both groups performed similarly on the task related to timbre. However, Mandarin speakers performed better than English speakers on tasks related to pitch.
Mandarin is a tonal language, which means the tone (音调) used when saying a word can change its meaning, not just add emphasis. For example, the Mandarin word “ma” can mean “mother,” “horse,” “hem (麻),” or “scold,” depending on how it’s spoken. This focus on pitch helps young Mandarin speakers understand musical pitches better. Since both language and music involve changes in pitch, the study aimed to find out if understanding pitch in language is different from understanding it in music. The results suggest that experience with understanding musical pitches can also help in understanding language pitches, and vice versa.
While learning Mandarin might offer an advantage due to its tonal nature, it’s important to note that the study doesn’t suggest replacing music lessons with language lessons or the other way around. Learning another language has many benefits, and music education remains important for musical skills.
In summary, this is an extremely valuable research, highlighting the connections between cognitive (认知的) skills and emphasizes the value of exposing children to different languages and providing them with musical education for their overall development.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the concept of musical pitches. |
| B．To offer the research result to be discussed. |
| C．To present the University of California San Diego. |
| D．To share a fact about children’s language development. |
| A．The benefits of musical education. | B．The difficulty of learning Mandarin. |
| C．The separation of children’s skills. | D．The importance of speaking English. |
| A．Tonal perception. | B．Language abilities. |
| C．Musical performances. | D．Knowledge development. |
| A．Improving mental health. | B．Replacing music education. |
| C．Developing musical abilities. | D．Bettering timbre perception. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Approving. | C．Doubtful. | D．Worried. |
The idiom “No ‘I’ in Team” is based on a pun (双关语)-The word “team” does not contain the letter “i”, which highlights the idea that instead of focusing on themselves as individuals, team members should work together to achieve their common goals.
When it comes to achieving success, there’s no denying that teamwork plays a crucial role. We’ve all been there-group projects at school, working with colleagues at the office or playing sports with teammates. A successful team agrees and sets goals based on outcomes and results to complete its tasks. It’s important that each member knows the direction the team is working toward, their responsibilities, and how they aim to achieve the team’s collective goals. It’s essential that group members within the team share workloads and help each other to succeed.
Mostly, in typical workplace culture, being focus on individual pursuits is considered plain selfish, but is supporting individuals in their own pursuits really anti-team? Evidence suggests that putting the “I” back into team can improve workplace productivity and employee engagement. In the 1990s the Harvard Business School did research, demonstrating the benefits of giving employees paid time to follow their own individual pursuits. Since then, some notable companies have introduced unstructured time into their workplaces.
Globally, 85% of employees are disengaged in their work. In Daniel Pink’s book Drive, he argues that the best way to motivate employees is not through the carrot and stick approach but rather through allowing and enabling them to direct their own lives. When teams understand what matters to the individuals within them, they are able to better empathize with each other and have each others’ backs.
There is an “I” in team and when we start to implement programs that support individuals in their pursuits, we may just find they are more creative, more engaged and more productive.
1. What idea does the idiom “No ‘I’ in Team” highlight?2. Why is it important to put “I” back into team?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
According to Danile Pink, the effective way to motivate the 85% employees is to set the goal the company would like their employees to achieve.
4. As an individual, how can you play your role in a team?
8 . Texting and e-mailing have become a key part of how we communicate in our lives, so much that it’s fundamentally changing language and communication. According to linguist (语言学家) McCulloch. it’s making us better writers, speakers, and communicators.
“Language is humanity’s most impressive open-source project.” writes McCulloch, who studies and analyzes the patterns of Internet language. “Just as we find things on the Internet by following links from one place to another, language spreads through our conversations and interactions.”
From words and acronyms (like AIDS) to emojis and GIFs, people today have a wide range of ways to express online what they’re thinking and feeling, which can be more effective than pure words. If you’re meeting a friend for happy hour, sending a GIF of Betty White swirling (旋转) a glass of wine can often show your excitement better than words can. Hate Mondays? Posting a meme of Grumpy Cat can instantly convey your mood. Those fluent in Internet-speak can also play with punctuation, capitalization, even spacing to convey emotional state and tone of voice. Words can now be altogether replaced with emblems and icons, which helps explain the popularity of emojis and GIFs in our online conversations.
All of this helps make our social interactions more interesting, and the fluidity (不稳定性) of language is actually its biggest strength. “I mean, fashion can change, why can’t language?” asks McCulloch. “ In fact, language has changed and is always changing. Linguists are generally very positive about language evolution. There’s not one right way to communicate. We don’t speak the way Shakespeare did, and Shakespeare didn’t speak the way Chaucer did. But it’s unfortunate that this message hasn’t been conveyed to broader society as much because we’re still dealing with a history of people worshipping Latin.”
1. What’s McCulloch’s attitude towards Internet language?| A．Cautious. | B．Skeptical. | C．Favourable. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．To explain a rule. | B．To clarify a point. |
| C．To present a fact. | D．To make a prediction. |
| A．It should be more flexible. | B．It is stable. |
| C．It defines communication. | D．It is dynamic. |
| A．Texting and e-mailing are signs of an evolving language. |
| B．The fluidity of language makes communication difficult. |
| C．The use of Internet language is constantly declining. |
| D．People tend to communicate differently as they age. |
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.
Speaking another language helps you talk to people you may, not understand, and makes you feel more connected to them. A girl from Hungary, Havana, who is aged 12, says speaking Hungarian as well as English means she can talk to her friends from England. This makes her feel closer to her British friends because they’re able to share their interests. Learning another language can also help you gain 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 finds it’s easier to learn words that he can see or hear, rather than from a list. “For example, the words of a song are more memorable because they rhyme (押韵) and are sung,” he says. It’s also important to understand why you learn a language. Rawlings recommends 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,” says Rawlings. “The more you learn, the easier it gets.”
1. What is the difference between countries and languages?2. What makes Havana feel closer to her friends from England?
3. Rawlings says, “The more you learn, the easier it gets.” Do you agree? Why or why not? (In about 40 words)
10 . Some words imitate the sounds made by the things they describe, like “buzz” or “hiss”, which is called onomatopoeia (拟声词). But what if the way a word sounds could arouse some other feature of an object, like its shape?
Marcus Perlman, a lecturer at the University of Birmingham, says that a century ago, linguists (语言学家) insisted that the words of objects don’t necessarily sound like the very things. There’s nothing doggy-sounding about the word dog or catlike-sounding about the word cat. But there’s plenty of evidence now proving it false. To further explore this connection, Perlman and his colleagues turned to something called the bouba/kiki effect.
What it is about is that when you see two shapes-one looks like a cloud, kind of roundish, and the other one is more spiky (尖形的), like a star-and when you’re asked to say which one is bouba, you will be more likely to point to a rounded one and, for kiki, to a spiky one. One explanation for the effect could be the appearance of the letters. The round shape of b-o-u-b-a might arouse the sense of roundness. But what happens when you don’t see the words but hear them?
In a following test, participants were told to look at the two shapes and then listen to the sound: either bouba or kiki. Whatever their native language is, most participants said the rounder shape was bouba and the spiky one was kiki. This suggests that the effect seems to be driven by some correspondence (对应关系) between the spoken words and the shapes, which might bring us closer to how the first words came.
1. What may Marcus Parlman believe about the words of objects?| A．Words sounding like objects don’t exist. | B．Words don’t have to sound like objects. |
| C．Words of objects are difficult to understand. | D．Words pronunciation is connected to objects. |
| A．The distinction between various shapes. | B．The explanation of the bouba/kiki effect. |
| C．The comparison between bouba and kiki. | D．The introduction to the bouba/kiki effect. |
| A．A star. | B．A circle. | C．A pyramid. | D．A diamond. |
| A．Different languages may have the same origins. |
| B．The word bouba or kiki can be found in languages. |
| C．The effect may help understand the origin of language. |
| D．The secret of language formation has been discovered. |
