1 . When people ask about my journey of learning Cantonese, I recount a path fueled by endless curiosity and a strong desire to connect with a lively culture.
Growing up in a Russian family, my interest in languages blossomed thanks to my father, who was a language enthusiast. It was during a cultural appreciation class in junior high that I was first introduced to Hong Kong films, famous for their characteristic action-packed dramas and storytelling styles. However, what truly fascinated me was the uniqueness of the Cantonese language, sparking a deep urge within me to explore it and the rich culture it represents. This marked the start of an exciting linguistic adventure.
Learning Cantonese presented challenges, including unfamiliar characters, complex tones, and different grammar structures, yet I persevered. Immersed in textbooks and available online courses, I practiced the tones every day until my pronunciation flowed naturally. Cantonese dramas and music also played a role in familiarizing me with its rhythm.
To truly grasp the essence of Cantonese, I realized that self-study wasn’t enough—I needed firsthand experience. Thus, I took a gap year to journey to Hong Kong, a city featuring the lively heartbeat of Cantonese culture. Buried in its busy streets and daily conversations, from casual chats to food ordering, I found myself enveloped in a linguistic wonderland. Within a few months, my Cantonese skills grew rapidly, boosting my confidence significantly.
My explorations extended beyond the streets. I attended formal language classes that offered professional guidance. Through hard work, I successfully completed all the courses in Cantonese Linguistics. From then on, I’ve been passionately committed to spreading the Cantonese culture, ensuring its richness reaches a wider audience.
Today, I continue my Cantonese voyage with unflagging (无穷的) enthusiasm. It has transformed into more than just a linguistic pursuit; it gives me a passport to sincere connections, deep insights, and heartfelt admiration for its one-of-a-kind culture.
1. What truly inspired the author to learn Cantonese?| A．His teacher’s recommendation. | B．Influence of friends and family. |
| C．The uniqueness of the language. | D．His interest in Hong Kong films. |
| A．To explore tourist attractions. | B．To pursue career opportunities. |
| C．To attend formal language classes. | D．To immerse himself in Cantonese culture. |
| A．Curious and creative. | B．Determined and adventurous. |
| C．Outgoing and helpful. | D．Tolerant and passionate. |
| A．Cantonese’s Charm | B．A Journey to Hong Kong |
| C．Embracing Cantonese | D．The Power of Curiosity |
In the heart of Silicon Valley, Ethan and Olivia, two high-school teens, found themselves part of a big change: using AI in their studies. They were at a famous school where they were constantly under pressure to be excellent, but for both of them, English, especially the writing section, was a constant headache.
Ethan was great with analyzing but struggled when it came to creative writing. He found it hard to put his thoughts into words and his essays didn’t have the emotional depth that touched readers. Olivia, however, was a natural storyteller who could spin exciting tales that kept her friends on the edge of their seats, but she wasn’t so good with grammar and sentence structure.
One day, their teacher showed them an AI helper called “WordsAI”. In the beginning, they doubted how a machine could possibly understand the slight differences of human emotion and thoughts. But as they tried it out, they were surprised by how well it understood what they needed. WordsAI not only provided real-time grammar and spelling checks but also offered practical suggestions to improve their writing. It even helped them develop their own unique writing styles, and looked as if it could read their thoughts! With WordsAI’s help, Ethan could express himself clearly and emotionally, while Olivia improved her writing without losing her creativity.
However, their journey with WordsAI was not smooth all the way. With time going on, Ethan found Olivia started depending too much on the AI’s advice, even using it to come up with story ideas, which made her lose her unique perspective (观点) over time. Ethan was concerned that she was copying others’ work, so he suggested she should not rely on WordsAI too often. This caused a disagreement between them. Ethan questioned if Olivia was too dependent on AI, while Olivia argued that he was too stubborn to embrace technology that could assist them.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右：
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
After a big talk, they realized they weren’t using WordsAI in the proper way.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Over time, they figured out how to mix technology with their own creativity in a harmonious way.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Why do children learn so quickly? Is it simply a necessity, or is a child’s brain more capable of taking in new information than an adult’s brain?
“It is a common way of thinking that ‘children are like sponges’ and have the magical ability to learn new skills faster than an adult, but there are some misconceptions here, “ said Debbie Raven, a researcher at the University of Chester. “A child’s cognitive (认知的) development is age-related and, naturally, children perform worse than their older peers in most areas. However, there are times when being young brings an advantage, and this is especially true around their earliest years.
This advantage is largely due to neuroplasticity, meaning the brain’s ability to form and change its connections, pathways and wiring based on experiences. Neuroplasticity is what gives children the capacity to learn-and, if necessary, unlearn-habits, routines, approaches and actions very quickly. This ability is most constant and rapid before a child’s fifth birthday, when much of what they encounter or experience is novel. “This ability to learn quickly is connected to several areas, including plasticity, their experiences with adults, their environment, and their biological drive to explore, “ Raven said. “Childhood is a place where children spend their time catching up with adults’ more sophisticated abilities. “
Language learning, in particular, is an area where children often have a huge advantage over adults. This is largely because “babies are able to tune in to the rhythm and sounds used in their native language, and can therefore become fluent speakers by the age of four. “This ability can help young children learn a second or third language with apparent ease, Raven said.
In a research paper, the authors suggest that “human babies are born seeing and hearing linguistic information that older children and adults miss, although they lose this ability with more experience in their environments. Moreover, babies can “discriminate speech sounds and tones used in al of the world’s languages, making them open to al input, regardless of the linguistic environment they are born into.
1. Why does Raven make the remarks in paragraph 2?| A．To prove a new theory. | B．To share personal experience. |
| C．To correct a wrong belief. | D．To solve long-held confusion. |
| A．It enables children to break a habit quickly. |
| B．It accompanies a person all through his life. |
| C．It is entirely based on a kid’s past experiences. |
| D．It disappears soon after a child’s fifth birthday. |
| A．Their brain structure. | B．Their habits and routines. |
| C．Their parents’ experiences. | D．Their inborn desire to explore. |
| A．Why children are talented language learners. |
| B．What are the proper ways of learning languages. |
| C．When is the best time to learn foreign languages. |
| D．How environments can influence language learning. |
注意：1．词数80左右；2．开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
I’m writing to express my sincere gratitude to you.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,
Li Hua
5 . Have you ever thought of the reasons why we had better learn a second language? As a matter of fact, in today’s highly-connected world, there are many benefits of it. Here are a few of them.
It helps you better understand the world.
Learning a language isn’t just about learning words and grammar.
As you learn and get better at the language, you’ll find that you have increased self-awareness and more confidence using your second language, which can also make you more attractive to others! Truly, people will respect the fact that you’re learning another language. Native speakers will be impressed with your efforts, friends and family will be proud of you and strangers will be interested in your story.
It makes you smarter.
Believe it or not, it is said that learning a second language improves your memory and strengthens your problem-solving abilities.
You can help more people.
There are so many positive effects of learning a second language.
| A．It improves your creativity |
| B．It builds up your self-confidence |
| C．It allows you to connect on a deeper level |
| D．Studying a foreign language doesn’t have to be all about you |
| E．So choose a language that you find exciting and benefit from it |
| F．This is because learning languages helps your brain exercise |
| G．It’s also about learning about the history and culture of a country |
1．说明问题；
2．提出建议。
注意：1．写作词数应为80左右；2．请按如下格式作答。
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• Do personalized quizzes with speaking.
• Understand and truly enjoy real-world videos.
• Learn new words in multiple contexts.
Reviews from users
FluentU is a great method to learn a foreign language. We watch videos with subtitles and at any time, we can stop the video if we don’t understand a word or an expression. We click on for additional explanations. Then, we have a quiz to work the vocabulary. I find this method very interesting to improve and stay motivated.
—Estelle Jaouen
I appreciate being able to hear the pronunciation from a male and female voice. I think the mix of characters and pinyin are great and well-balanced. I love the fact that I’ve only been doing this for less than a month and I already know dozens of useful phrases and words!
—Maria van Eeden
I like the fact that it’s very dynamic and not grammar focused. Also, having many videos to learn from makes it even less boring no matter where you are as long as you have a smart phone. I like to just watch each video one time, pause at each sentence and try to remember words and sentences.
—Eduard Marius
The best thing about FluentU is that you have direct context for each new vocabulary that you learn. Repeating the dialogues is the way I learn. Also, that you can bring in your own vocabulary list and that the program searches for videos or material in which the words are included are remarkable!
—Jan Rehmer
1. What is included in FluentU?| A．Lots of videos. | B．Many language tutors. |
| C．Varieties of educational websites. | D．Much advice on grammar learning. |
| A．Estelle Jaouen. | B．Maria van Eeden. | C．Eduard Marius. | D．Jan Rehmer. |
| A．An English brochure. | B．A language textbook. |
| C．An interview about AI. | D．An introduction to an App. |
8 . Learning anything by sitting in the comfort of your home can be very easy and at the same time, there will not be any pressure to complete some task or anything like that.
Watching English movies and shows
Watching English movies can help you a lot with improving your spoken English skills. Observe the expressions of the character, which is an excellent way to improve your English conversations in daily life.
Recording your voice
Recording your voice can be an easy way to understand how you speak. This method can help you with understanding your accent (口音) and your pronunciation. You will be able to understand your mistakes when you speak. Then you can improve them. It may sound uncomfortable at the beginning.
Practicing grammatical concepts
Having basic grammar knowledge is crucial (至关重要的).
This can be an effective way to understand the way you speak including your facial expressions. Practicing your speech in front of the mirror can help you to encourage your confidence. This method is effective if you don’t have a speaking partner or if there is no one to judge you.
| A．Speaking in front of the mirror |
| B．Speaking English with yourself |
| C．It helps in building correct sentences |
| D．Similarly, maybe you are planning to learn English at home |
| E．There is a lot of fun in the process and you will also enjoy it |
| F．You can also watch English interviews of successful people |
| G．But over time your accent and pronunciation will be improved by practicing |
1. 班级英语水平；
2. 英语学习中存在的问题。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Even,
I’m Li Hua from Class 5.
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Yours,
Li Hua
1．上课认真听讲，做好笔记，课后及时复习。
2．词汇是基础，每天早上花半个小时的时间背诵单词，朗读课文。
3．课外多与同学用英语交流，提高听力和口语能力。
4．每天坚持写日记。
注意：1．词数80词左右，短文的开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总数。
2．内容可适当发挥，注意行文连贯。
Dear Wang Mei,
I’m very glad to have received your e-mail.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,
Li Hua
