1 . English and Chinese have for a long time been the languages most studied around the world but the line up of other languages of study is ever-changing.
In 2020, Spanish overtook (超越) French as the second most learned language on the popular language learning app Duolingo. This could be explained by a number of factors. The Spanish-speaking community is increasingly influential in the US and Latin America is seen as increasingly influential worldwide. It could be that for many people in the US there’s a practical need to speak Spanish domestically (国内地) that has overridden (比……更重要) the wish to speak French for travel.
Asian languages are also increasing in popularity. There’s recently been great interest in Japanese from China, as well as from some African countries including Chad and Ethiopia. We can mainly relate this growing interest to Japan’s cultural output and general attraction to its unique culture. Not to mention the Olympics getting the interest of language learners from around the world.
What’s striking is that Chinese is now a more popular choice than Russian for language learners. That’s probably because the increasing global influence of China means it is seen as a more useful language to speak compared to Russian. Over 100 million learners are thought to be studying Chinese worldwide with interest from the UK, US, India and Africa. It’s interesting to see a relatively new superpower overtake a more established one — in language terms at least.
It’s hard to judge the cultural influence of a country but the number of people spending time learning more about it through its language is surely a sign that it is exerting (施加) influence.
1. What can we infer about Latin Americans?| A．They often travel to France. |
| B．They mostly speak Spanish. |
| C．They influence the US most. |
| D．They learn the most languages. |
| A．Culture. |
| B．Tourism. |
| C．The Olympics. |
| D．The global influence. |
| A．confused. |
| B．interested. |
| C．proud. |
| D．anxious. |
| A．Languages most studied |
| B．The app most downloaded |
| C．Changes in language learning |
| D．The battle between English and Chinese |
采访内容:
1.你或你身边的人在日常生活中使用移动支付的情况；
2.移动支付带来的好处
3.你的看法。
参考词汇: 微信: Wechat 支付宝: Alipay 二维码: QR code
注意:1.词数120左右;
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
Dear Jenny,
How is your survey on mobile payment going？ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours faithfully
Li Hua
3 . WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hungry pandas don’t particularly care whether there’s a partial government shutdown. The Washington National Zoological Park’s most famous residents still need to be fed, as do thousands of other animals, even as the facility closed its gates Wednesday.
The zoo will remain closed to the public. On Wednesday, the normally bustling (熙熙攘攘的) Connecticut Avenue gateway was locked tight. Just behind the fence, a statue of a giant panda that would normally be covered in climbing children sat alone and neglected. The zoo’s animal care staff will use the downtime to conduct comprehensive medical checks on the animals.
The partial government shutdown began on December 22. President Donald Trump’s demand for money for a border wall with Mexico has been the sticking point in passing funding bills for several government departments. Trump said Wednesday that the shutdown will last "as long as it takes."
With no signs that the shutdown will end soon, Washington’s tourism officials are working to ensure that tourists don’t cancel their trips entirely. The mayor’s office and Washington’s tourism bureau (旅游局) have released a list of private museums and off-the-beaten-path attractions for visitors including the Newseum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Museum of the Bible, Ford’s Theatre and DAR Constitution Hall.
“We know that federal government shutdowns cause many disruptions for both residents and visitors, but we want to remind everyone that while the federal government might be closed, D.C. is open for business,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The pandas were not available for comment.
1. Why are the animals waiting to be fed?| A．Because the government has been closed by Donald Trump. |
| B．Because the zoo makes a profit not enough to support the animals. |
| C．Because people’s interest in animals gradually declines. |
| D．Because the government has limited the budget of the zoo. |
| A．Most Americans do not support the president’s plan to build a wall on the border. |
| B．It might take a long time for lawmakers and the president to agree on a budget. |
| C．Lawmakers are working with the president to reopen the government quickly. |
| D．The government shutdown has caused many people to lose their jobs. |
| A．To attract more visitors from other countries. |
| B．To reduce the effect of government shutdown. |
| C．To keep people away from the bustling zoo. |
| D．To call on citizens to learn about the country’s history and culture. |
| A．The pandas’ needs were not as important as building the border wall. |
| B．The pandas were busy with cleaning up their own mess. |
| C．The pandas were innocent and the victims of the political fight. |
| D．The pandas were ignored and unavailable for visitors. |
4 . How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments -mostly for entertainment purposes - is fair and respectful? Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats.
Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes. Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range.
The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs. The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusually and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.
Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding (圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?
Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.
1. How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?| A．Dangerous. | B．Unhappy. |
| C．Natural. | D．Easy. |
| A．remain in cages | B．behave strangely |
| C．attack other animals | D．enjoy moving around |
| A．Zoos are not worth the public support. |
| B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals. |
| C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings. |
| D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment. |
| A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do |
| B．using evidence he has collected at zoos |
| C．questioning the way animals are protected |
| D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats |
