1 . Mary-Jo Saunders goes to kindergarten every morning, just like many other five-year-olds in New York. Today, she is learning a poem. What is special is that it’s a Chinese poem and that she is able to recite it without an accent. Soon she is going to learn Chinese handwriting too. “Learning the world’s most spoken language might give Mary-Jo a head start in her future jobs” says her mother Alison. “I think it’s good for her to stretch herself (端尽所能) by listening to and pronouncing new sounds, as well as learning to read and. write Chinese characters.”
More and more parents in the world are sending their children to Chinese classes. Keen for their sons and daughters to succeed in lift, they see being fluent in a second or third language as an advantage. Learning Chinese is becoming so popular that the language has been included in the education systems of more than 75 countries. Over 4,000 overseas universities offer Chinese language courses and about 25 million people are learning Chinese outside China.
It is easy to understand why Chinese is becoming so popular. Learning Chinese may help people get more chances to work. China is already a global economic power, and its influence is growing. For example, there’s China’s Belt and Road Initiative (倡议), which encourages many countries along the Silk Road to work together more closely. It has created thousands of local jobs, many of which need people with a knowledge of Chinese. Another reason is that studying Chinese provides chances to explore wonderful Chinese history and culture. Adam Turner, a school head teacher in the UK, mentions this as one of the most attractive parts of the recently added Chinese course. “Students love the mystery (奥秘) of China,” he explains. “They want to know all about its traditions, dynasties and art forms. Learning Chinese helps them see life differently and increase their knowledge of the outside world.”
1. Why did the writer mention Mary-Jo Saunders’ story in paragraph 1?| A．To praise Mary-Jo Saunders’ hard work in learning Chinese. |
| B．To introduce a funny way of learning Chinese in New York. |
| C．To stress the great difficulty of learning Chinese for foreigners. |
| D．To show the growing interest in learning Chinese outside China. |
| A．Telling. | B．Expecting. |
| C．Requesting. | D．Advising. |
| A．By listing numbers. | B．By finding excuses. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By offering suggestions. |
| A．Traveling all over the world and having fun. |
| B．Doing business globally and making more money. |
| C．Getting a job and a deeper understanding of China. |
| D．Improving relationships with other countries. |
| A．Chinese Learning: Increasing Popularity. |
| B．Chinese Language: A Head Start in School. |
| C．Chinese Handwriting: Traditions and Art Forms. |
| D．Chinese Characters: Reading and Writing for Fun. |
2 . Nobody likes to think they are "that guy" at work.
• Behaving in an unacceptable way
The most common form of this is eating smelly foods at lunchtime. Other things alike include body smell and its opposite, the wearing of strong perfume, messy desks, or bad breath.
• Checking email on your phone when you're talking to other people
A recent survey shows that 49 percent of people said their bosses checked their phones while talking with them.
•
Do you like the sound of your own voice? Great. Perhaps it's time you learned to like the sound of other people's voices too. If you interrupt others when they speak, they'll dislike you and discount whatever you're saying. However, if you listen to what others say and show interest by asking intelligent questions, they'll love you and be likely to give you their support when you speak,
• Boasting about how much you earn
| A．Talking all the time |
| B．Being a good listener |
| C．Team-working can never be ignored. |
| D．All these things will become part of your personal brand. |
| E．It's better to be modest when you talk about your incomes. |
| F．Bad behavior at work is common --and often we do it without thinking. |
| G．An interesting email seems more valuable than the person you are actually talking to. |
