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    Four benefits of learning a new language Has learning a new language been sitting on your to-do list for ages？There's no better time than now to think of finally crossing it off．1.

1． Easier travels

The fabled（传说中的）language barrier is real - as soon as you travel outside tourist areas，understanding others and making yourself understood can be quite the challenge．2. In this way you can experience all the riches a foreign country offers．

2． Better work relations

Being able to speak to your clients （委托人） in their preferred language can be of great help for your business relationships．3. Indeed， speaking an extra language could earn your salary up to 20 percent．

3． Improved brain function

Learning a new language can develop your thinking abilities and help your mind work better． Studies have even shown that language learning reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease．

4． Increased focus

Language learning shapes your brain into a well-oiled multi-tasking machine． As you build a new mental word list， you'll notice an improvement in your ability to do several things at once and to quickly switch between tasks．4.

So， start by determining what you want to do -taking a trip， moving to another country or looking for a better job， for instance．5. Be open-minded， listen to others and most of all， practice， practice， and practice some more!

A．Just involve yourself in the language．

B．This makes it possible for you to find a good reason．

C．Your overall focus will be sharper and your brain will work better．

D．You should be familiar with the language spoken where you're traveling．

E．Learning a new language is a good way to improve your ability in this field．

F．Here are some benefits of language learning that will convince you to take the leap！

G．It will improve not only your professional reputation but your chances of scoring a raise．

    The year 3700， Earth is far too hot for any human to call it home． On this planet at least， man is nothing more than a memory - if there is anything left to remember the"wise man"． But what about our wisdom -will any of it survive us？

The conventional answer is no． Knowledge requires a knower， and there will be no knowing minds around then． But if information survives， perhaps in books or hard drives， maybe the knowledge isn't quite dead but dormant （休眠）， ready to become alive with the help of other minds that develop over time or come to visit Earth in the distant future．

At first sight， that seems to be reasonable： after all， we have done similar things with past knowledge． For example， we saved an ancient computer from a ship destroyed at sea off the southern coast of Greece， and succeeded in finding the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字）． Careful work can bring previously lost wisdom back to life．

However， the key point is that there is a certain cultural continuity with those ancient times that allows us to reason and make progress in the dark： we know we are dealing with the legacy （遗赠） of other humans．

Without that link， the survival of objects and raw data doesn't guarantee the survival of knowledge．And a lack of continuity in language with any future intelligence would be a barrier． Knowledge is closely connected with language． When a language dies out， we can lose systems of reasoning that they contain． If that's lost， then it can't be recovered．

All this means that other minds might not be able to fully make human knowledge alive when we are gone． It is better to concentrate on not dying out in the first place．

1.What is the main purpose of Paragraph 1？ ______

A. To present an interesting idea．

B. To state a problem of the future．

C. To inform us of the earth in 3700．

D. To introduce the topic of the text．

2.What do the words"similar things"in Paragraph 3probably refer to？ ______

A. Developing the minds．

B. Remembering the wise man．

C. Making lost wisdom alive again．

D. Learning from the ancient civilization．

3.What plays the key part in getting cultural continuity according to the text？ ______

A. Language．    B. Intelligence．

C. Knowledge．    D. Information．

4.What can be the best title for the text？ ______

A. Can human beings live on？

B. Will our wisdom survive us？

C. How we can protect our culture

D. What the earth will be like in the future

    "Her grades are fine； I'm not worried about that， but she just doesn't seem to love learning any more，"

Alice's mum said．

She's absolutely right． I'd noticed the same thing about her daughter over the previous two or three years when I'd been Alice's middle school teacher， and I have an answer， right there on the tip of my tongue， to what has gone wrong． Yet I'm torn between my responsibility to help Alice and the knowledge that what I have to say is a truth I'm not sure this mother is ready to hear．

The truth for this parent and so many others is this： Her child has sacrificed her natural curiosity and love of learning at the altar of achievement， and it's our fault． Alice's parents， her teachers， society at large - we are all supposed to be blamed in this crime against learning． From her first day of school， we pointed her toward that altar and trained her to measure her progress by means of points， scores， and awards．

We taught Alice that her potential is tied to her intellect（智力）， and that her intellect is more important than her character． We taught her to come home proudly bearing grade As， championship prizes， and college acceptance， and not on purpose， we taught her that we don't really care how she obtains them． We taught her to protect her academic and extracurricular（课外的）perfection at all costs and that it's better to quit when things get challenging rather than risk losing that perfect record． Above all else， we taught her to fear failure． That fear is what has destroyed her love of learning．

1.We can infer from Paragraph 2 that the author ______ ．

A. thinks Alice is right

B. is uncertain of the answer

C. hesitates to express an idea

D. wonders why the mother is worried

2.Which can replace the underlined words"at the altar of"？ ______

A. instead of    B. at the risk of

C. at the loss of    D. in the interest of

3.What has really made Alice change her attitude to learning？ ______

A. Being slow in study．    B. Fear of bad grades．

C. Difficulty in study．    D. Press from parents．

4.What is more important for a teenager in the author's opinion？ ______

A. His knowledge．    B. His intellect．

C. His character．    D. His achievement．

    Derek Rabelo is not the only surfer to conquer Hawaii's famous Pipeline big-wave break， but while all others use their sight to do it， this young professional surfer must rely only on his other senses． That's because he is completely blind．

When Derek was born about 24 years ago， he got his name from Derek Ho， the first Hawaiian surfing world champion． A surfing enthusiast himself， Emeslo Rabelo dreamed that his son would share the talent of his uncle， a professional surfer． Unfortunately， Derek was born completely blind， but this didn't stop his family from believing that he could do anything he wanted， even if that meant becoming a surfer．

At age 2， Derek received a bodyboard and the beaches of Guarapari， Brazil， became his backyard． He was always comfortable in the water and surfing was in his blood， but he didn't actually try riding a wave until he turned 17， when his father bought him a surfboard． His father taught him the basics and encouraged him to keep practising， but after successfully standing up on the surfboard， Derek knew he needed to become much better if he was going to achieve Emeslo's dream and become a professional surfer． So he joined the Praia do Moroo surf school， where he studied under coach Fabio Maru．

Standing up on a surfboard and conquering small waves is one thing， while gathering the courage to take on Hawaii's board-breaking Pipeline is another． But that was exactly what Derek Rabelo set out to do just months after learning how to surf． Everyone told him it was too dangerous， but he felt he could do it． And he did， earning the praise of famous professional surfers like Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning． Now 24， Rabelo has been surfing the Pipeline every winter since．

1.What makes Dereck Rabelo special as a professional surfer？ ______

A. He is disabled．    B. He is talented．

C. He is fortunate．    D. He is hard-working．

2.Who is Derek Ho？ ______

A. Derek Rabelo's uncle．    B. Derek Rabelo's father．

C. A surf school coach．    D. A professional surf trainer．

3.What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us about Derek Rabelo？ ______

A. His difficulties in surfing．

B. His achievements in surfing．

C. His dream to be a professional surfer．

D. His early life to be a professional surfer．

4.What words can best describe Derek according to the last paragraph？ ______

A. Skillful and proud．    B. Brave and confident．

C. Considerate and reliable．    D. Careful and strong-willed．

    The city of Amsterdam is one of the best preserved in all of Europe． When visiting this remarkable city，you tend to forget your troubles just for a moment． With this travel guide， you will be able to discover the real Amsterdam．

Amsterdam weather and best time to visit

To see the tulip flowers you can visit from mid-April to early May． For the New Year's celebration， there's a lot of partying going on then． However， if you want to enjoy a quieter and more relaxed Amsterdam， visit from October to March．

Getting Around Amsterdam

You can rent a bike to go wherever you want to go． Public transportation is also convenient． You can get a chip card for about ﹩9．

What You Should Know Before Visiting Amsterdam

Plan ahead since most of the attractions are usually busy and be careful with your wallets as the city is well known for pick-pockets． Also be cautious when you are buying something in the markets．

Best of Amsterdam

Rijks museum

This museum is one of the finest in the world． Make sure you arrive before 10 am to avoid big crowds．

Vondel park

If you are looking forward to relaxing and enjoying some peace and quiet， make a trip to this top choice park in the city．

Van Gogh museum

The Van Gogh museum is very fascinating； you will definitely be moved as you see Van Gogh's life and how he developed through art．

A'Dam Tower

If you want to get the inspiring views of Amsterdam， take the lift to the top of this tower． You can also climb aboard the giant four-person swing for some fun rides．

1.In which month can visitors feel at ease more in Amsterdam ？ ______

A. June．    B. July．

C. September．    D. November．

2.What is the purpose of the part"What you should know before visiting Amsterdam"？ ______

A. Providing help．    B. Giving warnings．

C. Explaining situations．    D. Expressing disappointment．

3.Where should you go to get a bird's-eye view of Amsterdam？ ______

A. Rijks museum．    B. Vondel park．

C. Van Gogh museum．    D. A'Dam Tower．