Learning a foreign language is more than just a help to your CV(简历) or convenient for travelling. It will make you smarter, more perceptive(透视的) and even better at English. 1.
You become smarter
Speaking a foreign language improves the ability of your brain by challenging it to recognize, understand meaning, and communicate in different language systems. Students who study foreign languages will score better on standardized tests than their monolingual (单语的) classmates, particularly in maths, reading, and vocabulary.
You become more perceptive
A study from Spain shows that multilingual(多种语言的) people are better at observing their surroundings. They are better at focusing related information and editing out the unrelated. 2. Is it any surprise that Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot know several kinds of languages?
You build multitasking skills
Multilingual people, especially children, are skilled at switching between two systems of speech, writing, and structure. 3. The research found that people who spoke more than one language made fewer errors in their driving.
4.
Educators often compare the brain to a muscle, because it functions better with exercise. Learning a language involves memorizing rules and vocabulary, which helps strengthen that mental “muscle.” This exercise improves overall memory, which means that multiple language speakers are better at remembering lists or sequences.
If you haven’t spoken a foreign tongue since your A levels, your brain might not be gaining these bilingual benefits. 5. People who begin language study in their adult lives can still achieve the same levels of fluency as a young learner, and still gain the same mental benefits, too.
A. However, it’s never too late to learn a foreign language.
B. In one study, participants used a driving simulator(模拟器) while doing separate, distracting tasks at the same time.
C. Your muscle improves.
D. Below are several advantages of learning a foreign language.
E. They’re also better at discovering misleading information.
F. Language speakers also develop a better ear for listening.
G. Your memory improves.
Over the past 40 years, China has helped more than 700 million rural residents out of being poor, and the poverty rate — the proportion of people living below the Chinese poverty line — had fallen among the rural population from 97.5 percent in 1978 to 3.1 percent at the end of 2017, official figures shows. China’s achievements in poverty alleviation (扶贫) made the world look at China with admiration.
“For me, it is unbelievable that over 40 years, that is, over the course of one working lifetime, China has gone from one of the poorest countries in the world to one that is about to eliminate(消除) absolute poverty,” said Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council.
Varaprasad Sekhar Dolla, a professor of Chinese studies at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, also spoke highly of China’s achievements in poverty reduction. “If global poverty came down greatly in the last three or four decades, it’s partly because of the Chinese contribution to reducing poverty within its own national boundaries,” said the Indian scholar.
In the eyes of Khairy Tourk, a professor of economics with the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, “many countries look up to China to learn from its experience.” “The Chinese experience is based on building a modern infrastructure (基础设施) and then on setting up special economic zones that would help underdeveloped countries to become more industrial,” he added.
In the government work report delivered at the opening of the annual NPC session (全国人大会议) on March 5, China promises to reduce its population of rural poor by over 10 million this year.
1.What’s the purpose of the numbers given in the first paragraph?
A.To show China has helped many rural residents out of poverty.
B.To imply many Chinese are suffering from poverty.
C.To show the great changes of China in the past 40 decades.
D.To indicate all Chinese will eliminate poverty this year.
2.What’s the attitude of Craig Allen to China’s achievements in poverty alleviation?
A.surprised. B.interested. C.upset. D.indifferent.
3.Which is the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?
A.The global poverty has come down except China.
B.China should try its best to help the world out of poverty.
C.China has made great contributions to world poverty alleviation.
D.China has eliminated poverty completely.
4.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.China will make more progress in poverty alleviation.
B.China has done a lot in poverty alleviation.
C.China has realized its dream to help its people out of poverty.
D.The world speak well of China’s achievements in poverty alleviation.
A large number of people enjoy listening to various types of music while they paint, write, or draw. Many believe that music helps creativity.
However, an international study conducted by English and Swedish researchers is challenging that opinion. Psychologists from Lancaster University, The University of Gävle, and The University of Central Lancashire say that their findings show music actually blocks creativity.
To come to their conclusions, researchers had participants(参与者) complete verbal insight problems designed to inspire creativity while sitting in a quiet room, and then again while music played in the background. They found that background music “badly affected” the participants’ ability to complete tasks related to verbal creativity.
The tasks were simple word games. For example, participants were given three words, such as dress, dial, and flower. Then, they were asked to find a single word related to all three that could be combined to form a common phrase or word. The single word, in this case, would be “sun” (sundress, sunflower, etc).
Participants completed the tasks in either a quiet room, or while exposed to three different types of music; music with unfamiliar words, instrumental music, or music with familiar words. “We found strong evidence of damaged performance when playing background music in comparison to quiet background conditions,” says co-author Dr. Neil McLatchie of Lancaster University.
To conclude, the findings challenge the popular view that music encourages creativity, and instead prove that music consistently disrupts creative performance in dealing with problems.
1.What’s the main idea of this passage?
A.A new idea about music while working. B.Music encourages creativity while working.
C.Music does harm to creativity while working. D.We’d better not listen to music while working.
2.The underlined word “block” in the 2nd paragraph probably means “________”
A.lift B.strengthen C.raise D.limit
3.How did the researchers get the conclusion according to the paragraph 5?
A.By comparing. B.By following time order. C.By analyzing causes and effects. D.By presenting the process.
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.While working, we can listen to some familiar music.
B.Music has no effect on our creativity while working.
C.To improve our creativity, we should choose to work in quiet background conditions.
D.Music does more good than harm to our health.
It is every kid’s worst nightmare(噩梦) and six-year-old Jaden Hayes has lived it twice. First he lost his dad when he was only at the age of four and then last month his mom died unexpectedly in her deep sleep.
“I tried and I tried and I tried to get her awake , but... I just couldn’t,” said Jaden.
No one could imagine how heartbroken Jaden was.
But there’s another side to his sadness. A side he first made public a few weeks ago when he told his aunt, Barbara DiCola, and now his guardian(监护人) after both his parents died, that he was sick and tired of seeing everyone sad all the time. And he had a plan to fix it.
“And that was the beginning of it,” said Barbara. “That’s where the adventure began.”
Jaden asked his aunt Barbara to buy a bunch of little toys and bring him to downtown Savannah, Georgia near where he lives, so he could give them away to anyone who will smile to him. “I’m trying to make people smile,” said Jaden.
Jaden targets people who aren’t already smiling and then turns their day around. He’s gone out on four different occasions now and he is always successful. Even if sometimes he doesn’t get exactly the reaction he was hoping for.
It is just so overwhelming to some people that a six-year-old orphan would give away a toy — expecting nothing in return — except a smile.
“I’m depending on it to be 33,000,” said Jaden. When asked if he thinks he can make that goal, he answered: “I think I can.”
1.What happened to Jaden when he was 6 years old?
A.He had a nightmare one night. B.His father died unexpectedly.
C.He lost both his mother and his father. D.His mother died suddenly in her deep sleep.
2.Who is Barbara DiCola?
A.She is Jaden’s new mother. B.She is Jaden’s aunt and his guardian as well.
C.She is Jaden’s aunt. D.She is Jaden’s neighbour.
3.Why did Jaden ask Barbara DiCola to buy him toys?
A.To sell them to the people in Savannah, Georgia. B.To make some money.
C.To help those who were in trouble. D.To make people smile.
4.Which of the following words can be used to describe Jaden?
A.Caring and confident. B.Rich and hopeful.
C.Pitiful and kind. D.Hardworking and kind.
Welcome to Holker Hall & Gardens
Visitor Information
How to Get to Holker
By Car: Follow brown signs on A590 from J36, M6. Approximate travel times: Windermere—20 minutes, Kendal—25 minutes, Lancaster—45 minutes, Manchester—1 hour 30 minutes.
By Rail: The nearest station is Cark-in-Carmel with trains to Carnforth, Lancaster and Preston for connections to major cities & airports.
Opening Times
Sunday—Friday (closed on Saturday) 11:00am—4:00pm, 30th March—2nd November. Admission Charges
| Hall & Gardens | Gardens |
Adults | £ 12.00 | £ 8.00 |
Groups | £ 9.00 | £ 5.50 |
Special Events
Producers’ Market 13th April
Join us to taste a variety of fresh local food and drinks. Meet the producers and get some excellent recipe ideas.
Holker Garden Festival 30th May
The event celebrates its 22nd anniversary with a great show of the very best of gardening, making it one of the most popular events in gardening.
National Garden Day 28th August
Holker once again opens its gardens in aid of the disadvantaged. For just a small donation you can take a tour with our garden guide.
Winter Market 8th November
This is an event for all the family. Wander among a variety of shops selling gifts while enjoying a live music show and nice street entertainment.
1.In which period can you pay a visit to Holker Hall & Gardens during the summer holiday?
A.11am-2pm, Saturday B.7am-9am, Friday
C.1pm-3pm, Sunday D.5pm-7pm,Wednesday
2.How much should a tour group of 5 members pay to visit the Gardens?
A.£45.00 B.£27.50 C.£40.00 D.£17.50
3.Which event will you go to if you want to enjoy some street performance?
A.Winter Market B.Holker Garden Festival
C.National Garden Day D.Producers’ Market
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.When will the first trip start?
A.In June. B.In April. C.In March.
2.How will the group travel to Birmingham?
A.By train. B.By bus. C.By plane.
3.What does the speaker advise the group not to take during the first trip?
A.Their cameras. B.Their student cards. C.Their mobile phones.
4.When can the group get copies of an information sheet?
A.Over the weekend B.On Friday. C.This afternoon.
