If you are fond of learning languages, you must start learning Chinese. English is the most widely spoken language in the world and it is a more powerful language in all fields. But it is expected that Chinese, which is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (UN), will be the most important language in the coming years. What are the reasons behind the rapid spread of this language and why should you learn it?
My desire to learn languages was the reason why I studied many Latin languages and in the process, I deepened my knowledge of the languages and literature. However, I did not feel self-sufficient ( 自 给 自 足 的 ) from this knowledge. I gained a lot of information about the Western world. But my thinking was always about Asian civilizations. I always felt I needed to learn Chinese to be a global citizen (全球公民) because “without learning Chinese, we see with one eye”.
My contact with many international organizations and government institutions ( 机构 ) made me believe that Chinese is one of the most important languages of our time. After visiting the world’s most celebrated capitals such as Paris and London, I discovered that Chinese language can be seen everywhere in these places. In the subway in Paris, you will hear instructions in French, English and Chinese. In London, for example, the Chinese language was introduced for instruction in schools.
China is an important political (政治的) and economic country because it is making great economic progress that has never been seen before. The world is watching China with great surprise, and this peaceful Chinese rise makes us decide to focus on learning the Chinese language and knowing more about Chinese culture.
To be a global citizen these days, I would advise you to learn Chinese. It will add more beauty to your life and allow you to better understand Chinese civilization.
1.What can we learn about languages in the future according to the first paragraph?
A.Some of them will disappear.
B.More official languages will be added to the UN.
C.English will still have an advantage over others.
D.Chinese language will probably be second to none.
2.What do the examples in Paragraph 3 show?
A.Paris is a wonderful capital city worth a visit.
B.Chinese learning is very popular in schools in London.
C.People in some western countries like speaking Chinese.
D.Chinese language is playing an important role in the world.
3.What mainly causes Westerners to start learning Chinese according to the text?
A.The rise of Chinese economy.
B.Their love for language learning.
C.Their curiosity about Asian culture.
D.The long history of Chinese civilization.
4.What could be the best title for the text?
A.How to be a global citizen
B.Chinese — the language you must learn
C.What you should know about Chinese culture
D.Chinese economy—the most powerful engine
When you set a foot outside of your door to drop trash, go to a social event or go for a walk, thoughts like “I hope I don't see anyone I know” or “please don’ t talk to me” may run through your mind. I’ ve also said such things to myself. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is talk with someone, especially someone new.
Why do we go out of our ways to avoid people? Do we think meeting new people is a waste of time? Or are we just lazy, thinking that meeting someone new really is a trouble?
Communication is the key to life. We have been told that many times. Take the past generations, like our parents, for example. They seem to take full advantage of that whole “communication” idea because they grew up talking face to face while Generation-Y grew up staring at screens. We spend hours of our days sitting on Facebook. We send messages to our friends and think about all of the things we want to say to certain people that we don't have the courage to actually do in reality.
Nowadays, we are so caught up in our little circle of friends — our comfort zone. We love it that they laugh at our jokes, understand our feelings and can read our minds. Most importantly, they know when we want to be alone. They just get us.
Holding a conversation with someone new means agreeing with things that you don’t actually believe and being someone you think they want you to be — it is, as I said before, a trouble. It takes up so much energy, and at some point or another, it is too tiring.
But meeting new people is important. Life is too short, so meet all the people you can meet, make the effort to go out and laugh. Remember, Every “hello” leads to a smile — and a smile is worth a lot.
1.What do we learn about the author?
A.He likes to be alone.
B.He feels stressed out lately.
C.He's active in attending social events.
D.He's afraid of talking to others at times.
2.What's the problem of Generation-Y in the author’s eyes?
A.They rely on the Internet to socialize.
B.They are less confident in themselves.
C.They have difficulty in communicating.
D.They are unwilling to make new friends.
3.Why do many young people avoid meeting new people?
A.They think it troublesome.
B.They are busy with their study.
C.They fear to disappoint their old friends.
D.They want to take time to do meaningful work.
4.Why does the author write the text?
A.To tell about the importance of friends.
B.To give tips on how to meet new people.
C.To encourage people to meet new people.
D.To introduce the disadvantages of Generation-Y.
Every year, over 7.72 trillion kilograms of plastic is washed into the oceans. There are five huge areas in the world’s oceans that are a “soup” of floating rubbish. One of these areas, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), is three times as large as France.
Over a year ago, a group called Ocean Cleanup began using a huge floating screen to try to clean up plastic pollution in the ocean. After several failures, the group is now collecting plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But the plastic is spreading out over a large area, so it's impossible to collect it piece by piece. So, the Ocean Cleanup had a plan. They got a long floating U-shaped tube with a screen hanging below it. As the tube and screen are pushed by the water and the winds, the U is meant to collect plastic rubbish, making it easy for a ship to collect and remove the plastic. The system uses the power of the wind and ocean, so it doesn’t need fuel.
The group began testing the first version, called “System 001”, last September. But it soon became clear that the screen was just moving with the plastic, not collecting it. Sometimes plastic would wash over the top of the tube. Even worse, System 001 got broken by surging seas and had to be towed to Hawaii for repairs.
But Mr. Slat, who got the idea for the Ocean Cleanup system, sees the project as an experiment, which means a failure is a chance to learn. The team collected and studied lots of information about what worked well and what didn’t. Then they changed the design. In June, an improved version, called “System001/B” was towed back to the GPGP.
The new version has a parachute (降落伞) attached to it. This makes the system move slightly slower than the plastic, allowing the plastic to be collected inside, as planned. But this success is still just the beginning of the work of the Ocean Cleanup. They want a better and larger system.
1.What does the author want to show in Paragraph 1?
A.Humans should try to prevent plastic waste.
B.The GPGP is facing different kinds of pollution.
C.Plastic pollution in the oceans has become a serious problem.
D.A series of problems has been caused by plastic pollution.
2.What was the group’s plan?
A.To make use of the water and the winds.
B.To create a ship to collect waste in the oceans.
C.To collect the floating plastic waste piece by piece.
D.To gather up the floating plastic waste in the oceans.
3.What can we know about the “System001”?
A.It was a failure. B.It was a great success.
C.It worked with a parachute. D.It needed to be fueled regularly.
4.What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 3?
A.vast B.rough C.calm D.peaceful
I sat down, with food in my lap, waiting to watch a movie. It sounds like a typical Friday night at home, but this time it was not. I was sitting down in a theatre of over 300 Filipinos speaking their native tongues. We were watching a film named Ulam: Main Dish. It’s directed by a Filipino-American director, and it’s about Filipino / Filipino-American food.
Right before the film began, I was caught in this realization: this is a film created by my people, for my people and about my people, and shared with an audience much larger than just us. This was the first time I had ever experienced a film of this nature. I could understand its stories and culture. The theatre went dark and before the film rolled, my eyes were already overflowed (洋溢)with pride.
I was watching this film at the Reel Asian Film Festival. At this year’s festival, I joined the Reel Asian team as their Social Media Assistant. This meant that during the festival I could actually get to speak to the filmmakers, actors, producers, etc. Particularly, I had the chance to speak to filmmakers about why a festival like this is important to them.
Through talking with them, I learned that there is something really unique about the Reel Asian Film Festival. It brings good Asian cinema a home in what is known as an incredibly diverse city, allowing these stories to be told to a diverse audience of diverse views.
For anyone looking to find themselves in a film, learn more about other cultures, and enjoy a good movie, I truly believe that Reel Asian is the place to be. As an annual event, it's so well planned and organized, and so much expectation is being built.
1.How did the author probably feel while watching the movie?
A.She found the faces in the film strange.
B.She realized making a film was really hard.
C.She became very proud of being an American.
D.She could relate to the cultural information of the movie.
2.What did the author’s position at the festival allow her to do?
A.Ask directors for a role. B.Sell her works to producers.
C.Communicate with those making films. D.Form a filming team of her own.
3.According to the author, what is a function of the festival mentioned?
A.Introducing Asian films to more people.
B.Introducing other cultures to Asian producers.
C.Helping Asian people know more about foreign movies.
D.Helping Asian restaurants develop new markets.
They launched an online activity _______ their lost colleague.
A.in charge of B.in term of
C.in place of D.in memory of
The publisher resigned and left the press, never _______ again.
A.to be met B.to meet
C.be met D.being met
