Question

People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant when learning a second language.

A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, for example, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between the second language and our first, the harder it will be for most people to learn.

Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet.

Different cultures and individuals will find different languages more difficult. In the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing system, which uses a similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity, though native speakers may find it easier, struggling with languages that the British find relatively hard.

No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that one language that is the most difficult language in the world.

1.Who might find Portuguese an easier language to learn?

A. The Chinese.    B. Russians.

C. Spanish people.    D. The Japanese.

2.Why do Japanese speakers find the Chinese less difficult to learn?

A. They use Chinese characters.

B. Japan is the neighbor of China.

C. Chinese is their second language.

D. Many Japanese are learning Chinese.

3.Which is the most difficult of Hungarian for British learners?

A. Writing.    B. Pronunciation.

C. Grammar.    D. Alphabet.

4.What might be the author’s opinion?

A. Chinese is the hardest language.

B. Native language is always easy to learn.

C. No languages are difficult to learn well.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】本文是一篇议论文，作者论述了学习语言的难易程度与哪些因素有关，最后得出结论：没有一门语言是容易学好的，挑出世界上最困难的语言是不可能的。

1.细节理解题，“ Who might find Portuguese an easier language to learn?谁会觉得葡萄牙语更容易学习?”根据“A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese.与以汉语为母语的人相比，以西班牙语为母语的人会觉得葡萄牙语容易得多。”可知西班牙人会觉得葡萄牙语容易学。故本题选C. Spanish people

2.细节理解题，“Why do Japanese speakers find the Chinese less difficult to learn?为什么说日语的人觉得汉语不那么难学呢?”根据“Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system.许多人回答说汉语是最难学的语言，可能受到学习汉语写作体系的影响。”而日本人不觉得汉语难学，因为他们也是使用汉字书写体系。可知本题选A. They use Chinese characters他们使用汉字。

3.细节理解题，“ Which is the most difficult of Hungarian for British learners?对于学习匈牙利语的英国人来说，什么是最难的?”根据“ In the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing system, which uses a similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity.在匈牙利语中，对于英国学习者来说，这不是一个书写系统的问题，它使用的是类似的字母，而是难在语法的复杂性”可知本题选C. Grammar语法。

4.判断作者意图题，