Question

It is estimated that more than half the world’s population is bilingual (双语的), and in an increasingly globalised world, there are obvious benefits of speaking more than one language. However, for many years, parents were advised not to teach their children to speak more than one language from birth. Learning two or more languages simultaneously (同时) was believed to cause confusion and slow down academic development. While it is certainly true that children who are learning to speak more than one language as their mother tongue will often mix the languages up or speak a little later, these are temporary problems, and there is no reason to avoid teaching a child more than one language.

In fact, there are plenty of reasons to encourage your child to become bilingual from birth. As well as the obvious benefits of being able to communicate with more people, and the possibility of earning more money, children who speak more than one language have been shown to score more highly in achievement tests at school. This is true for mathematics as well as tests of verbal (言语的) skills.

And in later life it has been found that bilinguals, on average, will tend to develop Alzheimer’s disease five years later than monolingual speakers. Speaking three or more languages offers even more protection. It seems that the increased number of connections within the brain allows bilinguals to cope better with brain damage.

But is it too late if you haven’t already learned a second language in childhood? It used to be thought that the adult brain was very fixed, but recent research has shown that we continue to develop new connections in the brain throughout our lives, meaning that it’s perfectly possible to learn another language to a high standard. Older learners are less likely to have native-like pronunciation, but they are better at learning vocabulary as they are able to use far more skills and strategies than children. And learning a language is like using a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets, meaning that you will find your third language easier than your second, and so on.

1.Why shouldn’t parents be discouraged from teaching their children to be a bilingual?

A. Children’s confusion over two languages will not last long.

B. Children will not mistake one language for the other.

C. Parents should begin to teach a second language early.

D. Parents’ guidance will help children tell two languages apart.

2.Which of the following is NOT a possible benefit of being a bilingual?

A. A bilingual is less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

B. A bilingual child may do well in mathematics at school.

C. A bilingual will probably make more money.

D. A bilingual child owns relatively good language ability.

3.Compared with children, adult language learners ___________.

A. are slower at learning a second language.

B. are more skilled at building vocabulary.

C. are more likely to acquire a native accent.

D. are slower at making logic connections.

4.What can be learned from the passage?

A. A bilingual child will speak both the languages badly later in his life.

B. Learning a second language certainly contributes to your body fitness.

C. Connections within adults’ brain will permanently stop developing.

D. With each language learned, the learning process will become easier.

Answer

1. A

2. A

3. B

4. D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。论述了学习双语比只说单一语言带来的好处，如：延缓老年痴呆症的发生；随着每一种语言的学习，学习过程将变得越来越容易等等。

1.细节理解题。第一段倒数第二句“these are temporary problems”（这些是暂时性问题。）可知，家长不应该劝阻他们的孩子成为双语者，因为孩子学两种语言引起困惑的情况不会持续太久，故选A。

2.判断推理题。第三段第一句“And in later life it has been found that bilinguals, on average, will tend to develop Alzheimer’s disease five years later than monolingual speakers.” 可知双语者比只说一种语言的人要晚五年得老年痴呆症。并没有说比只说一种语言的人更不太可能得阿兹海默症，故A选项断章取义，不是双语者可能获得的益处。故选A。

3.细节理解题。最后一段倒数第二句“Older learners are less likely to have native-like pronunciation, but they are better at learning vocabulary as they are able to use far more skills and strategies than children.”可知年龄较大的学习者不太可能有像母语一样的发音，但他们在学习词汇方面做得更好，因为他们能够使用比儿童多得多的技能和策略。故选B。

4.细节理解题。最后一段最后一句“And learning a language is like using a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets, meaning that you will find your third language easier than your second, and so on.”可知学习一门语言就像使用肌肉——你用的越多，它就变得越强壮，这意味着你会发现你的第三语言比你的第二语言更容易，等等。即随着每一种语言的学习，学习过程将变得更容易。故选D。