Learning Chinese could be one of the most important decisions you ever make. Chinese is becoming the language to learn in the 2lst century. With the world’s largest population and a rapidly growing middle class, China stands to become the engine of the world’s economy in the coming years. This will make learning Chinese very important for people in many industries, or for those of us who wish to visit China or learn from its culture and history.
There is an ongoing effort to modernize the writing system and standardize the language. An increasing number of people learning Chinese are learning the Mandarin, so unless you absolutely need to learn another dialect (such as Cantonese), be sure you are studying Mandarin.
For native English speakers Chinese is one of the most difficult and most different languages to learn. The vocabulary is wholly unfamiliar and unlike anything we know. In addition, in the Chinese tone system, words are spoken in rising or falling tones, which help to distinguish between them. Furthermore, there is the Chinese writing system-a collection of thousands of individual ideograms (表意文字), or symbols, which represent a word or an idea. These ideograms have no phonetic value-that is to say, we can’t tell how the word is pronounced by how it is written. There is a method to present written Chinese in a phonetic script called Pinyin. If you are learning Chinese, you’ll be working with this Pinyin system, but the beauty of the traditional writing system shouldn’t be passed up. All these factors make learning Chinese difficult for us. Yet, for a determined learner, there’s always a way to overcome it.
1.Learning Chinese is becoming more and more important, because .
A.Chinese engines are very welcome
B.China has the world’s largest population
C.there are more and more rich people in China
D.China has become important to the world economy
2.The last paragraph mainly tells us about .
A.the difficulties of learning Chinese
B.the advantages of learning Chinese
C.the Chinese tone system
D.the Chinese writing system
3.What would be probably written following this text?
A.The sources of Chinese characters.
B.The importance of learning Chinese.
C.The advice on how to learn Chinese.
D.The difficulties of learning other languages.
As more and more people speak the global languages of English, Chinese, Spanish, and French, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000-7,000 languages spoken around the world today will likely die out by the next century, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars (学者) from a number of organizations-UNESCO and National Geographic among them-have for many years been documenting (记录) dying languages and the cultures they reflect. Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Centre Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi with an Ethnolinguistic Introduction to the Speakers and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, working, and raising a family in a village in Nepal.
Documenting the Thangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayan reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not satisfied to simply record these voices before they disappear without record. At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials, including photographs, films, tape recordings, and field notes, which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection. Now, through the two organizations that he has founded, the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project, Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, for the world available not just to scholars but to the younger generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected. Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet, Turin’s notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.
1.Many scholars are making efforts to .
A.save global languages
B.search for new languages
C.rescue disappearing languages
D.set up language research centers
2.What does “that tradition” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Writing books on language teaching.
B.Having full records of the languages.
C.Telling stories about language users.
D.Living with the native speaker.
3.What is Turin’s book based on?
A.His experience in Nepal.
B.The documents available at Yale.
C.His language research in Bhutan.
D.The cultural studies.
4.Which of the following best describe Turin’s work?
A.Write, sell and donate.
B.Record, repair and reward.
C.Design, experiment and report.
D.Collect, protect and reconnect.
Everyone knows about New York City's most popular attractions, but here are some activities you might not think about doing on your NYC( New York City) vacation. Surprise yourself with some great things to do in New York City.
Looking for something thrilling to do while you visit New York City? For over ten years, Trapeze school New York has been teaching people how to fly on the trapeze. Their beginner classes last two hours and cost $50-70, plus one-time $22 registration fee. From April to October, their outdoor location on the Hudson River offers a spectacular setting for the experience, but they also have an indoor location that is open year-round.
Learn to Surf
Rockaway Beach is a popular destination for East Coast surfers, but even if you’ve never surfed, there are plenty of folks happy to teach you at Rockaway Beach. Locals Surf School offers two-hour group lessons starting at $80, including all the vehicles you need. Frank from Rockaway Beach also offers surfing lessons.
Get Kissed by a Sea Lion
Sign up for a Sea Lion Encounter at the New York Aquarium, and you' ll have the chance to get to get up close and personal with the Sea Lions after the show. After a short orientation, participants will each get a chance to pose for a photo and get a kiss from a sea lion. Sea Lion Encounters cost $20 and are offered after Sea Lion Celebration shows. Participants must be at least 5 years old, and those who're 5-7 years old must be held by their parents/caregivers during any animal interaction (互动).
Experience Fall Leaves
Although New York City doesn't have as many colorful leaves as New England, there are still some great ways to enjoy the changing leaves during a fall visit to New York City, both in the city and beyond. Whether you want to walk around one of New York City's great parks or take a fall leaves sightseeing cruise up the Hudson River, you can get a taste of the beautiful fall colors when you visit New York City.
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1.How much will a beginner pay at least to learn to fly on the trapeze?
A.$94. B.$72. C.$82. D.$92.
2.What is recommended to those who would like to explore surfing experience?
A.Rockaway Beach. B.Locals Surf School.
C.The New York Aquarium D.The Hudson River.
3.Where do you probably read the text?
A.A historical magazine. B.A scientific report.
C.A travel review. D.A travel guidebook.
阅读下面短文, 根据所给情节进行续写, 使之构成一个完整的故事。
It was somewhere between spring and summer, my mom and I were driving through the countryside. Back then, I was 13 years old, and always felt unhappy with Mom. But little did I know that this trip was going to be a special one.
A pot of flowers sat in the back seat, whose heavenly scent filled the car.
Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, my mom pulled over. “What are you doing?” I cried, fearing that the car had broken down and we’d be stuck there, so far from home. But that wasn’t the case. My mom hopped out of the car, grabbing the flowers from the back seat. “It’ll just be a minute,” she called back through the open windows.
My eyes impatiently skimmed the edge of the road before settling on a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, somewhat annoyed, as my mom reappeared—empty-handed.
Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask, “Do you know someone there?” She shook her head. “Then what did you do with the flowers?” She smiled slightly, “I gave them to the receptionist.” “What?” She laughed at my confusion. “I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them, especially who hasn’t gotten any in a while.”
I kept silent for a moment. Not long after we continued our driving, I spoke again, “Did you leave your name?” To this she answered instantly, “No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me.”
Suddenly, still thinking about Mom’s deeds, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn’t know where the garage was. It also seemed impossible to wait for any passer-by, since we had seen so few along the way.
注意：1. 所续写的短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
We were worrying about what could be done. _______________________________________________
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Paragraph 2：
As we drove along, a flower shop came into sight_____________________________________________
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English is one of the most difficult languages to master. Even if you might not yet sound like someone born and raised speaking the language, you should still congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come. Remember that practice makes perfect. So keep working at it and your skill level will certainly improve.
Create an English environment for yourself.1.The more you hear the language, the better you’ll understand how and when to use common words and phrases and how the language is pronounced.
Practise speaking English every chance you get, whether at school, at work or speaking to family and friends. When you speak in your native language, ask yourself, “How would I say that in English?”
Watch yourself speak English in the mirror.2.And practise changing anything you don’t like. If you’re uncomfortable making up things to say to yourself, just read your lessons aloud.
Use confident body language while you speak English. Even if you’re having trouble pronouncing words or remembering phrases, don’t keep your head down. Speak in a natural, conversational tone(语气); keep your back and head straight, and your chin(下巴) up. If you’re in a relaxed setting, put your hands behind your head and put your feet up.3.
Find a language friend who speaks fluent English and wants to learn your language.4.Increase your confidence by knowing you have something valuable to teach, as well as something to learn.
5.Instead of saying “I’m no good at this,” say “Every day I’m getting better.”
A. Take turns teaching each other
B. Train your body into feeling in control
C. Speak confidently about your English ability
D. Learning a language requires long hours of study and practice
E. Get comfortable with the way you look speaking the language
F. Read books, watch television shows, movies and plays in English
G. Improve your confidence by teaching those worse at English than you
WASHINGTON-Thousands of public schools have stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade, according to a survey. But another contrary trend makes educators and policymakers abuzz: a rush by schools in all parts of America to give lessons in Chinese.
Some schools are paying for Chinese classes on their own, but hundreds are getting some help. The Chinese government is sending teachers from China to schools all over the world and paying part of their salaries.
No one keeps an exact count, but rough calculations based on the government’s survey suggest that perhaps 1,600American public and private schools are teaching Chinese, up from 300 or so a decade ago. And the number is growing fast.
“It’s really changing the language education landscape of this country,” said Nancy. Other indicators point to the same trend. “The number of students taking the Advanced Placement test in Chinese, introduced in 2007, has grown so fast that it is likely to pass German this year as the third most tested Advanced Placement language, after Spanish and French,” said Trevor Packer, vice president of the College Board.
“We’ve all been surprised that in such a short time Chinese would grow to surpass German,” Mr. Packer said.
A decade ago, most of the schools with Chinese programs were on the east and west coasts. But in recent years, many schools have started Chinese programs in heartland states, including Ohio and Illinois in the Midwest, Texas and Georgia in the South, and Colorado and Utah in the Rocky Mountain West.
America has had the study of a foreign language grow before, only to see the bubble burst. Many schools began teaching Japanese in the 1980s, after Japan emerged as an economic rival. But thousands of schools have dropped the language, the survey found. Japanese is not the only language that has declined. Thousands of schools that offered French, German or Russian have stopped teaching those languages, too, the survey found.
1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “abuzz” in the first paragraph?
A.Be noisy like the sound of a bee.
B.Be interested in various activities.
C.Cause people to discuss something hotly.
D.Motivate people to march bravely.
2.What can we infer from what Mr. Packer said?
A.More and more people choose Chinese in the Advanced Placement test.
B.The Advanced Placement test is the most difficult one in the world.
C.Chinese is more important than Spanish and French.
D.Chinese is a necessary subject in most important tests.
3.What can we know from the last two paragraphs?
A.Many schools started Chinese programs in the Midwest ten years ago.
B.Chinese programs have been started in more areas in America recently.
C.American schools have slopped teaching French, German and Russian.
D.People are gradually fond of learning Chinese and Japanese in recent years.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Chinese is being learned as an official language in America.
B.Foreign languages fade in American schools except Chinese.
C.Teaching Chinese in foreign countries has become a trend.
D.Foreign languages are no longer being taught in America.
