Question

    The great-grandmother is learning English with the help of her family when she is at the age of 91. She hopes to use the language at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Takamizawa was one of the more than 200, 00 people who requested to volunteer for Tokyo’s 2020 Games. English is not required for service, but it is a useful skill for volunteers to have.

But Takamizawa had not been able to learn the language when she was young. Takamizawa said that she was in high school when World War Two started. She said, “In my second year there, English was banned because it was the enemy language.”

Takamizawa said her grandchildren helped persuade her that she was not too old to learn. “When I talked to my grandchildren about my wish, they said, ‘It’s not too late. We will teach you one word a day’ ”. Natsuko is Takamizawa’s granddaughter and main English teacher. Natsuko sends a new English word to her grandmother’s phone every day. They also often work together directly on phrases that Takamizawa will need for the Olympics. “Welcome to Tokyo, this is the Olympic stadium, how can I help you?” Takamizawa answers when asked to say an English phrase she has learned. Natsuko explains that she wanted to give her grandmother something to enjoy. “I can clearly see her English is getting better. It’s my joy now.”

The EF English Proficiency Index is a measure of the level of English spoken in a country. Japan ranks 49th among countries where English is not the first language. This situation is slowly changing as younger generations welcome English. However, Takamizawa believes real change will not happen unless Japanese people become more open to the rest of the world. With around 500 days to go until the games begin, the whole Takamizawa family is ready to welcome the world to Tokyo.

1.Why couldn’t Takamizawa learn English when she was young?

A.Because English was useless.

B.Because she was too young to learn English.

C.Because English was forbidden to learn.

D.Because she was unwilling to learn English.

2.What can we know from the third paragraph?

A.Takamizawa gets strong support from her family.

B.Takamizawa’s grandchildren love her a lot.

C.Natsuko is Takamizawa’s granddaughter and only English teacher.

D.Natsuko teaches Takamizawa English mainly by talking with her.

3.What does the underlined phrase “This situation” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A.English is not the first language in Japan.

B.The level of English spoken in Japan is relatively low.

C.Younger generations in Japan welcome English.

D.Japanese people become open to the rest of the world.

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.Where there is a will, there is a way. B.It is never too late to learn.

C.The early bird catches the worm. D.Two heads are better than one.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章主要介绍了日本91岁的奶奶Takamizawa为了做好迎接在东京举行的2020奥运会的志愿工作，在孙辈的鼓励和帮助下学习英语的励志故事。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段But Takamizawa had not been able to learn the language when she was young. Takamizawa said that she was in high school when World War Two started. She said, “In my second year there, English was banned because it was the enemy language.”可知，是在她高中二年级时第二次世界大战大战爆发了，而英语因为是敌人的语言被禁止了，故选C项。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段Takamizawa said her grandchildren helped persuade her that she was not too old to learn. “When I talked to my grandchildren about my wish, they said, ‘It’s not too late. We will teach you one word a day’ ”.可知她的孙辈说服并且帮助她学习英语，因此推断她从家人那里得到很大的支持。故选A项。

3.词义猜测题。根据第四段Japan ranks 49th among countries where English is not the first language. 在英语不是第一语言的国家中，日本排名第49位。可知“This situation”指的是在日本人的英语水平相对较低，故选B项。

4.主旨大意题。文章主要介绍了日本91岁的奶奶Takamizawa在孙辈的鼓励和帮助下学习英语，从她身上体现了“活到老，学到老”的精神，故选B项。