You probably hear it all the time — people telling you to “l(fā)earn English”. But does this mean children in English-speaking countries don’t need to bother learning a new language? Not at all. In fact, an even larger number of young people will soon be taught foreign languages, thanks to the mental advantages of bilingualism.
Psychologists once thought that growing up bilingual might lead to verbal delays－a late or absent development of talking. But US magazine Scientific American has revealed that this is not true, and reported that children who speak more than one language “show greater mental flexibility, a superior grasp of abstract concepts and a better working memory.” As the New York Times put it, “being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter.”
In Europe, learning foreign languages is increasingly popular. A European report shows that from 2005-2010, the percentage of European students learning a foreign language rose from 67.5 percent to 79.2 percent. Most European kids start learning another language at age 6. In Belgium, it starts at 3. New reforms being introduced in the UK will mean all children could be taught a foreign language, such as Mandarin or Greek, from the age of 7. The most popular foreign language for European kids was English, followed by German and French.
In comparison, Americans don’t give a fig for learning foreign languages. Compared to 50 percent of European adults who are bilingual, only 9 percent of adults in the US are fluent in more than one language, according to a 2011 report. American students are often not exposed to a second language until high school.
However, recent statistics show demand is growing in the US for people to become more bilingual. According to a USA Today chart released in July, 21 percent of US children speak another language at home. A number of institutions in the country are also pushing foreign languages in schools. Three school districts in Delaware will launch Chinese and Spanish programs next year. More people are learning Chinese, French and Spanish.
小題1:Psychologist used to believe that children who grow up bilingual ________.
A．a(chǎn)re more flexible mentally
B．a(chǎn)re slow in the development of talking
C．have a poorer working memory
D．a(chǎn)re smarter in understanding abstract concept
小題2:It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A．Americans are more interested in learning another language than Europeans
B．British kids began to learn foreign languages at the earliest age
C．21% of US children study a foreign language in the school
D．not all schools in America are teaching foreign languages
小題3:What does the underlined phrase “give a fig for” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A．a(chǎn)ttach importance to
B．have talent for
C．invest money in
D．have demand for
小題4:Which are the most popular foreign languages in the US?
A．Mandarin and Greek.
B．English, German and French.
C．Chinese, French and Spanish.
D．Chinese, German and Greek.
小題5:What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Chinese is becoming more popular in western countries.
B. The benefits and advantages of growing up bilingual.
C. Western worlds are paying more attention to learning foreign languages.
D. The differences between bilingual education in Europe and USA.

小題1:B
小題2:D
小題3:A
小題4:C
小題5:C

試題分析：本文主要講述的是西方人對于雙語教學(xué)的重視，很多西方人都擅長2種以上的語言，美國人原來對于外語不夠重視，但是最近已經(jīng)有了很大的改變。
小題1:B 細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第二段第一行Psychologists once thought that growing up bilingual might lead to verbal delays－a late or absent development of talking.可知以前心理學(xué)家認為雙語教學(xué)會導(dǎo)致兒童的發(fā)展緩慢。故B正確。
小題2:D 推理題。根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第2段最后一句American students are often not exposed to a second language until high school.可知很多美國學(xué)生到高中的時候，才開始學(xué)習第二語言。也就是說在美國的初中和小學(xué)里是沒有外語課的。故D正確。
小題3:A 推理題。根據(jù)本句In comparison, Americans don’t give a fig for learning foreign languages. Compared to 50 percent of European adults who are bilingual, only 9 percent of adults in the US are fluent in more than one language, according to a 2011 report.可知根據(jù)2011年的一項調(diào)查，發(fā)現(xiàn)只有百分之9的美國成年人可以流利地講另外一門語言，也就是說每個人對于學(xué)習外遇并不重視。故該詞應(yīng)該指A項語義。
小題4:C 細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章最后一句More people are learning Chinese, French and Spanish.可知中文，法語和西班牙語是美國人最喜歡學(xué)的3種語言。故C正確。
小題5:C 主旨大意題。根據(jù)文章第一段和最后一段可知本文主要講述的是西方人對于學(xué)會外語的重視，主要列舉了歐洲和美國的例子。故C正確。
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phubbing n. the act of snubbing(冷落)someone in a social setting by looking at your cell phone instead of paying attention
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D．We can phub if we have proper excuses.
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Should students do the grading?
The Supreme Court says the practice doesn’t violate(侵犯) a student’s right to privacy, but is it right for students to grade one another?
Walter Potenza, California
The Supreme Court was absolutely correct to say it’s OK for students to grade one another’s homework, quizzes, and tests: in fact, it’s a great idea.
By grading one another’s papers and seeing the problems their classmates have, students double their exposure(暴露) to the troubles that they may meet on future exams and tests. Grading one another’s papers may be one of the best ways for students to reinforce within themselves the ways to master the most difficult parts of what they are learning.
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I understand that some individuals are sensitive to their classmates seeing their work or grades. Any good teacher would be considerate of students who don’t want their classmates to grade their assignments.
Winston Smith, North Carolina
A girl moves back as her classmate announces her failing test grade and hands her the paper. The quiet classroom heats up.
With the increase in student grading over the past few years, scenes like this have become a bitter reality in schools across the nation. Teachers and schools should not advocate student grading and public announcement of grades because it provides a violation of privacy for students and causes unfair judgments and treatment by their classmates.
Since 1974, a law known as the Buckley Amendment has forbidden the release of education records in order to protect the privacy of students and their families. I strongly disagree with the Court’s ruling that this law does not include student grading.
I can think of no greater violation of privacy than the exposure of one’s personal information to a group of peers(同齡人). This can be very embarrassing. Releasing this sort of personal information should be avoided, especially by institutions that seek to provide a supportive environment during essential years of human development.
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A．changeB．imagineC．strengthenD．create
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A．teachers should set aside some time to grade students’ papers
B．the Supreme Court should do more research on students grading
C．teachers should guide students on how to grade homework
D．teachers should be careful not to hurt those sensitive students
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A．show her weak points
B．criticize the student grader
C．tell us she is not a good student
D．present the negative effect of student grading
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A．Student grading is not related to families’ privacy.
B．The Supreme Court should change its decision.
C．The Buckley Amendment doesn’t apply to student grading.
D．Student grading is OK, but not public announcement of grades.

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How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean.Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operational speed (moving quickly) and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value)．Simply increasing the speed of production, for example, may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference.But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.
In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion.They encouraged new ways of thinking.And they allowed time to look back and learn.By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn't develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking
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小題1:What does the underlined part “gain an edge” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A．Increase the speed. 　　　B．Reach the limit.
C．Get an advantage.D．Set a goal.
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A．spending more time and performing worse
B．spending more time and performing better
C．spending less time and performing worse
D．spending less time and performing better
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A．How fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.
B．How competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.
C．Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.
D．Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.
小題4:Which could be the best title for the text?
A．Improve quality? Serve better.B．Deliver value? Plough ahead.
C．Reduce time? Move faster.D．Need speed? Slow down.

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