You probably hear it all the time — people telling you to “learn English”. But d

题文

You probably hear it all the time — people telling you to “learn 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.
小题1:Psychologist used to believe that children who grow up bilingual ________.A．are more flexible mentallyB．are slow in the development of talkingC．have a poorer working memoryD．are smarter in understanding abstract concept小题2:It can be inferred from the passage that ________.A．Americans are more interested in learning another language than EuropeansB．British kids began to learn foreign languages at the earliest ageC．21% of US children study a foreign language in the schoolD．not all schools in America are teaching foreign languages小题3:What does the underlined phrase “give a fig for” in Paragraph 4 mean?A．attach importance toB．have talent forC．invest money in D．have demand for小题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.小题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. 题型：未知 难度：其他题型

答案

小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:C
小题5:C

解析

本文主要讲述的是西方人对于双语教学的重视，很多西方人都擅长2种以上的语言，美国人原来对于外语不够重视，但是最近已经有了很大的改变。
小题1:B 细节题。根据文章第二段第一行Psychologists once thought that growing up bilingual might lead to verbal delays－a late or absent development of talking.可知以前心理学家认为双语教学会导致儿童的发展缓慢。故B正确。
小题2:D 推理题。根据文章倒数第2段最后一句American students are often not exposed to a second language until high school.可知很多美国学生到高中的时候，才开始学习第二语言。也就是说在美国的初中和小学里是没有外语课的。故D正确。
小题3:A 推理题。根据本句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.可知根据2011年的一项调查，发现只有百分之9的美国成年人可以流利地讲另外一门语言，也就是说每个人对于学习外遇并不重视。故该词应该指A项语义。
小题4:C 细节题。根据文章最后一句More people are learning Chinese, French and Spanish.可知中文，法语和西班牙语是美国人最喜欢学的3种语言。故C正确。
小题5:C 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段和最后一段可知本文主要讲述的是西方人对于学会外语的重视，主要列举了欧洲和美国的例子。故C正确。

考点

据考高分专家说，试题“You probably hear it.....”主要考查你对 [社会现象类阅读 ]考点的理解。

社会现象类阅读

社会现象类阅读概念：

这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。

社会现象类阅读解题技巧：

这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。阅读这类文章要理清思路。
1、浏览试题，明确要求。
      在阅读文章前，最好先浏览一下文章后面的题干和选项。知道了问题后再去看文章，可使思路更敏捷，而且也便于阅读时留意文中出现的与选项有关的信息。
2、通读全文，抓住主要内容。
      在不影响理解的前提下，尽可能地阅读以便在尽可能短的时间内理解文章或段落的内容。阅读时，如遇到不熟悉的单词、词组或一时看不懂的句子，不要停下来苦思冥想，继续读下去，通过上下文的词语和句子可能就理解了。
3、抓住中心思想和段落大意。
      通读全文时，要特别注意主题句。每篇文章或每个段落都有与文章有关的句子，尤其是科技、政论性文章的主题句一般都在文章的开头或结尾，插在中间的很少。所以，文章的第一段或开头的第一、二个句子往往包含着文章的中心思想、作者的意图或全文的概述，因此要特别注意，彻底理解。
4、有针对性地仔细阅读，找寻所需信息。
      在前面的基础上，可进行有针对性地阅读了。把与问题无关的内容一扫而过，而对于和问题有关的内容认真阅读，还可以用笔在下面做出记号。再把这些信息与问题的要求结合起来，逐条分析，综合判断，找出正确答案。
5、进行合理的推理判断。
      对文章有了全面的了解之后，可以按照文章要求以及上下文之间的关系，做出推理判断。在进行推理判断的时候，需要综合考虑句型、语法、句子之间的逻辑关系、文化背景等方面的因素。
6、认真复读，验证答案。
      要用全文的中心思想统帅各个题目，研究其内在联系和逻辑关系，并依次审核那些还未打上的题目，确保理解无误。