Foreign language study starts at a very young age for many students in America. A report by the America Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages says that some students start language training at the age of six. The US students are not required (被要求) to receive foreign language training so early. However, many students choose to study foreign languages in primary school. The most popular languages for them are Spanish(西班牙语), French and German(德语).
Almost 7 million students in public secondary school in America are studying a foreign language. These students are from 12 to 17 years old. Nearly 70% of the students choose to study Spanish. French, German, Italian(意大利语), Japanese(日语) and Russian(俄语) are also popular. There is also a growing interest in the Arabic(阿拉伯语) language in the US.
Each state(州) sets its own requirements for foreign language study at junior high school senior high school. Many students graduate from high school with at least two years of foreign language study. Some study a foreign language for four years.
There are different foreign language study requirements at colleges and universities(大学). Some universities require students to have several years of language education in high school. Also, many colleges and universities require students to complete at least two years of foreign language study before graduating.
1.In America, many students start to study a foreign language ___________.
A. at a very young age B. at the age of 8
C. in high school D. in secondary school
2.The America report shows that ___________.
A. parents are too strict in their children’s studies
B. some students start language training early
C. some students have a special love for foreign languages
D. the US should build more schools for language learning
3.In the US, ___________ is the most popular foreign language in both primary and secondary schools.
A. German B. French C. Spanish D. Japanese
4.In America, many college graduates ___________.
A. needn’t get foreign language training
B. are interested in learning foreign languages
C. have learned different languages for 3 years
D. have at least 2 years of foreign language study
5.From the passage we can learn ___________.
A. learning a foreign language at a very young age is good for children
B. many American parents choose Arabic (阿拉伯语) for their children to study
C. Some US universities require students to learn several languages in high school
D. in the US, different states have different requirements for foreign language study
Mary didn’t understand such sentences as “She is blue today”, “You are yellow”, “He has a green thumb(拇指)”, “He has told a white lie” and so on. And she went to the teacher Mrs. James for help.
Mary: Mrs. James, there is a colour in each of the sentences. What do they mean?
Mrs. James: In everyday English, Mary, blue sometimes means sad, yellow afraid. A person with a green thumb grows plants well and a white lie is not a bad one.”
Mary: I’m afraid I don’t understand them all. Would you give me an example for “a white lie”?
Mrs. James: Certainly. Now I just give you some cakes. In fact you don’t like it, but you don’t want to let me know it. Instead you say, “No, thanks. I’m not hungry.” That’s a white lie.
Mary: It sounds very interesting. Thanks very much.
Mrs. James: You are welcome. Colours are meaningful. I think you will meet more sentences like these in the future. Please come to me if you have any questions.
1.Blue sometimes means sad in _______________ English.
A. good B. spoken C. usual D. poor
2.I don’t have a green thumb, so all my plants ________________.
A. die off B. grow well C. look nice D. are good
3.David is yellow and he is ___________ to climb the tall tree!
A. happy B. clever C. brave D. afraid
4.He didn’t like me to know ___________ of the accident. He told me a white lie at last.
A. the reason B. the true story C. the meaning D. the answer
5.He is ______________today. He is told that his father is seriously ill.
A. blue B. yellow C. green D. white
The students were all tired, but of them stopped a rest.
A. no one; to have B. all; having C. none; to have D. nobody; having
Be quick, we’ll be late for the meeting.
A. and B. but C. so D. or
Who would be suitable the job?
A. else; to B. else; for C. other; to D. other; for
She used to _______ with her parents, but now she is used to _____ with her classmates at school.
A. live, living B. live, live C. living, living D. living, live
