Do you think you could learn a language in an hour?

We know, we know! We would expect you to be skeptical. It’s ridiculous to think you can learn a language in 60 minutes. You wouldn’t even get through the As in a bilingual dictionary in that amount of time! Best-case situation: in an hour, most of us could probably stuff a few words and ready-made phrases into our short-term memory (with a high likelihood of forgetting it all by the following day). Accomplishing anything more than that in one hour? Impossible. Unless…

We posed the one-hour language challenge to four polyglots(通曉數(shù)種語(yǔ)言的人) who are experts on how to study languages. To keep the challenge from becoming completely impossible, we gave them a bit of a break: to learn Romanian in one hour. Why Romanian? Because it’s a Romance language and shares many similarities with the languages that the polyglots already know: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. And to make sure their hour of learning was as effective as possible, all of them were assigned a personal Romanian tutor to help coach them on their way to success.

Although each polyglot has a different technique for picking up and remembering a new language, all four methods offer valuable insights to anyone, from casual learners to hard-core language enthusiasts.

Alex Rawlings — UK

"I’m a bit nervous. This is probably the craziest language-learning thing I’ve ever done, but learning languages has always been about fun. I expect that, after this, I’ll be prepared to have a simple chat over a coffee in Romanian. Is that reasonable?"

Method: Learn the verbs first

With only an hour until he had to start demonstrating his grasp of Romanian, Alex knew he had to start talking quickly. He chose to focus first on commonly used verbs and how to conjugate（動(dòng)詞變形） them. Once he had some verbs down, he could start collecting nouns from his tutor and plugging them in to make more interesting and relevant sentences.

Luca Lampariello — Italy

"Every time I have a conversation with native speakers, it really motivates me. Human contact is really important when learning a language."

Method: Start speaking right away

Speaking doesn’t mean speaking perfectly. Speaking even a little bit is a huge confidence boost. When you can say something in a new language and people actually understand you, it’s very motivating. Yes, you’ll make mistakes, but you’ll also learn faster than if you try to get it all perfect in your head first.

Michael Youlden — UK

"We all speak a variety of Romance languages which I think will help us get into Romanian quickly."

Method: Write everything down

Language learning is about recall; there’s no use learning something if you don’t remember it. Speaking new words aloud is very important, but so is writing them down — after all, words exist as sounds and in written form. Taking notes is a proven way to put new vocabulary and grammar into your memory. Writing supports memorizing which supports speaking... it’s a cycle. Plus, you have an easy reference when you want to review what you’ve learned.

Matthew Youlden — UK

"I’m going to look for the patterns and similarities with languages I already know. We won’t be able to speak fluently after an hour of study, but we should be able to get by with some basic vocabulary and phrases."

Method: Look for cognates

Cognates are words in different languages that look and sound similar and have the same meaning, due to a common origin. Almost every language combination contains cognates (even if two languages aren’t seemingly related), but languages from the same language family have many more. Whichever language you are learning, identify the familiar words and then use them to anchor the new words that aren’t so familiar. To use English as an example, because it’s a sort of Germanic-Romance hybrid, English already has many words that cognate with German, Dutch and Swedish on one hand, and on the other hand it also has lots of words that cognate with French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and, of course, Romanian!

Learn a language with courses designed by the experts. Start here, today!

Pick a language to learn. German, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Swedish.

Four Learning Methods From Four Language 1.：How To Make Meaningful Progress In Your First Hour

The people who are 2.

Four polyglots who are good at learning languages

The language they are to study

Romanian

3. limits 1 hour

1 hour

The reason for choosing the target language

Romanian has much in 4. with their familiar

languages

The 5. to learning

the language

the language Alex: give 6. to commonly used verbs; add some 7. to make sentences

Luca: attach great 8. to speaking; don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Michael: take notes to keep new words and grammar in

9.

Matthew: try to 10. similar words and patterns with familiar languages

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2016-2017學(xué)年黑龍江雙鴨山一中高一上期中考試英語(yǔ)卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

A little boy invited his mother to attend (參加) his school’s first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy’s ________, she said she would go. This ________ be the first time that his classmates and teacher ________ his mother and he felt ________ of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar(疤痕) that ________ nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to ________ why or how she got the scar.

At the meeting, the people were ________ by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother ________ the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and ________ himself from everyone. He did, however, get within ________ of a conversation between his mother and his teacher.

The teacher asked ________, “How did you get the scar on your face?”

The mother replied, “________ my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was ________ afraid to go in because the fire was ________, so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a long piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked ________ but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She ________ the burned side of her face. “This scar will be ________, but to this day, I have never ________ what I did.”

At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt a great ________ of the sacrifice(犧牲) that his mother had made for him. He held her hand ________ for the rest of the day.

1.A. enjoymentB. disappointmentC. surpriseD. excitement

2.A. wouldB. couldC. shouldD. must

3.A. noticedB. greetedC. acceptedD. met

4.A. sickB. ashamedC. afraidD. tired

5.A. includedB. passedC. coveredD. shaded

6.A. talk aboutB. think aboutC. care aboutD. hear about

7.A. impressedB. surprisedC. excitedD. comforted

8.A. in sight ofB. by means ofC. by way ofD. in spite of

9.A. hidB. protectedC. separatedD. escaped

10.A. understandingB. remindingC. hearingD. learning

11.A. carefullyB. seriouslyC. nervouslyD. anxiously

12.A. AfterB. WhenC. SinceD. While

13.A. soB. muchC. quiteD. too

14.A. out of controlB. under control

C. in controlD. over control

15.A. helplessB. hopelessC. senselessD. useless

16.A. pointedB. showedC. wipedD. touched

17.A. uglyB. lastingC. seriousD. frightening

18.A. forgotB. recognizedC. consideredD. regretted

19.A. enjoymentB. senseC. happinessD. pride

20.A. quietlyB. proudlyC. tightlyD. quickly

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2016-2017學(xué)年山東淄博六中高二上期中英語(yǔ)卷（解析版） 題型：書面表達(dá)

假如你是某中學(xué)的學(xué)生Tom。前不久，你參加了全國(guó)英語(yǔ)演講比賽并獲得一等獎(jiǎng)。請(qǐng)用英語(yǔ)給�？瘜懸黄恼�，談?wù)勀愕捏w會(huì)。內(nèi)容主要包括：

1.付出才有回報(bào)；

2.收獲自信和友誼；

3.感激之情。

注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右；

2.可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫；

3.開(kāi)頭語(yǔ)已經(jīng)寫好，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。

Looking back to the National English Speaking Competition I took part in several days ago, I have a lot to share with you.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2017屆廣西桂林市高三11月考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving , unconditionly.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.?

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “ I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

1.From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.

A. with his family B. with Evelyn

C. alone D. with his children

2.During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.

A. he was determined to be a good husband

B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C. she looked lovely in her new clothes

D. the doctor said his wife was seriously ill

3.The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

4.By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ______.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2017屆河北衡水中學(xué)高三上期中考試英語(yǔ)卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

We took a rare family road trip to the Adirondacks in late August，and it was as refreshing and exhausting as family vacations tend to be．Toward the end of our long drive home, even the kids were leaning forward in their seats urging my lead foot on．At that point in a road trip，even sixty-five miles per hour feels slow. We have become numb to our speed and numb to the road signs flashing by.

My family lives on the edge of Lancaster County. Only thirty miles from home，I hit the brakes，and we began to roll，slowly，behind a horse-drawn carriage. We began to open our eyes again．We saw familiar green hills and the farm with the best watermelons. I rolled down the windows, and we breathed again．Just-cut hay and a barn full of dairy cattle．

At five miles per hour，you remember what you forget at sixty-five．You are thinking about a place，even when you are moving from place to place．

I am a placemaker. A homemaker, too. I am a mother of a young kid at home，and also a writer and a gardener．But，for me，those roles are wrapped up with the one big thing I want to do with the rest of my life：I want to cultivate a place and share it with others．

The place I make with my family is a red-brick farmhouse built in l880. It has quite a few nineteenth-century bedrooms and a few acres of land，and we love nothing more than to fill them with neighbors and friends. We grow vegetables and flowers，keep a baker’s dozen of egg—laying chickens，and，since we moved in three years ago，we have planted many，many trees．

Living with my life’s purpose does not allow for much travel. I need to be here，feeding the chickens and watering the tomatoes. Any extra in the budget，and we spend it on trees．

But I learned something at the end of our family road trip．Travel can help me in the task of caring for my own place．When I slow down and pay attention to the road between here and there，travel tells me the connections between my place and all the other places．

1.What does the author try to express in the first paragraph?

A．The tiredness of her past family life．

B．Her disappointment at the family road trip．

C．The family’s eagerness to return home．

D．Kids’excitement at driving fast on the road．

2.Why did the author slow her car some miles from her home?

A．Because she made a way for a horse-drawn carriage．

B．Because she enjoyed the scenery along the road．

C．Because she needed a break after the long drive．

D．Because she wanted to get rid of a fast-paced life．

3.What can be the best title of the passage?

A．On the Way Home

B．Never Travel again

C．Escape from a Family Life

D．Life on the Farm

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2017屆江蘇蘇州高三上期中調(diào)研英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

ESL TEACHER NEEDED IN SHANGHAI

Date updated：Oct 6，2016

Employer：Longman schools, Shanghai

Company type:

Private

Industry type:

Education / Training / Universities and Colleges

Work City:

Shanghai

Job Category:

English Teaching

Salary City:

>13000RMB

No. Hiring:

Unspecified

Work Experience:

2 years

Job Type:

Full Time

Qualifications

·A genuine interest in children, teaching, and professional development

·Open-minded, an adventurous spirit, and professional flexibility

·4-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited university

·Native English speaker

·Passport issued by the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand

·Two years post bachelor degree teaching experience preferred

·Internationally recognized TEFL, CELTA, or TESOL certification

·Experience traveling internationally and / or working abroad preferred

Responsibilities

·Planning and delivering lessons to learners (ages 3.15)

·Using electronic media and courseware to teach English efficiently and effectively

·Evaluating student progress and providing ongoing guidance for improvement

·Participating in social activities with students organized by your school

·Maintaining regular office hours

Employment package

·Salaries：13,000rmb-16,000rmb per month (depending on experience)

·6,000 rmb sign on bonus (after probation — a time of training and testing when you start a new job)

·10，000rmb Accommodation Assistance Loan (overseas applicants only)

·2,000rmb relocation allowance (overseas applicants only)

·16 teaching hours and 10 office hours per week

·2 Day off per week

·Paid overtime for teaching

·Paid holiday & paid Chinese public holiday

·15-month Z working visa (foreign expert certificate)

·5000rmb flight allowance (paid upon contract completion)

·Comprehensive health Insurance & accident Insurance

·Accommodation assistant

·On-going professional teacher development and training program

·15 month contract (including 3 month’s probation)

1.You will have advantage over other if ________.

A. you can work full time

B. you have TESOL certification

C. you have ever worked abroad

D. you can use electronic media skillfully

2.As a teacher in Longman schools, you need to ________.

A. deliver lessons online in an effective way

B. organize social activities for young learners

C. provide the report of student progress

D. schedule 10 office hours every week

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2017屆江蘇蘇州高三上期中調(diào)研英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

This medicine is quite beneficial to your recovery after the operation, ________ you take it as told.

A. unlessB. providingC. consideringD. since

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2017屆黑龍江哈爾濱三中高三上期中考英語(yǔ)卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted a personal motto. I wanted a saying that I could really try to live my life by. I mean all the humorous book and storybook heroes always have a personal principle they follow. Good manners! Courage! Keenness! But a part of me could never get myself to create my own motto because I never knew where to start and I never thought I could give one.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” is a quote by the great writer and philosopher, Voltaire. More familiar, it makes an appearance in the modern day movie performance of the superhero Spider-Man. This saying provides a sense of responsibility for those with actually limitless power.

“Be good to others and others will be good to you.” is another well-known proverb that has roots in almost all of the major religions. Although it is less practiced today than it is lectured, it is a powerful and good motto to live by. Kindness, in this sense, is the final power in judging every action.

My personal motto today has an idea – being efficient. Through my limited knowledge, I have come to find that this is simply the best way for me to give insight about who I am and what I believe in.

Efficiency is a quality that everyone desires for, right? Who doesn’t want to be able to not only work fast but to achieve great results? To some, it may appear to be a frightening journey. But to me, it means that I have a lifelong journey to improve the methods and ideas with which I come near my tasks.

Regardless of what motto you want to live by, I believe that everyone should have one, or two or more. These are all symbols of a perfect story of us, in our own view. And it immediately provides insight to the type of person we were, we are and what we strive to be. We are never meant to be perfect, but it is important to try and live by a belief that will help us reach our potential. All you have to do is know what your excitement is and live by it.

1. Why does the writer want a personal motto?

A. He can follow a belief to live his life.

B. He can behave like the heroes in storybooks.

C. He can have the courage to be enthusiastic.

D. He can know where to create his own motto.

2. In the eyes of the writer, Spider-Man mainly lives by _______.

A. power

B. kindness

C. religion

D. responsibility

3.What can we infer from the writer’s personal motto?

A. He desires for great results of his tasks.

B. He will spend a lifelong time on traveling.

C. He expects to work well without wasting time.

D. He will never find a journey discouraging.

4. The last paragraph implies that a motto _________.

A. helps you know your potential

B. can tell us who we really are

C. reflects what your passion is

D. will prove you to be perfect

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2016-2017學(xué)年河北石家莊一中高一上期中英語(yǔ)卷（解析版） 題型：七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

Ways to Have an Amazing Day

I am a big believer in the Law of the Harvest: we harvest what we sow. If we plant the seeds of success every day, we will get a successful harvest. 1.

Try new things

So many of life’s great experience wait just on the other side of our fears or our comfort zone. When the opportunity to try something new comes up, ask yourself, “Why not?” 2. Don’t miss out on the great moments that are waiting all around you every day!

Keep learning

When we were kids it seemed that every day had something new that we had not experienced before. That is why young children will ask their parents “Why?” about a thousand times a week. 3. A lifetime of learning leads to a love for life.

Be kind

It has been said that you can measure a person by how he treats the people who can do nothing for him. How often do you stop to talk to the people you meet with every day？One great way to get more out of your day is to fill it with people you know. 4. And take a moment to learn a little about them.

Find a purpose

5. It may be to run a marathon, write a book, start a business, develop a product, or learn a new hobby or profession.

A. Have one or more big “l(fā)ife goals”.

B. If we don’t plant enough, we cannot have a good harvest.

C. We are learning and growing.

D. You have to make the most of every day in life.

E. Provide meaningful services for other people in any situation.

F. Many of the great moments in life are linked to new experiences.

G. The best way to know more people is to be kind to everyone you meet.

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