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The hardest language

People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally.   71 

A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, for example, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different.   72   The greater the differences between the second language and our first, the harder it will be for most people to learn.

  73   Teachers and the circumstances in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner’s motivation for learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it professionally, they often learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day to day life.

Apparently, British diplomats and other embassy staff have found that the second hardest language is Japanese, which will probably come as no surprise to many, but the language that they have found to be the most problematic is Hungarian, which has 35 forms of a nouns according to whether it is subject, object, etc.

  74   In the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing system, which uses a similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity, though native speakers of related languages may find it easier, while struggling with languages that the British find relatively easy.

No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another.   75 

A. In this case, first language can affect learning a second language.

B. Therefore, it is difficult to gain a good knowledge of every language.

C. Some people seem to learn languages readily, while others find it very difficult.

D. This does not mean that Hungarian is the hardest language to learn for everyone.

E. Individuals from different cultures will find different languages more difficult.

F. It is impossible to say that there is one language that is the most difficult language in the world.

G. So the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant when learning a second language.

The brown widow spider became established in Southern California in early 2000 and has become part of the local spider family in urban Los Angeles and San Diego. The brown widow spider is continuing its expansion in Southern California and could possibly move northward into Central California.

The brown widow is suspected to have evolved in Africa although it was first described from South America, which adds confusion as to where it might have originated.  It is a tropical and subtropical spider having established populations in Hawaii, Florida, parts of Australia, South Africa and Japan.  In North America, the brown widow was restricted for many decades to the Florida peninsula.  However, around the year 2000, it started showing up in other Gulf Coast states.  Brown widows are now known from Texas to Georgia and South Carolina. 

The brown widow builds its web in protected sites around homes and in woody vegetation with branches.  Some typical sites selected by brown widows for web building are empty containers such as buckets and nursery pots, mail boxes, entry way corners, under eaves, storage closets and garages, undercarriages of motor vehicles that are stationary for long periods, and the undersides of outdoor furniture. They choose places that are more exposed than sites chosen by black widows and therefore, appear to be at higher risk for interactions with humans as far as bites are concerned.

One recent study demonstrates that the brown widow spider is less poisonous than other widow species. The reason for the weaker effect of brown widow bites on humans is possibly because the brown widow does not have much poison as its larger relatives, but it is really a threat to humans as to its poison. The two major symptoms of a brown widow bite were that the bite hurt when it was given and it left a red mark. These two symptoms are not much different from the bite of normal household spiders. 

There is no specific information regarding the control of brown widows by farm chemicals. Most current advice is what is used for controlling spiders in general. Therefore, most commercially available farm chemicals should work on brown widows. Avoiding a mess of the house and the garage should reduce nest sites for them. Also, one should store garage items in plastic bags where there might be interactions with spiders. These items include rarely worn garments such as gardening clothes and gloves, recreational items like sports equipment (i.e., baseball gloves) and other items where spiders can crawl up into holes where fingers can be inserted.

67. The author wrote this article to _______.

A. announce the result of a research on spiders

B. introduce the ways to get rid of the spiders

C. report a new finding of the widow species

D. warn readers against the brown widow

68. From the passage we can conclude that _______.

A. brown widows are spreading northward

B. the brown widow originated from Africa

C. brown widows now can be found in all countries

D. there used to be no brown widows in North America

69. The third paragraph is mainly about _______.

A. the brown widow’s web building

B. the characteristics of the brown widow

C. the habitat preferences of the brown widow

D. the brown widow’s threaten to human beings

70. It can be inferred that _______.

A. brown widows can be killed with any farm chemicals

B. at present people can only control brown widow spiders

C. the brown widow has more poison than the black widow

D. victims bitten by the brown widow needn’t see the doctor

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded every year for a novel written by a writer from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and it aims to represent the very best in contemporary fiction. The prize was originally called the Booker-McConnell Prize, which was the name of the company that sponsored it, though it was better-known as simply the “Booker Prize”. In 2002, the Man Group became the sponsor and they chose the new name, keeping “Booker”.

Publishers can submit books for consideration for the prize, but the judges can also ask for books to be submitted they think should be included. Firstly, the Advisory Committee formed by sponsors give advice if there have been any changes to the rules for the prize and select the people who will judge the books. The judging panel (group) changes every year and usually a person is only a judge once.

Great efforts are made to ensure that the judging panel is balanced in terms of gender and professions within the industry, so that a writer, a critic, an editor and an academic are chosen along with a well-known person from wider society. However, when the panel of judges has been finalized, they are left to make their own decisions without any further involvement or interference from the prize sponsor.

The Man Booker judges include critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent quality of the prize and its influence is such that the winner will almost certainly see the sales increase considerably, in addition to the £50,000 that comes with the prize.

Worth £60,000 to the winner, the Man Booker International Prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language. The winner is chosen solely at the mercy of the judging panel; there are no opinions from publishers.

The Man Booker International Prize reflects and reinforces the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction in that literary excellence will be its sole focus. The Man Booker International Prize is significantly different from the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction in that it highlights one writer’s overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. In seeking out literary excellence the judges consider a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel.

63. We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. books can be submitted by writers

B. the judging panel doesn’t include women

C. the judging panel advises on changes to the rules

D. the sponsors are involved in choosing the judges

64. The consistent quality of the prize is guaranteed by _______.

A. the prize money

B. the gender of the judges

C. the make-up of the panel of judges

D. by the increase in sales of the winner

65. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is quite different from the Man Booker International Prize in that _______.

  A. it focuses on a single novel

  B. it highlights an author’s overall work

  C. it offers much less money to the winner

  D. it is named after the company that sponsored it

66. This passage suggests that both prizes mentioned in it _______.

  A. are not awarded to women writers

  B. benefit the English literature greatly

  C. are awarded only to the English writers

  D. aim to promote book sales in the market

The first time I went for a walk around my father-in-law’s neighborhood was garbage day, and I was shocked to see what people were throwing out.

It was back in 1981, and I saw many people gathered in someone’s front yard. As I went nearer to see what was happening I got my first introduction to yard sales. For the few dollars I had in my wallet, I was able to buy a seven-inch black-and-white portable TV. I also bought a flashlight.

The following weekend, at another yard sale, I saw a 14-inch color TV being sold for almost nothing. I felt I could not miss the offer and bought it. Now I had two sets and couldn’t wait to see what else I could afford the next weekend.

Spring ended, and by then I had accumulated almost every type of electronic equipment I had always wished to have back home.

Then this new idea came to mind. I had heard about a man who traveled back home every few months. He drove a truck filled with boxes of new and used stuff that people were sending to relatives. So I told my father that I would send as many types of items as I could so that he could start his resale business.

Every few months I would gather several boxes of American “junk” ––– televisions, toasters, fans, hair dryers, etc. and send them home. As word got out about my father’s “trash” market, people all came to buy these things.

Three years later, when I visited my family for the first time since leaving home, I learned that many of the families in our neighborhood had a piece of “trash”. It proved that I had the responsibility to keep people back home up to date with the latest technology you no longer need.

59. According to the text, a yard sale is a place where people _______.

A. sell their front yards at a low price

B. sell unwanted things in their own yards

C. gather in someone’s yard to enjoy things

D. throw away their trash in someone’s yard

60. The author felt he could not miss the offer because _______.

A. the second TV set was bigger

B. the second TV set was color TV

C. the second TV set was very cheap

D. he wanted two TV sets very much

61. What did the author think of the “junk” he bought?

A. He thought they were valuable.

B. He thought they were worth buying.

C. He was not surprised to see them thrown away.

D. He thought he could sell them for a good price.

62. From the passage we can infer that _______.

A. The author comes from a poor country

B. The author often goes home to sell the “junk”

C. The author buys the “junk” only to make profits

D. The “junk” is not welcomed in the author’s home country

Does a Tea Break Make You More Efficient?

China has been drinking tea since the time of Shennong, 5,000 years ago. Britain’s relationship with tea is much shorter, but tea enjoys pride of place as the UK’s national drink. According to the UK Tea Council, British people drink an average of three cups a day or a national total of 165 million cups every day.

With figures like these, it is no surprise that time spent taking tea affects the working day in Britain. A recent survey found that 24 minutes a day are lost to making, buying and drinking tea and coffee. That is, £400 a year is lost in working hours per employee, or 190 days over a lifetime. So, should employers be worried about this lost working time, or does the tea break make up in other ways?

One argument is that caffeine improves mental state: a drink of tea or coffee can make you active and focus on work.

Professor Rogers of the University of Bristol disagrees. After years of studying caffeine he sees nothing can prove that. “Workers would perform equally well if not drinking it at all,” he says. “But if they’re often drinking it and then go without, they’ll feel tired and won’t work well.”

Psychologist Cooper instead emphasizes the role tea breaks play in office life, and in building social relationships. “We need to make people more active and see other people. The tea break is one way of doing this,” says Cooper.

And Professor Rogers also points out the comfort effect of a hot drink: “We warm our hands on them on a cold day; they’re comforting and play a big role in our everyday life. Whatever the caffeine’s doing, I’d say these 24 minutes aren’t wasted.”

56. What is the passage mainly about?

A. Tea Breaks cannot make people more active at work.

B. British people drink more tea than people in other countries.

C. Tea break plays an important role in people’s life in Britain.

D. A lot of time has been wasted drinking tea in the working day.

57. We learn from a recent survey that in Britain _______.

A. £400 is lost in working hours for each person

B. tea breaks take up 24 minutes in a working day

C. people spends 190 days drinking tea and coffee each year

D. people drink 165 million cups in working hours every day

58. What’s Psychologist Coopers’ attitude towards tea break?

A. Doubtful.       B. Uncertain.      C. Negative.      D. Positive.

Mary Lou

It was my first day to Miss Hargrove’s seventh grade. Past “newcomer” experiences had been difficult, so I was very   36   to fit in. After being introduced to the class, I bravely put on a smile and took my seat.

Lunchtime was a pleasant surprise when the girls all crowded around my table. They were friendly, so I began to   37  . My new classmates told me about the school, the teachers and the other kids. They   38   out the class nerd (書(shū)呆子) to me: Mary Lou. She was a pretty girl with dark eyes and olive-skin,   39   she wore a long woolen skirt and an old-fashioned blouse. She looked stupid. The girls whispered and giggled   40   Mary Lou walked by. She ate alone.

After school, the girls invited me to   41   them in front of the school. I was thrilled to be  a(n)   42   of the club. We waited. For what, I didn’t know. Then Mary Lou came down the school steps. The girls started making fun of her, shouting rudely, biting comments. I   43  , then joined right in. Mean remarks fell from my   44  . No one could   45   I’d never done this before. The other girls stepped back and started cheering for me. Feeling   46  , I pulled on her backpack and then pushed her. Her backpack broke, Mary Lou fell and I backed off. Everyone was laughing. I   47   in. I was a leader.

I was not proud. Something inside me   48  . If you’ve ever picked a wing off a butterfly, you know how I felt.

Mary Lou got up,   49   her books and left without a tear or saying anything. She held her head   50   as blood ran down from her knee. I   51   her limp away down the street.

I turned to leave with my   52   friends and noticed a man standing beside his car. He must have been Mary Lou’s father ––– he had the same olive skin, dark hair and handsome look. He remained still and watched the   53   girl walk toward him. Only his eyes ––– shining with both sadness and pride ––– followed. As I passed, he looked at me in silence with burning tears that reminded me of my   54  .

       Mary Lou’s father’s eyes taught me a good lesson that day. I never again hurt someone for my own   55  .

36. A. anxious           B. excited                C. eager                D. afraid

37. A. talk                B. hesitate               C. relax                 D. suspect

38. A. picked            B. pointed                C. worked             D. found

39. A. because                 B. so                       C. and                   D. but

40. A. as                  B. before              C. after                 D. since

41. A. consult           B. fight                   C. support             D. join

42. A. leader             B. member                     C. assistant            D. organizer

43. A. paused            B. refused               C. hurried              D. escaped

44. A. eyes               B. heart                   C. lips                   D. mind

45. A. tell                        B. say                     C. report            D. announce

46. A. ashamed         B. guilty                  C. encouraged     D. powerful

47. A. turned            B. went                   C. took                  D. fitted

48. A. sank               B. hurt                    C. touched             D. screamed

49. A. tore               B. closed                 C. gathered            D. grasped

50. A. cautiously       B. casually            C. low                   D. high

51. A. watched         B. noticed                C. glared            D. glanced

52. A. caring             B. laughing              C. puzzling            D. satisfying

53. A. silly                B. only                    C. lonely             D. friendly

54. A. pain                B. pity                     C. weakness          D. shame

55. A. loss                B. gain                    C. effort             D. duty

The decision ______ for almost a year because of the local residents’ complaints that the newly-built factory would disturb the quietness of the place.

   A. has been delayed   B. was delayed      C. would be delayed  D. will be delayed

Whom do you expect to have ______ the problem of over-loaded school buses?

A. solve            B. to solve           C. solved         D. solving

 — Have you got any idea for the summer vacation?

— Yes. I’m going to a peaceful place, especially ______ suitable for relaxation.

   A. one             B. the one            C. that           D. this

 It is easy to be thankful for the good things, ______ a life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

A. that             B. which            C. while          D. when