A
How many hours does it take to be fluent in English?
There are plenty of people in the UK for whom even basic English is a problem.
According to the survey,726,000 people in England and Wales said they could not speak
English well, and another 138,000 said they did not speak it at all.
Ling,40,who arrived five years ago from China, found it difficult to learn English.
¨When I came here l was pregnant and s0 1 was at home for the next three years. It took
me longer to learn as l was very busy with the children.” Eventually she was able to begin
taking classes and now speaks good conversational English. But even with classes, it can
be a long process to pick up the language.
Age is the most important factor in language acquisition, says Mila Vulchanova,
professor of linguistics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.¨ There is
a sensitive period in language learning, which is biologically determined, with an onset at
birth and a decline around puberty. So the younger the immigrant, the better. Since this
decline is only gradual, teenagers are at an advantage over adults.” he says.
There are a number of systems for grading English. The government expects
immigrants to reach "ESOL Entry 3" or "B1 level" in Scotland, before they can be
granted citizenship. It's equivalent(相当的) to being able to hold a confident
conversation and-it might take 360 hours of study to achieve.
George Osborne said in June following the spending review that welfare claimants
(申请者)who don't speak English will have their benefits cut if they fail to attend
language courses.
Huan Japes, deputy chief executive of English UK, a trade body for language
colleges, says a rule of thumb is 360 hours-120 hours for each of three stages-to get to
the standard the government expects benefit claimants to reach.
But many of the people who attend courses are visiting students rather than people
settling in the UK. Immigrants tend to have very varied levels of education.
" Using 120 hours( for each stage of English fluency) is a rather traditional approach
to course book learning," says Dr Elaine Boyd, head of English language at Trinity
College London. "If someone is really highly motivated, they can learn really quickly. It's
common for children under the age of 11 to be very immersed and be fluent in about six
months. "
21. The example of Ling is given to show that _ .
22. What does Mila Vulchanova mainly stress?
23. What Dr Elaine Boyd says suggests that .
24. The author develops the passage mainly by _'
本题属于事实分析题,根据以上解题思路可知,学英语受到很多因素影响,很难学好,所以答案选C。
本题考查了对文章的理解。
事实分析题。根据文章第三段“Ling,40,who arrived five years ago from China, found it difficult to learn English.¨When I came here l was pregnant and s0 1 was at home for the next three years. It took me longer to learn as l was very busy with the children.” Eventually she was able to begin taking classes and now speaks good conversational English. But even with classes, it can be a long process to pick up the language”可知,学英语受到很多因素影响,很难学好。
对于说话者的话语不理解。
本题属于事实分析题,根据以上解题思路可知,学英语受到年龄因素影响,越早开始学约好,所以答案选D。
本题考查了对文章的理解。
事实分析题。根据文章第四段“Age is the most important factor in language acquisition, says Mila Vulchanova ,professor of linguistics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.¨ There is a sensitive period in language learning, which is biologically determined, with an onset at birth and a decline around puberty.”可知,学英语受到很多年龄影响,越早开始学越好。
对于说话者的话语不理解。
本题属于事实分析题,根据以上解题思路可知,120个小时的时间标准有点低,如果学习很有动力,能够很短时间内掌握,所以答案选A。
事实分析题。根据文章最后一段“"If someone is really highly motivated, they can learn really quickly. It's common for children under the age of 11 to be very immersed and be fluent in about six months.”可知,120个小时的时间标准有点低,如果学习很有动力,能够很短时间内掌握。
对于说话者的话语不理解。
本题属于事实分析题,根据通篇文章关键字,可知,文章通过专家所说的观点来支持文章,所以答案选B。
事实分析题。根据通篇文章关键字,可知,文章通过专家所说的观点来支持文章。
对于文章所用的说明方式理解不透彻。