有些人觉得学外语这件事既有趣又实用。但一项研究发现,目前正在学习外语的英国中学生人数与本世纪初相比下降了45%,导致这一变化的因素有哪些?青少年的外语水平是否会影响他们的国际竞争力?在英国,哪几门外语的热度近年来有明显的提升?本集内容通过讲述因学习外语而获益的几个真人真事,分析外语学习的重要性。
Vocabulary:languages词汇:语言
Asyouprobablyknow,learningaforeignlanguageissometimeschallenging.Butitcanalsobefun.Wespendhundredsofhoursatschooltryingtogetourtonguesrounddifferentvocabularyandgrammarinordertoearnaqualification.Butlearningtospeakasecondlanguageismorethanjustpassinganexam–itopensdoorstonewopportunities,helpsyoutocommunicatewithothersandmakestravellingoverseasmorefulfilling.
MatthewFell,chiefUKpolicydirectorforbusinessgrouptheCBI,hastoldtheBBCthat"Thedeclineinlanguagelearninginschoolsmustbereversed,orelsetheUKwillbelesscompetitivegloballyandyoungpeoplelesspreparedforthemodernworld."Butevenforthosewhoarekeentostudyanotherlanguage,theopportunityisbeingreduced.InScotland,forexample,foreignlanguagesubjectsarebeingsqueezedoutofmanysecondaryschooltimetableswithsomeheadteachersblamingpressureonthecurriculum.
However,somenativeEnglishspeakershavetoldtheBBCaboutthebenefitsofspeakinganothertongue.CassandraScott,fromEdinburgh,studiedthreelanguagesinherfinalyearatschool.SheisnowafreelancetranslatorinEdinburgh,andsays"Learninglanguagesatschoolreallysetthecourseformycareer."
foreignlanguage外语getyourtongueroundsomething“舌头转过弯来”,正确发出…音vocabulary词汇grammar语法qualification资格证书,文凭secondlanguage第二语言opendoorstosomething为(新事物)敞开大门,使…成为可能German德语French法语Spanish西班牙语Mandarin普通话gettogripswith理解,掌握lingo外语translation翻译foreignlanguagesubject外语学科curriculum全部课程nativeEnglishspeaker英语为母语者tongue语言translator译者,翻译家setthecoursefor为…指明方向career职业
1.阅读课文并回答问题。
1.WhichlanguageshaveseenthebiggestdeclineinBritishstudentslearningthem
2.TrueorfalseSomestudentsthinktranslationtechnologycanreplacetheneedforlearninganotherlanguage.
4.WhymightitbeconsideredasurprisethatthenumbersofstudentslearningFrenchandGermanhasdeclinedsomuch
5.Whichwordusedinthearticlemeansneedingalotofefforttobedonesuccessfully
2.请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。
1.HavingadegreeinEconomicscertainly________tojobsinthebankingsector.
openingdoorsopeneddooropensdoorsdooropens
2.IthoughtmyItalianpenfriendsaidshewasbuildingahouse,notmovinghouse!Hermessagemusthavegotlostin_________.
translatortonguetranslationgrammar
3.Mysonhaschosentostudythree_________atschoolsohecaneventuallygetajobasatranslatorattheUN!
languagesSpanishqualificationscurriculum
gottogripswithgettoogrippedwithgettogripwithgettogripswith
5.AlthoughIspeakRussianwithmywifeandherfamily,mymother________isactuallyEnglish.
tonguelingoGermantranslator
1.WhichlanguageshaveseenthebiggestdeclineinBritishstudentslearningthemIntheUK,thenumberofteenagerslearningforeignlanguagesinUKsecondaryschoolshasdroppedby45%sincetheturnofthemillennium,withGermanandFrenchfallingthemost.
2.TrueorfalseSomestudentsthinktranslationtechnologycanreplacetheneedforlearninganotherlanguage.True.Thearticlesayssomestudentshavequestionedtheneedforasecondlanguagewhentranslationtechnologyisadvancing.
5.WhichwordusedinthearticlemeansneedingalotofefforttobedonesuccessfullyChallenge."Gettingtogripswiththelingoofanothercountrycancertainlybeachallenge."
1.HavingadegreeinEconomicscertainlyopensdoorstojobsinthebankingsector.
2.IthoughtmyItalianpenfriendsaidshewasbuildingahouse,notmovinghouse!Hermessagemusthavegotlostintranslation.
3.MysonhaschosentostudythreelanguagesatschoolsohecaneventuallygetajobasatranslatorattheUN!
5.AlthoughIspeakRussianwithmywifeandherfamily,mymothertongueisactuallyEnglish.