参考答案 - 必修第一册第五单元
UNIT 5 LANGUAGES AROUND THE WORLD
Reading
① Look at the pictures below. Do you know who they are? Can you think of any similarities among these people? Read the text and check your answers.
POLYGLOTS:
WHAT ARE THEY AND WHO CAN BE ONE?
Some polyglots, who can speak quite a few languages, may seem especially talented. Zhao Yuanren, a Chinese American linguist, could speak seven languages and more than 30 dialects. England's Queen Elizabeth I could speak about 10 languages. A famous Italian named Guiseppe Mezzofanti was reported to have been able to communicate in 30 to 40 languages. Polyglots are indeed amazing, but American teenager Tim Doner is living proof that anyone can try to be one.
As a child, Tim studied French and Latin at school, but he found it difficult to be interested in just words and grammar rules. When he was 13, Tim started listening to Hebrew rap music. One day, he looked up the words in a dictionary and realised he could put them together to make sentences! He started looking for people who spoke Hebrew so he could practise, and then, he decided to sign up for a summer Arabic class. One evening, just for fun, he posted a video of himself speaking Arabic and another of him speaking Hebrew. Hebrew and Arabic speakers wrote nice comments on his videos and gave him advice. Tim loved it. He could actually communicate with people! After that, Tim started looking for new languages to learn, and posting more videos of himself speaking new languages, including Chinese. Tim also began to use many other methods to make learning fun.
Tim wishes everyone would learn more than one language and not just as a school subject. "Knowing a language is a lot more than knowing a couple of words out of a dictionary," Tim says. Languages are for communicating with people, earning about their culture, and
understanding how different people think. "Open up your mind to the fact that language
represents a cultural world view," says Tim. "You can translate words easily, but you can't quite translate meaning." Or, as Nelson Mandela said, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
② Scan the text for answers to the questions.
1 How did Tim Doner first become interested in learning languages?
2 Do you think that Tim Doner would say that polyglots are "especially talented"? Explain.
③ Underline the ways that Tim Doner used to learn foreign languages. Which ones did he find successful? Have you ever used any of the methods in your language learning?
Writing
① Discuss in groups: What is wrong or inappropriate in the pictures below? What similar experiences have you had or heard of?
Put the kitchen in the chicken.
Thanks!
LOST
A small black dog belonging to a girl with a short tail and long ears.
Thank you. No,thanks.
How old are you?
出口
Export
小心碰头
Carefully Meet
② Write a short description of your experiences in learning English. You can refer to the outline below.
1 Introduction
How I felt when I started learning English
2 Funny
experiences/mistakes in learning English
3 Learning
methods that I use to learn English
4 Problems that
I still have in learning English
5 Conclusion
How I hope to improve my English in the future
——☆★☆★☆★以下为答案☆★☆★☆★——
第五单元 世界上的语言
Suggested Answers
Activity 1
(from left to right): Zhao Yuanren; Queen Elizabeth I; Guiseppe Mezzofanti.
They share the ability to speak several languages.
Activity 2
1 When he started listening to Hebrew rap music.
2 No, because Tim feels that language represents a cultural world view and it would benefit everyone to learn more than one language. Since it's something that he wishes everyone would do, it means that he doesn't think that being a polyglot requires any special talents.
Activity 3
studied...grammar rules; listening to...music; looked up...to make sentences; sign up... class; posted a video...speaking Hebrew; communicate with people; posting more videos... including Chinese.
Writing
Suggested Answers
Activity 1
Mistakes (clockwise from top left)
1 Mixing similar words
2 Placing of words that invites the wrong meaning
3 Wrong formulaic response
4 Culturally inappropriate question
5 Incorrect translation
6 Direct translation from Chinese to English
Activity 2
Sample Writing
When I first started learning English, I was excited but a bit nervous. I wanted to learn a foreign language, but I didn't know if I would find it easy. At first it was fun and not so difficult. We had a good teacher and we enjoyed doing simple role plays in small groups.
As we continued to learn, I found some things easy but other things confusing. For example, I kept answering yes to questions like Would you mind opening the window? I meant to say that I was happy to open the window. It seems strange to me that we should say no.
I use different methods to learn English. I really like watching films and TV shows in English. Even though there is a lot I don't understand, I pick up a lot of useful phrases and vocabulary. And it's fun!
I really like English, but there seem to be so many words to remember! I try to write down new words on word cards and, when I have time, I check them, but I keep forgetting them. Learning vocabulary is my problem!
My English is much better than it was before, and I can use it to express my opinions and talk about my life. I want to keep improving. I think a good way to improve further would be to communicate with foreigners. I'd like to find ways to do this. I'm sure that would
help me become a better English speaker.
