人教英语九下九年级英语议论文阅读专项训练

济南市2020年春季学期延期开学网络学习资源

九年级英语议论文阅读专项训练

A

If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong.

Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language？

According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your

brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter(脑灰质). This is the area of the

brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles．

The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr Andrea

Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared

with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of

later learners．

Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a

second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference is．

"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,

" said the scientists．

It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn．

Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and

maths skills." Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活

的)," he said, " You are actually going beyond(超出) language and have a better understanding of different ideas. "

The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language

between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed

that the younger they started to learn, the better. " Studying a language means you get an entrance to another

world." explained the scientists．

1. If people learn other languages, what will be changed?

A. grey matter B. white matter C. exercise D. power

2. What does the word "bilingual" probably mean in Chinese?

A.词汇学 B.双语学习者 C.口语交际 D.实用语法

3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. Learning other languages can make you become smarter.

B. A second language can lead to an increase in your brain power.

C. Learning other languages can change grey matter which processes information.

D. Grey matter density in the brain was worse in bilinguals than that in people without a second language.

4. In the last two paragraphs, the writer wants to tell us that_________.

A. Italian is the best choice for you to learn as a second language

B. learning a second language is the same as studying math

C. you'd better choose the ages between two and thirty-four to learn a second language

D. early learning of a second language helps you a lot in studying other subjects

5. We may know from the scientific findings that_________.

A. the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time

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济南市2020年春季学期延期开学网络学习资源

B. the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain

C. the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is.

D. it's the same between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language

B

Are kids getting too much praise? Too much praise may be doing kids more harm than good.

A cover story in Scholastic Instructor magazine asks whether kids today are over-praised. The concern is that

while trying to build up kids’ confidence(自信), parents are paying little attention to kids’ real goals and

achievements. In a recent study, eighth graders in Korea and the United States were asked whether they were good

at math. Among the American students, 39 percent said they were excellent at math, compared to just 6 percent of

the Korean eighth graders. But the reality was somewhat different. The Korean kids scored far better than the

over-confident American students.

The disadvantage of too much praise is that kids may start to focus on the reward rather than what they are

learning. Worse, when a student fails, whose confidence comes from a blind sense of achievement rather than his or

her actual abilities, the result can be devastating(毁灭性的). This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t praise our kids or that

teachers shouldn’t try to build up their students’ self-confidence. But self-confidence should be the result of good

grades and real achievements, not empty praise from others.

Last month, Cognitive Daily reported that parents and teachers should be specific rather than general when they

offer praise. An example of general praise is telling a child, “You’re smart.” Specific praise would be to say, “You

did a good job on reading.” or “You did great on your math test.” Kids who receive general praise about their

abilities are more likely to show “helpless” behavior when they meet with problems with learning, compared with

kids who receive specific praise about their achievement on a task. The reason: a child who knows she’s a smart

girl feels defeated(挫败的) if she has trouble reading a sentence. But a child who has been told she is a good reader

is more likely to have confidence in that specific ability and work a little harder to deal with a more difficult book.

6. What can we learn from the study of the eighth graders in Paragraph 2?

A. American students are over-praised.

C. Korean students are much smarter.

A. teachers’ love and support

C. a blind sense of achievement

A. Exact. B. Careful.

B. Over-confident students may achieve less.

D. Most students are not interested in math.

B. what they get from parents

D. what they are able to do well

C. Scientific. D. Professional.

7. According to Paragraph 3, kids’ self-confidence should come from _________.

8. Which of the following best explains “specific” underlined in Paragraph 4?

9. What will kids getting general praise do in the face of problems with learning?

A. Ask others for advice.

C. Work them out alone.

A. Travel. B. Business.

B. Probably give up easily.

D. Work harder than before.

C. Education. D. Energy.

10. In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read the text?

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济南市2020年春季学期延期开学网络学习资源

C

There are many reasons why I encourage people to travel, and I know that the experience will make one a

better person.

I remember when I was traveling, I began to know the world better. The world is not just about me, my small

town and home. Although you will meet different people from all over the world, you will realize that people are

similar in their dreams, hopes and feelings. Enjoy exploring (探索) the different culture, and you will also find that

people are different in some of the things they do and how they live. Once you understand their ways, it will not be

strange or scary. Often we read stories about other cultures in books. Only when we visit their areas, do we find that

those stories are something wrong.

One thing you may find out is that there are problems all over the world. We can’t just get money to send to

these areas and hope that will work them out. The world should get involved (干预) and help wherever there are

problems. People everywhere should be given a chance. It’s so easy to ignore (忽视) this if one does not travel or

explore. One can look around and see that so many people have many challenges worse than ours. One can realize

that sometimes our biggest problems are not that big after all.

On your journey you will meet lots of new friends. Talking to strangers and finding about their lives is a great

way to spend your time. You will certainly be more confident after having to deal with problems and make many

decisions along the way.

When you travel, you have to be on your own in some situations. You will surprise yourself by how well you

can do that. All your special experiences could make an interesting book to read. It would be filled with your

special memories.

Traveling around and seeing so much happening in the world around us is a wonderful experience. If we could

all just travel a little more and share our experiences, we would all be better people and the world would be a better

place.

11. What does the writer mainly want to tell us in Paragraph 2?

A. Books always tell us wrong stories about culture.

B. Traveling can help us better understand the world.

C. People in different places have strange living habits.

D. People around the world are the same in their hopes.

12. The writer advises us to help the area in need by ______.

A. sending them money B. offering them chances

C. giving them challenges D. dealing with problems

13. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. People in the world Are Family B. People in the World Share One Dream

C. Traveling Makes One a Better Person D. Traveling Helps One Make More Friends

14. What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the text?

A. To show how traveling can change the world.

B. To tell people how to travel around the world.

C. To share his travel experiences with other people.

D. To encourage more people to travel around the world.

15. In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read the text?

A. Health. B. Culture. C. Travel. D. Education.

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