Sharon, Aged 22
The most important thing to keep in mind when going into high school is to be yourself. Besides, I don't know what your middle school was like, but high school teachers will not care about things such as how much homework you already have in one night. It's best to just learn to deal with things and manage your time wisely so you can achieve everything you need to.
Frank, Aged 21
I think almost every kid feels both nervous and excited before their first day. You will probably love it. I know I did. You should join some sports or activities that will make your high school experience more enjoyable. Good luck!
Eddie, Aged 20
When I started high school I was really nervous too, especially since I had been homeschooled all through middle school and didn't really know anyone. I suppose the best advice would be to just relax. The first couple of days can be a little bit hard, but things will become easier before you know it.
David, Aged 19
I'm not going to lie. The first day is kind of frightening(令人恐惧的). But you'll get used to it. Don't be afraid of anyone; upperclassmen will pick on you more if you let them know you're afraid. Just take it easy. Making some friends and staying with them will greatly help you get used to high school quickly. After the first week it's really not bad at all. Don't worry.
The world has about 7,000 languages. Experts predict that as many as half of these may be at risk of disappearing by the end of this century. That would mean a language dies out every two weeks.
Members of the Siletz Indian tribe (部落) in the northwestern state of Oregon take pride in their language. Their language, they say, "is as old as time itself". But today very few people can speak it fluently. In fact, you can count the number of fluent speakers on one hand.
More than 10,000 words can be found in the Siletz Online Talking Dictionary. Professor Harrison has also posted talking dictionaries for seven other highly endangered (濒危的) languages from around the world. He says technology can not only spread the influence of major languages but also help save endangered ones. Smartphone applications, YouTube videos and Facebook pages have all become digital tools for language experts.
Mr Harrison and a researcher in Oregon have mapped areas of endangered languages. One is the Pacific Northwest in the United States. Others include the upper Amazon basin Siberia and northern Australia.
In Canada's far north, the Inuit people are struggling to protect their native language, Inuktitut. Part of the effort involves (涉及) Microsoft. The company is translating terms in its Windows operating system and Office software into Inuktitut.
Nowadays so many people will spend their whole day sitting in front of a computer. If you're sitting in front of your computer in English all day, that just reinforces（强化）English. If you're now using Inuktitut, it is reinforcing that this is your language. Microsoft has also worked with language experts in New Zealand, Spain and Wales to translate its software into Maori, Basque, Catalan and Welsh.
My grandmother grew up in a world different from me. She experienced many things in her long life.
Though she never told stories, her stories were in the way she ate — she savored (品味) her food, cherished (珍惜) it. Often she would be the first to sit at the dinner table, and the last to leave. Food had been really scarce (缺乏) when she grew up.
Her stories were in the way she handed me lucky money. From a young age, my grandmother was brought up to understand the importance of hard work and the necessary of saving. Every Chinese New Year, I would be handed, or sent, a small red envelope that contained money, but never more than twenty dollars. When I was young, I didn't understand why my grandmother gave me such a small amount of money. As I grew older, I realized that she wasn't teaching me about money, but about tradition and hard work and family. The money was insignificant. I would probably spend it on any toy that I would lose soon after; it was the meaning behind her gift that mattered. It was her saying," I love you; I am your family and I want you to work hard as your family has before you."
My grandmother's stories were lessons. But they were never told in words. From the time that I was very young, up until she could barely remember my name, I remember her calling me "good girl". Those two little words, in the course of my growing up, were a constant reminder that I was still so young, with still so far to go.
Now my grandmother is gone, but I see her every day. I see her in the women around me and in the mirror. She lives with me, inside me, and in the legacies(遗产)that I will create. And I know she would be proud.
Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience, researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音高).
One of the study's authors, Nina Kraus, said the findings suggested that studying music ''actually tunes our sensory system''. This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs, Dr. Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages, pitch plays a central role. A single-syllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study, the researchers looked at 20 non-Chinese speaking volunteers, half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie, the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word ''mi'' in three of its meanings: squint, bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study, Patrick C. M. Wong, said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
For some people, the warmest memories from childhood come from being read a great story. It develops children's language skills and increases their ability to succeed in school and, later, work.
Experts say parents should read books that are not too long and on the right age level so that children will not lose interest. They say parents should also point to and talk about pictures in books for infants (幼儿).
Elizabeth Lyttleton has three daughters. They are at age ten, eight and two. She says, "I watch my two-year-old, who is now getting a big language explosion. So much of it comes from the books that she reads. With my eight-year-old, it's now the broadening horizons (眼界). The oldest now truly reads for pleasure and can get lost in young adult books. "
The company Scholastic is a major publisher of children's books. Every two years, Scholastic publishes a report on American reading attitudes and habits. The 2015 report says only 31 percent of children in the U. S. read a book for fun almost every day. Four years ago that number was more than double.
Scholastic also suggests some ways to develop a love of reading in a child. Another way to develop a reading habit in children is to read to them. The Scholastic report also suggests permitting children to choose their own books. Of all the 6 to 17-year-olds in the Scholastic study, more than 90% said their favorite books are the ones they choose for themselves.
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A. One is simply to have books in the home. B. All her children read books at the same time. C. All her children learn from books — but in different ways. D. Of course, adults can enjoy reading children's book E. But reading to children can do more than create warm memories. F. For young children, parents should ask questions about the book. G. However, researchers find that the number of children who read for fun is dropping fast. |
Imagine meeting someone for the first time who comes from some distant country but is fluent in your language. There may appear to be no immediate communication1, so would you adapt the tone of your voice? How about adjusting your body language and facial expressions,2on the background of the person in front of you? Would you sit or stand differently and think carefully about your hand gestures?
These are just a handful of the unobvious3in behavior that indicate your "cultural intelligence," or CQ. Now, there is growing evidence that suggests they are well worth learning.
"The top4of your success in today's borderless world is not your IQ, not your resume, and not even your expertise (专长)," writes social scientist David Livermore in his book The Cultural Intelligence Difference. "It's your CQ."
Much of the research on CQ has been conducted by Soon Ang, a professor of management at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Ang5 an international team of programmers to help solve problems.
These programmers were some of the brightest minds in the business, but Ang soon found that they have difficulty working6. Often, individual members would appear to agree on a solution, but then carry it out in completely7ways.
These findings led Ang to team up with British psychologist Christopher Earley. Together, they built a theory of CQ, which they defined as "the ability to function effectively in a variety of cultural8."
Typically, CQ is measured by evaluating four key components（组成）. The first is "CQ Drive" –the9to learn about other cultures. Then, there is "CQ Knowledge," which is an understanding of some of the general cultural differences. "CQ Strategy," meanwhile, examines how you10those difficult conflicts and learn from them. Finally, "CQ Action" involves your behavioral flexibility（灵活）——whether you are able to11your behavior like a "cultural chameleon (变色龙)."
Someone with12CQ might have a tendency to view everyone else's behavior through his own cultural lens(文化透镜）. If he comes from a more sociable environment, for instance, and notices that his Japanese colleagues are very13in a meeting, he may think that they are being unfriendly or bored. A person at the top of the scale,14, might realize that silence is a sign of respect and that feedback won't be given unless it is invited.
A high CQ could be essential in a wide range of careers, from bankers and soldiers to scientists and teachers - anyone, who regularly interacts with people from different backgrounds. Therefore, instead of just caring about your IQ and EQ, perhaps you should put15value on enhancing your CQ!
Sometimes we may hear from people that English is difficult (learn). I never thought about this until a small question from my little son changed (I) mind. He asked me whether ham was a hamburger, reminded me that there is no egg in eggplant. What a crazy language English is!
Here (be) some examples that make learners (confuse). We can sculpt a sculpture and paint a painting, but we take a photo.We can travel in the car but on the train. And (speak) of home, homework and housework don't refer the same thing.
What's more, the meanings of some words don't follow our logic. Why are "hard" and "soft" an opposite pair while "softly" and "hardly" are not? Why are "shameless" and "shameful" (behavior) the same?
No matter crazy English is, it is certain that the language was created by people and therefor it reflects their 65. (creative).
（参考词汇：Lion's Head狮子头；Ants Climbing Trees 蚂蚁上树；meatballs肉圆子；Sauteed Vermicelli with Spicy Minced Pork粉丝炒肉末）
As an enthusiastic language learner, Tony likes learning Chinese most though it is not his first language. He has found it easy to learn Chinese well since he began to learn it. He can understand nearly everything his Chinese teacher says in class. However, he didn't realize that he would misunderstand it until one day, when he was in China.
Last year, Tony went to China as an exchange student from his hometown England. There he stayed with a Chinese family, whose members treated him well and were always friendly to him. They often showed him around the city and treated him to some traditional Chinese food, which made him feel lucky to meet such a generous and kind family.
One afternoon, his host brother said excitedly," Guess what? We will have Lion's Head and Ants Climbing Trees for dinner."
After hearing his words, they couldn't help laughing and his host mother said," These expressions are so interesting that often cause misunderstandings. Are there some words or phrases in English that will cause misunderstandings?"
