Want great success in your career and your love life, as well as a healthy brain long into old age? The answer could be to learn another language. That’s the case according to a majority of Americans and Britons polled in a survey by language app Babbel.

71% of Americans and 61% of Britons believe speaking more than one language makes a person seem more attractive. Of 3000 English speakers polled in the US and the UK, nine out of ten admitted they’d learnt a new language in pursuit of romance. Besides, about one in four Americans and Britons think that being monolingual (单语的) has held them back professionally.

“Languages not only enable you to expand yourself in terms of perspective and skill set, but they also open doors and help you better understand other cultures and peoples,” Miriam Plieninger, director of didactics at Babbel. “Knowing another language helps to break barriers and to connect on a special level of shared understanding; be it while on the street, traveling, or in business.” Globally, more than half of the world can speak at least two languages.

“Different factors influence how easy or difficult it is to learn a new language,” says Plieninger. “If the language you’re learning is part of the same family as your mother tongue, it’s generally much easier to access.” Theoretically, English speakers should therefore be more comfortable with Germanic languages like German or Dutch, as both are historically very close to English. However, familiarity picked up in everyday life or in the classroom makes a big difference, which is why Americans feel at ease with Spanish and Britons with French.

Being multilingual can also be good for your health. Canadian scientist Ellen Bialystok found that speaking more than one language regularly from an early age improves cognitive abilities and can also delay symptoms of Alzheimer’s diseases.

【小题1】How does the author prove his view?

A．By making an interview.	B．By comparing online information.
C．By researching language apps.	D．By referring to a survey.

【小题2】What’s Miria Plieninger’s attitude towards speaking another language?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Careful.

D．Negative.

【小题3】What can we learn from paragraph 4?

A．English-speakers find it uncomfortable with Dutch.

B．English-speakers do not have any difficulty learning German.

C．Compared with Americans, Britons find it harder to learn French.

D．Compared with French, Americans find it easier to learn Spanish.

【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Benefits of learning another language.	B．Advice on language learning.
C．Key to success in career.	D．Relation between language and culture.

【小题5】Which of the following might the author most probably agree with?

A．If you talk to a man in his language, that goes to his heart.

B．There is no quick success in learning, especially in language.

C．Clear language depends on clear thinking.

D．If you want to master a language, you need to learn its cultural background.