Can you speak more than one language? Being able to communicate with people in another language is a great way to make friends and feel more confident.
Language is the way we communicate with each other. It includes speaking, writing and using hand and face movements, known as sign language. Unlike countries, languages have no borders (边界) and can connect people around the world. The UN celebrates six of the world’s most widely used languages every year.
Chinese language day, on 20 April, and Spanish, on 23 April, are good opportunities to try learning a new language.
Speaking another language helps you talk to people you may not otherwise understand, and makes you feel more connected to them. Havana, who is aged 12, says speaking Hungarian as well as English means she can talk to her relatives in Hungary. This makes her feel closer to her cousins because they are able to share their interests. Learning another language can also increase your confidence—for example, by being able to chat to local people when you travel. Studies show that being able to speak two languages also exercises the brain and makes you better at concentrating on more than one thing at a time.
Alex Rawlings is a language teacher and writer who speaks more than 15 languages. He thinks it’s easier to learn words that he can see or hear, rather than from a list. It’s also important to stay active.
Rawlings suggests writing down reasons why you want to learn the language and keep reminding yourself of them. “I’ve met lots of friends through my languages. The more you learn, the easier it gets,” says Rawlings.
【小题1】How do we use language to communicate with others?【小题2】What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
【小题3】Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
【小题4】从文中找出与“If you learn more, you’ll find it’s easier to learn a language.”意思相同或相近的句子。
【小题5】Follow the example to list two advantages of speaking more than one language.
①Making more friends.
②
③
