Question

If English means endless new words，difficult gramrnar 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．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 Mechelli，from University College London，took a group of Britons who only spoke English．They were compared with a goup 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.
“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，”he said．“You are actually going beyond 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 2 and 34. 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．
【小題1】The main subject talked about in this passage is         

A．language can help brain power

B．man's ability of learning a second language

C．science on learning a second language

D．language learning and maths study

【小題2】In the second paragraph，the writer mentions “exercise” in order to     

A．say language is also a kind of physical labor

B．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well

C．show the importance of using the language when you learn the language

D．prove that one needs more practice when he(she)is learning a language

【小題3】The underlined word‘‘bilinguals”in Paragraph 4 probably means       

A．people who can speak two languages

B．second language learners

C．researchers on language learning

D．a(chǎn)ctive language learners

【小題4】We may know from the scientific findings that        

A．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people’s brain

B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language

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

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

【小題5】In the last two paragraphs，the author wants to tell us that      

A．learning a second language is the same as studying maths

B．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language

C．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language

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

Answer 1

【小題1】A
【小題2】B
【小題3】A
【小題4】C
【小題5】D

解析試題分析：文章講述的正是學(xué)習(xí)另外一門(mén)語(yǔ)言可以讓人更加聰明，可幫助提升腦力。
【小題1】主旨大意題。從第一段的句子：Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?可知文章講述的正是學(xué)習(xí)另外一門(mén)語(yǔ)言可以讓人更加聰明，可幫助提升腦力。選A。
【小題2】推理題。從第二段的句子：learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power，Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter．This is the area of the brain which processes information．可知作者提到鍛煉，說(shuō)明使讀者相信語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)可以增強(qiáng)肌肉，而學(xué)習(xí)外語(yǔ)可以提高智力，故B正確。
【小題3】猜測(cè)詞義題。根據(jù)劃線詞的下文可知這里的bilingual是指who had learnt a second language before the age of five可知他是能講兩種語(yǔ)言的人，故A正確。
【小題4】推理題。根據(jù)文章第五段But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.可知越早學(xué)習(xí)一門(mén)外語(yǔ)，灰白質(zhì)的密度越高，C正確。
【小題5】 細(xì)節(jié)題：從文章最后一段的句子：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．
可知作者想要告訴我們?cè)缙趯W(xué)習(xí)一門(mén)外語(yǔ)對(duì)其他科目的學(xué)習(xí)也是有好處的。選D。
考點(diǎn)：考查科普類短文