戴曉明

主題語境：母語的重要性 篇幅：333詞 建議用時：7分鐘

There are some 7，000 languages spoken worldwide，each unique， using different sounds， vocabularies and struc?tures. Charles the Great said，“ To have a second language isto have a second soul.” This begs the question： Does thelanguage we speak shape who we are？ As it turns out， yes.

In societies， such as the United States or WesternEurope， self?expression and language precision are valued.Asian cultures， on the other hand， prefer an indirect form of communication. Words like“perhaps” and“ maybe” are used more than“ yes” or“ no”. Americanism takes an informalapproach to communication. Therefore， its OK to refer to a stranger or a boss as“ you”.However， the Thai language has 12 forms of the same pronoun， which are related todifferent status. In this way， languages are essential in leading any culture.

People who speak different languages notice different things， depending on theconstructs of their mother tongue. In English， its OK to say，“ She broke the glass.” But in alanguage like Spanish， youd probably go with， “The glass broke.” The same incidentproduces two different responses. English speakers will remember whos at fault， becausetheir language asks them to， while Spanish speakers are more likely to remember it was anaccident.

Professor Jim Cummins has written extensively on mother tongues. For Jim Cummins，the stronger our home language is， the easier it is for us to learn others. Of course， researchalso shows that being bilingual gives people many advantages in life. Linguist Julien Leyrewrites that learning another language develops our ability to understand the mental world ofanother person， based on the language the person uses， and how that world is different fromour own.

Our mother tongue is central to how we think， what we know and who we are. Like us，languages are living things that change over time and must be cared for to survive. By doingso， we protect not just the linguistic structures or vocabularies we use， but the culture，knowledge and power behind them.

ReadingCheck

1. Why are“ Americanism” and“ the Thai language” mentioned in paragraph 2？

A. To tell the cultural differences between them.

B. To indicate a language is a guide to a culture.

C. To stress American expressions are informal.

D. To reveal a language is associated with status.

2. How will Spanish speakers react to an accident？

A. They will seek blame. B. They will draw a lesson from it.

C. They will avoid responsibility. D. They will consider it as an accident.

3. What advantage does being bilingual provide according to Julien Leyre？

A. It simplifies language learning in general.

B. It improves self?expression and precision in communication.

C. It develops an understanding of different cultural mental worlds.

D. It strengthens memory and learning abilities.

4. What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about？

A. How do languages differ.

B. Languages will be extinct.

C. The necessity of speaking a second language.

D. The importance of protecting our mother tongue.

Ⅰ. 日積月累

unique adj. 獨特的

structure n. 結(jié)構(gòu)

self?expression n. 自我表達(dá)

indirect adj. 間接的

formal adj. 正式的

informal adj. 非正式的

pronoun n. 代詞

fault n. 過錯

bilingual adj. 雙語的

linguistic adj. 語言的

language precision 語言準(zhǔn)確性

Ⅱ. 語法填空

Our mother tongue， also known as our native language， 1. （play） a significantrole in shaping our identity and understanding the world around us. It is the language welearn from birth. Having a good command 2. our mother tongue is crucial forseveral reasons. Firstly， it helps us communicate 3. （effective） with our familyand friends， allowing us to express our 4. （thought）， emotions， and ideas moreaccurately. It also 5. （enable） us to understand and appreciate our cultural heri?tage. Moreover， research suggests that 6. （be） proficient in our mother tonguemakes it easier 7. （learn） additional languages.

Preserving our mother tongue is essential to maintaining our 8. （culture）diversity and heritage. Languages change with time， 9. （reflect） the history， tradi?tions， and values of a community. By preserving our native language， we can better under?stand 10. （our）， appreciate our cultural diversity， and foster a sense of belongingin our global society.