Areyoutryingtolearnanewlanguageinaforeignland?Youmightbebetteroffifyoustoppedlookingatthatpictureofyourfamilyandfriends.
NewresearchfromColumbiaUniversityfoundthatprompting(提示)someonewhoislearninganewlanguagewithimagesandremindersoftheirownculturecouldtemporarilyruineverythingthatthebrainwastryingtobuild.
WhennativeChinesestudentswereaskedtotalkwithaCaucasianavatar(白种人的虚拟头像)andaChineseavatartheirEnglishskillsweresodifferent.SimplyexposingstudentstoaChinesepersonaffectedtheirabilitytospeakEnglish.SubjectswhotalkedwiththeChineseversionfeltmorecomfortableintheirspeechbuttheyproduced11%fewerwordsperminute.Theyactuallybecamelessfluentspeakers.
Tomakesureitwasn'tjusttheavatarresearchersalsoshowedpeoplerandomimagesofChinawhiletheparticipantstoldastory.Whenpicturesoftheirhomelandappearedfluencydropped16%andvolunteerswere85%morelikelytouseatranslationforexamplecallingpistachios“happynuts”becausethat'swhattheChinesewordforpistachiomeans.
Whenthestudentswereshownpicturesoffishwithoneswimmingaheadoftheotherstheirculturewouldchangehowtheylookatthephoto.WithChinesepromptslikephotosoftheGreatWallorChineseDragonetc.theysawmorestudentsthinkingthatthefishwasbeingchasedwhileanAmericanpromptlikepicturesofMarilynMonroeorSupermansawthosestudentsbelievingthatitwasaleaderfish.WhyareourculturalsymbolsMarilynMonroeandSuperman?
Thebottomlineis:whenattemptingtolearnanewcultureitisfarbettertosurroundyourselfwiththatculturethancreateanislandoftheoldone.
12.Whydoestheauthoruseaquestioninthefirstparagraph?
A.Toraiseaquestion. B.Toarousereaders’awareness.
C.Tointroducethetopic. D.Totellastory.
13.Theunderlinedword“pistachios”inthefourthparagraphrefersto___________.
A.akindoffood B.pictures C.volunteers D.animage
14.Fromthepassagewecaninferthat___________.
A.withChinesepromptsmorestudentsthoughtthatitwasaleaderfish
B.withanAmericanpromptmorestudentstho
邮箱:联系方式: