Do you think you could learn a language in an hour?

    We know, we know! We would expect you to be skeptical. It's ridiculous to think you can learn a language in 60 minutes. You wouldn't even get through the As in a bilingual dictionary in that amount of time! Best-case situation: in an hour, most of us could probably stuff a few words and ready-made phrases into our short-term memory (with a high likelihood of forgetting it all by the following day). Accomplishing anything more than that in one hour? Impossible. Unless…

    We posed the one-hour language challenge to four polyglots(通晓数种语言的人) who are experts on how to study languages. To keep the challenge from becoming completely impossible, we gave them a bit of a break: to learn Romanian in one hour. Why Romanian? Because it's a Romance language and shares many similarities with the languages that the polyglots already know: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. And to make sure their hour of learning was as effective as possible, all of them were assigned a personal Romanian tutor to help coach them on their way to success.

    Although each polyglot has a different technique for picking up and remembering a new language, all four methods offer valuable insights to anyone, from casual learners to hard-core language enthusiasts.

Alex Rawlings — UK

    "I'm a bit nervous. This is probably the craziest language-learning thing I've ever done, but learning languages has always been about fun. I expect that, after this, I'll be prepared to have a simple chat over a coffee in Romanian. Is that reasonable?"

    Method: Learn the verbs first

    With only an hour until he had to start demonstrating his grasp of Romanian, Alex knew he had to start talking quickly. He chose to focus first on commonly used verbs and how to conjugate（动词变形） them. Once he had some verbs down, he could start collecting nouns from his tutor and plugging them in to make more interesting and relevant sentences.

Luca Lampariello — Italy

    "Every time I have a conversation with native speakers, it really motivates me. Human contact is really important when learning a language."

Method: Start speaking right away

    Speaking doesn't mean speaking perfectly. Speaking even a little bit is a huge confidence boost. When you can say something in a new language and people actually understand you, it's very motivating. Yes, you'll make mistakes, but you'll also learn faster than if you try to get it all perfect in your head first.

Michael Youlden — UK

    "We all speak a variety of Romance languages which I think will help us get into Romanian quickly."

Method: Write everything down

    Language learning is about recall; there's no use learning something if you don't remember it. Speaking new words aloud is very important, but so is writing them down — after all, words exist as sounds and in written form. Taking notes is a proven way to put new vocabulary and grammar into your memory. Writing supports memorizing which supports speaking... it's a cycle. Plus, you have an easy reference when you want to review what you've learned.

Matthew Youlden — UK

    "I'm going to look for the patterns and similarities with languages I already know. We won't be able to speak fluently after an hour of study, but we should be able to get by with some basic vocabulary and phrases."

Method: Look for cognates

    Cognates are words in different languages that look and sound similar and have the same meaning, due to a common origin. Almost every language combination contains cognates (even if two languages aren't seemingly related), but languages from the same language family have many more. Whichever language you are learning, identify the familiar words and then use them to anchor the new words that aren't so familiar. To use English as an example, because it's a sort of Germanic-Romance hybrid, English already has many words that cognate with German, Dutch and Swedish on one hand, and on the other hand it also has lots of words that cognate with French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and, of course, Romanian!

    Learn a language with courses designed by the experts. Start here, today!

    Pick a language to learn. German, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Swedish.

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    Many people believe that classical music is not relevant music is not relevant to young people today . However, this issue (问题) frequently causes heated debate.

    Some people say that classical music is associated only with old people .For example, if you look at the audience at a classical concert , the majority is over the age of fifty.

    Others say it is more popular than we first imagine . Many young people listen to classical music without realising .It is often used in films and advertisements. For example.a famous piece of classical music was used as the theme music for the 1990 World Cup . Not many people could have given its name , but millions enjoyed it .

    Also,some people point out that young people produce new music based on classical ideas: for example, it is said that rap(说唱)music was invented by a classical musician in 1912, but it is now used by young people in pop music.

    However, young people point to the fact that classical music has been outstripped(超越) by technology. To play a classical instrument, such as a violin, you need to study hard and practise for hours. Nowadays, you don't need to get aching arms from practising. A teenager can write and make music using a computer program in the comfort of their own bedroom.

    A final point to in mind is that the term "classical music" is used to refer to a great variety of music, from jazz to pieces  for large orchestras(管弦乐队).This makes it even more difficult to say whether classical music is relevant to young people.

    So, it may be only a minority of young people who play classical instruments , but when it comes to enjoying classical music, it depends on the piece of music. It may be more relevant to young people in the modern world than they realise!

    Many people think only professionals—engineers, accountants, teachers, etc.—have careers.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Even if you've never had a paid job, you still have a career. Your career is the sum of your life and work. It includes all your activities and experiences. Your schooling, your volunteer work, and even your relationships with your family are all big parts of your career.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    During your career, you will have a variety of jobs, occupations and roles. People used to think of a job as full-time, permanent, paid work done for an employer at a work site. But in our changing world, a job is a set of duties or tasks. It can be paid or unpaid{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Even someone who is self-employed has a job.

    An occupation is a group of jobs with similar responsibilities that require a common set of skills.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Programmers may have permanent or temporary jobs working for specific employers, be self-employed, work full-time or part-time, be paid for their work or volunteer their services. They may change jobs or hold several jobs at one time but, until they change the type of duties or tasks they perform, they are still computer programmers.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We all play a number of roles in our lives and our roles often change over time. For example, Kris works four days a week as a receptionist in a clinic and takes evening courses in social work. She also sews gymnastic wear for her neighbor who sells it at summer markets. Now Kris has at least three roles.

A. A role is a part you play.

B. Actually everyone has a career.

C. In other words, your career is your life story.

D. For example, computer programmer is an occupation.

E. As a matter of fact, a job is different from a role in some way.

F. It can be completed at a work site, at home, or somewhere else.

G. The following is about your work, your family, and your life story.

Tips for Upcoming Senior Two

    People often describe Senior Two as a year with “much more homework, more frequent exams and more fierce competitions”.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Manage your time carefully and make full use of it.

    Try to study not hard but efficiently. Make a to-do-list for your time after school. Don't just spend quite a long time on only one subject.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Remember to take breaks when you feel exhausted.

    ⒉Treat Competition in Class in a right way.

    Don't treat your classmates as potential(潜在的)enemies. Competition cannot be avoided, but everyone wants to study and live in a friendly environment.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}By helping others solve problems, you inspire others, enrich your own knowledge and gain lasting friendship.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't let your former rankings limit you. What really matters is how you treat exams and ranking. Forget the class ranking or grade rankings, but compete with yourself. In a while, you will see yourself climbing in scores and rankings.

    All in all, the coming new school year is sure to be full of challenges. Too much worry only adds to your difficulties in your development.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Wish you the best of luck in the new academic year!

A. Learn for yourself, not for others.

B. Have a right attitude towards your rankings.

C. Good time management skills are very important.

D. Instead, divide the hours into small periods for different subjects

E. When you prepare for the battle, some advice from me may be of help

F. So when they turned to you for help, just share your wisdom immediately

G. If you keep my advice in mind, you will achieve a lot and lead a happy life.

    Asthma(哮喘) is a long-lasting breathing disease that affects millions of Americans, many of whom are children. People who get asthma will suffer from lack of breath, difficulty in breathing or coughing--which are caused by the tightening of the muscles in airways. Untreated asthma can lead to poor lung function and death, but asthma can also be effectively controlled with proper treatments.

    Research is discovering genes that contribute to the development of asthma. This development has pointed researchers to the role of indoor and outdoor pollution as environmental factors that contribute to the increased occurrence of asthma.

    The Indoor Pollution

    Indoor pollution has increased with the developments in building materials and in heating and air conditioning systems. In addition to poisonous gases that come from paint, other materials like dust and perfumes used in household products such as washing powder are recycled continuously through the house, winter and summer.

Unlike the days before central heating or before whole-house air conditioning, these materials and chemicals cannot get out of modern homes. Most  often, they cause breathing  problems in the members of the family with the least-developed autoimmune(自身免疫的) systems. Proper venting (通风) and use of environmentally-friendly building materials and carpeting can help reduce the presence of these chemicals.

    The Outdoor pollution

    Researchers have also established outdoor pollution's role as a probable cause of asthma. Asthma has been proven to result from some fuel products. Smog and the small matters carried by it have been recognized as a factor which leads to asthma since the 19th century when London saw more and more diseases in the industrial population. Industrial pollutants and other chemicals which are produced in water treatment and open treated water like that found in the swimming pools also contribute to increased cases of asthma as well as other illnesses.

    Those most affected by the increase of industrial and environmental pollution are children. Although much has been done to control the levels of pollution in the US, there still remains much to do as it is a worldwide phenomenon. Until an international effort can be made to limit carbon emissions, the occurrence of environmental asthma will probably continue to increase.

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Time for Americans to act on climate change

    The climate crisis is worsening at a rate that is becoming harder and harder to ignore. For more than two decades, scientific reports have made it clear that global warming is real, that humans cause it and that the consequences will be disastrous.

    The scientific community has become increasingly panicked over the past year. The latest assessment from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change painted a far more terrible picture than its previous analyses, and the long-awaited National Climate Assessment made clear that climate change represents a severe threat to human health as well as our economic security. Out of this panic came the treaty(条约)reached this past weekend by world leaders to keep the Paris climate agreement alive.

    Yet many Americans still don't regard the threat as a key priority for our government, and support President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris treaty. Campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies have convinced elected officials to look the other way. A certain amount of despair has resulted in widespread apathy(漠然).

    But there is another reason that has been discussed far less openly. While a growing number of people understand that climate change will have significant worldwide consequences, many Americans have an intuitive(直觉的)belief that their nation is more capable than others of adapting to a changed environment. Why? Because they have before.

    This historical success, however, resulted from the federal government taking science seriously, and making investments to urge revolution and innovation.

    But these innovations did not happen by themselves, or simply because of the United States' rich resources. They depended on consistent support from the leaders about the need to take action when faced with crises. This has been especially true in the environmental crisis.

    President Bill Clinton had a shockingly modest record of advancing climate security, particularly given that his vice president, Al Gore, had been one of the most outspoken environmentalists in Congress. By far Clinton's biggest accomplishment was assigning Gore to participate іn thе Куоtо Рrоtoсоl negotiations. Сlіntоn сhоѕе, hоwеvеr, tо аvоіd whаt ѕurеlу wоuld have been a terrible fight in the Senate to gain approval of the treaty. While this effort probably would have failed, it would have signaled to the American people how seriously the Democratic Party took climate change.

    Thus, the time has clearly arrived for progressive candidates to start campaigning on a platform built around the need for a sustainability revolution. Such a plan should include a carbon tax, well-funded clean energy research, evolved agricultural policies and smarter public transport. Given that Generation X and millennials(千禧一代)never bought into the fiction that the United States is immune to the dangers of global warming, the time is ripe to make climate security a crucial government responsibility. Only by doing so can we begin the long-overdue(拖延好久的)campaign to save the planet.

Time for Americans to act on climate change