2024年上海市浦東新區(qū)高三年級(jí)上冊(cè)期末高考一模英語(yǔ)試卷含答案(附聽(tīng)力音頻)

浦東新區(qū)2023學(xué)年度第一學(xué)期期末教學(xué)質(zhì)量檢測(cè)

高三英語(yǔ)試卷

（本試卷滿(mǎn)分140分，考試時(shí)間120分鐘）

第一卷

I.ListeningComprehension（25分）

SectionA

DirectionsJnSectionA,youwillheartenshortconversationsbetweentwospeakers.Attheendof

eachconversation,aquestionwillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Theconversationsandthe

questionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaconversationandthequestionaboutit,read

thefourpossibleanswersonyourpaper,anddecidewhichoneisthebestanswertothe

questionyouhaveheard.

自助獲取聽(tīng)力音頻

1.A.5:15.B.5:30.C.5:45.D.6:45.

2.A.Atareceptiondesk.B.Atatradefair.

C.AtaLostandFound.D.Atanexhibition.

3.A.Managerandsecretary.B.Waiterand

diner.

C.Customerandsalesman.D.Guestandfrontdeskstaff.

4.A.He'lltakehertothehospital.B.He'lltellherwhatshe'smissed.

C.He'llinformherofthelatestnews.D.He'llbringhertheclassnotes.

5.A.Washhisclothesbyhand.B.Washfewerclothesatatime.

C.Useadifferentwashingmachine.D.Letherusethewashingmachinefirst.

6.A.Sellthecartothewoman.B.Helpthewomanpainthercar.

C.Buyabrandnewcar.D.Bargainfortheoldcar.

7.A.Henolongerwatchesmuchtelevision.

B.Heprefersthecomediesfromthenineties.

C.Theoldshowsarenotaspopularasthenewones.

D.TVcomedieshaven'timprovedsincethenineties.

8.A.Theyneedanewradio,B.Theradioshouldberepaired.

C.Thebatteriesshouldbetakenout.D.Theyneedn'treplacethebatteries.

9.A.Hehasgoteverythingsetforthetrip.B.TheycouldstayinthemountainuntilJune.

C.Theymighthavetochangetheirplan.D.Hehasaheavierworkloadthanthewoman.

10.A.Hehasbeentothelibrarytwicetolookforthebook

B.Hewillreturnthebooktoalibraryoutoftown.

C.Hecalledthelibrarytosaythebookwouldbeoverdue

D.Hecouldn'treturnthebookbecausehewasaway.

SectionB

Directions:InSectionB,youwillheartwoshortpassagesandonelongerconversation,andyou

willbeaskedseveralquestionsoneachofthepassagesandtheconversation.Thepassagesand

conversationwillbereadtwice,butthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Whenyouhear

question,readthefourpossibleanswersonyourpaperanddecidewhichoneisthebestanswer

tothequestionyouhaveheard.

Questions11through13arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

11.A.Toremindhimselfofhisgrandfather'slove.

B.Togivehimselfapositivepsychologicalhint.

C.Toensurehissafetyduringtheexam.

D.Toboosthisbrainpowerandmemory.

12.AEnrollinginextracoursesattutorialcenters.

B.Stickingtotheirdailydietsandavoidingoilyfood.

CRewardingthemselveswithsomebreaks.

D.Wearinggreenunderwearinhopeofblessing.

13.Crammingfortheexamthenightbeforeit.

B.Avoidingsleepinglatebeforetheexam.

C.loadingyourselfwithmuchreviewingwork.

D.Startingrevisionplanswellaheadoftime.

Questions14through16arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

14.A.Belgium.B.France.C.U.K.D.China.

15,A.12hours.B.18hours.C.24hours.D.6hours.

16,A.Publictransportationworkers.

B.Motoristswithaspecialhelmet.

C.PeoplelivingattheGreenAreas.

D.Personswithaspecialpermit.

Questions17through20arebasedonthefollowingconversation.

17.A.Variousculturalactivities,B.Theirhobbiesandtalents.

C.Aplanforthesummerholiday.D.Anadventureinaforeigncountry

18.A.Byborrowingmoneyfromparents,B.Byorganizingatalentshow.

C.Bydoingpart-timejobs,D.Byapplyingforatravelgrant

19.A.Explainingtheeducationalvalueofthetrip.

B.Demonstratingnecessarysurvivingskills.

C.Keepingtheminformedoftheirtravel,

ND.Takingthemtoatravelrealityshow.

20.A.Toconvincetheirparents.

B.Tofund-raiseactivities.

C.Toresearchdestinationsandplanningtheroute.

D.Todocumentthejourneythroughblogs.

I.GrammarandVocabulary(20分)

SectionA

Directions:Afterreadingthepassagebelow,fillintheblankstomakethepassagecoherentand

grammaticallycorrect.Fortheblankswithagivenword,fillineachblankwiththeproperformof

thegivenword;fortheotherblanks,useonewordthatbestfitseachblank.

WildlifeReportCallsforAction

TheWorldWideFundforNaturereleaseditsLivingPlanetReport,whichfoundthatthe

Earth'swildlifepopulationshavefallenby69%inthepast50years.

Thereportisproducedeverytwoyearstoshowhowthenaturalworldischanging,so

governments,businesses,andconservationistsunderstand(21)whetneedstobedonetoprotect

theEarth.Theteamlooksatseveralfactors.OneistheLivingPlanetIndex(LPI),

(22)examineshowwildlifepopulationshavechangedovertime.Atotalof5,268species

acrosstheworldhavebeentracked,includingbirds,fish,insects,andmammals.

Thechangeinwildlifevariesaroundtheworld.SouthAmericaandtheCaribbeanarethe

mostaffected.Intheseareas,theaveragewildlifepopulationshavedroppedby94%over50

years.CentralAsiaandEuropehave(23)(small)decline,withan18%drop.TheWWFsays

thechangesarecausedbyhumanactivity(Oneofthebiggestthreats(24)(face)wildlifeis

thenumberofacresofforestthatarebeingchoppeddown(25)thelandcanbe

usedforfarminginstead.Tofindthebestwaytoprotectanimalsworldwide,theInternational

UnionforConservationofNature(IUCN)isstudyinghoweasyorhard(26)willbetohelp

differentspecies.Ithassofarfoundthatthepopulationsofseveralanimals,includingthepink

pigeonandtheSumatranrhino,(27)beboosted.

WhilesomenewsfromtheLivingPlanetReportisworrisome,thereisgoodnews,too.Upto

nowthenumbersofmanyspecies(28)(rise)aroundtheworldbecauseofpeople'sefforts

toprotectthem.InIndia,thenumberoftigershasnearlydoubledsince2009.Andin2020,

thereweremorethan50sightingsofthecritically(29)(endanger)Antarcticbluewhale.

IntheUS,conservationeffortsinrecentdecadeshavehelpedtosaveseveralspecies,

includingthebaldeagle,which(3)(remove)fromthethreatenedspecieslistin2007.

SectionB

Directions:Fillineachblankwithaproperwordchosenfromthebox.Eachwordcanbeusedonly

once.Notethatthereisonewordmorethanyouneed.

A.assigned.B.bond.C.consequently.D.deliberately.E.discomfort

F.eliminateG.measured.H.pass.1.reluctantJ.revealK.sympathetic

Thereareplentyofcomplaintsabouthowsocialmedia——textinginparticular——maybe

harmingchildren'ssocialandintellectualdevelopment.Butanewstudysuggeststhatconstant

instantmessaging(IM'ing)andtextingamongteensmayalsoprovidebenefits,particularlyfor

introverts,whoare___31___totelltheirthoughtstoothers.

Britishresearchersanalyzed150conversationsexchangedby231teens.In100ofthese

chats,thestudyparticipantbeganIM'ingwhileinanegativeemotionalstatesuchassadnessor

anger.Therestwereconversationsbegunwhentheparticipantwasfeelinggoodorneutral.After

thechat,participantsreporteda20%reductionintheirdistress——notenoughto

completely___32___itbutenoughtoleavethemfeelingbetterthantheyhadbeforereaching

out.

“OurfindingssuggestthatIM'ingbetweendistressedadolescentsandtheirpeers

may___33___contributetotheirwell-being,"theauthorswrite,notingprovideemotionalrelief

andthatpriorresearchhasshownthatpeople___34___totalktostrangerseitherinreallifeor

onlineimprovedtheirmoodinbothsettings,butevenmorewithIM.Andpeoplewhotalkwith

theirreal-lifefriendsonlinealsoreport(feelingclosertothemthanthosewhojustcommunicate

witheachotherface-to-face,implyingastrengtheningoftheir___35___.

Whywoulddigitalcommunicationbeathumancontact?Theregionsarecomplex,butmay

havesomethingtodowiththefactthatuserscancontroltheirexpressionsofsadnessandother

emotionstheymaybehavingviaIMwithouthavingto___36___emotionalelementssuchas

tears,whichsomemayconsiderasembarrassingorsourcesof___37___.Studiesalsoshowthat

theanonymity(匿名)ofwritingonadeviceblanketstheusersinasenseofsafely.Priorresearch

hasshownthatexpressivewritingitselfcan"vent"emotionsandprovideasenseofrelief——and

doingso,knowingthatyourwordsarereachinga(n)___38___friendmaybeevenmore

therapeutic.ResearchersalsofoundthatintrovertedparticipantsreportedmorerelieffromIM

conversationswhentheyweredistressedthanextrovertsdid.Infact,introvertscaredeeplyfor

theirfriends,familyandcolleagues,buteventhemostsociallyskilledonessometimeslongfora

free___39___fromhavingtosocializeorhavingtotalkonthephone.Thisiswhatthe

Internet___40___offers:thechancetoconnect一butins儕量）andfrombehindascreen.

III.ReadingComprehension（45分）

SectionA

Directions:ForeachblankinthefollowingpassagetherearefourwordsorphrasesmarkedA,B,

CandD.Fillineachblankwiththewordorphrasethatbestfitsthecontext.

Askywell,or"tianjing",isatvpicalfeatureofatraditionalhomeinChina.___41___a

northernChinesecourtyard,or"yuanzi“askvwellissmallerandlessexposedtotheoutdoor

environment.Theyare___42___seeninhomesdatingtoMingandQingdynasties,whichwere

designedto43differentgenerationsofrelatives.

Althoughaskywell'ssizeanddesignvaryfromregiontoregion,itisalwaysrectangularand

locatedintheCoreofahouse,either___44___byroomsonfoursidesorthreesidesplusawall.

Skywellsweredesignedtocoolbuildingsbeforeair-conditioningexisted.Whenwindblowsabove

askywellhouse,itcanentertheindoorspacethroughtheopening.Becauseoutdoorairisoften

coolerthanindoorair,the___45___breezetravelsdownthewallstothelowerstoreysand

createair___46___byreplacingwarmerindoorair,whichrisesandleavesthroughthe

opening.

Themainpurposeofaskywellistoallowinlight,improveventilation（通風(fēng)）and___47___

rainwater.InHuizhou,askywellissmallbuttall,andtheroomsarounditcan___48___sunlight

onhotdays,enablingthebottomoftheskywelltostaycool.___49___hotairinsidethehouse

canriseandescapethroughtheopeningabovetheskywell,whichuworksjustlikea___50___"

Asa（n）___51___spacebetweenindoorlifeandtheoutdoorenvironment,askywellactsas

aneffectiveheatbuffer（緩沖）toshieldresidentsfromthehotairoutside.Butthelargestpartof

skywell'scoolingeffectactuallycomeswhentherearebodiesofwaterintheenclosure.

Evaporatedwatercoolshotair,aprocessknownasevaporativecoolingwhichis___52___in

Huizhouskywells.Inthepast,Huizhoufamiliescollectedrainwaterintheirskywellsbecausethey

believedthiscouldsafeguardandboosttheirwealth.Skywellsthereforehavechannelsaround

themto___53___rainwatercomingfromtheroofs.

ThoughexistinginChinaforhundredsofyears,inrecenttimestheyhaveoftenbeen

forgottenbypeoplewhoprefermodern___54___.Overthepasttwodecades,however;dueto

a___55___oftraditionalChinesearchitecture,skywellbuildingshavebeenmakingacomeback.

41.A.ParallelwithB.Differentfrom.C.ClosetoD.Symbolicof

42.A.commonlyB.rarelyC.apparentlyD.currently

43.A.bindB.gatherC.house.D.honor

44.A.enclosedB.separatedC.accompanied.0.replaced

45.A.calmingB.refreshingC.incoming.D.upcoming

46,ApollutionB.pressureC.current.D.circulation

47.A,promiseB.harvestC.stop.D.process

48.A.blockoutB,batheinC.allowfor.D.letout

49.A.NeverthelessB.MeanwhileC.SimilarlyD.Rather.

50.A.wellB.columnC.chimney.D.ceiling

51.A.idealB.leisure.C.alternative.D.transition

52.A.well-reflectedB.well-shaded.C.well-developed.D.well-organized

53.A.collect.B.purify.C.drain.D.evaporate

54.A.techniques.B.facilities.C.styles.D.inventions

55.A.reunion.B.reminder.C.renewal.D.rearrangement

SectionB

Directions:Readthefollowingthreepassages.Eachpassageisfollowedbyseveralquestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Choosethe

onethatfitsbestaccordingtotheinformationgiveninthepassageyouhavejustread.

(A)

Asmountainsgo,l,642-footSquawPeakisn'tparticularlyimposing.Butitsinvitingviewsof

westernMassachusettshavetrickedhikersintobecominglesscautiousamongitssteep,slippery

cliffs,resultingincountlessinjuriesandevendeaths.

HenryGrant,aweekbeforestartinghisfreshmanyear,respectedSquawPeak'srecord.As

such,hestayedagoodtenfeetfromtheedgewhilewaitingforhismothertocatchuptohim

onedayinAugust2019.Hewatched15orsootherhikersenjoytheview;onehiker,around60

anddressedinpink,waspeekingoverthelipofthecliffwithherhusband.

Suddenlyheheardsomethingfrightening:"Paula!Paula!”amanyelledfrantically.Grant

turnedaround.Thewomaninpinkwasnowheretobeseen.Severalhikersimmediatelystarted

lookingforher.Uncertaintheycouldhelp,Grantandhismotherheadeddownthetrail.Butwhen

hesawhikersstillsearching,hedecidedtolendahand."Myyoungdumbbrainwaslike,Icando

it,"hesays.

After15minutesofscramblingoverrocks,Grantspottedafigureinpink.Thewomanhad

fallenabout75feet.Miraculously,shewasalive.

“Paula!”Grantshouted."Paula.Isthatyou?”

Thewomanbarelyresponded.Shewasclearlyhurtanddelirious.Grantcalled911and

waited,butshekepttryingtomove,andeverytimeshemoved,sheslippedalittlemore.Afraid

thatinherdisorderlystateofmindshemightfallofftherocktoherdeath,Grantcrawledonall

foursupatight,narrowpath,gainingfrictionbydiggingintothedirtwithhisfingersandfeet

untilhereachedPaula.

Securinghimselfagainstatree,Granttriedtokeephermindoffthepainbyinterveningwith

questions;"Whereareyoufrom?Whatdoyoudoforaliving?Doyouhavekids?”About

45minuteslater,firstrespondersarrived,Toreachthem,arescuerlowereddownandliftedPaula

up.

Paula,whohasfullyrecovered,isPaulaKaplan-Reiss,aNewJerseypsychologistwhohad

traveledtotheBerkshiremountainsofMassachusettsforsomerelieffollowinghermother's

death.Instead,shemetayoungmanwho,asshestatedinalettertotheBostonGlobe,washer

newhero.

56.Paula'saccidentonSquawPeakismostlikelytheresultof.

A.theheavyblowcausedbyhermother'sdeath

B.theslipperycliffsthatresultedinmanyinjuriesanddeaths

C.herbeinglesssafety-consciousatthebreathtakingviews.

D.herhusband'sneglectofcarewhileaccompanyingher

57.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“delirious“inParagraph6meanaccordingtothecontext?

A.Unabletomove.B.Unabletostayconscious.

C.Unabletotalk.D.Unabletothinkclearly.

58.WhydidGrandkeepaskingPaulaquestions?

A.Todistractherattentionfromthepain.B.Tofindouthercondition.

C.Toencouragehertoholdon.D.Togettoknowherbetter.

59.WhatkindofpersonisHenryGrantaccordingtothearticle?

A.Dumbandbrave.B.Decisiveandsensible.

C.Respectfulandcaring.D.Reservedandcalm.

⑻

WhilewritingplainEnglishisnochallenge,mostofusstruggletofindwordsorphrasesto

perfectlyfallinplacewiththecontent.TohelpyouimproveyourwritingskillsinEnglish,wehave

collectedsomeofthebestwebresourcesdedicatedtothismission.

Grammarly

?gnmnwly

?Grammarlyisoneofthebestonlineresourcesto

grammarlysignificantlyimproveyourvocabularyandwriting.ItBetterWriting

isbasicallyanonlinewordprocessoi;whichgoesbeyondothers

incorrectingover250typesofEnglishmistakes.TheMadeEasy

spell-checkerandvocabularyenhancerarethestandoutfeaturesofGrammarly.

?SincetheGrammarlyappisalsoavailableforyourwebbrowser,youcansimplyinstallthe

extensionandeditallofyourEmails,socialmediaposts,oranycontentthatyoucreatefromyour

webbrowser.

?AlthoughGrammarlyisofferedasfreeinstallation^premiumplandoesexistwhichcosts

around$29.95/month.

Thesaurus

?Thesaurusisoneofthevitaltoolsthateverygood

Englishwriterhasintheirstorehouse.Buildingon

vocabularyisessentialandthatiswhatThesaurusjust

offers.Thesaurushelpsusersbyprovidingalternative

wordsandphrasestoperfectlyexpressthemselves.It

alsooffersthebestcollectionofsynonymsandantonyms.

?Overuseofcliches,adverbsorbulkyphrasesissomeexamplesofpoorwriting,whichneedsto

beaddressed.Inthiscase,theThesaurushasacollectionofsomeofthemostoverused

expressionsthatmustbeavoidedinwrittenEnglish.

?SharpenyourEnglishskillswiththispowerfulonlineandmobileapplicationtoolforfree.

HemingwayApp

?TheHemingwayAppisawonderfulweb-basedanddesktopsoftwaretohelpyouedityour

writtenEnglish.IttacklesalotofsubtledifferencesinEnglishwriting,likeverycomplex

sentences,usesofpassivevoiceandmuchmore.UsingHemingwayApp,allofyourwordy

sentencesarehighlightedinyellowandirrelevantcontentinred.

?TheHemingwayappalsoprovidesareadabilityscoreforthe

enteredtext,whichyoucouldusetoanalyzethestructureofthe

contentyou'vewrittenandbuildaconnectionwithyourreaders.

?Thoughavailableasafreeversionforwebinterfaces,the

standalonedesktopsoftwareforMacandWindowscosts$9.

99/month.

6O.Whichofthefollowingcanbelearnedfromthepassage?

A.Grammarlyisprimarilyfocusedonhelpingimprovespellingandgrammarinwriting.

B.Thesaurusoffersalargecollectionofwordentriestoenhancevocabulary.

C.TheHemingwayApp'spremiumdesktopsoftwareisavailableforaone-timepaymentofS9.99.

D.TheHemingwayAppassignsadistinctcolortoeachtypeofgrammarmistakeitdetectsinthe

text.

61.Ifyouexpecttoobjectivelyassesshoweffectivelyyourcontentwillconnectwithyour

readers,youarelikelytoturnto.

A.GrammarlyB.ThesaurusC.HemingwayAppD.all

62.WhoareprobablyNOTtheintendedreadersofthispassage?

A.Fictionwriterslookingforreallifematerialstosparktheircreativity.

B.Non-nativeEnglishspeakerswantingtoimprovetheirwritingproficiency?

C.Languageenthusiastsinterestedinexploringdifferentweb-basedtools.

D.Magazineeditorswhoseroleinvolvesreviewingandpolishing/manuscripts.

(C)

Iwasamong31murdererssenttotheLouisianaStatePenitentiaryin1962tobeexecutedor

imprisonedforlife.Wewereunskilled,impulsiveanduneducatedmisfits,mostlyblack,whohad

donedumb,impulsivethings一failures,rejectsfromthelargersociety.Nowagenerationhas

passedsinceI'vebeenhere,andeverythingismuchthesameasIfoundit.Thevastmajorityof

usarehandedovertosufferanddieheresopoliticianscanselltheillusionthatpermanently

putting,peopletoprisonwillmakesocietysafe.

Gettingtoughhasalwaysbeena"silverbullet",aquickFIXforthecrimeandviolencethat

societyfears.EachyearinLouisiana一whereexcessisawayoflife一law-makershavetriedto

outdoeachotherinlegislatingharsherpenalties.Theonlythingtodowithcriminals,theysay,is

gettougher.Intheprocess,thestateboastsoneofthehighestlook-upratesinthecountry,and

imposesthemostseverepenaltiesinthenation.

Ifgettingtoughresultedinpublicsafety,Louisianacitizenswouldbethesafestinthenation.

They'renot.Louisianahasthehighestmurderrateamongstates.Prison,likethepoliceandthe

courts,hasaminimalimpactoncrimebecauseitisaresponseafterthefact,Htdoesn'twork.

Theideaofpunishingthefewtodiscouragethemanyisfakebecausepotentialcriminalseither

thinkthey'renotgoingtogetcaughtorthey'resopsychologicallydistressedthattheydon'tcare,

abouttheconsequencesoftheiractions.Thethreatenedpunishment,regardlessofitsseverity,is

neverafactorintheequation.

Prisonhasaroleinpublicsafety,butitisnotacure-all.Theonlyeffectivewaytocontaincrime

isforsocietytoworktopreventthecriminalactinthefirstplace.Ouryoungstersmustbetaught

torespecthumanityofothersandtohandledisputewithoutviolence.Itisessentialtoeducate

andequipthemwiththeskillstopursuetheirlifeambitionsinameaningfulway.Asacommunity,

wemustaddresstheadverselifecircumstancesthatbreedcriminality.Thesethingsarenotquick,

andtheyarenoteasy,buttheyareeffective.Politiciansthinkthat'stoohardasell.Theywant

somethingtheycanpointtoatre-electiontime.Sothedrumbeatgoesonformorepolice,more

prisons,moreofthesamefailedpolicies.

Everseeadogchaseitsowntail?

63,Whichofthefollowingsituationsisnotregardedasa"silverbullet"?

AEmployingaroundaboutwaytohelpstudentscorrecttheirmistakes.

B.Settinguprefugestoshelterthehomelesswarvictims.

C.Trainingfarmerswithfarmingtechniquestohelpthemoutofpoverty.

D.Adoptingeffectivepoliciestosaveeconomyfromworsening.

64.Accordingtothepassage,lawmakers'failuretomakeproperlegislationisduetothefact

that.

A.theyareproudandboastfulofhighlock-uprates

B.theyfailtoaddresstherootoftheproblem

C.theydon'ttreatpeopleofdifferentracesalike

D.theygiveprioritytoprecautionoverpunishment

65.TheidiombestdescribingtheeffectivewaytoeasetheseverityofcrimeinLouisianais

A.turnoveranewleaf.B.getakickoutofit

C.aneyeforaneye.D.preventionisbetterthancure

66.Whatisthebesttitleforthepassage?

A.Prisons一AToolfor日ection.B.WhyPrisonsDon'tWork

C.AnAppealfromaMurderer.D.WhySocietyIsaSaferPlace

SectionC

Directions:Readthefollowingpassages.Fillineachblankwithapropersentencegiveninthebox.

Eachsentencecanbeusedonlyonce.Notethattherearetwomoresentencesthanyouneed.

A.Theyareculturallydistant,andsohavefarlessborrowedEuropeanvocabularytoo.

B.Thismorethananythingelseaccountsforthedifficultyofthelanguage.

C.Indeed,noneofthehardestlanguagesiswrittenwiththeLatinalphabetusedbymost

Europeanlanguages.

D.Butforeignwritingsystemsneednotbedifficult.

E.Theoverallhardnessofalanguagecanbeseenasthesumofthedifficultyofitswriting

system,sounds,wordsandgrammar.

F.Butjustashartistheproblemoflanguagesthatmakedistinctionsourlanguagedoesnot

WhichLanguagesTaketheLongesttoLearn

Thedifficultyinlearningaforeignlanguageliesnotonlyinitsinherentcomplexity.Themain

reasonalanguageishardisthatitisdifferentfromyourown.Whatunderliesthedifficultyof

suchlanguagesforanEnglish-speaker?

Thefirstthingmanylearnerswillthinkofisthewritingsystem.

67Chinesestandsoutforitsdifficulty.Itiscommonlysaidthatalearnermust

memorizearound2,OOOcharacterstobeabletoreadanewspaper.Buteventhisestimateis

criticized.Someonewith2,OOOcharacterswillstillhavetolookupunfamiliaronesineveryfew

linesoftext.

Asecondwaylanguagescanbehardiswithsoundsanddistinctionsthatdonotexistinthe

learner'slanguage,ToanEnglish-speakei;thenoveltiesincludetheclicksofmanyAfrican

languages.68MandarinandCantonesehavetones,meaningmawithaneven

pitchandmawithafallingonearedifferentwords.

Thevocabularyobviouslymatterstoo.MostEuropeanlanguagesshareanancestor(called

proto-lndoEuropean)andsotheirwords,too,oftencomeinrelatedpairs.Ifyouknowwater

inSpanishisagua,itiseasytofigureoutItalianacquaandEnglishaquatic.Languagesunrelated

totheEuropeanones(ArabicfromtheSemiticfamily,orChinesefromtheSino-Tibetanone)

willnotonlylackthe“genetic“overlapinvocabulary.69.

Finally,thereisgrammar.Manypeopleassociatetrickygrammarwithlonglistsofendings

thatchangeaccordingtoaword'suseinasentenceManylanguagesevenfeatureanendingon

verbsindicatinghowthespeakerknowstheinformationtobetrue.

70Ifyouwanttolearnalanguagejustforfun,startwithSwedish,Ifyouwant

toaccumulateanimpressivenumber.StayinEurope.Butifyoureallywanttoimpress,

masteringMandarinisthesignofthetruelinguisti