2024屆上海浦東新區(qū)高三一模英語試題含答案解析

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)

高三英語試卷

（本試卷滿分140分，考試時(shí)間120分鐘）

第一卷

I.ListeningComprehension（25分）

SectionA

Directions:InSectionA,youwillheartenshortconversationsbetweentwospeakers.Attheendof

eachconversation,aquestionwillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Theconversationsandthequestions

willbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaconversationandthequestionaboutit,readthefour

possibleanswersonyourpaper,anddecidewhichoneisthebestanswertothequestionyouhave

heard.

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.Waiteranddiner.

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.TVcomedieshaven7B.91improvedsincethenineties.

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.

第1頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

SectionB

Directions:InSectionB,youwillheartwoshortpassagesandonelongerconversation,andyouwill

beaskedseveralquestionsoneachofthepassagesandtheconversation.Thepassagesand

conversationwillbereadtwice,butthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Whenyouhearaquestion,

readthefourpossibleanswersonyourpaperanddecidewhichoneisthebestanswertothequestion

youhaveheard.

Questions11through13arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

11.A.Toremindhimselfofhisgrandfather^love.

B.Togivehimselfapositivepsychologicalhint.

C.Toensurehissafetyduringtheexam.

D.Toboosthisbrainpowerandmemory.

12.A.Enrollinginextracoursesattutorialcenters.

B.Stickingtotheirdailydietsandavoidingoilyfood.

C.Rewardingthemselveswithsomebreaks.

D.Wearinggreenunderwearinhopeofblessing.

13.A.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.

D.Takingthemtoatravelrealityshow.

20.A.Toconvincetheirparents.

B.Tofiind-raiseactivities.

C.Toresearchdestinationsandplanningtheroute.

D.Todocumentthejourneythroughblogs.

第2頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

ILGrammarandVocabulary(20分)

SectionA

Directions:Afterreadingthepassagebelow,fillintheblankstomakethepassagecoherentand

grammaticallycorrect.Fortheblankswithagivenword,fillineachblankwiththeproperformofthe

givenword;fortheotherblanks,useonewordthatbestfitseachblank.

WildlifeReportCallsforAction

TheWorldWideFundforNaturereleaseditsLivingPlanetReport,whichfoundthattheEarth's

wildlifepopulationshavefallenby69%inthepast50years.

Thereportisproducedeverytwoyearstoshowhowthenaturalworldischanging,so

governments,businesses,andconservationistsunderstand(21)needstobedonetoprotectthe

Earth.Theteamlooksatseveralfactors.OneistheLivingPlanetIndex(LPI),(22)examines

howwildlifepopulationshavechangedovertime.Atotalof5,268speciesacrosstheworldhavebeen

tracked,includingbirds,fish,insects,andmammals.

Thechangeinwildlifevariesaroundtheworld.SouthAmericaandtheCaribbeanarethemost

affected.Intheseareas,theaveragewildlifepopulationshavedroppedby94%over50years.Central

AsiaandEuropehave(23)(small)decline,withan18%drop.TheWWFsaysthechanges

arecausedbyhumanactivity.Oneofthebiggestthreats(24)(face)wildlifeisthenumberof

acresofforestthatarebeingchoppeddown(25)thelandcanbeusedforfarming

instead.Tofindthebestwaytoprotectanimalsworldwide,theInternationalUnionforConservationof

Nature(IUCN)isstudyinghoweasyorhard(26)willbetohelpdifferentspecies.Ithassofar

foundthatthepopulationsofseveralanimals,includingthepinkpigeonandtheSumatranrhino,

(27)beboosted.

WhilesomenewsfromtheLivingPlanetReportisworrisome,thereisgoodnews,too.Uptonow

thenumbersofmanyspecies(28)(rise)aroundtheworldbecauseofpeople'seffortsto

protectthem.InIndia,thenumberoftigershasnearlydoubledsince2009.Andin2020,therewere

morethan50sightingsofthecritically(29)(endanger)Antarcticbluewhale.

IntheUS,conservationeffortsinrecentdecadeshavehelpedtosaveseveralspecies,includingthe

baldeagle,which(30)(remove)fromthethreatenedspecieslistin2007.

第3頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

SectionB

Directions:Fillineachblankwithaproperwordchosenfromthebox.Eachwordcanbeusedonly

once.Notethatthereisonewordmorethanyouneed.

A.assignedB.bondC.consequentlyD.deliberatelyE.discomfort

F.eliminateG.measuredH.passI.reluctantJ.revealK.sympathetic

Thereareplentyofcomplaintsabouthowsocialmedia~~textinginparticular-maybeharming

children'ssocialandintellectualdevelopment.Butanewstudysuggeststhatconstantinstant

messaging(IM'ing)andtextingamongteensmayalsoprovidebenefits,particularlyforintroverts,who

are31totelltheirthoughtstoothers.

Britishresearchersanalyzed150conversationsexchangedby231teens.In100ofthesechats,the

studyparticipantbeganIM'ingwhileinanegativeemotionalstatesuchassadnessoranger.Therest

wereconversationsbegunwhentheparticipantwasfeelinggoodorneutral.Afterthechat,participants

reporteda20%reductionintheirdistress-notenoughtocompletely32it,butenoughto

leavethemfeelingbetterthantheyhadbeforereachingout.

“OurfindingssuggestthatIM'ingbetweendistressedadolescentsandtheirpeersmayprovide

emotionalreliefand33contributetotheirwell-being,9,theauthorswrite,notingthatprior

researchhasshownthatpeople34totalktostrangerseitherinreallifeoronlineimproved

theirmoodinbothsettings,butevenmorewithIM.Andpeoplewhotalkwiththeirreal-lifefriends

onlinealsoreportfeelingclosertothemthanthosewhojustcommunicatewitheachotherface-to-face,

implyingastrengtheningoftheir35.

Whywoulddigitalcommunicationbeathumancontact?Thereasonsarecomplex,butmayhave

somethingtodowiththefactthatuserscancontroltheirexpressionsofsadnessandotheremotions

theymaybehavingviaIMwithouthavingto36emotionalelementssuchastears,which

somemayconsiderasembarrassingorsourcesof37.Studiesalsoshowthatthe

anonymity^ofwritingonadeviceblanketstheusersinasenseofsafety.Priorresearchhasshown

thatexpressivewritingitselfcan"vent"emotionsandprovideasenseofrelief-anddoingso,knowing

thatyourwordsarereachinga(n)38friendmaybeevenmoretherapeutic.Researchersalso

foundthatintrovertedparticipantsreportedmorerelieffromIMconversationswhentheywere

distressedthanextrovertsdid.Infact,introvertscaredeeplyfortheirfriends,familyandcolleagues,but

eventhemostsociallyskilledonessometimeslongforafree39fromhavingtosocializeor

havingtotalkonthephone.ThisiswhattheInternetoffers:thechancetoconnect-butin40

doses(劑量)andfrombehindascreen.

第4頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

III.ReadingComprehension（45分）

SectionA

Directions:ForeachblankinthefollowingpassagetherearefourwordsorphrasesmarkedA,B,C

andD.Fillineachblankwiththewordorphrasethatbestfitsthecontext.

Askywell,or“tianjing”,isatypicalfeatureofatraditionalhomeinChina.41a

northernChinesecourtyard,or“yuanzi”,askywellissmallerandlessexposedtotheoutdoor

environment.Theyare42seeninhomesdatingtoMingandQingdynasties,whichwere

designedto43differentgenerationsofrelatives.

AlthoughaskywelPssizeanddesignvaryfromregiontoregion,itisalwaysrectangularand

locatedinthecoreofahouse,either44byroomsonfoursidesorthreesidesplusawall.

Skywellsweredesignedtocoolbuildingsbeforeair-conditioningexisted.Whenwindblows

aboveaskywellhouse,itcanentertheindoorspacethroughtheopening.Becauseoutdoorairisoften

coolerthanindoorair,the45breezetravelsdownthewallstothelowerstoreysandcreateair

46byreplacingwarmerindoorair,whichrisesandleavesthroughtheopening.

Themainpurposeofaskywellistoallowinlight,improveventilation（通風(fēng)）and47

rainwater.InHuizhou,askywellissmallbuttall,andtheroomsarounditcan48sunlighton

hotdays,enablingthebottomoftheskywelltostaycool.49,hotairinsidethehousecanrise

andescapethroughtheopeningabovetheskywell,which"worksjustlikea50

Asa（n）51spacebetweenindoorlifeandtheoutdoorenvironment,askywellactsasan

effectiveheat（緩沖）toshieldresidentsfromthehotairoutside.Butthelargestpartofskyweirs

coolingeffectactuallycomeswhentherearebodiesofwaterintheenclosure.

Evaporatedwatercoolshotair,aprocessknownasevaporativecoolingwhichis52in

Huizhouskywells.Inthepast,Huizhoufamiliescollectedrainwaterintheirskywellsbecausethey

believedthiscouldsafeguardandboosttheirwealth.Skywellsthereforehavechannelsaroundthemto

53rainwatercomingfromtheroofs.

ThoughexistinginChinaforhundredsofyears,inrecenttimestheyhaveoftenbeenforgottenby

peoplewhoprefermodem54.Overthepasttwodecades,however,duetoa55of

traditionalChinesearchitecture,skywellbuildingshavebeenmakingacomeback.

41.A.ParallelwithB.DifferentfromC.ClosetoD.Symbolicof

42.A.commonlyB.rarelyC.apparentlyD.currently

43.A.bindB.gatherC.houseD.honor

44.A.enclosedB.separatedC.accompaniedD.replaced

45.A.calmingB.refreshingC.incomingD.upcoming

46.A.pollutionB.pressureC.currentD.circulation

47.A.promiseB.harvestC.stopD.process

48.A.blockoutB.batheinC.allowforD.letout

49.A.NeverthelessB.MeanwhileC.SimilarlyD.Rather

50.A.wellB.columnC.chimneyD.ceiling

51.A.idealB.leisureC.alternativeD.transition

52.A.well-reflectedB.well-shadedC.well-developedD.well-organized

53.A.collectB.purifyC.drainD.evaporate

54.A.techniquesB.facilitiesC.stylesD.inventions

55.A.reunionB.reminderC.renewalD.rearrangement

第5頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

SectionB

Directions:Readthefollowingthreepassages.Eachpassageisfollowedbyseveralquestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Choosetheone

thatfitsbestaccordingtotheinformationgiveninthepassageyouhavejustread.

(A)

Asmountainsgo,1,642-footSquawPeakisn'tparticularlyimposing.Butitsinvitingviewsof

westernMassachusettshavetrickedhikersintobecominglesscautiousamongitssteep,slipperycliffs,

resultingincountlessinjuriesandevendeaths.

HenryGrant,aweekbeforestartinghisfreshmanyear,respectedSquawPeak'srecord.Assuch,

hestayedagoodtenfeetfromtheedgewhilewaitingforhismothertocatchuptohimonedayin

August2019.Hewatched15orsootherhikersenjoytheview;onehiker,around60anddressedin

pink,waspeekingoverthelipofthecliffwithherhusband.

Suddenlyheheardsomethingfrightening:"Paula!Paula!”amanyelledfrantically.Grantturned

around.Thewomaninpinkwasnowheretobeseen.Severalhikersimmediatelystartedlookingforher.

Uncertaintheycouldhelp,Grantandhismotherheadeddownthetrail.Butwhenhesawhikersstill

searching,hedecidedtolendahand.<6Myyoungdumbbrainwaslike,"Icandohesays.

After15minutesofscramblingoverrocks,Grantspottedafigureinpink.Thewomanhadfallen

about75feet.Miraculously,shewasalive.

“Paula!”Grantshouted.taPaula.Isthatyou?^^

Thewomanbarelyresponded.Shewasclearlyhurtanddelirious.Grantcalled911andwaited,

butshekepttryingtomove,andeverytimeshemoved,sheslippedalittlemore.Afraidthatinher

disorderlystateofmindshemightfallofftherocktoherdeath,Grantcrawledonallfoursupatight,

narrowpath,gainingfrictionbydiggingintothedirtwithhisfingersandfeetuntilhereachedPaula.

Securinghimselfagainstatree,Granttriedtokeephermindoffthepainbyinterveningwith

questions:"'Whereareyoufrom?Whatdoyoudoforaliving?Doyouhavekids?”About45minutes

later,firstrespondersarrived.Toreachthem,arescuerlowereddownandliftedPaulaup.

Paula,whohasfullyrecovered,isPaulaKaplan-Reiss,aNewJerseypsychologistwhohad

traveledtotheBerkshiremountainsofMassachusettsforsomerelieffollowinghermother'sdeath.

Instead,shemetayoungmanwho,asshestatedinalettertotheBostonGlobe,washernewhero.

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.

第6頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

(B)

WhilewritingplainEnglishisnochallenge,mostofusstruggletofindwordsorphrasesto

perfectlyfallinplacewiththecontent.TohelpyouimproveyourwritingskillsinEnglish,wehave

collectedsomeofthebestwebresourcesdedicatedtothismission.

Grammarly

Grammarlyisoneofthebestonlineresourcestosignificantlyimprove?grammarty

yourvocabularyandwritingskills.Itisbasicallyanonlineword

processor,whichgoesbeyondothersincorrectingover250typesofBetterWriting

Englishmistakes.Thespell-checkerandvocabularyenhancerarethe

standoutfeaturesofGrammarly.MadeEasy

SincetheGrammarlyappisalsoavailableforyourwebbrowser,you

cansimplyinstalltheextensionandeditallofyourEmails,socialmediaposts,oranycontentthat

youcreatefromyourwebbrowser.

?AlthoughGrammarlyisofferedasfreeinstallation,apremiumplandoesexistwhichcostsaround

$29.95/month.

Thesaurus

?ThesaurusisoneofthevitaltoolsthateverygoodEnglishwriterhas

intheirstorehouse.Buildingonvocabularyisessentialandthatis

whatThesaurusjustoffers.Thesaurushelpsusersbyproviding

alternativewordsandphrasestoperfectlyexpressthemselves.It

alsooffersthebestcollectionofsynonymsandantonyms.

?Overuseofcliches,adverbsorbulkyphrasesissomeexamplesof

poorwriting,whichneedstobeaddressed.Inthiscase,theThesaurushasacollectionofsomeof

themostoverusedexpressionsthatmustbeavoidedinwrittenEnglish.

?SharpenyourEnglishskillswiththispowerfulonlineandmobileapplicationtoolforfree.

HemingwayApp

TheHemingwayAppisawonderfulweb-basedanddesktopsoftwaretoHemingway

helpyouedityourwrittenEnglish.Ittacklesalotofsubtledifferencesin

Englishwriting,1汰everycomplexsentences,usesofpassivevoiceand

muchmore.UsingHemingwayApp,allofyourwordysentencesare

highlightedinyellowandirrelevantcontentinred.RtadaMNy

man

TheHemingwayappalsoprovidesareadabilityscorefortheenteredtext,Grade6

whichyoucouldusetoanalyzethestructureofthecontentyou'vewritten

andbuildaconnectionwithyourreaders.

?Thoughavailableasafreeversionforwebinterfaces,thestandalonedesktopsoftwareforMac

andWindowscosts$9.99/month.

60.Whichofthefollowingcanbelearnedfromthepassage?

A.Grammarlyisprimarilyfocusedonhelpingimprovespellingandgrammarinwriting.

B.Thesaurusoffersalargecollectionofwordentriestoenhancevocabulary.

C.TheHemingwayApp?spremiumdesktopsoftwareisavailableforaone-timepaymentof$9.99.

D.TheHemingwayAppassignsadistinctcolortoeachtypeofgrammarmistakeitdetectsinthe

text.

61.Ifyouexpecttoobjectivelyassesshoweffectivelyyourcontentwillconnectwithyourreaders,

youarelikelytoturnto.

A.GrammarlyB.ThesaurusC.HemingwayAppD.All

62.WhoareprobablyNOTtheintendedreadersofthispassage?

A.Fictionwriterslookingforreallifematerialstosparktheircreativity.

B.Non-nativeEnglishspeakerswantingtoimprovetheirwritingproficiency.

C.Languageenthusiastsinterestedinexploringdifferentweb-basedtools.

D.Magazineeditorswhoseroleinvolvesreviewingandpolishingmanuscripts.

第7頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

(C)

Iwasamong31murdererssenttotheLouisianaStatePenitentiaryin1962tobeexecutedor

imprisonedforlife.Wewereunskilled,impulsiveanduneducatedmisfits,mostlyblack,whohaddone

dumb,impulsivethings-failures,rejectsfromthelargersociety.Nowagenerationhaspassedsince

Fvebeenhere,andeverythingismuchthesameasIfoundit.Thevastmajorityofusarehandedover

tosufferanddieheresopoliticianscanselltheillusionthatpermanentlyputtingpeopletoprisonwill

makesocietysafe.

Gettingtoughhasalwaysbeena“silverbullet”,aquickfixforthecrimeandviolencethatsociety

fears.EachyearinLouisiana-whereexcessisawayoflife-law-makershavetriedtooutdoeach

otherinlegislatingharsherpenalties.Theonlythingtodowithcriminals,theysay,isgettougher.Inthe

process,thestateboastsoneofthehighestlock-upratesinthecountry,andimposesthemostsevere

penaltiesinthenation.

Ifgettingtoughresultedinpublicsafety,Louisianacitizenswouldbethesafestinthenation.

They'renot.Louisianahasthehighestmurderrateamongstates.Prison,likethepoliceandthecourts,

hasaminimalimpactoncrimebecauseitisaresponseafterthefact.Itdoesn'twork.Theideaof

punishingthefewtodiscouragethemanyisfakebecausepotentialcriminalseitherthinkthey'renot

goingtogetcaughtorthey'resopsychologicallydistressedthattheydon'tcareabouttheconsequences

oftheiractions.Thethreatenedpunishment,regardlessofitsseverity,isneverafactorintheequation.

Prisonhasaroleinpublicsafety,butitisnotacure-all.Theonlyeffectivewaytocontaincrimeis

forsocietytoworktopreventthecriminalactinthefirstplace.Ouryoungstersmustbetaughtto

respecthumanityofothersandtohandledisputewithoutviolence.Itisessentialtoeducateandequip

themwiththeskillstopursuetheirlifeambitionsinameaningfulway.Asacommunity,wemust

addresstheadverselifecircumstancesthatbreedcriminality.Thesethingsarenotquick,andtheyare

noteasy,buttheyareeffective.Politiciansthinkthafstoohardasell.Theywantsomethingtheycan

pointtoatre-electiontime.Sothedrumbeatgoesonformorepolice,moreprisons,moreofthesame

failedpolicies.

Everseeadogchaseitsowntail?

63.Whichofthefollowingsituationsisnotregardedasa"silverbullet”?

A.Employingaroundaboutwaytohelpstudentscorrecttheirmistakes.

B.Settinguprefugestoshelterthehomelesswarvictims.

C.Trainingfarmerswithfarmingtechniquestohelpthemoutofpoverty.

D.Adoptingeffectivepoliciestosaveeconomyfromworsening.

64.Accordingtothepassage,lawmakers9failuretomakeproperlegislationisduetothefactthat

A.theyareproudandboastfulofhighlock-uprates

B.theyfailtoaddresstherootoftheproblem

C.theydon'ttreatpeopleofdifferentracesalike

D.theygiveprioritytoprecautionoverpunishment

65.TheidiombestdescribingtheeffectivewaytoeasetheseverityofcrimeinLouisianais

A.turnoveranewleafB.getakickoutofit

C.aneyeforaneyeD.preventionisbetterthancure

66.Whatisthebesttitleforthepassage?

A.Prisons-AToolforElectionB.WhyPrisonsDon'tWork

C.AnAppealfromaMurdererD.WhySocietyIsaSaferPlace

第8頁(yè)共15頁(yè)

SectionC

Directions:Readthefollowingpassages.Fillineachblankwithapropersentencegiveninthebox.

Eachsentencecanbeusedonlyonce.Notethattherearetwomoresentencesthanyouneed.

A.Theyareculturallydistant,andsohavefarlessborrowedEuropeanvocabularytoo.

B.Thismorethananythingelseaccountsforthedifficultyofthelanguage.

C.Indeed,noneofthehardestlanguagesiswrittenwiththeLatinalphabetusedbymostEuropean

languages.

D.Butforeignwritingsystemsneednotbedifficult.

E.Theoverallhardnessofalanguagecanbeseenasthesumofthedifficultyofitswritingsystem,

sounds,wordsandgrammar.

F.Butjustashardistheproblemoflanguagesthatmakedistinctionsyourlanguagedoesnot.

WhichLanguagesTaketheLongesttoLearn

Thedifficultyinlearningaforeignlanguageliesnotonlyinitsinherentcomplexity.Themain

reasonalanguageishardisthatitisdifferentfromyourown.Whatunderliesthedifficultyofsuch

languagesforanEnglish-speaker?

Thefirstthingmanylearnerswillthinkofisthewritingsystem.67Chinese

standsoutforitsdifficulty.Itiscommonlysaidthatalearnermustmemorizearound2,000characters

tobeabletoreadanewspaper.Buteventhisestimateiscriticized.Someonewith2,000characterswill

stillhavetolookupunfamiliaronesineveryfewlinesoftext.

Asecondwaylanguagescanbehardiswithsoundsanddistinctionsthatdonotexistinthe

learner'slanguage.ToanEnglish-speaker,thenoveltiesincludetheclicksofmanyAfricanlanguages.

68MandarinandCantonesehavetones,meaningmawithanevenpitchandmawith

afallingonearedifferentwords.

Thevocabularyobviouslymatterstoo.MostEuropeanlanguagesshareanancestor

(calledproto-Indo-European)andsotheirwords,too,oftencomeinrelatedpairs.Ifyouknowwaterin

Spanishisagua,itiseasytofigureoutItalianacquaandEnglishaquatic.Languagesunrelatedtothe

Europeanones(ArabicfromtheSemiticfamily,orChinesefromtheSino-Tibetanone)willnotonly

lackthe“genetic“overlapinvocabulary.69

Finally,thereisgrammar.Manypeopleassociatetrickygrammarwithlonglistsofendingsthat

changeaccordingtoaword'suseinasentence.Manylanguagesevenfeatureanendingonverbs

indicatinghowthespeakerknowstheinformationtobetrue.

70Ifyouwanttolearnalanguagejustforfun,startwithSwedish