Language Lends a Hand

Central Middle School NewsEditorial Page

By David Munoz

Like many students, you probably have big plans for the future. You may want to go to college, travel, and get a good job. Learning a foreign language (one that is different from the language you speak) is one of the best way to get ready for the future.

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Many students plan to go to college. Most colleges require that students study a foreign language for at least two years in high school. Studying a foreign language for at least three years looks even better on college applications. Some studies have shown that learning a foreign language can raise student test scores by improving overall cognitive functioning, or in other words speeding up the brain! These higher test scores might mean a better chance of getting into your college of choice.

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Some day, you may want to travel. It is more fun and relaxing to travel in another country if you can speak the language. It will be easier to read signs and order from menus. In the event of an emergency, being able to speak the language will make it easier to get help. It is true that people at big hotels or tourist spots may speak English. However, if you want to explore or talk to a local person, speaking a foreign language will make this possible.

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To pay for all these trips, you will need a good job. Today, many companies in the United States work with companies in other countries. Being able to speak another language will make talking with people in new places much easier. People who live in the United States also speak many languages. Whether a person is a doctor, a lawyer, or a sales clerk, knowing another language will make it easier for him or her to help all kinds of people.

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How might you go about learning a foreign language? There are many ways. You can take classes during or after school, use a home-based language program, or enroll in classes at nearby community or continuing education center. After you are moderately fluent, you may discover that learning another language has led to benefits such as better problem-solving skills, being more open to diversity, learning to appreciate other cultures, or seeing things from a different perspective.

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Traveling, college, and a job probably seem like a long way off, so you may be wondering about the benefits of learning a foreign language now. However, the best time to learn a language is when you are young. Studies have shown that young people have an easier time learning a language. Even if that is not always true, just do the math. A person who starts learning a language at ten years old will have had six more years to practice than someone who starts learning at age 16. Six years can make a difference in how well a person speaks, reads, and writes a language.

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There are many languages to choose from, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, and American Sign Language are just a few. Whichever one choose, learning a language will open a world of opportunities outside your classroom door.

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1. The word require most likely comes from a Latin root meaning to -

You may not know what is the Latin root of require, but you can get the answer by elimination of the other words. Also what you are looking is a synonym.To require is to ask for something, to look for something that you need, to seek for something. This line of thought will give you the answer almost right away, but you may still want to discard the other words to be sure.The gain is the result of acquiring what you requested so it is not the correct answer.Help is what you require so this is another wrong choice.To talk is the result of requiring to someone to talk to you, which makes it also a wrong choice.So now you are sure that seek is a synonym of the word require and it is the correct answer.

2. According to the passage, a person can learn a foreign language by-

A. Traveling to a foreign countryB. Speaking to someone from a foreign countryC. Attending a class at a continuing education centerD. Working for a company where people speak the language

To find the correct answer you will need to go back to the story and find the paragraph that includes this line. If you took notes in the side it may get easier to find it, but if not you will need to read the story again until find it since there is no mention of the paragraph number. In this case the information is in the paragraph 5.“How might you go about learning a foreign language? There are many ways. You can take classes during or after school, use a home-based language program, or enroll in classes at nearby community or continuing education center. “As you can see the last option in the paragraph is the same as the answer option #C, so this is the right answer.Even that the other options may be of help to learn a new language they are not included as such in the story and anyway they may not be of much help because the time you travel, the fact that you may not understand anyway a person speaking a language you do not know, or because working with people that speak another language is not useful since they will use English to communicate with you anyway.

3. Read the dictionary entry below:

Moderately (MÄD-er-ĭt-lē)Adjective: 1. kept within reasonable limits 2. with medium quality 3. calmly or mildly 4. humbly or sensible

Which definition fits the way moderately is used in the following sentence?

After you are moderately fluent, you may discover that learning another language has led to benefits such as better problem-solving skills, being more open to diversity, learning to appreciate other cultures, or seeing things from a different perspective.

The best alternative for answer this type of questions is to use what you understand for the word based in the sentence (go back and re-read). In this case it is saying that you learned already some of the language in some level, that the paragraph described as moderately, and which will let me do things better. So I learned in some degree, it is not a little and it is not a lot, so I must assume it is something in the middle. So for #1 you cannot have limits in learning a language since you could always be learning new words as you do in your own language.The last option has to do with how you behave and act in a situation so this use of the word does not apply here.The same for #3 since it will means that you are taking thing so easy and slow that you probably will never learn the language. If you want to try to learn a new language you need to put some effort into it, the goal is to have some quality when you are using it.It takes us to #2, you want to get quality and you are in the middle so it gives you the answer C as the best option. You know the language enough to use it and take advantage of it doing other things.

4. The author suggest that one benefit of learning a foreign language when you are young is that you-

A. Will receive extra credit in schoolB. Could achieve better scores on tests you takeC. Will be able to talk to foreign exchange studentsD. Will have a wider choice of languages from which to choose

Here again the best alternative is to go back to the story and find where the author is mentioning these benefits. (always help to learn to take notes).Go back to paragraph 2 and read it again. The author does not say benefits, but it mentions that learning a language can have some advantages speeding up your brain. Or in other words as it says in the paragraph it could lead to you having better scores while taking some tests. So the answer B seems to be the best option.Again let’s go back and reject the other options just to be sure we are correct.For the answer A there is not mention whatsoever in the text so it is wrong.The same can be applied to choice C, it is not even mention in the story.Option D is mentioned in the last paragraph and have nothing to do with the intention we are discussing here so it also does not apply so it is wrong.We confirm that answer B is the best choice.

5. Which sentence from the passage could give the reader a false hope for the future?

A. To pay for all these trips, you will need a good jobB. People who live in the United States also speak many languagesC. It is true that people at big hotels or tourist spots may speak EnglishD. The higher test scores might mean a better change of getting into your college of choice

This is a very tricky questions. You may read the options and find that no one could be considered as a false hope. You will need to analyze each question beyond the basic statement and try to imagine what other person would do if take the information described in each sentence literally. This means thinking that what is said will come true always.Choice A is just and advice to study and prepare as well as you can to get a good job and be able to travel. Choice B is just a fact and can only give you the desire to learn a new language so we can say it is a positive statement.Choice C could be considered a negative statement, but when you keep reading the next sentence encourage you to try anyway to better enjoy your trip.Last choice D is a type of information that some people can misunderstand, it does not say that you will surely get into your college of choice, but you just may. So if you do not evaluate carefully this suggestion you may think that just for learning a new language it will be enough, but there are many other options in consideration when a student is chosen and test scores are just one of many.So in summary choice D is the best answer.

6. Read the sentence from the passage.

A. Ignoring the issueB. Encouraging actionC. Giving a personal opinionD. Providing supportive evidence

It is more fun and relaxing to travel in another country if you can speak the language

In this sentence, the author tries to persuade the reader by-

Another tricky question, where you can get entangled in what you know about traveling to another country. Choices A is clearly wrong since it makes no much sense stop looking for ways to have fun. Choice B is not correct also just because this is not enough to push you to try hard learning a new language.The key words here are “fun” and “relaxing”, both are describing your emotions, how you will feel when traveling and knowing the language. This is a personal opinion, it depends on how you deal with new circumstances, for some it maybe fun and for others it may not. And since choice D requires facts or evidence which is not included in the sentence, we must conclude that choice C is the best possible answer.

7. What can the reader reasonably assume about the author of this passage?

A. The author has high test scores.B. The author has attended college.C. The author speaks a foreign language.D. The author has traveled to many foreign countries.

The author is talking about what he/she read about it and never says that he/she has actually higher test scores, this invalidate choice A.You can write a book or article without actually going to college, in this type of article you just can have traveled a lot or like learning new languages. There is not actual evidence so you cannot assume it and it make it not a good option.Choice C is definitively to be considered and you can assume that this is true since the author is talking about the advantages or learning another language besides your own.Choice D could also be true, but the key word that invalidates it is to many it imply that the author has traveled to a lot of countries and it may be that the author just traveled to a few or even no country at all and he/she is just making a point from what he/she read. So it is a weak assumption compared with option C . The best option to assume it is true is for choice C

8. The author persuades the reader to learn a foreign language early in life by-

A. Suggesting ways to go about learning a foreign languageB. Giving examples of the benefits the reader will receiveC. Numbering the many countries in which foreign languages are spokenD. Providing a chart of foreign-language speakers around the world

First let’s eliminates two clear wrong choices C and D , neither one of them is even mentioned or included in the passage.Now let’s go back to the question, it is asking how (to persuade) or why (the reason to do it) the author is persuading the reader to learn a language.Choice A gives the reader an option of where to go to learn a language when she/he is decide to do it, but not the benefits.Choice B answer the “how” by the author providing examples in the paragraph for reason to learn and foreign language and also answer the “why” I should do the extra work by providing some examples of the benefits for learning a language early in life compared with another students starting later.So choice B is the best option for this question.

Go back to the previous slide

9. What is the main purpose of the advertisement on page 15?

A. To encourage the reader to travel to another countries.B. To show the importance of knowing two languagesC. To persuade the reader to attend a language schoolD. To create interest in traffic signs used in other countries

Advertisements are intended to persuade people to buy or do something.They promote a business or sometimes and idea, but in general and ad clearly try to convince people to use and buy a product or service.In this specific advertisement the object is to promote a language school, “The Willard Academy of Languages” so it intention is for you to go and attend this school to learn a foreign language.It makes choice C the only possibility

10. How does the advertisement on page 15 use humor to attract the reader’s attention? A. By including a picture from a different country

B. By encouraging the reader to speak to the worldC. By stating that meanings are not always obviousD. By including a sign written in two different languages

The definition of humor says: 1. a fluid of the body 2. an often temporary state of mind 3. something to be designed to be comical or amusing.

11. What is most likely the reason for including the phrase “Limited space available” in the advertisement on page 15?

A. To encourage the reader to act quickly without thinkingB. To show that the language academy is a popular schoolC. To let the reader know that many students attend the academyD. To explain why some students will not be accepted tot eh school

Advertisements are intended to persuade people to buy or do something.They promote a business or sometimes and idea, but in general and ad clearly try to convince people to use and buy a product or service. When possible right now!!!!!The sentences included in the ads are used for this purpose and with that on mind then the only possible choice is A.All other choices are not important, a result of personal opinion of the readers, or could produce a negative impact in the reader.

The correct answer then is Choice “A”