2019人教版必修一Unit 5 Languages around the world 知识点及译文.docxVIP

PAGE 2 UNIT 5 LANGUAGES AROUND THE WORLD 课文译文 Listening and Speaking 听力原文 To some students, it seems that the only foreign language to learn is English. There are, however, near 7, 000 languages in the world. After Chinese, the language with the most native language speakers isn’t Englishit’s Spanish! Learning English is very useful, but it is wise to learn at least one other foreign language, if possible. There are many reasons why people learn a foreign language. Many students choose to study one of the languages that are spoken at the UN. As they think it means better job chances in the future. The UN has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. They are spoken by around 2. 8 billion people as their native or second languages. Some students, though, choose to study a language because of family or friends. One American girl chose to learn Danish because her grandparents were from Denmark. When she was little, her grandpa used to read letters to her in Danish from their relatives in Denmark. Another young lady started learning French because she had several friends from African countries where French is spoken. What do you think? Which other language would you choose to study and why? Reading and Thinking THE CHINESE WRITING SYSTEM: CONNECTING THE PAST AND THE PRESENT 汉语书写系统：连接古今 China is widely known for its ancient civilisation which has continued all the way through into modern times, despite the many ups and downs in its history. There are many reasons why this has been possible, but one of the main factors has been the Chinese writing system. 中国以其古老的文明而闻名，尽管历史上有许多起起伏伏，但它一直延续到现代。造成这种情况的原因有很多，但其中一个主要因素是汉语书写系统。 At the beginning, written Chinese was a picture-based language. It dates back several thousand years to the use of longgu—animal bones and shells on which symbols were carved by ancient Chinese people. Some of the ancient symbols can still be seen in today’s hanzi. 起初，书面汉语是一种基于图片的语言。它可以追溯到数千年前使用龙骨的时期——动物的骨头和贝壳