A good place for language lovers

廣東 周華南

主題語境：人與社會 篇幅：396詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1When visitors enter Planet Word,a museum in Washington,D.C.,they will see Speaking Willow,a tall art piece representing a tree.As they pass under the artwork,they can hear recordings of speech in hundreds of languages coming from the tree,most of which sound foreign to the listeners.The different voices also speak at the same time.The resulting noise is similar to that made in a crowded theater before a show begins.

2This is a specially-made work for the museum.It is the first of many immersive experiences for visitors at Planet Word,a museum all about words and language.The exhibits playfully explore the large and complex subject of language.

3In one room,a video plays,showing babies saying their first words.Another room,called“Where Do Words Come From”,teaches the history of some common English words.The space includes a 22-foot-tall“Wall of Words”,where visitors speak into devices and learn about the roots of the English language.That exhibit took two years to build.

4An interactive room invites listeners to speak and learn about different languages.Native speakers of 28 languages and two sign languages teach people sayings in those languages.They also explain how language shapes their understanding of the world and how words cannot be separated from culture.

5Other rooms explore the different ways language is used—from humor and songwriting,to public speaking and advertising.Visitors can sing karaoke while learning about songwriting,record a famous speech,play a joke-telling game,and teach a computer how to make cartoons.Almost every exhibit is interactive and most ask visitors to speak aloud.

6One exhibit room is all about books.It is designed to look like an old,rich library.Books line the shelves.When a book is placed on the table,a recorded reading begins and pictures appear,which can leave a deep impression on visitors.

7Planet Word is housed in Washington,D.C.'s historic Franklin School.Its founder Friedman is a former reading and writing teacher.She wanted to create a museum to build interest in writing and language.The museum is designed mainly for teenagers,but most adults can also learn from and enjoy a visit to Planet Word.Friedman hopes people will leave the museum with a better understanding of the words they use every day and the world of languages around them.

Reading Check

Detail 1.What can we know about Speaking Willow in paragraph 1?

A.It is able to do translation work.

B.It presents the origins of languages.

C.It shows various languages to visitors.

D.It is used to predict a show in a theater.

Detail 2.What is unique to the exhibit room on books?

A.It is arranged on a website.

B.It is designed for history lovers.

C.It can provide service in sign languages.

D.It can show recorded readings and pictures.

Detail 3.Why was Planet Word set up according to the text?

A.To help teenagers deal with language barriers.

B.To stress the importance of languages in our life.

C.To arouse people's interest in writing and language.

D.To provide good ways for people to learn languages.

Inference 4.Where is the text most likely from?

A.A diary. B.A newspaper.

C.A novel. D.A magazine.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentence in the text

As they pass under the artwork,they can hear recordings of speech in hundreds of languages coming from the tree,most of which sound foreign to the listeners.當他們從這個藝術品下面經過時，他們可以聽到來自這棵樹的數百種語言的講話錄音，其中大多數聽起來都很陌生。

【點石成金】本句中的As they pass under the artwork 為as 引導的時間狀語從句；coming from the tree 為修飾languages 的后置定語；most of which sound foreign to the listeners為定語從句，修飾recordings。

Ⅱ.Text-centered chunks

be similar to 與……相似

be separated from 與……分離

leave a deep impression on 給……留下深刻的印象

be designed for 為……而設計

with a better understanding of 對……有更好的理解