Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant in terms of learning a second language.A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese (葡萄牙语) much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so one’s first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between a second language and our first language, the harder it will be for most people to learn a second language. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet (字母).Some people seem to learn languages easily, while others find it very difficult. Teachers and the circumstances (环境) in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner’s purpose for learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it in work, they often learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day-to-day life.No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that there is one language that is the most difficult language in the world.【小题1】What does the underlined word “relevant” in paragraph 1 mean?A．Difficult.B．Meaningful.C．Necessary.D．Possible.【小题2】What is the example of Portuguese and Chinese used to prove?A．Chinese is harder to learn than Portuguese.B．Portuguese and Chinese are very different.C．Portuguese is very easy for foreigners to learn.D．One’s first language can affect learning a second language.【小题3】Why do many people think Chinese is hard to learn?A．Its writing system is strange.B．Its pronunciation is old-fashioned.C．Its characters are difficult to understand.D．It has many differences from other languages.【小题4】What can we learn from the text?A．A second language is easier than we think.B．Using a language daily will make it easy to learn.C．The writing system is harder than the pronunciation.D．Difficult languages are not as popular as simple ones.

People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many things to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant in terms of learning a second language.

A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese (葡萄牙语) much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so one’s first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between a second language and our first language, the harder it will be for most people to learn a second language. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet (字母).

Some people seem to learn languages easily, while others find it very difficult. Teachers and the circumstances (环境) in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner’s purpose for learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it in work, they often learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day-to-day life.

No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that there is one language that is the most difficult language in the world.

【小题1】What does the underlined word “relevant” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Difficult.	B．Meaningful.
C．Necessary.	D．Possible.

【小题2】What is the example of Portuguese and Chinese used to prove?

A．Chinese is harder to learn than Portuguese.

B．Portuguese and Chinese are very different.

C．Portuguese is very easy for foreigners to learn.

D．One’s first language can affect learning a second language.

【小题3】Why do many people think Chinese is hard to learn?

A．Its writing system is strange.

B．Its pronunciation is old-fashioned.

C．Its characters are difficult to understand.

D．It has many differences from other languages.

【小题4】What can we learn from the text?

A．A second language is easier than we think.

B．Using a language daily will make it easy to learn.

C．The writing system is harder than the pronunciation.

D．Difficult languages are not as popular as simple ones.