French was actually my first language though I was born of American parents in Geneva, Switzerland. It was when I was five and moved to the United States that I started to learn English. In my new country, I lost my French completely. As French was the language that my parents spoke at home when they did not want me or my brothers to understand, French became associated in my mind with all sorts of negative feelings.Nevertheless in junior high school I chose to select French and even chose to stay in school for longer hours to take the class of a teacher that was still using traditional methods. The language of my birth, that must have remained somewhere in the deepest part of my brain, started coming back as the school year progressed. Unexpectedly, my father announced at the end of that year that we would be moving back to Switzerland. I arrived back in Europe with the confidence that I could speak French and continued to polish my language skills with my new classmates. About six months later I experienced a moment that I still recall clearly some 40 years on. I was shopping with my mother when I was reminded that the French I was using was not usually considered acceptable in polite society. This just goes to show that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. However, I managed to overcome this moment of embarrassment and now French is my primary mode of communication.1.Which language did the speaker speak before the age of five?A) French. B) German.C) English.D) Swedish.2.Why did the speaker’s parents speak French at home?A) To offer their children the chance to learn French.B) To encourage their children to communicate in French.C) To prevent their children from understanding what they said.D) To remove the negative feelings their children had toward French.3.How did the speaker feel about learning French in junior high school?A) He was enthusiastic. B) He was discouraged.C) He was confused.D) He was proud.4.What happened when the speaker was shopping after moving back to Switzerland?A) He was reminded that he had very little knowledge of French.B) He was reminded that he spoke French in a rather impolite way.C) He was reminded that he spoke French with an unacceptable accent.D) He was reminded that he often made embarrassing mistakes in French.

English was not my first language. French was actually my first language though I was born of American parents in Geneva, Switzerland. It was when I was five and moved to the United States that I started to learn English. In my new country, I lost my French completely. As French was the language that my parents spoke at home when they did not want me or my brothers to understand, French became associated in my mind with all sorts of negative feelings.Nevertheless in junior high school I chose to select French and even chose to stay in school for longer hours to take the class of a teacher that was still using traditional methods. The language of my birth, that must have remained somewhere in the deepest part of my brain, started coming back as the school year progressed. Unexpectedly, my father announced at the end of that year that we would be moving back to Switzerland. I arrived back in Europe with the confidence that I could speak French and continued to polish my language skills with my new classmates. About six months later I experienced a moment that I still recall clearly some 40 years on. I was shopping with my mother when I was reminded that the French I was using was not usually considered acceptable in polite society. This just goes to show that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. However, I managed to overcome this moment of embarrassment and now French is my primary mode of communication.1.Which language did the speaker speak before the age of five?A) French. B) German.C) English.D) Swedish.2.Why did the speaker’s parents speak French at home?A) To offer their children the chance to learn French.B) To encourage their children to communicate in French.C) To prevent their children from understanding what they said.D) To remove the negative feelings their children had toward French.3.How did the speaker feel about learning French in junior high school?A) He was enthusiastic. B) He was discouraged.C) He was confused.D) He was proud.4.What happened when the speaker was shopping after moving back to Switzerland?A) He was reminded that he had very little knowledge of French.B) He was reminded that he spoke French in a rather impolite way.C) He was reminded that he spoke French with an unacceptable accent.D) He was reminded that he often made embarrassing mistakes in French.