As you probably know, learning a foreign language is sometimes challenging. But it can also be fun. We spend hundreds of hours at school trying to get our tongues round different vocabulary and grammar in order to earn a qualification. But learning to speak a second language is more than just passing an exam – it opens doors to new opportunities, helps you to communicate with others and makes travelling overseas more fulfilling.
你可能知道，学习一门外语有时是具有挑战性的。但它也可以很有趣。为了获得资格证书，我们在学校花了数百个小时学习不同的词汇和语法。但是学习说第二语言不仅仅是通过考试——它为你打开了新的机会之门，帮助你与他人交流，让你在海外旅行更有成就感。
It might come as a surprise that, according to research by the BBC, the number of teenagers learning foreign languages in UK secondary schools has dropped by 45% since the turn of the millennium. German and French have fallen the most. While these languages from two of the UK's closest trading partners have declined at GCSE level, there has been a noticeable surge in some others, such as Spanish and Mandarin.
令人惊讶的是，根据BBC的研究，自世纪之交以来，英国中学学习外语的青少年人数下降了45%。德语和法语跌幅最大。虽然来自英国两个最亲密贸易伙伴的这些语言在GCSE水平上有所下降，但其他一些语言，如西班牙语和普通话，却有明显的增长。
Another survey of secondary schools suggests a third of students have dropped at least one language from their GCSE exam options. There are many reasons for this, including a perception by some students that languages are difficult. Getting to grips with the lingo of another country can certainly be a challenge and some pupils think 'Why bother?' when English is spoken by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Others have questioned the need for a second language when translation technology is advancing.
另一项针对中学的调查显示，三分之一的学生将至少一门语言从GCSE考试选项中剔除。造成这一现象的原因有很多，其中包括一些学生认为语言很难。掌握另一个国家的行话当然是一项挑战，一些学生认为“何必这么麻烦呢?”’全世界有数亿人说英语。还有人质疑，在翻译技术不断进步的情况下，还需要第二语言吗?
Matthew Fell, chief UK policy director for business group the CBI, has told the BBC that "The decline in language learning in schools must be reversed, or else the UK will be less competitive globally and young people less prepared for the modern world." But even for those who are keen to study another language, the opportunity is being reduced. In Scotland, for example, foreign language subjects are being squeezed out of many secondary school timetables with some head teachers blaming pressure on the curriculum.
英国工商业联合会(CBI)首席政策主任马修·费尔(Matthew Fell)在接受BBC采访时表示:“学校语言学习下降的趋势必须得到扭转，否则英国在全球的竞争力会下降，年轻人对现代世界的准备也会更差。”但即使是那些热衷于学习另一门语言的人，机会也在减少。例如，在苏格兰，外语课程正被排挤出许多中学的课程表，一些校长将其归咎于课程的压力。
However, some native English speakers have told the BBC about the benefits of speaking another tongue. Cassandra Scott, from Edinburgh, studied three languages in her final year at school. She is now a freelance translator in Edinburgh, and says "Learning languages at school really set the course for my career."
然而，一些以英语为母语的人告诉BBC说说另一种语言的好处。来自爱丁堡的卡桑德拉·斯科特(Cassandra Scott)在学校的最后一年学习了三种语言。她现在是爱丁堡的一名自由翻译，她说:“在学校学习语言真的为我的职业生涯设定了道路。”
词汇表foreign language 外语get your tongue round something “舌头转过弯来”，正确发出…音vocabulary 词汇grammar 语法qualification 资格证书，文凭second language 第二语言open doors to something 为（新事物）敞开大门，使…成为可能German 德语French 法语Spanish 西班牙语Mandarin 普通话get to grips with 理解，掌握lingo 外语。translation 翻译foreign language subject 外语学科curriculum 全部课程native English speaker 英语为母语者tongue 语言translator 译者，翻译家set the course for 为…指明方向career 职业
测验与练习1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. Which languages have seen the biggest decline in British students learning them?
2. True or false? Some students think translation technology can replace the need for learning another language.
3. What is suggested in the article about the effects on global business if we don't learn to speak other languages?
4. Why might it be considered a surprise that the numbers of students learning French and German has declined so much?
5. Which word used in the article means needing a lot of effort to be done successfully?
2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。
1. Having a degree in Economics certainly ________ to jobs in the banking sector.
opening doors opened door opens doors door opens
2. I thought my Italian penfriend said she was building a house, not moving house! Her message must have got lost in _________.
translator tongue translation grammar
3. My son has chosen to study three _________ at school so he can eventually get a job as a translator at the UN!
languages Spanish qualifications curriculum
4. I just can't _________ this new computer software, I'm going to have to phone IT support.
got to grips with get too gripped with get to grip with get to grips with
5. Although I speak Russian with my wife and her family, my mother ________ is actually English.
tongue lingo German translator
答案1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. Which languages have seen the biggest decline in British students learning them?In the UK, the number of teenagers learning foreign languages in UK secondary schools has dropped by 45% since the turn of the millennium, with German and French falling the most.
2. True or false? Some students think translation technology can replace the need for learning another language.True. The article says some students have questioned the need for a second language when translation technology is advancing.
3. What is suggested in the article about the effects on global business if we don't learn to speak other languages?Matthew Fell, chief UK policy director for business group the CBI has told the BBC that "The decline in language learning in schools must be reversed, or else the UK will be less competitive globally."
4. Why might it be considered a surprise that the numbers of students learning French and German has declined so much?These are the languages spoken in two of the UK's closest trading partners.
5. Which word used in the article means needing a lot of effort to be done successfully?Challenge. "Getting to grips with the lingo of another country can certainly be a challenge."
2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。
1. Having a degree in Economics certainly opens doors to jobs in the banking sector.
2. I thought my Italian penfriend said she was building a house, not moving house! Her message must have got lost in translation.
3. My son has chosen to study three languages at school so he can eventually get a job as a translator at the UN!
4. I just can't get to grips with this new computer software, I'm going to have to phone IT support.
5. Although I speak Russian with my wife and her family, my mother tongue is actually English.
,
