【正文】 st in the language. It is better to have the child learn Chinese than to have some difficulty 39 learning English for several years. Having been engaged in English education, 40 find that despite(盡管 ) their excellent 41 , many students have 42 mand of English words and phrases. So I suggest that children 43 classical Chinese prose(散文 ),rather than 44 them to learn English hurriedly. Otherwise, they may let go the best time to 45 the language ability of their mother tongue. 26. A. easy B. difficult C. easier D. more difficult 27. A. but B. however C. though D. yet 28. A. opinions B. regards C. requests D. expressions 29. A. step by step B. right away C. at once D. quickly 30. A. people B. girls C. children D. boys 31. A. begin B. start C. finish D. end 32. A. pay B. get C. buy D. take 33. A. loved B. liked C. disliked D. learned 34. A. because of B. because C. instead of D. instead 35. A. of B. at C. in D. to 36. A. learning B. to learn C. with learning D. for learning 37. A. while B. where C. when D. as 38. A. introduced B. practiced C. explained D. developed 39. A. in B. to C. at D. of 40. A. He B. I C. She D. They 41. A. pronunciation B. phrase C. language D. writing 42. A. few B. less C. little D. fewer 43. A. write B. do C. remember D. memorize 44. A. have B. let C. cause D. make 45. A. study B. improve C. learn D. master Ⅳ . 閱讀理解： (共 20小題，每小題 2分，滿分 40分 ) A Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language—English. The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a mon language for munication. Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong. But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about burgers. fries and milkshakes. Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing! English is a messy (雜亂的 ) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, puterrelated words such as blogging, download and chatroom. Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know cool, OK and “hello” ? Other languages also influence English. Many English words e from French. Words like cafe and expressions like c3