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In the explosion of the linguistic life cycle, it is apparent that it is much more difficult to

learn a second language in adulthood than a first language in childhood. Most adults never

completely master a foreign language, especially in Phonology – hence the ubiquitous foreign

accent. Their development often “fossilizes” into permanent error patterns that no teaching or

correction can undo. Of course, there are great individual differences, which depend on effort,

attitudes, amount of exposure, quality of teaching and plain talent, but there seems to be a cap

for the best adults in the best circumstances

Many explanations have been advanced for children’s superiority; they exploit Motherese

(the simplified, repetitive conversation between parents and children), make errors unself-

consciously, are more motivated to communicate, like to conform, are not set in their ways, and

have not first language to interfere. But some of these accounts are unlikely, based on what is

known about how language acquisition works. Recent evidence is calling these social and

motivation explanations into doubt. Holding every other factor constant, a key factor stands out:

sheer age

Systematic evidence comes from the psychologist Elissa Newport and her colleagues.

They tested Korean and Chinese – born students at the University of Illinois who had spent a

least ten years in the United States. The immigrants were give a list of 276 simple English

sentences, half of them containing some grammatical error. The immigrants who came to the

United States between the age of 3 and 7 performed identically to American – born students.

Those who arrived between ages 8 and 15 did worse the latter they arrived, and those who

arrived between 17 and 39 did the worst of all, and showed huge variability unrelated to their

age of arrival

Question 1: The passage mainly discussed

A. adult differences in learning a foreign language

B. children’s ability to learn a language

C. the age factor in learning languages fast

D. research into language acquisition

Question 2: From the passage, it can be inferred that “Phonology” is the study of

A. he grammar of language

B. the rules of a language

C the vocabulary of a language

D. the sound system of a language

Question 3: The word “cap” in paragraph 1 is closet in meaning to

A. prize

B. limit

C. covering

D. level

Question 4: According to the passage, young children learn languages quickly for all of

the following reasons EXCEPT

A. they make many mistakes

B. they want to talk