Đề kiểm tra học kì 2 Tiếng anh 12 năm 2023 có đáp án (Đề 22)

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 40

In the exploration 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 unselfconsciously, are more motivated to communicate, like to conform, are not set in their ways, and have no 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 at least ten years in the United States. The immigrants were given a list of 276 simple English sentences, half of them containing some grammatical errors. The immigrants who came to the United States between the ages of 3 and 7 performed identically to American-born students. Those who arrived between the ages of 8 and 15 did worse the later they arrived, and those who arrived between 17 and 39 did the worst of all, and showed huge variability unrelated to the age of arrival.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 31 to 35.

If women choose to pursue a career once they have children, they often miss out on a close (31)_____ with their children. Helen Jamieson is a mother of three who has given (32)_____ work to look after her children full-time. She strongly believes that women are pressurized to do too much, driving themselves to the absolute limit. In her own case, after six years of paid employment, Helen finally decided to call it a day. She says she initially found it hard being at home, though she never misses the job itself. She admits that if she had had a brilliant career to begin (33)_____, she might feel differently now. Financially, she is no worse off (34)______ before, as the cost of childcare and commuting exceeded her actual income. (35)______ the government starts to give other tax incentives to working parents, she says she will not return to the workplace until her children are grown up.