The young woman seated next to us at the sushi(寿司) bar gave off an alien air; her looks and style, we thought, made it likely that she was not American born.
But then she spoke in perfect American English, with the typical characteristic of many young Californians.
As it turns out, however, she wasn’t from these parts after all; she was born in Iran and spoke only Farsi(波斯语) until her arrival here two years ago. What classes, we wondered, had she attended to learn the language so well?
“I didn’t,” she said. “I used Rosetta Stone.”
Those yellow boxes sold at shopping-mall and airport newspaper stands may be the most recognizable example of PC-based language learning, but it certainly isn’t the only one.
With the growth of broadband connectivity and social networks, companies have introduced a wide range of Internet-based language learning products, both free and fee-based, that allow students to interact in real time with instructors in other countries, gain access to their lesson plans wherever they are in the world, and communicate with pen pals who are also trying to remember if bambino means baby.
Learning a language sometimes seems as difficult as dieting. The solution is to figure out how to stay interested after the curiosity wears off.
To fight against boredom, online language programs have introduced crossword puzzles, interactive(交互的) videos and other games to reward users for making progress.
Online courses are either fee-based, free or a combination. Starter kits(入门套件) of fee-based programs may cost just a few hundred dollars, but the cost to reach higher levels of comprehension and speaking can easily be $1,000.
While that may sound expensive, language company managers say it isn’t; college courses often cost many thousands of dollars to reach the same level.
So, cost aside, how do you choose which program to use? The answer is that one size doesn’t fit all.
55.   Which of the following is the fact about “Rosetta Stone”?
A.      Rosetta Stone is only a special stone with the name Rosetta on
B.      Rosetta Stone is a free PC-based language learning product.
C.      Rosetta Stone is a reference book for English learners to use.
D.     Rosetta Stone is a language-learning software
56.   The case of the young woman in the passage is meant to tell the reader that ______.
A.      the woman is one of many successful language learners
B.      the woman likes Rosetta Stone very much
C.      many people are benefiting from the Internet language learning products
D.     Rosetta Stone is one of the successful PC-based language instructors
57.   We can learn from the passage that ______.
A.      they offer the English learners all kinds of free courses
B.      learners can communicate with teachers at any time
C.      students can compare notes with their e-pals about language study
D.     advanced online courses usually cost more than the college ones of the same level
58.   What information will be most probably provided following the last paragraph?
A.      An introduction of different online language learning products.
B.      An introduction of different language learning methods.
C.      The strengths and weaknesses of Internet language learning products.
D.     A comparison between online and college language learning.

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