题目内容：

It is estimated that more than half the world’s population is bilingual (双语的), and in an increasingly globalised world, there are obvious benefits of speaking more than one language. However, for many years, parents were advised not to teach their children to speak more than one language from birth. Learning two or more languages simultaneously (同时) was believed to cause confusion and slow down academic development. While it is certainly true that children who are learning to speak more than one language as their mother tongue will often mix the languages up or speak a little later, these are temporary problems, and there is no reason to avoid teaching a child more than one language.

In fact, there are plenty of reasons to encourage your child to become bilingual from birth. As well as the obvious benefits of being able to communicate with more people, and the possibility of earning more money, children who speak more than one language have been shown to score more highly in achievement tests at school. This is true for mathematics as well as tests of verbal (言语的) skills.

And in later life it has been found that bilinguals, on average, will tend to develop Alzheimer’s disease five years later than monolingual speakers. Speaking three or more languages offers even more protection. It seems that the increased number of connections within the brain allows bilinguals to cope better with brain damage.

But is it too late if you haven’t already learned a second language in childhood? It used to be thought that the adult brain was very fixed, but recent research has shown that we continue to develop new connections in the brain throughout our lives, meaning that it’s perfectly possible to learn another language to a high standard. Older learners are less likely to have native-like pronunciation, but they are better at learning vocabulary as they are able to use far more skills and strategies than children. And learning a language is like using a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets, meaning that you will find your third language easier than your second, and so on.

1.Why shouldn’t parents be discouraged from teaching their children to be a bilingual?

A. Children’s confusion over two languages will not last long.

B. Children will not mistake one language for the other.

C. Parents should begin to teach a second language early.

D. Parents’ guidance will help children tell two languages apart.

2.Which of the following is NOT a possible benefit of being a bilingual?

A. A bilingual is less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

B. A bilingual child may do well in mathematics at school.

C. A bilingual will probably make more money.

D. A bilingual child owns relatively good language ability.

3.Compared with children, adult language learners ___________.

A. are slower at learning a second language.

B. are more skilled at building vocabulary.

C. are more likely to acquire a native accent.

D. are slower at making logic connections.

4.What can be learned from the passage?

A. A bilingual child will speak both the languages badly later in his life.

B. Learning a second language certainly contributes to your body fitness.

C. Connections within adults’ brain will permanently stop developing.

D. With each language learned, the learning process will become easier.