【解析】推理判断题。根据文章最后一段"Parents cannot control what other people say to their children, but they can prepare their children"可知, 作者接下来应该会就"父母如何帮助自己的孩子为可能遭受的语言暴力做好准备, 使他们不会受到语言暴力的影响"给出一些方法或建议。故选C。

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The way we speak matters.

B. Verbal violence should be stopped.

C. Unkind words hurt the brain.

D. Words are worse than sticks and stones.

【解析】C

【解析】主旨大意题。文章介绍了语言暴力对孩子的不良影响, 再根据第二段中的"verbal abuse by other children can harm development in the brain"可以看出, 其影响主要体现在孩子的大脑发育方面。故选C。

　　　　　　　　B

　　The US teenager Thomas Cheatham had planned to study Latin during his time at Hebron High School in Texas. But when he learned that the school district was going to offer a Mandarin class, he quickly changed his mind.

　　"I thought Mandarin would be more beneficial than Latin," said Cheatham, who is now in his second year of studying the language. He speaks Mandarin to order food at Chinese restaurants and can read social media posts from his Chinese-speaking friends.

　　While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career. "Chinese is a good language to know, especially with China becoming a growing power," he said.

　　Many experts agree that proficiency in a language spoken by a billion people worldwide will give American students an edge in the global economy. "People are looking at China as our next economic competitor, and interest in Mandarin is growing," said Marty Abbott, executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. "We're seeing it in all parts of the country. "

　　Abbott estimates that as many as 100, 000 students are now studying Mandarin throughout the US, in public and private schools. She said the US government has designated (指定) Mandarin as a "critical needs" language and provides professional development programs for teachers. "Our government wants to increase our language competency for national security and economic competitiveness," Abbott said.

　　At the same time, the Chinese government is spreading knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes established in many US states. For example, the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas in Dallas has been the home of a Confucius Institute for 10 years. It sponsors Confucius Classrooms at 21 local public and private schools, where tens of thousands of students are learning Mandarin.

5. Thomas Cheatham decided to study Mandarin instead of Latin because he thought ________.

A. Mandarin was easier to learn than Latin

B. Mandarin might help him learn more about Chinese food

C. Mandarin could enable him to make more friends online

D. Mandarin could be advantageous in his future career

【解析】D

【解析】根据第三段中"While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career. "可知, Thomas Cheatham认为普通话对于他未来的职业生涯非常有好处, 故选D。

6. The underlined word "proficiency" in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A. strong interest　　　　 B. great skill

C. lack of practice D. a level of difficulty

【解析】B

【解析】根据第四段中"...will give American students an edge in the global economy.