题目
题型:不详难度:来源:
A language can become extinct when the last person who can speak it passes away. Or more likely when the secondlast person who speaks it dies because then there is no one left to talk to. According to linguists (语言学家) there is nothing unusual about a single language dying out. But what is happening today is quite remarkable. According to the recent statistics, there are approximately 6,000 languages in the world as we speak. Of these, about half are going to die out in the next century.
There are several reasons as to why a language can eventually die out. These range from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one. The former can cause tribes to leave their natural habitat(栖息地) and therefore become fewer and fewer in number. However, it doesn"t happen very frequently. In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia. For instance, Chemehuevi is one of the languages which is really close to dying out since its sole speaker is an old, yet healthy, man named Johnny Hill, Jr.
It is very important for as many languages as possible to be preserved. Scientists have been trying to raise people"s awareness on how certain tribes have specific words which cannot be expressed in let"s say English simply because there is no equal meaning. Namely, the Yupik of Alaska have 99 names to describe different layers of ice formation, or how the Tofa of Siberia classify reindeer (驯鹿). In other words, when languages die out, mankind"s wisdom reduces.
On a happier note, there are many famous cases which show what can be done to preserve languages in danger of extinction. In particular, the Maori in New Zealand have created socalled “language nests”: organizations which help children under five learn the language. They provide them with a setting where they are exposed to the language intensively so that they get to realise that communicating in Maori is as natural as communicating in English. There is always, of course, the risk that the children won"t keep the language alive after they have left their “nests”. Nevertheless, hope dies hard.
小题1:What most probably caused the death of languages in the USA and Australia?
A.Habitats were lost. |
B.Natural disasters struck. |
C.Native cultures disappeared. |
D.Foreign languages were spoken. |
A.listing definitions |
B.providing examples |
C.presenting causes and effects |
D.comparing with other opinions |
A.Attempts may not produce the desired effect. |
B.Environment is important in language protection. |
C.People can do little about a language"s extinction. |
D.Measures should be taken in spite of difficulties. |
A.all languages are finally going to die out |
B.human wisdom can be reflected in languages |
C.the protective approaches have proved ineffective |
D.the current situation of languages hardly requires attention |
答案
小题1:D
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:B
解析
文章大意:语言会灭绝吗?它又会带来怎样的后果?让我们保护语言。
小题1:D 推理判断题。由最后一段,特别是最后一句话“Nevertheless, hope dies hard.”可知,不能放弃保护语言的努力。
小题2:B 推理判断题。第三段第三句话举例证明作者的论点:应该尽可能多的保护语言。
小题3:C 细节理解题。由第二段第五句话“In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia.”可知,应该是前面介绍的两种语言中的后者“...to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one(本族文化的消失)”应该为美国和澳大利亚的语言灭绝负责。
小题4:B 推理判断题。由第三段最后一句话“In other words, when languages die out, mankind"s wisdom reduces. ”可推知,语言反映了人类的智慧。
核心考点
试题【Can a Language Become Extinct? A language can become extinct when the last perso】;主要考察你对题材分类等知识点的理解。[详细]
举一反三
Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged, and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, a man in Cleveland, believing that the city"s orphans and shutins (卧病在床的人) too often felt forgotten and neglected, thought of the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this through the distribution of small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to participate in the celebration ceremony, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. In time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small remembrance. And soon the idea spread to other cities all over the country.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group"s religious affection or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
Because for many people remembering takes the form of giftgiving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a practical way.
小题1:We can learn from the first paragraph that Sweetest Day is ________.
A.sometimes the third Saturday in October |
B.hardly celebrated in Detroit |
C.of equal importance in every part of the USA |
D.getting increasingly popular in the USA |
A.the young and disabled |
B.friends and relatives |
C.orphans and shutins |
D.the sick and aged |
A.Detroit | B.Cleveland |
C.Buffalo | D.Washington |
A.we care | B.we admire |
C.in need of help | D.in trouble |
Durham: Whatever travelers see or don"t see in England, they must see this city, in the northeast, just south of NewcastleuponTyne. No one will forget the sight of its cathedral(教堂)and castle rising together on a steep hill overlooking a loop in the River Wear, which almost surrounds them. The cathedral itself is one of the great medieval(中世纪的,公元476~1500)buildings in Europe.
Liverpool: A port in the northwest of England which possesses a quality that is not found in quite the same way anywhere else in England: the quality of grandeur (壮观). Liverpool has this grandeur in its site on the broad River Mersey (more than half a mile wide) with the houses rising near it; in its great dock buildings, its broad streets, and its two enormous cathedrals.
Edinburgh: It has long been the capital of Scotland. Edinburgh Castle is Edinburgh"s important building, controlling the city from its perch on a rock over a hundred meters above sea level. Another important building is the Palace of Holyrood House, begun by James Ⅲ around 1500. Between the castle and the palace is the Royal Mile, which was the center of Edinburgh life before the 17th century and is fascinating to visit now.
小题1:Which is the suitable time to visit Brighton ?
A.Only summer | B.All the year around |
C.Holidays | D.Weekdays |
A.Brighton | B.Durham |
C.Liverpool0 | D.Edinburgh |
A.Around the broad River Mersey you can enjoy the unique quality of Liverpool . |
B.The sight of Durham"s cathedral and castle is probably best seen from the banks of the Riverwear . |
C.The Palace of Holyrood House is much older than the cathedral in Durham. |
D.Edinburgh Castle was built over a hundred meters above sea level. |
A.a travel magazine |
B.a daily newspaper |
C.a chapter of science fiction |
D.a column in the financial press |
Rooms for the night in private homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years,these bedbreakfast places have become popular in the United States.Many of these America"s bedandbreakfast inns are old historic buildings.Some bedbreakfast inns have only a few rooms;others are much larger.Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms;others do.
Staving at a bedandbreakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel.Usually the cost is much less.Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone"s home.The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit.Many vacationers say that they enjoy the chance to meet local families.
小题1:Americans like to take a holiday trip ________.
A.all the year round | B.for years |
C.every year | D.every other year |
A.Some Americans like to stay at bedandbreakfast homes instead of at hotels. |
B.The bedandbreakfast inns are private homes opened to vacationers. |
C.The bedandbreakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time. |
D.The bedandbreakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night. |
A.It is like visiting someone"s home. |
B.The money they spend there is much less. |
C.They can meet local families. |
D.All of the above. |
A.the travelers needn"t pay anything |
B.the travelers don"t have to pay for the telephone or television |
C.the travelers can meet and talk with the local people |
D.the owners will show the travelers around the area |
Look at the recordhigh price of oil. Even if the same amount of oil is being pumped out of the ground,since it is traded in dollars and the dollar has weakened,the price of oil has increased to make up for the lost value of the dollar,creating a sort of vicious cycle(恶性循环).
Oilproducing countries don"t want to keep all the dollars they are getting for their oil,since it"s declining in value,so they exchange their dollars for euros or other currencies. That pushes more dollars back out into currency markets,which in turn pushes down the dollar"s value.
One expert told ABC News that Russia used to have 90 percent of its financial reserves in dollars. It now has 45 percent in dollars,45 percent in euros and 10 percent in British pounds.
In the US itself,the news is mixed. It"s good,because it makes what we produce here cheaper to sell in foreign markets,and that in turn spurs(刺激) exports of our products around the world. That translates into more manufacturing and more jobs.
But a weak dollar is bad,because it leads to inflation (通货膨胀) in this country. Imports from foreign countries will become more expensive,and in particular,oil will be more expensive. That puts pressure on businesses to increase prices for anything that uses oil or products that come from overseas. One benefit for American shoppers is that China has largely pegged its currency to ours,so that keeps the price of Chinesemade goods low and therefore,keeps a check on inflation.
小题1:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.Why is the dollar losing value? |
B.What caused the weak dollar? |
C.What to do with the weak dollar? |
D.What effects will the weak dollar have? |
A.raising the price of oil |
B.raising their production of oil |
C.exchanging their dollars for other currencies |
D.decreasing their financial reserves in dollars |
A.the American economy is having a hard time |
B.Russia is making the situation worse on purpose |
C.American export businesses would like a stronger dollar |
D.Chinesemade goods remain as competitive as before in the USA |
小题1:The festival is a cheerful one,because________.
A.people specially make some lanterns |
B.all night long, people dance and sing |
C.people make much delicious food |
D.the dead are said to return to their homes and are welcomed by the living |
A.help the dead to find their way |
B.add the cheerful atmosphere |
C.welcome the dead to go home |
D.help the dead to find the food |
A.The lanterns are put away to be used next year. |
B.They are thrown away. |
C.They are placed into the water. |
D.They are hung outside all the way. |
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