Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going. When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers, small, tightly knit(联系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other. Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago, when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.
Soon afterwards, many of those people started settling down to become farmers, and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number. In recent centuries, trade, industrialization, the development of the nation-state and the spread of universal compulsory education, especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades, all have caused many languages to disappear, and dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.
At present, the world has about 6,800 languages. The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven. The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages. Often spoken by many people while hot, wet zones have lots, often spoken by small numbers. Europe has only around 200 Languages: the Americas about 1,000, Africa 2,400; and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3,200, of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800. The median number(中位数) of speakers is a mere 6.000, which means that half the worlds languages are spoken by fewer people than that.
Already well over 400 of the total of 6,800 languages are close to extinction(消亡), with only a few elderly speakers left. Pick, at random, Busuu in Cameroon (eight remaining speakers), Chiapaneco in Mexico(150). Lipan Apache in the United States(two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia (one, with a question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of survival.
1.What can we infer about languages in hunter-gatherer times?
A.They developed very fast. B.They were large in number.
C.They had similar patters. D.They were closely connected
2.Which of the following best explains "dominant" underlined in paragraph 2？
A.Complex. B.Advanced.
C.Powerful. D.Modern.
3.How many languages are spoken by less than 6, 000 people at present?
A.About 6,800 . B.About 3,400
C.About 2,400 D.About 1,200.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.New languages will be created.
B.Peoples lifestyles are reflected in languages.
C.Human development results in fewer languages.
D.Geography determines language evolution.
One very cold November morning William, who was a 20-year-old college student then, climbed on the edge of Waterloo Bridge in London. That morning, William escaped from a mental health hospital, where he'd been diagnosed(诊断) with schizo-affective disorder. He headed straight to the bridge, convinced that his disease was a life sentence.
Hundreds of people passed by without stopping. Only one man called David, then 25, calmly and quietly walked to William's side.
“You're alright, man? Why are you sitting on a bridge?”
At first William wanted David to leave him alone, but something in David's calm, down-to -earth manner struck a chord. William felt faith, like he could talk to him.
“It's cold here. Why not have some coffee in a warm cafe? Everything will be OK.” For the first time after the diagnosis William felt perhaps it really might. He climbed back.
The police, having received calls from passers-by, were waiting there. They quickly put him into a police car, in case he was to panic and jump. He lost sight of David, the person who'd brought him hope.
William ended up back in hospital. Eventually, he was well enough to return to university and finish his degree. Over the next six years, William often thought about the stranger who had talked him round. Eager to thank him in person, he posted a Facebook message nicknaming the good man Mike. His Find Mike post was shared millions of times around the world, as far as Canada.
William was very excited when David called him two weeks after his post. They had a reunion. ,finally having that coffee they had first planned all those years ago.
“Many people walked past, but because of David's kindness and sympathy, I've lived a good life. ” William said.
1.Why did William climb up the bridge?
A.He was badly treated in the hospital. B.His disease made him lose hope.
C.He wanted to draw people's attention. D.He studied poorly in the college.
2.What does the underlined phrase “struck a chord”in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Touched his heart. B.Drew his attention.
C.Aroused his interest. D.Made him happy.
3.Which of the following best describes David?
A.Diligent. B.Strong-willed.
C.Caring. D.Generous.
4.How did William find David?
A.By visiting homes door-to-door. B.By calling their friends.
C.By asking the police. D.By posting a message online.
Marie Curie is well-known all over the world. However, perhaps you have not heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams(1860- 1935)
Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community(社区)by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson(1907- 1964)
If it weren't for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world's lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O'Connor(1930- present)
When Sandra Day O'Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator(参议员)and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U. S. Supreme Court. O'Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913- 2005)
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil--rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” said Parks.
1.What is Jane Addams famous for in history?
A.Her social work. B.Her teaching skills.
C.Her efforts to win a prize. D.Her community background.
2.What is the reason for O'Connor's not being able to find a job in the law firm?
A.Her lack of proper training in law. B.Her little work experience in court.
C.The discrimination against women. D.The poor financial conditions.
3.What can we infer about the women mentioned in the text?
A.They are highly educated. B.They are truly creative.
C.They are pioneers. D.They are peace--lovers.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，给 校刊“英语园地”写一篇英文稿件，记录你在延期开学期间的学习和生活。 注意：词数不少于60。
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假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。你的英国朋友Jim 了解到中医在治 疗疾病方面起到积极作用，这引起了他的浓厚兴趣，想到中国来学中医。 他希望了解更多相关信息，并听听你的建议。请给他回邮件，内容包括：
1.你对中医的认识；
2.你的建议。
注意：1.词数不少于50；
2.开头已为你写好，不计入总词数。
提示词：中医 Traditional Chinse Medicine/TCM
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua
Knowledge Management
Thanks to advances in computers, modem means of communication and the Internet, information has become easier to obtain. It is now much more significant in our daily lives.
Organizations believe that having better information leads to better decision making. 1. Too much information makes it difficult to decide which pieces of information are useful in making the best decisions and which are not. Selecting and obtaining the right information and using it well can give an organisation a competitive advantage. This is how the field of “knowledge management” ,or KM, arose.
2. In fact, we need to distinguish between data, information and knowledge. Some concrete examples can help. Looking at the daily transactions of a shop, I may see that 12 units of product X have been sold this month—that is an interesting piece of data. 3. I can change this data into valuable information if I know that 20 units of product X were sold the previous month— this informs me that sales in that item have dropped. So data + context = information. Now, based on my years of experience working in the shop and my familiarity with my costumers, I can use my knowledge to decide whether I should order more of the same product or not.
4. The first is the activity of obtaining the best information. This often relies on technology, such as powerful computers, to filter or store information. 5. So, knowledge can flow easily through the organization. The other part is the more human side, which focuses on employees exploiting (利用)the information to create competitive advantage for the organization.
Companies that adopt KM strategies believe that they will achieve better results because they exploit the potential of both modem technological advances and good old-fashioned experience.
A.Therefore, KM can be divided into two parts.
B.It also relies on good networks of communication.
C.And it is being adopted by more and more businesses today.
D.In order to understand what KM is, it is necessary to define it.
E.But I cannot make a decision based on it because it lacks context.
F.My insight tells me that after a while my customers will go back to buying product X.
G.However, with greater access to information comes the problem of information overload.
