Question

D

One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend. “One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states.” said Neville Alexander, Director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.

In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from immigration, many countries have introduced language laws in the laws in the last decade. In some, the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions was the 1994 “Toubon law” in France, but the idea has been copied in many countries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often dismissed as futile by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.

It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the “purity” of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world, but there has not been a barrier to acquiring prestige and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things. English has never had a state-controlled authority for the language, similar, for example, to the Academic Francaise in France.

The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon—especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields. Public communication, education and new modes of communication promoted by technology, may be key fields to defend.

1.Neville Alexander believes that         .

A．mother-tongue education is not practiced in all African countries

B．lack of mother-tongue education can lead to economic failure

C．globalization has led to the rise of multi-language trends

D．globalization has resulted in the economic failure of Africa

2.The underlined word “futile” (in paragraph 2) most probably means “        “.     

A．useless           B．practical          C．workable          D．unnecessary

3.Why do many English-speaking countries not support the language protection efforts described in the passage?

A．They think language protection laws are ineffective.

B．They want their language to spread to other countries.

C．They have a long history of taking words from other languages.

D．It reduces a language’s ability to acquire international importance.

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．English has taken over fields like public communication and education.

B．Europeans have long realized the need to protect their national languages.

C．Most language experts believe it is important to promote a national language.

D．Many aspects of national culture are threatened by the spread of English.

5.The main idea of the passage is       .  

A．Fighting against the rule of English

B．Globalization and multi-language trends

C．Protecting local languages and identities

D．To maintain the purity of language by law

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：现在世界全球化导致很多国家的独特的文化收到了冲击和影响，本文讲述地正是这方面的话题。很多国家都采取了很多的措施来保护本国的文化。

1.B 细节题。根据文章第一段“One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states.” said Neville Alexander,可知他认为母语教育方面的缺失会导致经济方面的失败。故B正确。

2.A 推理题。根据本句. Such efforts to govern language use are often dismissed as futile by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.可知很多语言专家都认为的努力是无用的，因为这样的控制是没有什么效果的。故A正确。

3.C 推理题。根据文章倒数第二段第二句Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language.可知英语中的外来词太多了，所以他们不支持这样的语言保护政策。故C正确。

4.D 推断题。根据文章第一段第一句One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend.可知很多国家都因为英语的广泛推广而导致本国的语言和文化受到了冲击和影响。故D正确。

5.C 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend.可知现在世界全球化导致很多国家的独特的文化收到了冲击和影响，本文讲述地正是这方面的话题。故C正确。

考点：考查社会现象类的阅读