Question

    Living on mountainous La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off West Africa, Juan Cabello takes pride in not using a mobile phone or the Internet to communicate. Like his father and grandfather, he uses Silbo Gomero, a language that is whistled (吹口哨), not spoken, and that can be heard more than two miles away.

“I use it for everything: to talk to my wife, to tell my kids something, to find a friend if we get lost in a crowd,” Cabello says. “I also make a living from Silbo, performing daily exhibitions at a restaurant.”

People throughout La Gomera are known to have used Silbo in the past as a way of communicating over long distances. A strong whistle saved farmers from walking over the hills to give messages or news to neighbors. Then came the phone. Nowadays, it’s hard to know how many people still use Silbo. In 1999, it was introduced as a compulsory subject (必修学科) in La Gomera’s primary schools, in an effort to prevent the language from going silent. Now 3,000 students are studying it, but only a few people are believed to be able to communicate fully in the whistling language.

“Silbo is said to be the most important cultural heritage (遗产) we have,” said Moises Plasencia, the director of the Canary Islands’ government’s historical heritage department.

In fact, little is known about Silbo’s origins. Silbo-like whistling has been found in parts of Greece, Turkey, China and Mexico, but none is as developed as Silbo Gomero. One study is looking for signs of Silbo in Venezuela, Cuba and Texas, all places to which Gomerans have gone in the past during hard economic times.

“Silbo has many historical and linguistic (语言学上的) values,” Plasencia said. And, as Cabello explains, “It’s good for just about anything except for romance: everyone on the island would hear what you’re saying!”

1.Juan Cabello uses Silbo Gomero _____.

A.in his daily life. B.to learn computers.

C.just to make a living. D.only when eating at restaurants.

2.What can we learn about Silbo Gomero?

A.It first started in Greece. B.It is in danger of dying out.

C.It is helpful in keeping secrets. D.It is the oldest way of communicating.

3.Plasencia thinks it’s very important to _____.

A.know the origins of Silbo Gomero. B.find the values of Silbo Gomero.

C.have more cultural heritages. D.protect Silbo Gomero.

4.What is mainly described in the text?

A.A school’s subject. B.A famous performer.

C.An unusual language. D.A mountainous island.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇新闻报道。短文报道了Silbo Gomero---一种口哨语。

1.推理判断题。由第二段“I use it for everything: to talk to my wife, to tell my kids something, to find a friend if we get lost in a crowd,”可知，我用它做任何事情: 和我的妻子说话，告诉我的孩子们一些事情，在人群中，找一个朋友。所以Juan Cabello在日常生活中使用Silbo Gomero。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。由第三段“Now 3,000 students are studying it, but only a few people are believed to be able to communicate fully in the whistling language.”可知，现在有3000名学生在学习这种语言，但据认为只有少数人能够完全用这种吹口哨的语言交流。所以判断出，Silbo Gomero有灭绝的危险。故选B项。

3.推理判断题。由倒数第三段“Silbo is said to be the most important cultural heritage (遗产) we have,” said Moises Plasencia, the director of the Canary Islands’ government’s historical heritage department. ”可知，加那利群岛政府历史遗产部门负责人莫伊斯·普拉森西亚说：“锡尔博据说是我们拥有的最重要的文化遗产。所以通过伊斯·普拉森西亚的话以及他的身份可以判断出，伊斯·普拉森西亚认为保护Silbo Gomero是非常重要的。故选D项。

4.主旨大意题。由第一段“Like his father and grandfather, he uses Silbo Gomero, a language that is whistled (吹口哨), not spoken, and that can be heard more than two miles away.”可知，像他的父亲和祖父一样，他使用的是Silbo Gomero，一种口哨语，而不是口头语，而且在两英里以外都能听到。以及其他段落都在围绕着Silbo Gomero而展开。所以 短文主要描述了一种不寻常的语言。故选C项。