Question

    There are around 6,000 living languages in the world- and at least half of these are in danger. In every part of the world, languages are disappearing. In fact, one scientist has said that languages are in more danger of extinction than binds or mammals. Professor Steve Sutherland of the University of East Anglia says that in the past 500 years 4.5 percent of languages have died out- compared with 1.3 percent of birds, and 1.9% percent of mammals

Languages come and go, and thousands have done exactly that without leaving any trace. Only a very few- Basque, Greek and Latin among them- have lasted more than 2,000 years. But it seems that the pace of their disappearance is becoming quicker

The Ethnologue, a database of all the languages spoken in the world, states that 417 languages are spoken by so few people that they are in the final stages of becoming extinct. If very few people speak a language, it will probably die out.

Languages may be lost through migration (迁移), as people move from small towns to city centers, or when environments are destroyed by the search for oil or wood. Natural disasters can also devastate populations, and along with them, their language. Governments also play a role in the extinction of languages. The need to establish “official languages”, for a country to educate its children and carry out its business, had a disastrous effect on many small languages.

What is lost if a language is lost? Some people argue that languages die as the human race develops. Obviously there could be great benefits if everyone in the world spoke the same language- some industries already reflect this, with English essential for pilots and air traffic controllers. But there are more important things than convenience.As languages are lost, whole ways of life and knowledge may be lost along with them.

To put it simply, language expresses something about identity, about our place in the world. Ani Rauhihi, a Maori teacher in New Zealand's North Island, sums it up: “If you grow up speaking our language, you won 't know who you are.”

1.The figures mentioned in the first paragraph suggest that__________.

A.most languages have died out completely

B.languages are in great danger of extinction

C.animals are disappearing faster than languages

D.languages are disappearing slower than before

2.The underlined word "devastate"can best be replaced by“__________”

A.increase B.control

C.destroy D.improve

3.If a language is lost, __________

A.there will be great trouble

B.there is no need to worry about it

C.its culture and knowledge will also be lost

D.people will be able to communicate with others conveniently

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.Languages reflect our identity.

B.People will speak the same language one day

C.Fewer people will remember their own languages.

D.Ani Rauhihi cares less about languages dying out

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.C

4.A

【解析】

本文是说明文。文章主要介绍了语言不断消失的现象以及导致语言消失的原因。

1.推理判断题。由第一段Professor Steve Sutherland of the University of East Anglia says that in the past 500 years 4.5 percent of languages have died out- compared with 1.3 percent of birds, and 1.9% percent of mammals.可知，东安格利亚大学的史蒂夫·萨瑟兰教授说，在过去500年中，有4.5%的语言已经灭绝，而鸟类和哺乳动物的这一比例分别为1.3%和1.9%。所以通过数字的对比可以判断出第一段列的数字就是为了说明科学家Steve Sutherland的观 点：languages are in more danger of extinction than birds or mammals ,“语言比鸟类和哺乳动物更有灭绝的危险”，也就是语言正处于灭绝的危险之中。故选B。

2.词义猜测题。由第四段中的Languages may be lost through migration (迁移), as people move from small towns to city centers, or when environments are destroyed by the search for oil or wood.可知，当人们从小城镇迁移到城市中心，或者当环境因寻找石油或木材而被破坏时，语言可能会在迁移过程中消失。紧接着说自然灾害也会毁灭人口，以及他们的语言，所以通过上下文语境可以判断出 ，devastate意为“毁灭”。故选C。

3.细节理解题。由倒数第二段中的 As languages are lost, whole ways of life and knowledge may be lost along with them可知，随着语言的消失，与之相应的生活方式和知识也会消失。所以如果一种语言消失了，它的文化和知识也将消失。故选C。

4.推理判断题。由最后一段中的To put it simply, language expresses something about identity, about our place in the world.可知，简单地说，语言表达了身份，表达了我们在世界上的位置。由此判断出语言反映了我们的身份。故选A。