Question

    Ma uka, ma uka ka ua,

Ma kai, ma kai ka ua

So sing the children at Hawaiis Punana Leo Hilo kindergarten on the Big Island of Hawaii. The chant is much like any other “Rain, rain, go away” nursery rhyme, but it has an unusual power: it is one of the tools that has brought about the revival(复兴)of a near-dead language.

The decline of Hawaiian was not, as is the case with most disappearing languages, a natural death caused by migration and mass media. In 1896, after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy (君主政体) by American business interests, schools were banned from using the language, and children were beaten for speaking it. By the late 20th century, aside from a couple of hundred people on one tiny island, English had replaced Hawaiian and only the old spoke the language to each other.

Larry Kimura, a professor there, and his students wanted to bring it back to life. In 1985, when educating children in Hawaiian was still banned, Kauanoe Kamana and her husband Pila Wilson, both students of Kimura's created the first Punana Leo (which means language nest) at Hilo. They gathered together a small group of children and elderly native speakers. The movement grew: there are now 12 kindergartens and 23 schools. The number of children being educated in Hawaiian has risen from 1,877 in 2008 to 3,028 in 2018. Along with Japanese, Hawaiian is the non-English language most commonly spoken among children.

The success has been hard-won. Campaigners had to get the law changed. “People in the community, even in our families, were saying: ‘You'll ruin your children's future. They won't be able to go to college.’ ” Such fears turned out to be unfounded. All the pupils at Nawahi, the main Hawaiian-medium school, complete high school, compared with the state average of 83%; 87% go to college, compared with a state average of 55%.

But academic outcomes are not the primary focus, says Mr. Wilson. “We value our connection with our ancestors more than we value being millionaires,” he says. Mr. Kimura explains that the schools have allowed Hawaiians to pass on their culture.

1.What made the Hawaiian language nearly die out?

A.Migration. B.The ban on it.

C.Mass media. D.Population decline.

2.What effort was made to bring the Hawaiian language back to life?

A.Going on a strike. B.Supporting the law.

C.Setting up a community college. D.Educating more local children in it.

3.What is the main value of the Hawaiian language according to Mr. Wilson?

A.Making a fortune by learning it. B.Focusing on academic outcomes.

C.Passing on the Hawaiian culture. D.Reducing the influence of English.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A.The value of Hawaiian. B.The revival of Hawaiian.

C.The popularity of Hawaiian. D.The near-death of Hawaiian.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.B

【解析】

本文是说明文。文章讲述了夏威夷语的传奇复兴。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段In 1896, after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by American business interests, schools were banned from using the language, and children were beaten for speaking it.得知，1896年，美国商团推翻了夏威夷的君主制，并且禁止夏威夷的学校使用夏威夷语教学，孩子们会因为说夏威夷语而遭到殴打。由于夏威夷语言被禁止，所以这种语言接近消亡。故选B。

2.

推理判断题。根据第三段Larry Kimura, a professor there, and his students wanted to bring it back to life. In 1985, when educating children in Hawaiian was still banned, Kauanoe Kamana and her husband Pila Wilson, both students of Kimura's created the first Punana Leo (which means language nest) at Hilo. They gathered together a small group of children and elderly native speakers. The movement grew: there are now 12 kindergartens and 23 schools. The number of children being educated in Hawaiian has risen from 1,877 in 2008 to 3,028 in 2018.得知，该大学的教授拉里·木村并不满足于仅仅把夏威夷语作为一门在大学里教授的课程：他和他的学生们想把夏威夷语带回到生活中。可以判断出通过教育当地的孩子学夏威夷语来帮助这种语言重生。故选D。

3.

细节理解题。根据最后一段But academic outcomes are not the primary focus, says Mr. Wilson. “We value our connection with our ancestors more than we value being millionaires,” he says. Mr. Kimura explains that the schools have allowed Hawaiians to pass on their culture.得知，Mr. Wilson说我们珍惜与祖先的联系，这些学校允许夏威夷人传承他们的文化。所以在威尔逊先生看来，夏威夷语的主要价值是传承夏威夷文化。故选C。

4.

主旨大意题。根据首段The chant is much like any other “Rain, rain, go away” nursery rhyme, but it has an unusual power: it is one of the tools that has brought about the revival of a near-dead language.这是一首类似于“雨啊，雨啊，快走开”这样的儿歌，但这首儿歌的不寻常之处在于：它承载着一种近乎消亡的语言的复兴。首段点明主题。因此标题是“夏威夷语言的复兴”，故选B。