The world’s native languages are dying out at an unprecedented(空前的) rate, taking with them irreplaceable(不能替代的) knowledge about the natural world, according to a new study.
The study identified five global “hot spots” where languages are vanishing faster than anywhere else ---- eastern Siberia, northern Australia, central South America, the US state of Oklahoma and the US Pacific Northwest. “Languages are suffering a global extinction crisis that greatly goes beyond the pace of species extinction,” linguistics(语言学的) professor David Harrison noted, who said half of the world’s 7,000 languages were expected to disappear before the end of the century.
Native people had an intimate(详尽的) knowledge of their environment that was lost when their language disappeared, along with other certain things often unfamiliar to us, Harrison stressed. “Most of what we know about species and ecosystems is not written down anywhere, it’s only in people’s heads,” he said. “We are seeing in front of our eyes the loss of the human knowledge base.”
Harrison was one of a team of linguists who carried out the study. The researchers traveled to Australia this year to study native languages, some of the most endangered. According to Harrison, in Australia, they were heartened to see a woman in her 80s who was one of the only three remaining speakers of the Yawuru language passing on her knowledge to schoolchildren. He said such inter-generational exchanges were the only way native languages could survive. “The children had elected to take this course, no one forced them,” he said. “When we asked them why they were learning it, they said,‘This is a dying language, we need to learn it’.” Also, while there they found a man with knowledge of the Amurdag language, which had previously been thought extinct.
The researchers said all five of the hot spots identified were areas that had been successfully colonized and where a dominant language such as Spanish or English was threatening native tongues.
1.What does this text mainly talk about?
A. A study on native languages endangered.
B. The knowledge of native languages.
C. People’s efforts in saving native languages.
D. Harrison and his study on languages.
2.The underlined word“vanishing”in the second paragraph can be best replaced by________.
A. developing B. changing C. increasing D. Disappearing
3.According to Harrison, language extinction________.
A. causes the researchers lots of worries
B. speeds up the pace of species extinction
C. threatens the existing of Spanish and English
D. brings about a loss of knowledge about the environment
4.Which of the following can be described as good news?
A. Native languages became less endangered in Australia.
B. A man was found with knowledge of the Amurdag language.
C. Researchers were well received by native people in Australia.
D. Many schoolchildren showed interest in the Yawuru language.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
The world’s native languages are dying out at an unprecedented(空前的) rate, taking with them irreplaceable(不能替代的) knowledge about the natural world, according to a new study.
The study identified five global “hot spots” where languages are vanishing faster than anywhere else ---- eastern Siberia, northern Australia, central South America, the US state of Oklahoma and the US Pacific Northwest. “Languages are suffering a global extinction crisis that greatly goes beyond the pace of species extinction,” linguistics(语言学的) professor David Harrison noted, who said half of the world’s 7,000 languages were expected to disappear before the end of the century.
Native people had an intimate(详尽的) knowledge of their environment that was lost when their language disappeared, along with other certain things often unfamiliar to us, Harrison stressed. “Most of what we know about species and ecosystems is not written down anywhere, it’s only in people’s heads,” he said. “We are seeing in front of our eyes the loss of the human knowledge base.”
Harrison was one of a team of linguists who carried out the study. The researchers traveled to Australia this year to study native languages, some of the most endangered. According to Harrison, in Australia, they were heartened to see a woman in her 80s who was one of the only three remaining speakers of the Yawuru language passing on her knowledge to schoolchildren. He said such inter-generational exchanges were the only way native languages could survive. “The children had elected to take this course, no one forced them,” he said. “When we asked them why they were learning it, they said,‘This is a dying language, we need to learn it’.” Also, while there they found a man with knowledge of the Amurdag language, which had previously been thought extinct.
The researchers said all five of the hot spots identified were areas that had been successfully colonized and where a dominant language such as Spanish or English was threatening native tongues.
1.What does this text mainly talk about?
A. A study on native languages endangered.
B. The knowledge of native languages.
C. People’s efforts in saving native languages.
D. Harrison and his study on languages.
2.The underlined word“vanishing”in the second paragraph can be best replaced by________.
A. developing B. changing C. increasing D. Disappearing
3.According to Harrison, language extinction________.
A. causes the researchers lots of worries
B. speeds up the pace of species extinction
C. threatens the existing of Spanish and English
D. brings about a loss of knowledge about the environment
4.Which of the following can be described as good news?
A. Native languages became less endangered in Australia.
B. A man was found with knowledge of the Amurdag language.
C. Researchers were well received by native people in Australia.
D. Many schoolchildren showed interest in the Yawuru language.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
How Do Languages Die?
How many languages do you think there are in the entire world? Altogether, people around the world speak about 6,000 languages. Does that surprise you? 1. Today, about half the world’s spoken languages are endangered. Experts say that another language becomes extinct (灭绝) every two weeks.
How do languages die? They die when people stop using them. But most people don’t just stop speaking their native language. It’s more complex than that. More often, they’re either pressured or forced to do so.2.They’re often pressured to speak the area’s main language instead of their own. This leads many immigrants to stop using their native language. They might not even teach it to their children.
Slowly, the native language dies out.
Sometimes, languages shift or develop instead of becoming extinct. Have you ever heard that Latin is a dead language? In a way, it is. No one today speaks Latin as their native language.3. People still use Latin in many ways. Scientists use it to name plants and animals.
4. That means the death of a language hurts people’s ability to take part in cultural traditions. They might lose access to stories and knowledge that were passed down for many years. This is one reason why many people today are working to save dying languages.
How can languages be saved? Some young people learn the language of their ancestors as adults.
Linguists travel the world to record the last native speakers of dying languages5.They do so in hopes that future generations will bring the languages back to life. Many educational programs today also work to help preserve native languages and cultures.
A.There used to be many more!
B.You may have used it in school.
C.Language is extremely closely tied to culture.
D.But that doesn’t mean it disappeared completely.
E.One example is when people move to a different country.
F.Some native speakers write dictionaries in their language.
G.There are plenty of things to do to help protect languages.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the world today, local conflicts and terrorist attacks are constantly .
A. dying out B. bursting out
C. running out D. giving out
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
.
Many wild animals in the world _____ , so we must take measures to protect them.
A.are dying out | B.have died out | C.died out | D.die out |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
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 birds or animals. 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(痕迹). Only a very few—Basque, Greek and Latin among them—have lasted more than 2000 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, 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 who we are, about where we live 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.What do the figures mentioned in the first paragraph suggest?
A. Most languages have died out completely.
B. Languages are in great danger of extinction.
C. Languages are disappearing slower than before.
D. Animals are disappearing faster than languages.
2.What can best replace the underlined word “devastate” ?
A. raise
B. control
C. improve
D. destroy
3.What if a language is lost according to the passage?
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. Ani Rauhihi cares less about languages dying out.
D. Fewer people will remember their own languages.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Does it matter if a language dies out? The traditional answer is yes, because every language is a repository (智囊) of ideas and culture and represents a unique way of looking at the world. The planet only has about 7,000 languages; the extinction of even one decreases the sum total of human knowledge.
But in some cases, extinction can be seen in a more positive light. Take Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language(ABSL)for example, restricted to about 1,000 users in a small Israeli village with a high level of born deafness, the language seems to be bound to die by the spread of Israeli sign language.
The natural reaction to the loss of ABSL is regret. It is a fascinating language that has kept linguists busy since it came to their attention around 15 years ago. But for the deaf villagers, Israeli sign language is an upgrade: it allows them to speak to tens of thousands of people rather than a few hundred, and enables them to work and marry outside the village. It is hard to see that as anything other than progress. Similarly, other endangered languages die out because people abandon them in favor of ones that serve their needs better.
Technology also softens the blow, as endangered languages can now be captured in detail — which also means they could eventually be brought back from the dead, much as the Hebrew language was in the 19th century. It is now the first language of 9 million people.
Linguists naturally condemn the loss of language much as conservationists (环保主义者) once mourned the loss of every single species. But they are moving towards acceptance that not all species can be saved, that invasive species are not always bad and that human-engineered ecosystems are not necessarily inferior to natural ones. Perhaps our attitudes to language extinction are due for a similar change.
1.What can we infer about ABSL?
A.Another language replaced it. B.It is an endangered language.
C.Deaf villagers prefer to use it. D.It has been studied for over 15 years.
2.What does the underlined word “upgrade” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Recovery. B.Opportunity.
C.Improvement. D.Update.
3.How does technology affect languages?
A.Technology can remove people’s regret.
B.Languages may be rescued from the extinction.
C.Technology increases the number of endangered languages.
D.Endangered languages might be abandoned because of technology.
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.More and more languages are dying out.
B.Technology creates some new languages.
C.People feel ashamed of language extinction.
D.Language extinction is not necessarily a bad thing.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Whether you're learning English as a second language or are a native speaker who's never had the habit of writing, improving your English composition skills is very important. Knowing your shortcomings and practicing will allow you to write essay that is at first simply grammatically correct, and eventually sparkling with style.1.
2.Look up the definitions of words with which you are unfamiliar. The more words you can use successfully, the more often you'll be able to find the right one for the task at hand -- and the less likely your writing will be simplistic and repetitive.
Ask a friend with good English skills to criticize and correct your writing.3.Rewrite your paper or letter after listening to her advice, making the necessary changes.
Use your word processing software spelling and grammar-check tools to fix simple errors. Whenever you misspell a word, replace it with the correct suggestion and then look at it carefully, noting the differences from how you thought it was spelled.4.Use them.
Think in English while writing if you're a native speaker of a different language. Having to translate in your head slows you down, and can easily lead to errors. Study English grammar if you are having difficulties. Look up the rules whenever you're having difficulties or read a grammar book all the way through. It may be boring, but it's extremely helpful.
Practice writing!5.Every skill requires regular repetition to achieve mastery, whether playing a musical instrument, flying a jet or writing good English prose.
A.The more you write, the better writer you'll become.
B.Broaden your vocabulary by reading as much as possible.
C.Most modern Web browsers also include spell-checking tools.
D.Knowing what you're doing wrong is necessary before you can improve.
E.The more aware you are of your writing, the better your handwriting will be.
F.To achieve this you'll need to read more, ask friends for help, and continually write.
G.Put the symbols on flashcards and memorize them, then write them again and again.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
Interestingly in some parts of the world, women are expected to earn money _____ men work at home and raise their children.
A. but B. though C. because D. while
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
We should pay much attention to the plants which are .
A.dying away | B.dying out | C.dying down | D.dying off |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Red pandas are native to the high forests of Asia. They are only a little bigger than a house cat and considered to be endangered. Scientists reported last month that not all red pandas belong to the same species. There are two different species of this animal,not just one,a study found. The scientists reported finding major differences in three genetic markers between Chinese red pandas and Himalayan red pandas. Scientists identified the markers after studying DNA from 65 of the creatures. DNA carries genetic information for the development,growth and reproduction of living things. Documenting the existence of two separate species could help guide efforts for protecting red pandas,scientists added.
Chinese red pandas live in northern Myanmar,as well as southeastern Tibet,Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China. Himalayan red pandas are native to Nepal,India,Bhutan and southern Tibet in China,the researchers said.
Conservation biologists Yibo Hu and Fuwen Wei 1ed the study. “To conserve the genetic uniqueness of the two species,we should avoid their interbreeding(杂交繁殖)in captivity,”Hu said. “Interbreeding between species may harm the genetic adaptations already established for their local habitat environment. ”
Scientists had earlier suggested there were two species of red panda. But the new study was the first to provide the genetic information necessary to permit such a judgment. International experts estimate a total population of around 10,000 red pandas in the wild. The two species differ in coloration and skull shape. The Himalayan red panda is the rarer of the two.
Major dangers to red pandas include deforestation and habitat loss. While they have similar names,red pandas and giant pandas are not closely related. Giant pandas are one of the world’s eight bear species. Red pandas are sometimes called living fossils because they have no close living relatives. They are the only remaining member of their mammalian family.
1.What is the purpose of recording the existence of the two different species of red panda?
A.To direct efforts for the protection of them.
B.To better distinguish red pandas and giant pandas.
C.To inform people there exist two species of red panda.
D.To confirm there are major differences between them.
2.In which place can we spot Himalayan red pandas?
A.Southeastern Tibet. B.Yunnan Province.
C.Southern Tibet. D.Northern Myanmar.
3.What can we know about the two species of red panda?
A.They belong to the same animal family as giant pandas.
B.Their existence has been known already.
C.They differ mainly in size and shape of skull.
D.To protect them,we should interbreed them.
4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?
A.Lifestyle. B.Culture.
C.Entertainment. D.Science.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析