Does it matter if a language dies out? The tr...

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

Does it matter much _____ the sales manager won’t attend the meeting tomorrow?

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

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

–Does it matter if I give it up this time?

-- It ____if you do. You won’t have ______chance.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It doesn’t matter if they want to come to your party, ______?

A. doesn’t it          B. does it             C. don’t they           D. do they

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

Belgium is divided into three communities. Each one has its own language and traditions. But the people of Belgium are untied in their love for Belgian potato fries. The fries are prepared and sold the same way in all area of the country.

The Reuters news service reports that potatoes reached Belgium in the 16th century. But it was not until the 19th century that restaurants and others began selling fried potatoes throughout the country as a separate meal.

Recently, a Belgian group launched a campaign aimed at getting the United Nations (UN) to recognize the popular treat. The group wants the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to place the food on its cultural heritage (遗产) list.

The UNESCO list recognizes more than 300 objects, beliefs and practices. They include Turkish coffee and the traditional Chinese theater known as Peking opera. The list also includes a dance, the Argentinian tango, and the singing of the Aka pygmies of the Central African Republic. UNESCO says the list is “made up of intangible heritage elements (非物质文化遗产元素) that help show the diversity of heritage and raise awareness about its importance”.

Belgian potato fries are traditionally sold in a paper wrapper，or cone, in a “fritkot” There are about 5,000 frikots in Belgium. That means they are 10 times more common as a percentage of the population as McDonald’s restaurants in the Untied States. The national organization of fritkot owners says the small, often unfurnished buildings are much like Belgium itself. It says these buildings combine the country’s acceptance of disorder with a dislike of structures that all look the same. The group says 95 percent of Belgians visit a fried potato hut at least once a year.

1.Belgian potato fries 　　　　 .

A. were recognized by the UNESCO

B. are well received in Belgium

C. are sold in all food stores

D. didn’t become a separate meal until the 16th century

2.What’s the aim of the Belgian group?

A. To place Belgian potato fries on the cultural heritage list.

B. To prevent other countries producing Belgian potato fries.

C. To show the diversity of Belgian foods.

D. To prove the popularity of Belgian foods.

3.Which of the following is NOT listed in the UNESCO list?

A. Peking opera

B. The Argentinian tango

C. Turkish coffee

D. American restaurants.

4.What does the underlined word “fritkot” in the last paragraph probably refer to?

A. A simple house which is used to live in.

B. A kind of small, unfurnished building.

C. A place where machines are used to make goods.

D. A piece of paper, plastic, or thin metal that covers something.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The seriously ill man thinks it doesn’t matter　　he will die, but what matters much is how he lives.

A. how                B. that                C. why                D. what

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

It doesn’t matter if they want to come to your party, ______?

A. doesn’t　　　 B. does it

C. don’t they　 D. do they

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world. It is the same with music, whether you listen to it on the radio on your drive to work or sit before an orchestra. Both language and music play a huge role in our culture. 1.

Both language and music have a writing system. In English we record language using the alphabet, which is a collection of letters. In the same way, we use notes to keep a record of music. Just as you are reading this collection of letters on the screen and find meaning in it, musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music which we can hear.2. By writing pieces of text or music, we are able to share experiences through time. I can read the ideas or hear the composition of someone who lived hundreds of year ago, which is really quite exciting.

3. You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language they use. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.4. Even if you don’t like Britpop melodies, you may love the energy of Latin American salsa music.

Both share emotion. How do you know that I am angry? Of course you may be able to see it in my face, but you will know for sure through my words.5. Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling, and allows us to share in that emotion. When you feel happy, you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness. In contrast, you have probably also listened to sad music when you were feeling down. I think we have all used music to express or process our emotions, often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics.

A. Both vary with culture.

B. Here are some of their similarities.

C. They have some distinguishing characteristics.

D. So just as you read English, you can read music.

E. Similarly, music can sound angry, sad or happy.

F. This also means that there is something for everyone!

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

The rare animals would die _______ if men were allowed to shoot as many as they wished.

A. out　　 　 B. up　　 C. down　　 D. away

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析