The death of languages is not a new phenomenon. Languages usually have a relatively short life span as well as a very high death rate. Only a few, including Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, Latin, have lasted more than 2,000 years.

What is new, however, is the speed at which they are dying out. Europe’s colonial conquests caused a sharp decline in linguistic diversity, eliminating at least 15 percent of all languages spoken at the time. Over the last 300 years, Europe has lost a dozen, and Australia has only 20 left of the 250 spoken at the end of the 18th century.

The rise of nation-states has also been decisive in selecting and consolidating national languages and sidelining others. By making great efforts to establish an official language in education, the media and the civil service, national governments have deliberately tried to eliminate minority languages.

This process of linguistic standardization has been boosted by industrialization and scientific progress, which have imposed new methods of communication that are swift, straightforward and practical. Language diversity came to be seen as an obstacle to trade and the spread of knowledge. Monolingualism became an ideal.

More recently, the internationalization of financial markets, the spread of information by electronic media and other aspects of globalization have intensified the threat to “small” languages. A language not on the Internet is a language that “no longer exists” in the modern world. It is out of the game.

The serious effects of the death of languages are evident. First of all, it is possible that if we all ended up speaking the same language, our brains would lose some of their natural capacity for linguistic inventiveness. We would never be able to figure out the origins of human language or resolve the mystery of “the first language”. As each language dies, a chapter of human history closes.

Multilingualism is the most accurate reflection of multiculturalism. The destruction of the first will inevitably lead to the loss of the second. Imposing a language without any links to a people’s culture and way of life stifles the expression of their collective genius. A language is not only used for the main instrument of human communication. It also expresses the world vision of those who speak it, their ways of using knowledge. To safeguard languages is an urgent matter.

1.Which of the following does not contribute to the death of languages?

A. Colonial conquests of Europe

B. The boom of human population

C. Advances in science and industrialization

D. The rise of nation-states

2.The underlined word “ stifles” in the last paragraph probably means “_____”.

A. boosts B. fuels C. imposes D. kills

3.The serious effects of the death of languages include all except that_______.

A. People would fail to understand how languages originated

B. Language diversity would become an obstacle to globalization

C. Monolingualism would lead to the loss of multiculturalism

D. Human brains would become less creative linguistically

4.What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To explain the reasons why languages are dying out.

B. To warn people of the negative aspects of globalization.

C. To call people’s attention to the urgency of language preservation.

D. To argue how important it is for people to speak more languages.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：遼寧省葫蘆島市2016-2017學(xué)年高二下學(xué)期期中考試英語試卷 題型：完形填空

My son Joe was born with clubfeet(畸形足). The doctors told us that with treatment he would be able to walk normally ______ would never run very well. The first three years of his life were spent in ______. By the time he was eight, you ______ he had a problem when you saw him walk.

The children in our neighborhood ran around as most children do during play, and Joey would ______ and play, too. We ______ told him that he probably wouldn’t be able to ______ as well as the other children. So he didn’t know.

In seventh grade he decided to go out for the cross country ______. Every day he trained with the team. He worked harder and ran more than any of the others. Perhaps he ______that the abilities that seemed to come ______ to so many others did not come naturally to him. Although the ______ team runs, only the top seven runners have the potential to ______ points for the school. We didn’t tell him he probably would never ______ the team, so he didn’t know.

He ______ to run four to five miles a day, even the day he had a 103 fever. I was ______, so I went to look for him after school. I found him running all alone. I asked him how he felt, “______,” he said．He had two more miles to go. The sweat ______ his face and his eyes were glassy from his fever. Yet he ______ straight ahead and kept running. We never told him he couldn’t run four miles with a 103 degree fever. So he didn’t know.

Two weeks later, the name of the team runners were ______. Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. He was only in seventh while the other six team members were all ______.

We never told him he shouldn’t ______ to make the team. We never told him he couldn’t do it, so he didn’t know. He just did it.

1.A. However B. Or C. But D. though

2.A. attention B. development C. circulation D. treatment

3.A. wouldn’t know B. didn’t imagine C. shouldn’t find D. couldn’t identify

4.A. keep just out B. jump right in C. stand only behind D. sit still away

5.A. never B. generally C. often D. sincerely

6.A. live B. Jump C. Run D. hope

7.A. competition B. class C. game D. team

8.A. meant B. sensed C. showed D. noticed

9.A. eventually B. suddenly C. safely D. naturally

10.A. entire B. same C. other D. all

11.A. score B. collect C. pay D. catch

12.A. join B. enter C. make D. keep

13.A. liked B. continued C. hoped D. aimed

14.A. moved B. excited C. encouraged D. worried

15.A. Never mind B. Okay C. Don’t worry D. Sorry

16.A. ran down B. came from C. dropped off D. came down

17.A. stood B. looked C. faced D. glanced

18.A. made B. called C. designed D. checked

19.A. sixth-graders B. seventh-graders C. eighth-graders D. fifth-graders

20.A. expect B. fight C. avoid D. refuse

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2017屆河北省高三下學(xué)期第四周周測(cè)英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Have your parents ever inspected your room to see if you cleaned it properly? Imagine having your entire houses, garage, and yard inspected at any time — with no warning. Inspections were a regular part of lighthouse (燈塔) living, and a keeper's reputation depended on results. A few times each year, an inspector arrived to look over the entire light station. The inspections were supposed to be a surprise, but keeper sometimes had advance notice.

Once lighthouses had telephones, keepers would call each other to warn that the inspector was approaching. After boats began flying special flags noting the inspector aboard, the keeper's family made it a game to see who could notice the boat first. As soon as someone spotted the boat, everyone would do last-minute tidying and change into fancy clothes. The keeper then scurried to put on his dress uniform and cap. Children of keepers remember inspectors wearing white gloves to run their fingers over door frames and windowsills looking for dust.

Despite the serious nature of inspections, they resulted in some funny moments. Betty Byrnes remembered when her mother did not have time to wash all the dishes before an inspection. At the time, people did not have dishwashers in their homes. In an effort to clean up quickly, Mrs. Byrnes tossed all the dishes into a big bread pan, covered them with a cloth and stuck them in the oven. If the inspector opened the oven door, it would look like bread was baking. He never did.

One day, Glenn Furst's mother put oil on the kitchen floor just before the inspector entered their house. Like floor wax, the oil made the floors shiny and helped protect the wood. This time, though, she used a little too much oil. When the inspector extended his hand to greet Glenn's mother, he slipped on the freshly oiled surface. "He came across that floor waving his arms like a young bird attempting its first flight," Glenn late wrote. After he steadied himself, he shook Glenn's mother's hand, and the inspection continued as though nothing had happened.

1.What does Paragraph I tell us about the inspection at the light station?

A. It was carried out once a year.

B. It was often announced in advance.

C. It was important for the keeper's fame.

D. It was focused on the garage and yard.

2.The family began making preparations immediately after ________.

A. one of the members saw the boat

B. a warning call reached the lighthouse

C. the keeper put on the dress uniform and cap

D. the inspector flew special flags in the distance

3.Mrs. Byrnes put the dishes in the oven because this would ________.

A. result in some fun

B. speed up washing them

C. make her home look tidy

D. be a demand from the inspector

4.The inspector waved his arms ________.

A. to try his best to keep steady

B. to show his satisfaction with the floor

C. to extend a warm greeting to Glenn's mother

D. to express his intention to continue the inspection

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：山東省濟(jì)寧市2017屆高三第二次模擬考試英語試卷 題型：完形填空

I’ve started driving again, just small journeys until I gain my confidence. Tonight I drove along a road ______about 12 years ago. As I drove along it I_______Kelly.

Kelly was a ______when this road was constructed. Her mother _______when Kelly was very young. She and her brother were _______by her father and she herself admitted that she was a(an)______child, climbing out windows, staying out drinking etc. The year after I taught her, a ______thing happened. Kelly’s dad was about to turn onto the new road ______he met with a fatal(致命的)accident.

At that stage I didn’t teach Kelly but had______taught on her learning programme. I wrote to tell her that I would help her with one of the six_______she still had to complete on her second and final year of her programme.

I brought Kelly to my home where I _____and supported her through the whole unit. I got her to complete all the assignments at my home so that she would stay_______. Kelly got a better performance in the unit I taught her, and this helped raise her overall______. My support also helped her focus on her studies at such a ______time in her life. Kelly’s lecturer was so______ with her assignments that she got Kelly to______the higher level parts of the assignments to the rest of the class! This was so good for her self-esteem(自尊心). Kelly _____her course. I was so glad she didn’t ______.

A few yeas ago I met Kelly in the town centre. She was ______a pram(嬰兒車), her newly born son sleeping contentedly. I was glad to see life had brought a new family member into Kelly’s life for her to love. It’s the______ she deserved.

1.A. created B. ruined C. flooded D. blocked

2.A. met B. hit C. remembered D. recognized

3.A. worker B. student C. teacher D. volunteer

4.A. passed away B. backed up C. helped out D. took over

5.A. forgiven B. affected C. rescued D. raised

6.A. active B. wild C. optimistic D. curious

7.A. strange B. mysterious C. terrible D. delightful

8.A. when B. because C. once D. though

9.A. seldom B. later C. eventually D. previously

10.A. books B. units C. courses D. subjects

11.A. admired B. knew C. tutored D. hired

12.A. interested B. focused C. awake D. happy

13.A. grades B. looks C. health D. weight

14.A. good B. happy C. sad D. pleasant

15.A. impressed B. puzzled C. disappointed D. embarrassed

16.A. show B. give C. pass D. explain

17.A. quit B. completed C. failed D. chose

18.A. stand up B. move out C. drop out D. set out

19.A. selling B. pushing C. making D. riding

20.A. last B. most C. worst D. least

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：四川省2016-2017學(xué)年高二5月月考英語試卷 題型：短文改錯(cuò)

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文,請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯(cuò)誤,每句中最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加:在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)(∧),并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除:把多余的詞用斜線(劃掉。

修改:在錯(cuò)的詞下畫一橫線,并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意:1.每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均僅限一詞;

2.只允許修改10處,多者(從第11處起)不計(jì)分。

短文改錯(cuò)：

In autumn of 1935,when I was a young man, I was traveling in the north of Indian. One evening, after hunt in the forest all day, I was returning to the place that I had put up my tent. It was getting dark, but I was walking along a road. Suddenly I saw two eye glaring at me from among the trees. What can I do? Should I jump into the river to save my life? Then I looked at the right. In the river there had a big crocodile waiting to welcome me with its mouth was wide open.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：甘肅省蘭州市2016-2017學(xué)年高一下學(xué)期期中考試英語試卷 題型：短文填空

According to a recent survey, violence did exist in schools. Students showed their fear and parents and teachers also expressed their great concern about it. Experts hope the whole1.(social) pay more attention to the mental health of adolescents(青少年).

Nowadays, school violence is a hot issue. I think this is a phenomenon,2. calls for our great concern. We should try every effort3. (prevent) violence happening at school for more and more students would drop out of school4.their personal safety could not 5. (guarantee). In fact, violence can be learned. Children learn violent behavior from adults or from6. they see on television or on7.Internet.

If I meet with school violence, I will not answer violence with violence, for it will result in8. (much) fighting. I will tell my teachers or parents about it. I think they will help me deal with it well and they will protect me 9. the bad guys.

All in all, every student should behave10.(he) and keep away from violence.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：黑龍江鶴崗一中2016-2017學(xué)年高二下學(xué)期期中考試英語試卷 題型：書面表達(dá)

假設(shè)你是一中學(xué)生李華。近日，你的英語筆友John聽說你們學(xué)校正在開展“建設(shè)節(jié)約型社會(huì)(Construction of an energy-saving society)”主題活動(dòng)，發(fā)來郵件請(qǐng)你介紹一下你對(duì)活動(dòng)的看法和建議。請(qǐng)你結(jié)合以下要點(diǎn)，用英語給John回復(fù)郵件。

1.不浪費(fèi)糧食和紙張;

2.盡量不使用方便筷（disposable chopsticks)、塑料袋;

3.畢業(yè)生將書贈(zèng)給低年級(jí)同學(xué)循環(huán)使用;

4.其他建議（如綠色出行等）

5.只有我們共同努力……

注意:

1. 不要逐字翻譯，可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié);

2. 詞數(shù)：120左右。開頭已經(jīng)為你寫好，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù);

Dear John,

Glad to receive your E-mail.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：內(nèi)蒙古2017屆高三上學(xué)期第一次月考英語試卷 題型：閱讀理解

“Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?”Lindsey whispers to Tori.

With her eyes shining, Tori brags, “You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago. ”

Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happened to be yours truly, Adam Freedmam. I can tell you that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren’t very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip(閑話). I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.

An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic- breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out-that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.

If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? That answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor(傳言)can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don’t. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the “in group.”In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(優(yōu)越感).

Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The do’s and don’ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.

The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story” might have.

1.The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to ______.

A. introduce a topic B. present an argument

C. describe the characters D. clarify his writing purpose

2.In the author’s opinion, many people like to gossip because it ______.

A. gives them a feeling of pleasure

B. help them to make more friends

C. makes them better at telling stories

D. enables them to meet important people

3.Professor David Wilson think that gossip can ______.

A. provide students with written rules

B. help people watch their own behaviors

C. force school to improve student handbooks

D. attract the police’s attention to group behaviors

4.What advice does the author give in the passage?

A. Never become a gossiper B. Stay away from gossipers

C. Don’t let gossip turn into lies D. Think twice before you gossip.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：江蘇省徐州市2016-2017學(xué)年高一下學(xué)期期中考試英語試卷 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

We will hear what he must say and observe what he will do for what he says and what he does often _______.

A. don’t agree B. isn’t consistent

C. aren’t consisted D. doesn’t agree

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案