Language in crisis
Today, almost 80% of the people in the world speak only 1% of its languages. Every 14 days a language dies. By 2100, half of the more than 7,000 languages spoken on Earth today may disappear.
Why do languages die?
Throughout history, the languages of dominant (統(tǒng)治的) groups have spread while the languages of native cultures have become extinct. This happens because of government language policies, or because the dominant language becomes more useful in everyday life.
Why is language important?
Studying different languages increases our understanding of how humans communicate. Language is also an important part of culture. Words that describe a particular cultural practice might not have meaning in another language.
Native groups often have a deep understanding of local plants and animals because they have lived close to nature for thousands of years. We could discover important things, such as treatments for illness, by studying these languages. Many endangered (瀕臨滅絕的) languages aren’t written down. When the last speakers of a language die and their language becomes extinct, their stories, songs, and other important information are lost, too.
Which languages are disappearing?
Central South America has some of the world’s most endangered languages. The Kallawaya people speak a secret language that has details of thousands of medicinal plants. Today, fewer than 100 people speak it.
In Central and Eastern Siberia, almost all of the native languages are endangered. Many Siberian languages now have only a few elderly speakers.
Oklahoma has the highest number of native languages in the United States. One of these, Yuchi, may be unrelated to any other language in the world. However, during the early 20th century, government schools punished students who were heard speaking it. In 2010, only five elderly members of the Yuchi tribe could speak their native language.
How are languages being saved?
Native cultures around the world are using modern technology to help keep their endangered languages and cultures alive. Communities are creating dictionaries and libraries by using pictures, video, and audio to record the traditions of the last speakers of their language. If the younger generations don’t speak and understand the words and stories of their ancestors (祖先), the language will die. And when the language dies, part of the culture dies, too.
1.The underlined word “extinct” probably means ______.
A. selling out B. dying out C. speaking out D. putting out
2.How are the native languages in Central Siberia and Oklahoma similar?
A. Both of them are secret languages.
B. Fewer people can speak them today.
C. They are both unrelated to other languages.
D. They are both spoken mainly by young people.
3.To save a language, it is most important for______ to learn it.
A. young people B. parents
C. scientists D. dominant groups
4.What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?
A. It’s necessary to study more languages.
B. It’s good for people to speak the same language.
C. Preventing the loss of the world’s languages is important.
D. Protecting languages is more important than protecting culture.
1.B
2.B
3.A
4.C
【解析】短文介紹了為什么世界上80%的人只講1%的語(yǔ)言。到2100，今天在地球上講的超過(guò)7000種語(yǔ)言中有一半可能消失。在文中介紹了語(yǔ)言所面臨的危機(jī)、語(yǔ)言為什么會(huì)消失、語(yǔ)言的重要性、有哪些語(yǔ)言正在逐步的消失、以及如何拯救語(yǔ)言文化。在文中都做了詳細(xì)的介紹。
1.詞義猜測(cè)題。A. selling out出賣；B. dying out消亡；C...
