Endangered languages are languages that wouldn’t exist any longer, much like endangered species of plants or animals. Languages are considered to be endangered when parents are no longer teaching the language to their children and are not using it actively in everyday life. A language is considered to nearly disappear when it is spoken by only a few elderly native speakers.

The world faces enormous challenges in order to protect different kinds of languages. Of the more than 6,912 languages, half may be in danger of disappearing in the next several decades.

It is caused by many reasons: small numbers of speakers, the regular use of other languages, attitudes towards their languages, moving of the younger population, government policies, and languages used in education and so on. A language may lack important things such as a body of literature, and people who read and write it. A language may also lack prestige (聲望) and support of its speakers.

The survival of a language is also threatened when speakers move to other areas where different languages are spoken, or when government policies improve the use of a specific language in school, official business and the media. These situations encourage people to learn the wider-known language and may cause them, especially the young, to stop using their mother tongue. Often those speaking lesser-known languages will choose to learn a more prestigious language with the hope of greater economic opportunities. Most of the world’s parents are teaching their children English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian or some other main languages instead of their own languages for social and economic reasons.

66.What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Languages in the world.             B．Reasons why languages become endangered.

C．What an endangered language is.     D．Languages spoken by few speakers.

67.About ________languages will probably disappear in this century according to the passage.

A．more than 6,912    B．more than 3,456      C．6,912            D．less than 3,456

68.Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?

①=Paragraph1       ②=Paragraph2  ③=Paragraph3  ④=Paragraph4

69.We can infer that the best way to maintain an endangered language is to _________.

A．forbid the speakers to move about              

B．pass laws to protect the language

C．raise the salaries of the people who speak the language

D．teach the language to young children and encourage people to speak it often

70.All of the following about languages are true EXCEPT __________.

A．many languages will be probably endangered in this century

B．government policies have a big effect on languages

C．the endangered language is a language that is spoken by a few people

D．languages are related to their speakers’ social and economic position 

練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.                              

Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.                                                

The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress is, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.                                                               

People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.                                                  

A. they do not know how to enjoy themselves                                       

B. they do not believe that relaxation is important for health      C. they are travelling fast all the time                                                    

D. they are becoming busier with their work  

According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.   

A. not fearing stress                                                  B. knowing the art of relaxation         

C. high sense of responsibility                                   D. having control over performance   

Which of the following statements is true?  

A. We can find some ways to avoid stress.  

B. Stress is always harmful to people. 

C. It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.  

D. Different people can withstand different amounts of stress.  

In Paragraph 3, "such a reaction" refers back to_______. 

A. "making a choice between 'flight' or 'fight'"                                                         

B. "reaction to stress both chemically and physically"                                                     

C. "responding to crises quickly"

D. "losing heart at the signs difficulties" 

In the last sentence of the passage, "do so " refers to ______.     

A. "expose ourselves to stress"                               

B. "find ways to deal with stress" 

C. "remove stress from our lives"                   

D. "established links between diseases and stress"

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Ship tourism to Antarctica is on the rise: More than 35,000 tourists are expected to visit Antarctic this summer. In 1992-1993, 6,750 visited Antarctica, according to the Antarctica Treaty. All of this tourism, however, is putting both tourists and the environment in great danger.

Among the tourist ships that visit the continent, the Explorer, a Canadian ship, was one of the first. Put to use in 1969, it was built to carry tourists to Antarctica. Last week, however, it became the first commercial passenger ship to sink beneath the waters. Fortunately, all of the passengers and crew members were rescued from the ship. However, the sunken ship endangered the Antarctic’s fragile(脆弱的) environment. The ship was estimated to be holding 48,000 gallons of fuel.

The accident was not unexpected. Both the US and UK had warned a conference of the Antarctic Treaty member countries in May that the tourism situation in this area was a potential disaster. The US said in a paper, people “should take a hard look at tourism issues now, especially those related to ship safety.” Although the Antarctic seas are relatively(相對地) calm, floating ice causes a potential threat to ships. The owner of the Explorer blamed the sinking on a fist-like hole in the ship created by ice.

Many of the other large ships now visiting Antarctica are not designed especially against thick ice. Such ships generally can only come to the continent in summer. But the tourist rush is pushing ships into dangerous situations. “The increasing number of ships operating in Antarctic means that the ship are under great pressure to get there in time for the key visiting sites,” the British government wrote in a paper at the meeting of member countries.

As a natural frontier, Antarctica is in a messy legal situation. There are no obvious answers as to who is responsible for dealing with the threat that tourist may cause to human life and the environment.

There is no coast guard for Antarctica. Do we want it to become Disneyland, or do we need some controls?

Which of the following is true according to this passage?

A. Antarctica tourism has a history of about 17 years

B. The number of tourists to the Antarctic is over 5 times as large as that of 17 years ago.

C. The tourism boom has caused holes in the floating ice in the Antarctic.

D. The Antarctica Treaty is responsible for the problem.

The sinking of the Explorer____________.

A. led to a conference about the tourism situation in the Antarctic.

B. was caused by the rough seas

C. had been predicted

D. did harm to the Antarctic.

It can be inferred from the passage that_________.

A. a Disneyland will be built in the Antarctic

B. fewer people are visiting the Antarctic because of the warnings given

C. not all the ships are suitable to go to the Antarctic

D. some ships take risks visiting the Antarctic in other seasons rather than in summer

In this passage, the writer suggests that___________.

A. people had better not make a tour of the Antarctic

B. ships to the Antarctic should be built strong enough

C. there should be legal controls over tourism in the Antarctic

D. the Antarctic’s environment is fragile

What attitude does the writer hold towards Antarctic tourism?

A. Supportive.     B. Positive.       C. Indifferent.        D. Anxious.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2012-2013學(xué)年浙江省臺州市六校高一下學(xué)期第一次聯(lián)考英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：單選題

With ______ help of WWF, many endangered species are now enjoying a peaceful life in ______ wild.

A．/; theB．the; theC．the; /D．/; /

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：廣東省湛江市第二中學(xué)2009 -2010學(xué)年度高一第一學(xué)期期末考試 題型：閱讀理解


Ⅲ.閱讀(共兩節(jié)，滿分40分)
第—節(jié) 閱讀理解(共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分)
閱讀—列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C和D項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
Thailand’s giant pandas have finally produced a baby. Chiang Mai zoo director Thanapath said eight-year-old female Lin Hui gave birth to a baby panda weighing about 200 grams.
The pandas, Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang, the zoo’s star residents(居民), had shown no interest in reproducing the traditional way since they both arrived on a 10-year loan from China in 2003. The zoo workers’ effort of artificial insemination(人工授精) worked. The baby panda will officially belong to China but Thailand will raise it for about 24 months, Thanapath said.
Thanapath said Lin Hui is very protective of her child and won’t allow any officials to get close. “She holds the baby very carefully.” he said. “She knows how to be a mother even though she has never been one before.” The baby panda appears to be getting along well with its much larger mother.
The birth appeared on the front pages of many Thai newspapers, which carried photos of the baby which is so tiny that it can be held in the hands of a zoo keeper. Other pictures showed the mother Lin Hui gently holding her baby. Thanapath said, “It is great happiness to see the baby panda.We are so happy that we can breed（繁殖）a panda. Every worker at the zoo is proud and I think every Thai will be proud too.”
Breeding pandas is a common practice in China, where dozens are born each year. But it is a rare thing outside of the country. Giant pandas are among the world’s most endangered animals. Nearly 1,600 pandas are believed to survive in China and about 180 are being raised in zoos worldwide.
41. According to the passage, the two pandas, Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang, ______________.
A. are regarded as the best residents
B. arrived in Thailand four years ago
C. had a baby panda in the traditional way
D. are very popular in the zoo in Thailand
42. The baby panda that Lin Hui gave birht to ______________.
A. will be sent to China in two years        B. is her second baby
C. weighs about one kilogram             D. will stay in Thailand for ten years
43. From Paragraph 3 we learn that Lin Hui_______________.
A. doesn’t know how to protect her baby
B. allows people to touch her baby
C. loves her baby very much
D. always leaves her baby alone
44. We can infer that Lin Hui’s giving birth_________________.
A. set a good example to China          B. was hot news in Thailand
C. was a result of good luck             D. attracted the world’s attention
45. The fact that breeding pandas is a common practice in China indicates that_________________.
A. all pandas in the world should live in China
B. few countries in the world want to breed pandas
C. pandas won’t be in danger in the near future
D. China plays a leading role in breeding pandas

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：陜西省鎮(zhèn)安中學(xué)2009-2010學(xué)年度高二下學(xué)期期中考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解


Scientists say the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere has begun to affect plant and animal life a
round the world. Scientists from the University of Hanover in Germany reported their findings in Nature. They say global warming is affecting endangered  species, sea life, and the change in seasonal activities of organisms. Global warming is caused by carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
Studies show that the Earth’s climate has warmed by about six tenths of one degree Celsius during the past one hundred years. Most of the increase has taken place in the last thirty years. German scientists have studied different animal and plant population around the world during the past thirty years. They say some species will disappear because they cannot move to new areas when their home climate gets too warm.
The scientists say one of the biggest signs of climate change has been the worldwide decrease in coral reefs. Rising temperatures in the world’s warm ocean waters have caused coral to lose color and die. In the coldest areas of the world, winter freezing periods are now happening later and ending earlier. Researchers say these changes are having severe effects on animals such as penguins, seals, and polar bears.
Changes in temperature and wetness in the air can also affect the reproduction (繁殖) of some reptiles(爬行動物) and amphibians(兩棲動物). For example, the sex of baby turtles is linked to the average temperature in July. Scientists say even small temperature increases can threaten the production of male turtles.
In Europe, scientists say warmer temperatures are affecting the spring and autumn seasons. This is affecting the growth of plants and delaying the flight of birds from one place to another.
Scientists are concerned about invasions of warm weather species into traditionally colder areas. Rising temperature has been linked with the spread of diseases in areas such as Asia, East Africa, and Latin America.
44. The best title for this passage would be __________.
A. Effects of Global Warming   B. Temperature and Animals
C. Global Warming and the Environment D. A Study on the Environment
45. According to the passage, global warming is affecting all of the following, EXCEPT _________.
A. endangered species            B. sea life
C. activities of organisms        D. the color of turtles
46. We can learn from this passage that _________.
A. the speed of the earth’s warming is faster now than 50 years ago
B. more animal species will soon come into being
C. animals will refuse to move to warm places in the future
D. cold areas have gained more heat than warm places
47. If the temperature in the Arctic Ocean keeps going up, which of the following will be most likely to happen?
A. More and more people will come to live near the Arctic Ocean.
B. More crops will be grown near the Arctic Ocean.
C. Animals from warm areas will come to live in the Arctic Ocean.
D. There will be more and more fish in the Arctic Ocean.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案