Question

   Long live language. That's the message Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and city councillor Amaijeet Sohi voiced when they declared Feb. 21 to be International Mother Language Day (IMLD) in Edmonton,the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta.

   The pair were on hand for the International and Heritage Languages Association's (IHLA) 12th annual Mother Language Day celebrations in an effort to save endangered languages.

   “Keeping languages alive is important for the richness of our culture and the diversity that strengthens Edmonton,” said Iveson.

There are nearly 7,000 unique languages spoken worldwide,but according to data from the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) half of those languages are at risk of going extinct in just a few generations.

   For example,there are currently over 3 ,000 languages spoken throughout Africa. This sounds impressive until you realize that there were over 10 ,000 languages spoken on the continent before colonization during the 19th century.

   “People who lose their language experience suffering,” said Olenka Bilash,professor of second language education at the University of Alberta. Bilash likened the loss of language to the loss of cultural identity.

   “As a multicultural society,it is very important to continue to preserve and pass on to future generations the language,culture,traditions and customs that we bring to Canada,” said IHLA president Olga Prokhorova.

   While the City of Edmonton's citizen and new arrival centre in city hall provides services in 150 languages,Bilash said research shows that “most people are still uncomfortable speaking their own language in public spaces."

   Bilash hopes the official announcement of International Mother Language Day in Edmonton — which echoes International Mother Language Day declared by UNESCO in 1999 — will be a step toward encouraging more language diversity in order to preserve the cultures tied to them.

   “Our words define us; our expressions and vocabulary define who we are as people,” said Marneen Kubinec,Alberta's minister of culture and tourism. “Our words are living examples,perhaps the best that there are,of human creativity.” 

32. The example of the languages in Africa is given to show .

   A. there’ re many languages in Africa

   B. a great number of languages became extinct

   C. Africa believes . in encouraging cultural diversity

   D. Africans are trying to save endangered languages

33. Both Bilash and Prokhorova stress the importance of .

   A. mastering more than one foreign language

   B. public policy on Canadian traditions and customs

   C. protecting languages and cultures from extinction

   D. the official announcement of IMLD by UNESCO

34. What does the underlined word “echoes” in the text mean?

   A. Suggests. B. Creates.

   C. Celebrates. D. Imitates.

35. What can we learn from Kubinec's words?

   A. Your language is your identity.

   B. Native language is disappearing.

   C. Alberta is rich in language diversity.

   D. Language can be saved by creativity.

Answer 1

32. B 33. C 34. D 35. A

D(社会)

本丈是新喊报道。加拿大埃德蒙顿市宣布每年2月21日为该幸国际母语日。

32. B.写；目的题。非洲现在有3000多种语言， 而在19世纪殖民地化之前存在一万多种语言， 即很多语言己经消失了。本段内容承接上一段 内容一-很多语言瀕临灭绝。

33. C.细节理解题。由第六、七、九段可知，Bilash 和Prokhorova都强调了保护语言和文化的重要 性。

34. D.词义猜测题。联合国教科文组织于1999年 成立国际母语日，如今加拿大埃德蒙顿市宣布 每年2月21日为该市国际母语日，此举是效仿 联合国教科文组织的做法。

35. A.推理判断题。由最后一段可知，这些话包含 的一个意思是：一个人的语言就是一个人的身 份。