Question

Can a Language Become Extinct?

A language can become extinct when the last person who can speak it passes away. Or more likely when the second­last person who speaks it dies because then there is no one left to talk to. According to linguists (语言学家) there is nothing unusual about a single language dying out. But what is happening today is quite remarkable. According to the recent statistics, there are approximately 6,000 languages in the world as we speak. Of these, about half are going to die out in the next century.

There are several reasons as to why a language can eventually die out. These range from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one. The former can cause tribes to leave their natural habitat(栖息地) and therefore become fewer and fewer in number. However, it doesn't happen very frequently. In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia. For instance, Chemehuevi is one of the languages which is really close to dying out since its sole speaker is an old, yet healthy, man named Johnny Hill, Jr.

It is very important for as many languages as possible to be preserved. Scientists have been trying to raise people's awareness on how certain tribes have specific words which cannot be expressed in let's say English simply because there is no equal meaning. Namely, the Yupik of Alaska have 99 names to describe different layers of ice formation, or how the Tofa of Siberia classify reindeer (驯鹿). In other words, when languages die out, mankind's wisdom reduces.

On a happier note, there are many famous cases which show what can be done to preserve languages in danger of extinction. In particular, the Maori in New Zealand have created so­called “language nests”： organizations which help children under five learn the language. They provide them with a setting where they are exposed to the language intensively so that they get to realise that communicating in Maori is as natural as communicating in English. There is always, of course, the risk that the children won't keep the language alive after they have left their “nests”. Nevertheless, hope dies hard.

1.What most probably caused the death of languages in the USA and Australia?

A．Habitats were lost.

B．Natural disasters struck.

C．Native cultures disappeared.

D．Foreign languages were spoken.

2.In Paragraph 3, the author states his opinion by ________

A．listing definitions

B．providing examples

C．presenting causes and effects

D．comparing with other opinions

3.What does the author really intends to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Attempts may not produce the desired effect.

B．Environment is important in language protection.

C．People can do little about a language's extinction.

D．Measures should be taken in spite of difficulties.

4.The author believes that ________.

A．all languages are finally going to die out

B．human wisdom can be reflected in languages

C．the protective approaches have proved ineffective

D．the current situation of languages hardly requires attention

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.B

【解析】

文章大意：语言会灭绝吗？它又会带来怎样的后果？让我们保护语言。

1.D　推理判断题。由最后一段，特别是最后一句话“Nevertheless, hope dies hard.”可知，不能放弃保护语言的努力。

2.2】B　推理判断题。第三段第三句话举例证明作者的论点：应该尽可能多的保护语言。

3.3】C　细节理解题。由第二段第五句话“In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia.”可知，应该是前面介绍的两种语言中的后者“...to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one(本族文化的消失)”应该为美国和澳大利亚的语言灭绝负责。

4.4】B　推理判断题。由第三段最后一句话“In other words, when languages die out, mankind's wisdom reduces. ”可推知，语言反映了人类的智慧。