Of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, linguists (语言学家) say, nearly h

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Of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, linguists (语言学家) say, nearly half are likely to disappear this century. In fact, one falls out of use about every two weeks.
Some languages die out in an instant, at the death of the only surviving speaker. Others are lost gradually in bilingual (双语的) cultures, as local tongues are edged out by the dominant (占主导地位的) language at school, in the marketplace and on television.
New research, supported by the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, has found the five regions where languages are disappearing most rapidly. They are northern Australia, central South America, North America"s upper Pacific coastal zone, eastern Siberia, and Oklahoma and the southwestern United States.
K. David Harrison, an associate professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College, US, said that more than half the languages had no written form and were vulnerable to loss and being forgotten." Their loss leaves no dictionary, no text, or no record of the accumulated knowledge and history of a disappeared culture.
Harrison and other researchers started their rescue project last year. They have been trying to identify and record endangered languages. They interviewed and made recordings of the few remaining speakers of a language and collected basic word lists. The individual projects, some lasting three to four years, involve hundreds of hours of recording speech, developing grammar and preparing children"s readers in the obscure (逐渐没落的) language. The research has concentrated on preserving entire language families.
"These are probably languages that cannot be brought back, but at least we made records of them," said Gregory Anderson, director of the Living Tongues Institute, in Oregon, US.
小题1:What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Many languages are quickly disappearing.

B．Some languages are disappearing because they are hard to remember.

C．Chinese is one of the languages that are disappearing.

D．Thanks to some researchers, many endangered languages have been rescued.

小题2:What does the word vulnerable in the fourth paragraph mean?

A．easy to remember.	B．easy to forget.
C．likely to be damaged.	D．likely to be protected.

小题3:Which of the following is true according to the fifth paragraph?

A．Harrison and other researchers are trying to find out why some languages died out.

B．Harrison and other researchers tried to start a rescue project.

C．Harrison and other researchers have concentrated on preserving all the languages.

D．Harrison and other researchers have done some rescue work on the obscure languages.

小题4:One of the things that Harrison and other researchers did was .

A．to have more people speak the disappearing language

B．to make records of the disappearing language

C．to limit dominant languages

D．to publish a dictionary of the disappearing language

小题5:What do you think is the suggested reason for some languages disappearing?

A．Local tongues are gradually edged out by the dominant language at school, in the marketplace and on television.

B．The number of people who speak the languages are small.

C．There are no dictionaries for the languages.

D．No one make records of the languages, so they gradually disappear.

答案

小题1:A
小题1:C
小题1:D
小题1:B
小题1:A

解析

略

举一反三

Kenya wants to organize a major international conference to discuss how to fight piracy(海盗) off the coast of Somalia. The conference may also deal with ways to rescue Somalia from seventeen years of civil war. More than forty percent of its people depend on food aid.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says the world cannot end piracy and civil war without dealing with Somalia’s political problems.
Somali pirates operate in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean by way of the Suez Canal. The pirates have fast boats, modern weapons and equipment like satellite phones and global positioning systems.
Pirates hijacked the Sirius Star off the coast of Kenya and moved it to waters off Somalia.
The tanker Sirius Star, at three hundred thirty meters long, is the biggest ship ever known to have been captured by pirates. It also happened farther south than most attacks, and farther out at sea ---- more than eight hundred kilometers from land.
The ship was headed for the United States with two million karrels of oil, worth an estimated one hundred million dollars. A Saudi Arabian company owns the tanker. The pirates have reportedly demanded twenty-five million dollars in negotiations to release the ship and its crew of twenty-five.
Somali pirates generally do not steal goods or kill hostages. They are believed to be holding seventeen ships with about three hundred crew members. Among the ships is a Ukrainian vessel hijacked(劫持) in September with a load of military weapons including tanks.
The increase in piracy is raising the cost of insuring ships. Also, oil from the Middle East and exports from East Asia could take longer to arrive.
Some of the world’s heaviest shipping traffic passes the Somali coast. But major shipping companies have begun to consider new routes. One of the world’s biggest shippers, A.P, Moeller Maersk, says it will avoid the Gulf of Aden. A move away from the Suez Canal could hurt Egypt’s economy.
American and other foreign navy ships are now watching for pirates. This week the Indian Navy destroyed a heavily armed “mother ship” in the Gulf of Aden. But the area to protect covers more than one hundred sixty million square kilometers.
小题1: According to the passage, which of the following is the key to solving the piracy in Somalia?

A．Providing lots of money.	B．Ending Civil war.
C．Supplying enough food.	D．Handling Somalia’s political problems.

小题2: Somali pirates do the following things except that _______.

A．they demand money	B．they hold the ships with crew
C．they kill some of the hostages	D．they hijack ships with military weapons

小题3:What can we infer from the passage?

A．The cost of ship

transport is decreasing.

B．The routes of some ships might change.

C．Nothing has been done to fight against the piracy.

D．The Suez Canal is of no importance to Egypt’s economy.

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The Americans believe that anybody can become President of the United States. In a recent Hollywood comedy(喜剧), that is exactly what happens.
Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs. He leads a typical(典型的) American way of life, except for one thing－he looks exactly like the President, Bill Mitchell. In fact, the only thing that makes him different from the nation’s leader is that he is very nice!
The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to “serve his country” by becoming one. However, things go wrong. The President becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the President forever.
Director Ivan Reitman, who made the popular and successful comedies like Twins, Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles, could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government. Instead, Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the President, and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady. The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real classic(经典).
The film is 100% American. However, if you’ve ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power, then you’ll enjoy Dave!
小题1:What is the purpose of the text?

A．To tell the reader about the American government.

B．To discus the Americans’ ideas about the President.

C．To make a comparison between Dave and other films.

D．To introduce a new film to the reader.

小题2:Who plays the role of the President in the film?

A．Sigourney Weaver.	B．Kevin Kline.
C．Bill Mitchell.	D．Ivan Reitman.

小题3:The underlined word “one” in the 3rd paragraph refers to _____.

A．the President

B．the director

C．an actor

D．a look-alike

小题4:Which of the following is best supported by the text?

A．The author makes fun of the President.

B．The author thinks highly of the fi

lm.

C．The author is a fan of Hollywood comedies.

D．The author wishes to become the American President.

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There are many types of reports. A report is simply an account of something that has happened. The commonest are news repo

rts. We get them in newspapers, over radio and on television. Sometimes cinemas also show us newsreels(新闻影片).
The main purpose of a newspaper is to provide news. If you examine a newspaper closely, you will find that there are all types of news: accidents, floods, fires, wars, fashions, sports, books, etc. The news covers everything that happens to people
and their surroundings. Sometimes there are news items which are very amusing.
A news report is usually very short, except when it is about something very important, but it contains a lot of information. It is also written in short paragraphs. The first paragraph is in fact a summary of the news item. It gives all the necessary information, what, when, where, how and why. The other paragraphs give full details of the subject. There may also be interviews with people. The words actually spoken by them are within inverted commas(引号).
Often there are photographs to go with the news to make it more interesting.
小题1:The easiest way to get today’s news is____.

A．to go to the cinema

B．to watch a color TV

C．to read today’s newspaper

D．to listen to the music over radio

小题2:Newspapers sell well mainly because____.

A．They cost very little

B．They are easy to get

C．They have got pictures to go with new

D．They provide all sorts of news in them

小题3:If you want to get enough information about yesterday’s traffic accident within a very short time, you’d better____.

A．read the first paragraph of the news report in today’s newspaper

B．start from the second paragraph of the news report in today’s newspaper

C．look through the whole news report in today’s newspaper

D．talk with people who have seen the accident

小题4:This passage mainly talks about____.

A．different types of reports

B．news reports

C．happenings to people and their surroundings

D．the length of a news report

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Register in person
Use form given
Register by phone
Call 264-8833
Register by mail 178Nchicago
Basic Photography
This is an eight-hour course for beginners who want to learn how to use a 35 mm camera. The teacher will cover such area as kinds of film, light, and lenses. Bring your own 35 mm camera to class.
Course charge:$50.00
Jan,10,12,17,19 Tues. & Thurs. 6:00~8:00 p.m
Marianne Adams is a professional photographer whose photographs appear in many magazines.
Understanding Computers
This twelve-hours course is for people who don’t know very much about computers, but who need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can’t do, and how to use them.
Course charge:$75.00
Equipment charge:$10.00
Jan,14,21,28 Sat. 9:00~11:50 a.m
Joseph Sam

ders is Professor of Computer Science at New Urban University. He has over twelve years of experience in the computer field.
Stop Smoking
Do you want to stop smoking? Have you already tried to stop and failed? Now it is time to stop smoking using the latest methods. You can stop smoking and this twelve-hour course will help you do it.
Course charge:$30.00
Jan,4,11,18,25 Mon.4:00~7:00 p.m
Dr John Goldds is a practicing psychologist(心理学家) who has helped hundreds of people stop smoking.
Typing
This course on weekday is for typing. You are tested in the first class and practise at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each programme lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper.
Course charge:$125.00
Material charge:$25.00
Two hours each evening for two weeks.
New class begin every two weeks.
This course is taught by a number of business education teachers who have successfully taught typing course before.
小题1:The word “professional” in

this passage most probably means____.

A．spiritual

B．journalist

C．professor

D．experienced

小题2:The shortest course is____.
A

. Basic Photography B. Understanding Computers
C. Stop Smoking D. Typing
小题3:There are typing courses____.

A．on Saturdays and Sundays

B．from Monday to Friday

C．from Monday to Saturday

D．on each day in the week

小题4: What kind of article is the passage?

A．A Novel.	B．A news report.
C．An advertisement.	D．A story.

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Certain people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you’ve known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once you know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they will help you to put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers have asked questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It’s a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters ----sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.
Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen for the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn’t. Your question should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.
Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he is really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to the tone (语调)of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then it’s time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you’re saying goodbye, you may give him a firm shakehand and say, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, don’t keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they’ve known you half their lives.
小题1:You’ll like to stay with some people____.

A．who have something in common with you

B．when you get into real trouble

C．with whom you feel it easy to get along well

D．from whom you can get necessary and timely help

小题2:After asking somebody a question, you should____.

A．make it clear what is fit to ask next

B．wait quietly for his answers

C．go on to ask more questions

D．change the subject to another one

小题3:If you want to see that person again,____ when parting.

A．let him know what you feel

B．giving them a firm shakehand

C．asking proper questions and being a good listener

D．keeping talking to others to them in the conversation

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