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C
Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going. When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers, small, tightly knit (联系)groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other. Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago, when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.
几千年来,语言总是不断地出现和消失,但在近代,新出现的语言越来越少,而消失的却越来越多了。当这个世界还是狩猎采集者的世界时,很多小而紧密联系的群体都有着各自独立的语言模式,因此那时候的语言种类繁多。一些语言专家认为,一万年前,当世界上只有500万到1000万人的时候,他们之间大约有12000种语言。
Soon afterwards, many of those people started settling down to become farmers, and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number. In recent centuries, trade, industrialization, the development of the nation-state and the spread of universal compulsory education, especially globalization and better communications in the past few decades, all have caused many Languages to disappear, and dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.
但不久之后,这些人中有很多人开始定居下来成为农民,而他们的语言也变得越来越固定,数量也越来越少。近几个世纪以来,贸易、工业化、民族国家的发展和义务教育的普及,尤其是过去几十年中全球化的实现和更好的通信交流,都导致了很多语言的消失,使它们日益为英语、西班牙语和汉语等优势语言所取代。
At present, the world has about 6, 800languages. The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven. The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages, often spoken by many people, while hot wet zones have lots, often spoken by small numbers. Europe has only around 200 languages; the Americas about 1, 000; Africa 2, 400; and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3,200, of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800. The median number(中位数) of speakers is mere 6,000, which that half the world"s languages are spoken by fewer people than that.
目前,世界上有大约6800种语言,而且这些语言的分布极不均衡。一般的规律是,温和地区的语言相对较少,但讲的人却很多,而炎热潮湿地区的语言很多,但讲的人却通常很少。欧洲只有大约200种语言;美洲有约1000种;非洲400种;亚洲和太平洋地区大约有3200种,其中仅巴布亚新几内亚就有超过800多种。世界语言使用人数的中位数为6000人,这意味着世界上有一半的语言使用人数要少于这一数字。
Already well over 400 of the total of 6, 800languages are close to extinction (消亡), with only a few elderly speakers left. Pick, at random, Busuu in Cameroon (eight remaining speakers), Chiapaneco in Mexico (150), Lipan Apachein the United States (two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia (one, with a question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of survival.
在这6800种语言中,有超400多种语言也已濒临消亡,只剩一些上了年纪的人还在使用。随便挑几个来说,如喀麦隆的Busuu(仅剩8人还在使用)、墨西哥的Chiapaneco(只剩150人)、美国的古吉拉特文(只剩两三个人在用)或澳大利亚的Wadjigu(只有一人,就这还得打个问号):它们的消亡也只是时间问题了。
28. What can we infer about languages in huntergatherer times?
28. 以下关于狩猎采集时代语言的推断哪个是正确的?
A. They developed very fast.B. They were large in number.
A. 它们发展很快。 B.它们数量很多。
C. They had similar patterns.D. They were closely connected
C. 它们模式相似。 D. 它们紧密相连。
29. Which of the following best explains "dominant " underlined in paragraph 2?
29. 下列哪项最好地解释了第2段中强调的“dominant”?
A. Complex. B. Advanced.
C. Powerful. D. Modern.
30. How many languages are spoken by less than 6, 000 people at present?
30.目前有多少种语言的使用者少于6000人?
A. About 6 800 B. About 3400
C. About 2.400 D. About1-200
31. What is the main idea of the text?
31. 本文的主旨是什么?
A. New languages will be created.
B Peoples lifestyles are reflected in languages
C. Human development results in fewer languages
D. Geography determines language evolution.
答案与解析:
28. B
解析:推断题。先看题干“What can we infer about languages in huntergatherer times? 以下关于狩猎采集时代语言的推断哪个是正确的?”。所以我们首先要找到“huntergatherer”出现的段落,也就是第一段。
然后我们用排除法来做这道题(排除法非常适用于推断题):根据出现这个词的这句原文“当这个世界还是狩猎采集者的世界时,很多小而紧密联系的群体都有着各自独立的语言模式,因此那时候的语言种类繁多。”A没有讲到;C项:原文有说independent patterns,显然是不同的模式;D项紧密相连的是“groups”而不是语言。所以B项是正确的。
29. C
解析:词义猜测题。如果我们平时词汇积累够的话“dominant:占主导地位的,有优势的,占据统治地位的”,很容易就能把C项选择出来。如果不知道这个单词什么意思,就需要定位到“dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese areincreasingly taking over. ”根据原文来猜测。
30. B
解析:定位到第三段,根据本段最后一句“世界语言使用人数的中位数为6000人,这意味着世界上有一半的语言使用人数要少于这一数字。”可知使用人数不足6000人的语言占世界语言的一半,那么我们只需要知道世界上目前有多少语言就行了。根据本段第一句“目前,世界上有大约6800种语言”。所以6800的一半就是3400。
31. C
解析:本题需要通篇理解,整篇文章主要讲的就是随着人类的发展,很多语言消失了。我们使用排除法来做这道题。A.新的语言将产生,显然是不对的。B.人们的生活方式会在语言中体现出来,也不对。C项完全契合。D项显然也不对。
重点词汇掌握:
Soon afterwards 不久之后
Industrialization 工业化
Compulsoryeducation 义务教育
Globalization 全球化
Take over 取代,接替,接管
Dominant 占主导地位的,有优势的,占据统治地位的
Survival 存续,存活