题目内容

Taktak tabulaba?

You probably don’t know how to answer that question—unless you happen to be one of the about 430 people in the world who speak a language called Matukar Panau. Then you would know it means “What are we doing?” Matukar Panau is one of the world’s rarest languages. It is spoken in just two small coastal villages in Papua New Guinea.

Several years ago, David Harrison, a language expert didn’t know much about Matukar Panau either. No one had ever recorded or even studied its words and rules. With so few speakers, the language risked disappearing soon. It was endangered.

Harrison didn’t want that to happen to Matukar Panau. So in 2009, he set out for Papua New Guinea. His goal: use modern technology to help the remaining speakers preserve their native tongue.

But Matukar Panau is far from the only language facing loss. Studies suggest that by the end of this century, nearly half of the 7,000 languages now spoken worldwide could disappear. They’re in danger partly because the only people left speaking them are elderly adults, Harrison says. When those individuals die, their language will die with them. In addition, children may discard a native language and instead use more common global languages, such as Chinese, English or Spanish.

In the United States alone, 134 native American languages are endangered. Harrison says, “language hotspots” exist all over the world. These are places with endangered languages that haven’t been recorded. They include the state of Oklahoma, pockets of central and eastern Siberia, parts of northern Australia and communities in South America.

1.The purpose of using the question “Taktak tabulaba?” is to ________.

A. introduce a new foreign language

B. introduce the topic of the text

C. show the difficulty understanding Matukar Panau

D. stress the importance of Matukar Panau

2.What did Harrison go to PaPua New Guinea for?

A. Learning their native language.

B. Leaning their modern technology.

C. Helping preserve their endangered tongue.

D. Teaching the natives a new language.

3.The underline word “discard” in Paragraph 5 means _______.

A. get rid of

B. pick up

C. hear of

D. learn about

4.The last two paragraphs imply that endangered languages are _________.

A. dying quickly in Siberia

B. popular in some special places

C. becoming a worldwide problem

D. some native tongues

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Need for closure is a psychological term that describes a person's desire for a firm answer to a question. Our need for closure is our natural preference for definite answers over confusion and uncertainty. Every person has their own baseline level of need for closure. It likely evolved via natural selection.

What I find really fascinating is how our need for closure is affected by the situation we're in. Our need for closure rises when we have to act rather than just observe, and it matters much more when we're rushed, or bored, or tired. Any stress can make our discomfort with uncertainty increase, and a high need for closure negatively influences some of our most important decisions: who we decide to trust, whether we admit we're wrong and even how creative we are.

In hiring, for instance, a high need for closure leads people to put far too much weight on their first impression. It's called the Urgency Effect. In one experiment, psychologists tried to lower people's need for closure by telling them, right before participants are about to make various judgments of a job candidate, that they'll be responsible in some way for them, or that their judgments have serious consequences.

In making any big decision, it's not enough just to know that we should take our time. We all know that important decisions shouldn't be rushed. The problem is that we don't keep that advice in mind when it matters. So, one of the best solutions is to formalize the reminders. Before making important decisions, write down not just advantages and disadvantages but what the consequences could be. Also, think about how much pressure you're under. If your need for closure is particularly high that day, it's even more important to think twice.

1.How does "need for closure" probably come into being?

A. By accident.B. By nature.

C. By acquiring.D. By imitating.

2.It can be inferred that a high need for closure ______.

A. brings about more stress

B. leads to not so good decisions

C. causes discomfort and uncertainty

D. promotes one's creativity

3.In the experiment the psychologists reduced participants’ need for closure by telling them to ______.

A. value their first impression

B. be responsible for their boss

C. be cautious about their judgments

D. pay little attention to the consequences

4.What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A. More helpful solutions to high need for closure.

B. Some serious consequences of making decisions.

C. Other approaches to making important decisions.

D. Another strategy to escape the pressures of modern life.

Book: No Looking Back

Author: Shivani Gupta

Shivani had thrown a party one evening and awoke the next morning in hospital because of a car crash. It took Shivani years of pain, struggle and determination to regain control of her life and her body. Then tragedy struck again. As the newly-married Shivani drove to Manali with her family, a truck crashed into her car. Shivani refused to give in—she wouldn't let her injury keep her from achieving her ambitions.

Book: Courage Beyond Compare

Author: Sanjay Sharma

The 10 sportspersons in the book are champions in diverse fields like athletics, swimming, and badminton, who have brought glory to the country. They overcame their physical limitations to reach the top of their chosen fields.

Book:Face to Face

Author: Ved Mehta

Blind since the age of four, the author led a lonely childhood in India until he was accepted to the Arkansas School for the Blind, to which he flew alone at 15. America and the school changed his life, leading him to degrees at Oxford and Harvard and a fruitful writing career.

Book: This Star Won’t Go Out

Author: Lori and Wayne Earl

Diagnosed with cancer at 12, Esther Earl was a bright and talented, but very normal teenager. She lived a hope-filled and generous life. A cheerful, positive and encouraging daughter, sister and friend, Esther died in 2010, shortly after turning 16, but not before inspiring thousands through her growing online presence.

1.The book No Looking Back mainly talks about ________.

A. an unlucky girl who experienced two car accidents

B. 10 disabled athletes who are champions in sports field

C. a successful author who was blind during his childhood

D. an inspiring teenager who died of cancer

2.When reading the book written by Sanjay Sharma, we will ________.

A. find the author is a sports lover

B. get inspired by the sportspersons' spirits

C. be proud to be a sportsperson

D. find sportspersons are full of power

3.In which book does the author tell of himself?

A. Face to FaceB. This Star Won’t Go Out

C. Courage Beyond CompareD. No Looking Back

4.Which word can best describe the characters of all the four books?

A. Intelligent.B. Passionate.

C. Inspiring.D. Pessimistic.

Hannah Levine decided she wanted to give hugs to all of the children and families in need at local hospitals.

Because she couldn’t give them one by one, Levine, then a sixth-grader, decided she would use her talents(才能) to do the next best thing. She began to knit(编织) hats, scarves, and blankets for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Her creations also went to Bundle of Joy, a program that provides newborn baby items for families in need, and to Knitting Pals by the Bay, a local organization that provides hand-knitted caps to cancer patients.

“I love to knit, and I thought it would be a great idea to make all these handmade items for kids and adults who need them. It would be like a hug for them,” Levine explained.

Levine started the project about a year ago. “I think it’s just really fun to do, and it keeps me busy,” said Levine, now 13.

Once she got started, Levine realized that her project could be much bigger than the goods she was able to produce with just her own hands. So she sent emails to her school and communities(社区), asking for knitted donations(捐赠物) to the project she named “Hannah’s Warm Hugs”. She also posted advertisements at Starbucks and other locations in her area. The warm goods began to gush in.

“It was amazing; more strangers than people she knew started dropping donations at our door,” said Levine’s mother, Laura Levine. “We ended up with this huge box of items she was donating.”

The knitted items numbered in the hundreds. Levine made her first round of donations around Hanukkah (an eight-day Jewish holiday in November or December) and later received thank-you letters from the organizations. Levine is still knitting, and she said the project will continue.

“It has turned into a bigger thing than she had thought,” her mom said. “It made her feel pretty good; it made us feel pretty good.”

1.Hannah Levine knitted hats and scarves ________.

A. for children and families in difficulty

B. to raise money for cancer patients

C. to earn some pocket money

D. for the homeless in her neighborhood

2.The underlined part “gush in” in paragraph 5 can best be replaced by “________”.

A. take offB. run outC. flood inD. break in

3.What would be Laura Levine’s attitude toward Hannah Levine’s project?

A. Optimistic but worried.

B. Proud and supportive.

C. Concerned but doubtful.

D. Unfavorable and uncaring.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Be ready to lend a helping hand

B. Start a project to show your support

C. Teen turns knitting hobby into heartwarming project

D. 13-year-old girl becomes US best knitter

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