题目内容
English is fast becoming the language of science around the world, but what is its future among everyday speakers? One expert points out that the percentage(比率) of native English speakers is declining(降低) while the languages of other rapidly growing regions are being spoken by increasing numbers of people. But English will continue to remain widespread and important.
However, British language scholar David Graddol says English will probably drop in dominance(主导) by the middle of this century to rank, after Chinese, about equally with Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu. “The number of people speaking English as a first language continues to rise, but it isn’t rising nearly as fast as the numbers of many other languages around the world, simply because the main population group has been largely in the less developed countries where languages other than English have been spoken,” he says.
In a recent article in the journal Science, Mr. Graddol noted that three languages that are not near the top of the list of the most widely spoken now might be there soon. These are Bengali, Tamil, and Malay, spoken in south and southeast Asia.
David Crystal, the author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, says about 1.5 billion of the world’s six billion people speak it as a second tongue compared to the 400 million native speakers. But another expert on the English language says Mr. Graddol underestimates (低估) the future of its dominance. “All the evidence (证据) suggests that the English language snowball is rolling down a hill and is getting faster, but nobody quite knows what’s going to happen because no language has been in this position before.” he said.
51．In David Graddol’ s opinion, English will _______.
A．remain widespread and important
B．be more important than any other language
C．lose its dominant position
D．die away in the near future
52．The underlined sentence in the last paragraph implies that ______.
A．snowballs will roll down faster than language balls
B．the English language snowball is rolling down faster than any time in the past
C．English language will soon drop in dominance
D．more and more language users will choose English
53．How many experts does the passage mention who express their ideas about the future of English?
A．2. B．3. C．4. D．5.
54．According to David Graddol, which of the following will possibly be one of the languages that will be most widely spoken?
A．Malay. B．Arabic. C．Urdu. D．German.
55．What should be the best title for the passage?
A．English Remaining the Dominant Position
B．The Future of English? Who Knows?
C．Opinions from Different Experts
D．The English Language Snowball Rolling Down
灵星计算小达人系列答案If you ask some people, “How did you learn English so well?” you may get a surprising answer: “In my sleep!”
These are people who have taken part in one of the recent experiments (实验) to test “the learn while you sleep” method (方法), which is now being tried in several countries, and with several subjects. English is among them.
Scientists say that this sleep study method greatly speeds language learning. They say that the ordinary person can learn two or three times as much during sleep as in the same period during the day—and this does not affect (影响) his rest in any way. However, sleep teaching will only put into your head what you have studied already while you are awake.
In one experiment, ten lessons were broadcast over the radio for two weeks. Each lesson lasted twelve hours — from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The first three hours of English grammar and vocabulary (词汇) were given with the students awake. At 11 p.m. a lullaby (催眠曲) was broadcast to send the student to sleep and for the next three hours the radio in a soft and low voice broadcast the lesson again into his sleeping ears. At 2 a.m. a sharp noise was sent over the radio to wake the sleeping student up for a few minutes to go over the lesson. The soft music sent him back to rest again while the radio went on. At 5 o’clock his sleep ended and he had to go through the lesson again for three hours before breakfast.
1.In the experiment, lessons were given____ .
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A．in the night time |
B．after lullabies were broadcast |
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C．while the student was awake |
D．all through the twelve hours |
2.Before each lesson finishes, the student has to____ .
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A．get up and take breakfast |
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B．be woken up by a loud voice |
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C．listen to the lesson again in sleep |
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D．review (复习) the lesson by himself |
3.The sleep study method is being tried in many countries to teach____ .
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A．the English language |
B．grammar and vocabulary |
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C．a number of subjects |
D．foreign languages |
Malaysia is a country of exciting beauty, with a tropical（热带的） climate. Malaysia’s weather is hotter in the lowlands and cooler in the mountains and highlands. Temperatures vary between 20 and 30 centigrade. Rainfall can be expected at any time, with an average of between 200 and 260 centimeters.
The Malaysian population consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians. Its main religions are Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity. Its national language is Malay. English is widely spoken and is used all over the country. Other languages spoken in Malaysia are some Chinese dialects, Tamil, Portuguese and Arabic.
Malaysia is an exciting and fascinating place for tourists, with something special planned throughout the year. The natural attractions are plentiful, with magnificent mountains lying in green, large stretches of sandy beaches and hospitable and friendly people.
Malaysia’s economy is the most advanced in this part of the world. The annual income is M$1, 680, one of the highest in the whole of Asia. Malaysia is the world’s leading exporter of rubber, tin, tropical hardwood, palm oil, pepper, tea, coffee and cocoa and has vast resources of oil.
Malaysia’s capital is Kuala Lumpur in the southwest of the Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur arose in the 1860s when tin was discovered, grew and spread very quickly. It became the state’s capital within forty years of its founding. Now it is home to over one million inhabitants, about 56% of whom are Chinese, 28% Malays and the rest are from anywhere and everywhere.
1.If you visit Malaysia, you will see ________.
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A．people of the white and yellow races |
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B．many temples and churches |
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C．beautiful tropical scenery |
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D．All of the above. |
2.Though Malay is Malaysia’s national language, ______.
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A．over half of its population speak Chinese |
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B．English is also a popular language |
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C．people don’t know Malay |
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D．it’s only spoken by Malays |
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
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A．Malaysia is one of the richest countries in Asia. |
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B．It rains a little now and a little then in Malaysia. |
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C．Kuala Lumpur became Malaysia’s capital before 1910. |
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D．Malaysia is rich in agricultural products. |