Question

【题目】Long live language. That’s the message Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and city councilor Amarjeet Sohi voiced when they declared Feb. 21 to be International Mother Language Day (IMLD) in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta.

The pair were on hand for the International and Heriage Languages Association’s (IHLA) 12th annual Mother Language Day celebrations in an effort to save endangered languages.

“Keeping languages alive is important for me richness of our culture and the diversity that strengthens Edmonton,” said Iveson.

There are nearly 7,000 unique languages spoken worldwide, but according to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) half of those languages are at risk of going extinct in just a few generations.

For example, there are currently over 3,000 languages spoken throughout Africa. This sounds impressive until you realize that there were over 10,000 languages spoken on the continent before colonization during the 19th century.

“People who lose their language experience suffering,” said Olenka Bilash, professor of second language education at the University of Alberta. Bilash likened the loss of language to the loss of cultural identity.

“As a multicultural society, it is very important to continue to preserve and pass on to future generations the language, culture, traditions and customs that we bring to Canada, ” said IHLA president Olga Prokhorova.

While the City of Edmonton’s citizen and new arrival centre in city hall provides services in 150 languages, Bilash said research shows that “most people are still uncomfortable speaking their own language in public spaces.”

Bliash hopes the official announcement of International Mother Language Day in Edmonton——which echoes International Mother Language Day declared by UNESCO in 1999 —— will be a step toward encouraging more language diversity in order to preserve the cultures tied to them.

“Our words define us; our expressions and vocabulary define who we are as people,” said Marueen Kubinec, Alberta’s minister of culture and tourism. “Our words are living examples, perhaps the best that there are, of human creativity.”

【1】The example of the languages in Africa is given to show .

A．there’re many languages in Arica.

B．a great number of languages became extinct.

C．Africa believes in encouraging cultural diversity.

D．Africans are trying to save endangered languages.

【2】Both Bilash and Prokhorova stress the importance of .

A．mastering more than one foreign language.

B．public policy on Canadian traditions and customs.

C．protecting languages and cultures from extinction.

D．the official announcement of IMLD by UNESCO.

【3】What does the underlined word “echoes” in the text mean ?

A．Suggests. B．Creates.

C．Celebrates. D．Imitates.

【4】What can we learn from Kubinec’s words ?

A．Your language is your identity.

B．Native language is disappearing.

C．Alberta is rich in language diversity.

D．Language can be saved by creativity.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】D

【4】A

【解析】

试题分析：本丈是属于新闻报道类阅读。加拿大埃德蒙顿市宣布每年2月21日为该幸国际母语日。

【1】B.写作目的题。根据文章第五段For example, there are currently over 3,000 languages s........on the continent before colonization during the 19th century.非洲现在有3000多种语言，而在19世纪殖民地化之前存在一万多种语言，即很多语言己经消失了。本段内容承接上一段内容主要关于很多语言濒临灭绝。故B正确。

【2】C.细节理解题。根据第六段“People who lose their language experience suffering,”.....likened the loss of language to the loss of cultural identity.可知失去自己语言的名族经历着痛苦，而且语言没有了，相关的文化也没有了。在根据文章第七段和第九段可知，Bilash和Prokhorova都强调了保护语言和文化的重要性。故C正确。

【3】D.词义猜测题。联合国教科文组织于1999年成立国际母语日，如今加拿大埃德蒙顿市宣布 每年2月21日为该市国际母语日，此举是效仿联合国教科文组织的做法。故D正确。

【4】A.推理判断题。由最后一段“Our words define us; our expressions and vocabulary define who we are as people,”可知“一个人的语言就是一个人的身份”。故A正确。