Question

    The late president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to a man in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

Mandela understood that our mother language is a very close thing to us. For people who speak their mother language, it helps them keep their traditions. Their language is the bridge with their ancestors (祖先). And it is also how they think about the future.

So it's a serious thing that a language disappears (消失). Over the last century, more than 400 languages have died out. Some languages are now spoken only by a few people, like Yagan in Chile. Africa and South America are also places where many languages are imperiled (处于危险的).

Why are humans speaking fewer languages than we once did? The answer has something to do with globalization (全球化). Nowadays, it's more useful to speak certain languages—English is one example. This has killed some languages, usually ones spoken by fewer people.

The United Nations has set Feb 21 as International Mother Language Day. This work is very important. As US writer Rita Mae Brown wrote, “Language is the map of the culture. It tells where its people come from and where they are going”.

1.How does the writer introduce (介绍，引入) the topic?

A.By using a famous person’s words. B.By asking difficult questions.

C.By giving good examples. D.By explaining special things.

2.According to Nelson Mandela, a man’s mother language _____________.

A.doesn’t go to his head B.can’t explain things better

C.carries certain feelings D.helps talk to their ancestors

3.Which is the most suitable (适合的) place in the passage for the sentence, “But some people aren’t prepared to accept the earth with fewer and fewer languages”?

A.At the beginning of Paragraph 2 B.At the beginning of Paragraph 3

C.At the beginning of Paragraph 4 D.At the beginning of Paragraph 5

4.What can we infer (推断) from the passage?

A.The US writer Rita Mae Brown does not agree with Nelson Mandela.

B.The United Nations wants people to care more about dying languages.

C.People in Chile do not speak their mother languages any more.

D.There will be more and more languages in the world soon.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】

文章大意：这是一篇社会文化类阅读，主要介绍每年的2月21日是国际母语日。随着全球化的发展，很多种语言已经消失了。联合国为了唤起濒危语言的注意，而设定的这个节日．语言是一种文化的路线图，它告诉人们从哪里来，到哪里去。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段“The late president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to a man in his own language, that goes to his heart.” 南非已故总统纳尔逊·曼德拉曾经说过：“如果你用一种他能听懂的语言和一个人交谈，那是他的想法。如果你用他自己的语言和一个男人说话，那是他的心声。可知，作者引用名人的话介绍文中的主旨。故答案为A。

2.细节理解题。第一段“If you talk to a man in a language he understands， that goes to his head． If you talk to a man in his own language， that goes to his heart．”如果你用一个人懂得语言去和他说话，那你的话会进入他的脑海，如果你用他自己的语言和他说话，那你的话会进入他的心里。第二段“Mandela understood that our mother language is a very intimate （亲近的） thing to us”曼德拉明白我们的母语对我们来说是一件非常亲密的事情。可知，一个人的母语带有一定的感情。故答案为C。

3.推理判断题。根据第五段第一句，“The United Nations has set Feb 21 as International Mother Language Day.” 联合国将2月21日定为国际母语日。可知，“But some people aren’t prepared to accept the earth with fewer and fewer languages” 但是有些人不愿意接受地球上语言越来越少。这句话在文章中在第5段的开头最合适，故答案为D。

4.主旨大意题。通读全文，尤其最后一段“The United Nations has set Feb 21 as International Mother Language Day. This work is very important. As US writer Rita Mae Brown wrote, “Language is the map of the culture. It tells where its people come from and where they are going”. 联合国将2月21日定为国际母语日。这项工作很重要。正如美国作家丽塔·梅·布朗所写：“语言是文化的地图。它告诉人们从哪里来，到哪里去。可知，联合国希望人们更加关心正在消亡的语言。故答案为B。