Question

Spanish is No. 3 among the more than 5,000 languages spoken in the world today. Even English takes a back seat to Spanish with 330 million native speakers in the world, compared with 346 million of Spanish. In the United States, college students are flocking (聚集) to learn Spanish and major American book companies are publishing Spanish-language editions. In addition, many other American companies are increasingly selling their products through Spanish-language ads.

In spite of the popularity of Spanish, no one questions the continuing dominance (优势) of English in the United States.

Then what is the future of Spanish in this country? In general, the fate of immigrant (来自外国的) languages has been to flower and then disappear. Many experts say immigration only prolongs (延长) the process. Since large-scale Latin American immigration will not continue forever, they think Spanish in the United States will finally disappear.

The mixture of Spanish and English called “Spanglish” was considered by some as a brief stop on the road to the disappearance of Spanish. But Spanglish was blamed by Roberto González Echevarría, a leading literary critic at Yale University. He said, “Those who support Spanglish don’t realize that it is a Spanish invasion (侵略) of English.”

Other experts have argued that the mixing of languages and bilingualism (双语能力) are not two-way streets. In the case of the United States, Spanish speakers tend to become bilingual, but English speakers do not. When all the native Spanish speakers become bilingual, the need to speak Spanish tends to disappear.

It has happened before. German was once a popular language in the United States. However, German immigration then reduced and World War I caused anti-German feelings and English-only measures. Today, more than 45 million Americans claim their ancestry (祖先) as German, but only 1.5 million claim to speak the language.

However, there are reasons to believe Spanish will follow a different course from German. Strictly speaking, Spanish is not an immigrant language. It was here before English, its presence in North America preceding (在……之前) the founding of the United States. Spanish is the native language of Puerto Rico who are native U.S. citizens.

Additionally, Spanish has advantages German didn’t enjoy at the turn of the century. The size of the Spanish-speaking population worldwide, the communications revolution and the global economy mean there are more opportunities to use the language.

1.We can learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.

A. American book companies are required to publish Spanish editions

B. college students have to learn Spanish in America

C. Spanish has enjoyed popularity in America

D. Spanish has taken the place of English in America

2.According to the passage, Roberto González Echevarría probably agrees that _____.

A. Spanish will disappear soon

B. Spanglish shouldn’t be supported

C. Spanish speakers should become bilingual

D. Spanglish will prevent Spanish from disappearing

3.What is the future of Spanish in America according to the passage?

A. It will be remembered as an immigrant language.

B. It will be used to do business by most Americans.

C. It will continue to find a place in America.

D. It will be used by Puerto Ricans forever.

4.The author writes this passage to _____.

A. introduce the development of Spanish in America

B. show the popularity of Spanish in America

C. encourage people to speak Spanish

D. introduce the history of Spanish

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。介绍西班牙语在美国的发展。

1.推理判断gti。根据第一段中In the United States, college students are flocking (聚集) to learn Spanish and major American book companies are publishing Spanish-language editions. In addition, many other American companies are increasingly selling their products through Spanish-language ads可知，西班牙语在美国受欢迎。故选C。

2.推理判断题。根据第四段中But Spanglish was blamed by Roberto González Echevarría, a leading literary critic at Yale University. He said, “Those who support Spanglish don’t realize that it is a Spanish invasion (侵略) of English.可知，Roberto González Echevarría同意西班牙语不应该被支持。故选B。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段Additionally, Spanish has advantages German didn’t enjoy at the turn of the century. The size of the Spanish-speaking population worldwide, the communications revolution and the global economy mean there are more opportunities to use the language.可知，西班牙语将继续在美国找到一席之地。故选C。

4.目的意图题。根据第一段中In the United States, college students are flocking (聚集) to learn Spanish and major American book companies are publishing Spanish-language editions. In addition, many other American companies are increasingly selling their products through Spanish-language ads.和最后一段Additionally, Spanish has advantages German didn’t enjoy at the turn of the century. The size of the Spanish-speaking population worldwide, the communications revolution and the global economy mean there are more opportunities to use the language.

可知，作者的目的是为了介绍西班牙语在美国的发展。故选A。