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situations广西2016 届六校第二次联考
A
Ong uyan madongo。
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 “ How are you?” 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, Hindi, English or Spanish
As a result, today there are many languages around the world that are spoken by no more than a few dozen elderly people. But some languages with many speakers are also at risk. Often, their children aren’t interested in working to learn the language and keep it alive.
Of all the places, he found, Papua New Guinea has the richest mix of languages. The island nation, only slightly larger than California, is home t0 4 million people – and more than 750 languages.
In the United States alone, 134 native American languages are endangered. Harrison says “language hotspots” exist allover 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.
21. The question “ Ong uyan madongo?” in Paragraph l is used to .
A. introduce a new foreign language
B. introduce the topic of the passage
C. show the difficulty to understand Matukar Panau
D. show the wide use of: How are you?” in daily life
22. The underlined word “ discard” in Paragraph 5 probably means .
A. pick up B. give up C. take up D. look up-_
23. The last paragraph implies that endangered languages .
A. are dying quickly in Siberia B. are popular in some special places
C. are a worldwide problem D. are some native tongues
24. The best title for the passage may be“——”，
A. Learning new native languages B. Finding some island languages
C. Recording endangered languages D. Saving disappearing tongues
B
When I was a kid, I loved to listen to my grandfather’s stories. I was fascinated by the difference of the world where he grew up compared to the world where I was born.
When I got older, I moved away from my home country, Italy, and I started travelling to many countries for study and work, such as India and Japan. However, still today, the few times a year I see my grandpa he tells me stories of his childhood and youth. I try every time to imagine and picture how it would have felt to live in the same time and place where he was when he was a kid.
A few years ago, while I was in the UK, my grandpa had an accident. Fortunately it was nothing too serious, but bad enough to make me realize that he wouldn’t be there forever. One day he will go away, with all the stories that I love to remember and that I would want my kids to know. I always believe that knowing the stories of our ancestors helps create personal identity and brings families together.
A recent article from The New York Times confirms this, showing scientific evidence of the importance of remembering and collecting the stories of the ancestors in creating a happier family. Click here if you are interested in reading the NYT article.
Back to our story. During my summer trip to Italy after my grandpa recovered from the accident, I felt the sudden urge to start collecting his stories. I first asked him to remember who our ancestors were, and which city or village they came from. I thus began my family tree, first from my dad, and then from my mom’s side. It was a great experience that felt like a treasure hunt.
25. Where does the author’s grandfather probably live?
A. In America. B. In the United Kingdom.
C． In Italy. D． In Japan.
26. When the adult author visited his grandfather，________．
A. he would recall the wonderful days of his childhood
B. His grandfather’s stories left him much room for imagination
C. he would draw a picture of where his grandfather lived.
D. He would encourage his grandfather to tell stories to hinrt。