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 (處于危險的).

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 (介紹，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 (適合的) 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 (推斷) 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