Unit2Language当今社会，一个人会讲两种、三种语言已不再是什么稀奇的事。但你有没有思考过这样一个问题：世界上到底有多少种语言？读完下面的短文，你会大吃一惊。Whenpeopleareaskedhowmanylanguagestheythinkthereareintheworld，theanswersareverydifferent.OnerandomsamplingofNewYorkers，forinstance，resultedinanswerslike“probablyseveralhundred”．Howeverwechoosetocountthem，though，thisisnotclose.Whenwelookatreferenceworks，wefindestimatesthathaveescalatedovertime.The1911(11th)editionoftheEncyclopediaBritannica，forexample，suggestsafiguresomewherearound1，000，anumberthatclimbssteadilyoverthecourseofthetwentiethcentury.Thatisnotduetoanyincreaseinthenumberoflanguages，butrathertoourincreasedunderstandingofhowmanylanguagesareactuallyspokeninareasthathadpreviouslybeendescribed.Muchpioneeringworkinprovingthelanguagesoftheworldhasbeendonebymissionaryorganizations(suchastheSummerInstituteofLinguistics)withaninterestintranslatingtheChristianBible.Asof1997，atleastaportionoftheBiblehadbeentranslatedinto2，197differentlanguages，stillalongwayshortoffullcoverage.Themostextensivecatalogoftheworld'slanguages，generallytakentobeasauthoritativeasany，isthatoftheEthnologyorganization，whosedetailedclassifiedlistcurrentlyincludes6，809distinctlanguages.[阅读障碍词]1．random随机的，任意的2．sampling抽样3．estimate估计4．escalate上升5．Encyclopedia百科全书6．coverage覆盖范围7．catalog目录[诱思导读]根据短文内容，回答下列问题1．Whydoesthenumberoflanguagesclimbsteadilyoverthecourseofthetwentiethcentury?Becauseourunderstandingofthenumberoflanguagesincreasesconstantly.2．Whatistheauthoritativenumberoflanguages?6，809.SectionⅠReading(Ⅰ)(Welcometotheunit&Reading)Ⅰ.匹配下列单词的词性及汉语意思()1.occupyA．vt.替换，代替，取代()2.consistB．n.口音，腔调；着重点()3.contributionC．adv.因此，所以()4.replaceD．vt.占领；占用(时间、空间等)()5.entireE．n.过程；进程()6.raiseF．n.区别，差别()7.thereforeG．vi.组成，构成()8.processH．n.贡献，促成因素；捐赠()9.distinctionI．vt.养育，培养；举起；增加，提高；筹募；提及()10.accentJ．adj.完全的，整个的[答案]1－5DGHAJ6－10ICEFBⅡ.选择下列句中词组的汉语意思A．开始使用B．由……构成C．除了D．增加，添加E．担当F．代替，而不是1．Itmaddensmethatshewaschoseninsteadofme.2．Asidefrombeingfunandgoodexercise，swimmingisaveryusefulskill.3．Whendidthetraincomeintouse？4．Shedidn'twanttoworkasaservantforever.5．Theydon'twanttoaddtothegovernment'sburden.6．Iwantmyfirmtobemadeupofexcellentworkers.[答案]1－6FCAEDBEnglishanditshistoryAllthroughhistory，peoplefrommanydifferentcountriesandcultureshavelivedtogetherinBritain.TheEnglishlanguageismadeupofthegrammarandvocabulary(词汇)①thesepeoplebroughttoBritain．ThatiswhyEnglishhassomanydifficultrulesthatconfusepeople.英语及其历史有史以来，在不列颠共同生活着来自许多不同国家和文化背景的人们。英语就是由这些人带到不列颠的语法和词汇构成的。那就是英语有如此多令人困惑不解的规则的原因。[助读讲解]thesepeoplebroughttoBritain是定语从句，修饰先行词thegrammarandvocabulary，关系代词在定语从句中作宾语时可省略。OldEnglishOldEnglishisverydifferentfromtheEnglish②wespeaknowadays(现在，如今)．Infact，wewouldnotbeabletounderstanditifweheardittoday.Beforethemiddleofthe5thcentury，peopleinBritainallspokealanguage③calledCeltic．ThentwoGermanicgroupsfromtheEuropeanmainland—theAnglesandtheSaxons—occupiedBritain.OldEnglishconsistedofamixture(混合)oftheirlanguages.(Both...
