Module4LanguagesoftheWorldEndangeredlanguagesWhatisanendangeredlanguage?Endangeredlanguagesarelanguagesthatareonthebrinkofextinction,muchlikeendangeredspeciesofplantsoranimals.Languagesareconsideredtobenearlyextinctwhenonlyafewelderlyspeakersarestillliving.Theworldfacesenormouschallengesinmaintaininglanguagediversity(多样性)．Ofthemorethan6,800languages,halfmaybeindangerofdisappearinginthenextseveraldecades.Andatleast10%oftheworld'slivinglanguagesarenowspokenbyfewerthan100people.Whydolanguagesdie?Someoftheforcesthatcontributetolanguagelossaretheimpactofurbanization(都市化)，Westernization,globalcommunication,discrimination,war,disease,hungerandpopulationmovements.Theseforcesdiminishtheself-sufficiency(自负)andselfconfidenceofsmallandtraditionalcommunities.Asaresult,parentsdonotpasstheirlanguagetotheirchildrenbecausetheyfeelthatspeakingthemajoritylanguagebetterequipstheirchildrenforsuccessinthemajorityculturethanspeakingtheirownlanguage.Whytrytopreserveendangeredlanguages?Wouldn'ttheworldbesimpleriftherewerefewerlanguages?Whycareiflanguagesdieout?Thetruthisthatapeople'sidentityandculturearecloselytiedtotheirlanguage.Eachlanguageisunique.Nooneknowswhatrichesmaybehiddenwithinanendangeredlanguage.Wemayneverlearnaboutthecultureswhoselanguageshavedisappeared.Weallsharetheresponsibilityofensuringthatnolanguagewilldisappearandthatasmanylanguagesaspossiblewillbemaintainedandhandedtofuturegenerations.1．Theworldnowhas________languages，________ofwhichareindanger,andatleast________ofthemonlyhavelessthan________nativespeakers.2．Urbanization,Westernization,globalcommunication，________，war，________，________andpopulationmovementsleadtothedisappearingoflanguages.3．Wecanlearnabouta________and________throughitslanguage.【答案】1.morethan6,800；half；10%；1002．discrimination；disease；hunger3.people'sidentity；cultureSectionⅠReading(Introduction&ReadingandVocabulary)Ⅰ.词义搭配1．overtakeA．makelarger2．expandB．whatseemslikelytohappen；futureprospects3．trendC．comeorcatchupwith4．outlookD．generaltendencyordirection【答案】1.C2.A3.D4.BⅡ.用下列短语的适当形式填空bebasedon；moreorless；apartfrom；underthecontrolof；inadditionto1．____________somespellingmistakes,thecompositionisfairlygood.2．____________thekilledandwounded,manyweremissing.3．Ittook____________awholedaytopainttheceiling.4．Doyoureallythinkenjoymentshould__________others'pain?5．Allschoolsare____________theMinistryofEducation.【答案】1.Apartfrom2.Inadditionto3.moreorless4.bebasedon5.underthecontrolofⅠ.阅读P44－45课文内容，判断正(T)误(F)1．Englishisspokenwiththebiggestpopulationintheworld.()2．TheUKhasthelargestnumberofnativeEnglishspeakers.()3．750millionisthetotalnumberofpeoplewhospeakEnglishasafirstorsecondlanguage.()4．PortuguesewasonlyspokeninPortugalwhenitwasunderthecontrolofSpain.()5．IndonesianisthesamewithMalay.()【答案】1.F2.F3.T4.T5.FⅡ.阅读P44－45课文内容，完成下面表格Putonghua—morethanonebillionChinese1.________，orputonghua,togiveitsrealname,isspokenbythevast2.________ofthepopulationofChina.English—750millionItis3.________thatmorethan375millionpeoplespeakEnglishasafirstlanguage,withpossiblyanother375millionspeakingitasasecondlanguage.Hindustani—nearly500millionItis4.________thatthepopulationofIndiacouldoneday5.________thepopulationofChina.Russian—277millionTherearealsotwomillionRussianspeakersintheUSA,6.________600,000inNewYork.Arabic—256million7.________，becauseArabicisthelanguageoftheKoran，millionsofMuslimsinothercountriesspeakitaswell.Bengali—215millionFor8.________，about100,000BengalispeakersliveandworkintheMiddleEast.Portuguese—194millionWhenPortugalgainedindependence,theuseofPortuguese9.________allovertheworld.French—129millionOftencalledthemostromanticlanguageintheworld,Frenchusedtobethelanguageof10.________.【答案】1.Mandarin2.majority3.estimated4．predicted5.overtake6.including7.Furthermore8.instance9.expanded10.diplomatsⅢ.阅读P44课文内容，完成课文缩写Thelanguagewiththemost1.________speakersisspokeninthecountrywiththebiggestpopulation.ChineseMandarin,orputonghua,togiveititsrealname,isspokenbythevast2.________ofthepopulationofChina.Althoughthe3.________ofChinahavetheirownlanguages,Chineseputonghuaisthe4.________commonlanguage.5.________calleditMandarin,asitwasthelanguageusedbythe6.________mandarins,orofficials.Chineseputonghuaisoneofthesix7.________languagesoftheUnitedNations.【答案】1.native2.majority3.ethnicminorities4．national5.Westerners6.imperial7.official
