专业八级分类模拟359（总分：100.10,做题时间：90分钟）一、READINGCOMPREHENS（（O^数：1,分数：100.00）SectionAInthissectionthereareseveralpassagesfollowedbyfourteenmultiple-choicequestions.Foreachmultiple-choicequestion,therearefoursuggestedanswersmarkedA,B,CandD.ChoosetheonethatyouthinkisthebestanswerandmarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEETTWO.PassageOneTherearearound6,000languagesintheworldtoday.AtleasttherewereuntilJanuaryof2001.ThenCarlosWestezdied.WestezwasthelastspeakerofthenativeAmericanlanguageCatawba.Withhimpassedawaythelanguageitself.ThedeathofWestezwasmournednotjustbyprofessionallinguists,butmoregenerallybyadvocatesofculturaldiversity.WritinginTheIndependentofLondon,PeterPophamwarnedthat"whenalanguagedies"welose"thepossibilityofauniquewayofperceivinganddescribingtheworld".WhatparticularlyworriespeoplelikePophamisthatmanyotherlanguagesarelikelytofollowthefateofCatawba.AoreisalanguagenativetooneoftheislandsofthePacificstateofVanuatu.Whentheisland"ssingleinhabitantdies,sowillthelanguage.Ironically,thestatusofGafat,anEthiopianlanguagespokenbyfewerthan30people,hasbeenmademoreprecariousthankstotheeffortsoflinguistsattemptingtopreserveit.Alanguageresearchertooktwospeakersoutoftheirnativeland,whereupontheycaughtcoldanddied.Ofthe6,000extantlanguagesintheworld,morethan3,000willdisappearoverthenextcentury.LinguistJeanAitchesonbelievesthat"thismassivedisappearanceofsomanylanguageswillbeanirretrievableloss".Pophamcomparesthislosstothe"deathofuntoldspeciesofplantsandinsects"fromrainforestdestruction.Warningofthe"impactofahomogenizingmonocultureuponourwayoflife,"heworriesaboutthe"spreadofEnglishcarriedbyAmericanculture,deliveredbyJapanesetechnology"andthe"hegemonyofafewgreattransnationallanguages.Chinese,Spanish,Russian,Hindi."Yetthewholepointofalanguageistoenablecommunication.Alanguagespokenbyonepersonisnotalanguageatall.Itisaprivateconceit,likeachild"ssecretcode.CarlosWestezmightwellhavehad"auniquewayofperceivingtheworld,"butitwassouniquethatonlyhehadaccesstoit.HoweverhappyWestezmighthavebeentalkingtohimself,toeveryoneelseintheworldhemayaswellhavebeentalkinggibberish.Itis,ofcourse,enrichingtolearnotherlanguagesanddelveintoothercultures.Butitisenrichingnotbecausedifferentlanguagesandculturesareunique,butbecausemakingcontactacrossbarriersoflanguageandcultureallowsustoexpandourownhorizonsandbecomemoreuniversalinouroutlook.Culturalhomogenizationissomethingtobewelcomed,notfeared.Themoreuniversallywecancommunicate,themoredynamicourculturewillbe.ItisnotbeingparochialtobelievethatthemorepeopletospeakEnglish—orSpanish,Chinese,orHindi—thebetteritwouldbe.Therealchauvinistsaresurelythosewhoworryaboutthespreadof"Americanculture"and"Japanesetechnology".Theideathatparticularlanguagesembodyuniquevisionsoftheworldderivesfromtheromanticconceptofculturaldifference,aconceptthatunderliesmuchofcontemporarythinkingaboutmulticulturalism."Eachnationspeaksinthemanneritthinks,"JohannGottfriedvonHerderarguedinthe18thcentury,"andthinksinthemanneritspeaks."ForHerderthenatureofapeoplewasexpressedthroughitsVolksgeist——theunchangingspiritofapeoplerefinedthroughhistory.Languagewasparticularlycrucialtothedelineationofapeople,because"initdwellsitsentireworldoftradition,history,religion,principlesofexistence;itswholeheartandsoul."Herder"sVolksgeistbecametransformedintoracialmakeup,anunchangingsubstance,thefoundation...
