As more and more people speak the global languages of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000--7,000 languages spoken around the world today will likely die out by the next century, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars from a number of organizations--UNESCO and National Geographic among them--have for many years been documenting dying languages and the cultures they reflect.
Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Centre Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following in that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi with an Ethnolinguistic Introduction to the Speakers and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, working, and raising a family in a village in Nepal.
Documenting the Thangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayan reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not content to simply record these voices before they disappear without record.
At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials-including photographs, films, tape recordings, and field notes--which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection.
Now, through the two organizations that he has founded–the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project--Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, for the world available not just to scholars but to the younger generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected. Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet, Turin notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.Many scholars are making efforts to ______.
| A．promote global languages |
| B．set up language research organizations. |
| C．search for language communities |
| D．rescue disappearing languages |
What does “that tradition’ in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Telling stories about language users |
| B．Writing books on language teaching. |
| C．Having full records of the languages |
| D．Living with the native speaker. |
What is Turin’s book based on?
| A．The cultual studies |
| B．The documents available at Yale. |
| C．His language research in Bhutan. |
| D．His personal experience in Nepal. |
Which of the following best describe Turin’s work?
| A．Write, sell and donate. |
| B．Collect, protect and reconnect. |
| C．Record, repair and reward. |
| D．Design, experiment and report. |
Do you want to go out of town for a bit of rest and relaxation? Before you start packing, visit these best travel sites for vacationers. In my opinion, they help people deal with common problems that pop up during a trip.
Oyster.com
Based on the advertised photos, the hotel you are considering appears to be clean and modern. Take a second look through the eyes of Oyster.com. Their representatives inspect resort areas and post the real images uncovering marketing lies. You see ACTUAL pictures of the rooms, attractions and beautiful beaches.
Skyscanner.net
Are you planning to travel on a budget? Discover the best deals for flights, hotels and car rentals at Skyscanner.net. They offer reasonable and comprehensive travel comparison. The best part is that their services are free. You don’t have to sign up, provide personal information or go through a social network.
Virtualtourist.com
Chat with someone other than a travel agent about a location. At Virtualtourist.com, fellow travelers and locals talk about their experiences in specific areas. This site is set up like a forum(论坛), so you can ask questions and get answers in the comfort of your own home. Find out where to eat, play and get pleasure in a place without getting food poison or robbed by criminals.
Travel.state.gov
Unfortunately, Americans get into trouble abroad sometimes. Prepare for possible emergencies by visiting Travel.state.gov. There, the Bureau of Consular Affairs offers advice on how to handle the bad things that happen to good people in other countries. You learn what to do in the case of child abduction(绑架), a lost passport and illness. In addition, these officials post travel warnings regarding dangerous regions and why foreigners should avoid them.
Are you ready to do your homework? Prepare for your departure by checking out these best travel sites for vacationers. Learn what you need to know now before walking out of the door.What is the characteristic of Oyster.com?
| A．It offers you a lot of travel information. |
| B．It tells tourists where the cheap hotels are. |
| C．The photos on the site are really reliable. |
| D．The representatives of Oyster.com are enthusiastic. |
What is the biggest benefit of your visiting Skyscanner.net?
| A．You can accept their services for free. |
| B．You can book the most modern hotels. |
| C．You can make many friends through the social network. |
| D．You can find the cheapest tour description and direction. |
We can learn from this passage that _____.
| A．Virtualtourist.com gives you a chance to chat with a travel agent |
| B．you’ll get answers to your travel questions at Virtualtourist.com |
| C．the Bureau of Consular Affairs is in charge of Travel.state.gov |
| D．if you lose your passport you’ll get help from Virtualtourist.com |
Everyone knows that the French are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Or do they? Are these just stereotypes or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail?
At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs (实业家) in the UK found that 70 percent felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public.
Britain is hostile to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy (嫉妒) . As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood”. Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green-eyed monster” and the UK is its home. Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money. Some were given a little, others a great deal. Those given a little money were given the chance to destroy the large amounts of money given to others—but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.
This seems to prove the entrepreneurs were right to complain. But there is also conflicting evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently reported that the UK was now the world’s fourth largest economy .That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either.
“It’s not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a Professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems arrogant (傲慢) or unfair or which separates them from their roots .”
Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem. They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them. It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were friendlier, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.What does the underlined “it” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．One group of people | B．A great survey |
| C．A nation | D．National character |
Most entrepreneurs surveyed believe that.
| A．the British public are hardworking |
| B．they are not popular simply because they are successful |
| C．love of success is Britain’s national character |
| D．they are considered as “green-eyed monsters” |
What does the result of the Warwich University test show ?
| A．Most people would rather fail than see others succeed |
| B．Two thirds of the people tested didn’t love money |
| C．An imaginary amount of money does not attract people |
| D．Most people are willing to enjoy success with others |
The writer of the passage seems to suggest that .
| A．jealousy is Britain’s national character |
| B．British entrepreneurs are not fairly treated |
| C．the British dislike the entrepreneurs because they do not behave properly |
| D．the scientists at Warwich University did a successful test |
When it comes to feeling better about yourself，nothing will help you like healthy eating.Controlling what you eat is a big factor (因素) in how you look and feel.If you think about it，so much of how we behave，how we feel，and how our bodies perform is based on what we put into them.
The old saying “You Are What You Eat” is actually true.The problem is that a lot of mainstream diet books you might find in your local bookstore or online are trying to sell you diet plans that don’t work and that might even make you sick.
Healthy eating is great for your body.It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.Many people don’t realize just how good healthy food is for them.By eating great foods that are natural and healthy，you can lose weight.You can also have a lot more energy.So you shouldn’t just think of healthy eating as a way to burn fat，but you should also think of it as a way to get your life back in order.
You can spend more time with your family and get more work done because you will have more energy.You will be impressed by how much better you’ll feel by putting nutritious，natural foods into your body.Your look will be better.You’ll have more energy，and you’ll be happier.
The important thing to remember when it comes to eating healthy is to not fall for any tricks.There are a lot of people out there looking to make quick money.They will tell you just something so they can sell a book or a video.What you need is to trust a diet plan that is right for your body.Educate yourself about your own body type.Find out what kinds of foods are best for you.If the diet book you trust doesn’t teach you these important factors，then you might be reading bad information.In the author’s opinion, if you want to feel better about yourself, you should________.
| A．keep taking exercises every day |
| B．avoid an unhealthy diet |
| C．try to lose weight |
| D．make a diet plan |
By saying that “You Are What You Eat” in Paragraph 2，the author means________.
| A．healthy food is important |
| B．everyone has to live on food |
| C．not all diet books are good for us |
| D．what we eat provides more energy than we need |
The natural and healthy eating can NOT________.
| A．help one lose weight |
| B．burn fat in one’s body |
| C．decrease one’s energy |
| D．make one’s life regularized |
According the passage, a good diet book should be one ________.
| A．that help you enjoy food |
| B．that is popular among people |
| C．that helps you choose suitable foods |
| D．that supplies much information |
The purpose of this passage is to________.
| A．describe a good diet book |
| B．teach people how to make diet plans |
| C．list the advantage and disadvantage of eating |
| D．show the importance of healthy eating and some tricks in eating |
It was the beginning of the school year a few years ago and I had a little boy in my class who came from a nonEnglish speaking home. He was very quiet and shy. I wasn’t sure how much he understood during the school day and I was especially concerned that he just stood by himself at break time and did not play.If I tried to talk to him，he would turn away and tightly shut his eyes to hide from me.
After a day or two of this，I decided to seek the help from one of my outgoing and friendly little girls.I called her over and she ran to me，ready to help.
I immediately began a long speech about what I needed from her.I asked her if she would try to get him to play，and I started talking quickly about all these suggestions on how she could start communicating with him. I explained she could do this，she could do that，she could try this idea，she could try that idea.She touched my arm to stop my talking and looked up at me in that wise and special way that only a sixyearold can，and said，“Don’t worry.I speak kid.” And she ran off.
I stood there all alone，silently watching her.It took less than a minute for the two new friends to run off，hand in hand，happily joining a game of tag (捉人游戏) taking place all over the gym.
I often think of that small moment，about what I learned and how important it is for all teachers to speak kid—big kid，little kid and middle kid.I know my focus must be on teaching students how to think，how to approach problems，and how to figure out solutions and teaching them never to let the_opportunity away.We must be ready to learn from our students because those “teachable moments” during the school days are for us，the teachers，as well as our kids.Why did the author worry about the boy?
| A．He didn’t dare to look at the author in the eyes. |
| B．He couldn’t speak English as well as other students. |
| C．He failed to understand what the author taught. |
| D．He was unwilling to communicate with others. |
By saying “I speak kid”，the girl meant that she could________.
| A．speak the language that kids understand |
| B．speak the boy’s native language |
| C．know what kids want to say |
| D．speak well like a little kid |
The underlined words “the opportunity” refer to the chance to________.
| A．play at break time | B．learn from students |
| C．solve problems | D．speak kid |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Gold will shine everywhere. |
| B．Children are more friendly than adults. |
| C．Teachers’ thoughts are different from students’． |
| D．You learn something every day if you pay attention. |
Sept. 5, 2011
| 2:30 AM |
Save My Planet (Repeat) Learn how to keep electronics out of rubbish; a man that changes old shipping containers into homes; a community in Costa Rica that does well in eco-tourism. |
| 3:00AM |
Mary Talks Money (Repeat, TVPG) Tips on lending money to family and friends. |
| 4:00 AM |
Mirror Mirror Thrift How to find the best deals in thrift stores (二手店); commonly asked beauty questions, breaking fashion rules. |
| 4:30 AM |
Home with Lisa Quinn Mixing traditional and modern design elements (元素); how to style impressive food; creating a comfortable home. |
| 5:00 AM |
Say Ahh (Repeat) The hosts discuss the causes of heart disease, its diagnosis, and the treatments for those with the disease. |
| 6:30 AM |
Everyday Living Quick beauty tips; protect yourself from money problems; the four most common parenting mistakes. |
| 7:00 AM |
My Green House Jesse looks into global warming; Andy talks about sustainable (可持续的) cleaning; an eco-friendly supply store. |
| 7:30 AM |
Advice for Life (Repeat) Can you save your father from himself Starting over at 60? Laughter really is the best medicine. |
＊TVPG: Programs for children with parents’ guidance According to the text, Save My Planet is mainly about _____.
| A．science development | B．international tourism |
| C．environmental protection | D．ways to build homes |
Which of the following content can’t children watch alone?
| A．Tips on lending money to family and friends. |
| B．The four most common parenting mistakes. |
| C．Commonly asked beauty questions. |
| D．Creating a comfortable home. |
Which of the following programs may help you deal with money problems?
| A．Advice for Life. |
| B．Home with Lisa Quinn. |
| C．Say Ahh. |
| D．Everyday Living. |
If you want to know Andy’s idea about cleaning, you should watch at _____.
| A．4:00 AM | B．7:00 AM | C．4:30 AM | D．7:30 AM |