Gregory Anderson, a specialist on endangered languages, once said, "Language is in many ways a window to the mind. What these languages contain are all kinds of ways that we organize the world. Languages reflect a different historical contact with other groups. And, for people who have no written history, language can be one of the ways to get the history just by looking carefully at the different parts in the language."
However, over half of the world's seven thousand languages are in danger of disappearing, and every two weeks one language disappears. One of the most endangered languages is called Siletz Dee-ni, a language from the northwestern part of the United States.
It was spoken on the Siletz reservation (居留地), where the tribe lives on a protected area within the state of Oregon. The reservation was created in the 19th century to hold people from 27 different native groups. The groups spoke different languages, so they developed Chinook Jargon. With its increased use as well as the use of English, the number of people speaking their native languages became smaller. Today, only one person on the reservation speaks Siletz Dee-ni.
Bringing back endangered languages is not easy, but it is very important. One example of this is taking place in the American state of Hawaii. Hawaii became a part of the United States in 1898. English became the official language of Hawaii. Slowly, fewer and fewer young natives learned to speak Hawaiian fluently. The language began to disappear.
In 1986, fewer than fifty children in Hawaii could speak their native language. That same year, the language ban (禁令) was removed because of strong disagreements from native groups. The Hawaiian language began to be taught again in schools. Today, about 2,000 children speak Hawaiian. Also, families now speak Hawaiian with their children at home. Anyway, it is up to the children to keep the language alive.The author wrote the first paragraph to ________.
| A．tell us that many languages are disappearing |
| B．tell us the importance of language |
| C．encourage us to be interested in studying language |
| D．tell us the characteristics of language |
The underlined part "Chinook Jargon" in the third paragraph must be ________.
| A．a hand sign | B．a language |
| C．a language school | D．a language textbook |
After Hawaii became an American state, ________.
| A．its culture was completely mixed with the American culture |
| B．all Hawaiian people got interested in learning English |
| C．Hawaiian was forbidden to be taught in the local schools |
| D．Hawaiian people created another language of their own |
From the last paragraph we can infer that _________.
| A．Hawaiian will become the official language in Hawaii soon |
| B．protecting the Hawaiian language is the biggest concern of the local people |
| C．parents play the most important role in protecting the Hawaiian language |
| D．more Hawaiian people have realized the value of their own language |
LowCost Gifts for Mother’s Day
Gift No.1
Offer to be your mother’s health friend.Promise to be there for any and all doctor’s visits whether a disease or a regular medical checkup.Most mothers always say “no need，” but another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor’s visit.The best part? This one is free.
Gift No.2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records，which include the test results and medical information.Put them all in one place.Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them.“Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother’s life，” Dr.Marie Savard said.
Gift No.3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions.“Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep，”Savard said.“We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”
Gift No.4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother’s Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构)．Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things －many of which are“green”－and then choose a meaningful charity from a list.When your mother gets the gift，she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor’s visits?
| A．Take notes. | B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. | D．Give her gifts. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
| A．In Gift No.1. | B．In Gift No.2. |
| C．In Gift No.3. | D．In Gift No.4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to________.
| A．enjoy good sleep | B．be wellorganized |
| C．get extra support | D．give others help |
The National Gallery
Description：
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London.It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13thcentury religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh.The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance
Layout：
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13thto 15thcentury paintings，and artists include Duccio，Uccello，Van Eyck，Lippi，Mantegna，Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16thcentury paintings，and artists include Leonardo da Vinci，Cranach，Michelangelo，Raphael，Bruegel，Bronzino，Titian and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17thcentury paintings，and artists include Caravaggio，Rubens，Poussin，Van Dyck，Veláazquez，Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18thto early 20thcentury paintings，and artists include Canaletto，Goya，Turner，Constable，Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours：
The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10am to 9pm) and is free，but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There：
Nearest underground stations：Charing Cross (2minute walk)，Leicester Square (3minute walk)，Embankment (7minute walk)，and Piccadilly Circus (8minute walk)．In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?
| A．The 13th. | B．The 17th. |
| C．The 18th. | D．The 20th. |
Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?
| A．In the East Wing. |
| B．In the main West Wing. |
| C．In the Sainsbury Wing. |
| D．In the North Wing. |
Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?
| A．Embankment. | B．Leicester Square. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Charing Cross. |
About 30 years ago，I left Cuba for the United States with my son.After getting settled finally in Brunswick，New Jersey，I enrolled(注册) my son in kindergarten.Several weeks later，my son’s teacher asked me to meet him at his office.
In the teacher’s office，and exchange of greetings was followed by his questions：“Is your son mentally retarded(弱智的)？Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability？”
Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? NO，no，it can’t be.What a helpless，lonely moment！I told him that Scola was a quiet，sweet little boy，instead.I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.
My son could not follow the teacher’s directions，he told me，and thus，Scola was disrupting the class，Didn’t he know my son did not speak English yet?
He was angry；“Why hasn’t your son been taught to speak English? Don’t you speak English at home？”
No，I didn’t speak English at home，I replied.I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months，and I didn’t want him to forget his native language.Well，wrong answer！What kind of person would not speak in English to her son at home and at all times? “Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and send them back to their country，never wanting to be a part of this society？”
Needless to say，I tried to tell him I was not one of “those people”．Then he told me the meeting was over，and I left.
As I had expected，my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over.He went on to graduate from college and got a job，earning close to six figures.He travels widely and leads a welladjusted，contented life.And he has benefited from being bilingual(双语的)。
Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others；it teaches people about other cultures and other places—something very basic and obviously lacking in the“educator”I met in New Jersey.The teacher asked the author to his office________.
| A．to discuss Scola’s inclass performance |
| B．to get Scola enrolled in kindergarten |
| C．to find a language partner for Scola |
| D．to work out a study plan for Scola |
What does the underlined word“disrupting” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Breaking | B．Following |
| C．Attending | D．Disturbing |
The author’s attitude towards being bilingual may best be described as________.
A．critical B．casual
C．positive D passiveThis text is likely to be selected from a book of________.
A．medicine B．education
C．geography D history
The light from the campfire brightened the darkness，but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones.It was a strange place.Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare.They liked camping，but not near this swamp.
“So，”Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals.“How did this place get its name? ”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story，”warned Jack.
“Of course！”cried out Tom.“If there were anything to be scared of，you wouldn’t have chosen this place！”
“Ok，but don’t say I didn’t warn you，” said Jack，and he began his tale.
“Way back in time，a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here.He built that cottage over there to live in.In those days，the area looked quite different—it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystalclear river.After three hard years，Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops.He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land，’warned one old man.‘The land is a living thing.It will hit back at you if you abuse it.’”
“‘Silly fool，’said Dennis to himself.‘If I clear more land，I can grow more crops.I’ll become wealthier.He’s just jealous！’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees.Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed.He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door.He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land.He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened？”Martin asked.It was growing colder.He trembled，twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back—just as the old man warned，”Jack shrugged.“Dennis disappeared.Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater.His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story，”laughed Tom.“Plants can’t...”Before he had finished speaking，he screamed and fainted(晕倒)．The other two boys jumped up with fright，staring at Tom.Suddenly，they burst out laughing.Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face.It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.The underlined word “dare”in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to________.
| A．courage | B．assistance |
| C．instruction | D．challenge |
Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?
| A．To frighten them. |
| B．To satisfy their curiosity. |
| C．To warn them of the danger of the place. |
| D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp. |
Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?
| A．The old man envied him. |
| B．The old man was foolish |
| C．He was too busy to listen to others. |
| D．He was greedy for more crops. |
Why did Tom scream and faint?
| A．He saw Dennis’s shadow. |
| B．He was scared by a plant. |
| C．His friends played a joke on him. |
| D．The weather became extremely cold. |
What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?
| A．Grasp all，lose all. |
| B．No sweat，no sweet. |
| C．It is no use crying over spilt milk. |
| D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head，according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收缩) and pumping blood around their bodies，compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed.Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event，depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said：“Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces.Dr Garfinkel said，“The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed.Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see－and guide whether we see fear.”
To further understand this relationship，the scientists also used a brain scanner(扫描仪) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.
“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear，”Dr Garfinkel said.
“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced，we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders，and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”What is the finding of the study?
| A．One’s heart affects how he feels fear. |
| B．Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat. |
| C．Fear has something to do with one’s health. |
| D．One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear. |
The study was carried out by analyzing________.
| A．volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures |
| B．the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions |
| C．volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans |
| D．different pictures shown to volunteers and their heartbrain communication |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to“mechanism” in Paragraph 6?
| A．Order. | B．System. |
| C．Machine. | D．Treatment. |
This study may contribute to________.
| A．treating anxiety and stress better |
| B．explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety |
| C．finding the key to the heartbrain communication |
| D．understanding different fears in our hearts and heads |