Question

【題目】Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Science fiction often presents us with planets that speak a single language. However,【1】 humans can express themselves in several thousand languages is a delight. Few would welcome the loss of this variety, and, along with it, a multiplicity of nations and cultures.

Unfortunately, the days 【2】 English shares the planet with thousands of other languages are numbered. A traveler to the future is likely to notice two things about the language landscape of Earth. One, there will be vastly fewer languages. Two, languages will be 【3】 (complicated) than they are today.

By 2115, it’s possible that only about 600 languages will be left on the planet as opposed to today’s 6,000. Too often, colonization has led to the disappearance of languages: Native speakers are punished 【4】 using their own languages. Urbanization has only furthered the destruction by bringing people away from their homelands to cities where a single language dominates.

In addition, it is easy for speakers to associate larger languages with opportunities and smaller ones with backwardness. Consequently, people stop passing on smaller languages to their children.

There are diligent efforts 【5】 (keep) endangered languages from dying. Sadly, few are likely to lead to communities’ 【6】 (raise) children in the languages, which is the only way the languages exist as their full selves.

Instead, many communities create new versions of the languages, with smaller vocabularies and simpler grammar. The Irish Gaelic (蓋爾語) proudly spoken by today’s English-Gaelic bilinguals is an example, something that one might call a “New Gaelic.”

Linguists have no single term yet for these new speech varieties, 【7】 from Germany’s “Kiezdeutsch” to Singapore’s “Singlish,” the world is witnessing the birth of more optimized versions of old languages. This simplification should not be taken as a sign of decline. All of the “optimized” languages remain full languages in every sense of the term.

We 【8】 regret the eclipse of a world where 6,000 different languages 【9】 (speak), but fortunately, it seems a decent amount of linguistic diversity will be preserved. Besides, 【10】 languages become easier to pick up, the future may promise even more mutual comprehension.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】that

【2】when

【3】less complicated

【4】for

【5】to keep

【6】raising

【7】but

【8】may / might

【9】are spoken

【10】as / when/ if

【解析】

這是一篇說明文。文章指出英語和其他成千上萬種語言共享地球的日子已經(jīng)屈指可數(shù)了。一個前往未來的旅行者可能會注意到關(guān)于地球語言景觀的兩件事。第一，語言將大大減少。第二，語言會比現(xiàn)在更簡單。并說明了世界上語言的消亡情況，以及人們?yōu)槭篂l危語言不至于消亡，所做出的不懈的努力。

【1】

考查連接詞。句意：然而，人類可以用幾千種語言來表達自己是一件令人高興的事。本句為主語從句，從句中不缺少成分，故用that引導。故填that。

【2】

考查定語從句。句意：不幸的是，英語和其他成千上萬種語言共享地球的日子已經(jīng)屈指可數(shù)了。此處為定語從句修飾先行詞days，且先行詞在從句中作時間狀語，故用關(guān)系副詞when。故填when。

【3】

考查比較級。句意：第二，語言不像現(xiàn)在這么復雜。結(jié)合句意可知，表示“不那么復雜”應(yīng)用形容詞比較級less complicated。故填less complicated。

【4】

考查介詞。句意：母語使用者會因為使用自己的語言而受到懲罰。表示“因……受到懲罰”短語為be punished for。故填for。

【5】

考查非謂語動詞。句意：為使瀕危語言不至于消亡，我們做出了不懈的努力。分析句子結(jié)構(gòu)可知，keep在句中應(yīng)用非謂語動詞形式，且本句中作目的狀語應(yīng)用不定式。故填to keep。

【6】

考查非謂語動詞。句意：可悲的是，很少會導致社區(qū)用這些語言來養(yǎng)育孩子，這是語言作為完整自我存在的唯一方式。分析句子結(jié)構(gòu)可知raise在句中應(yīng)用非謂語動詞形式，且根據(jù)上文communities’為名詞所有格，可知此處為動名詞作賓語。故填raising。

【7】

考查連詞。句意：語言學家還沒有一個專門的詞匯來形容這些新的語言變體，但是從德國的“Kiezdeutsch”到新加坡的“Singlish”，全世界都在見證著古老語言的優(yōu)化版本的誕生。結(jié)合句意可知前后文為轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系，故用連詞but。故填but。

【8】

考查情態(tài)動詞。句意：我們可能會為6000種不同語言的世界消失而感到遺憾，但幸運的是，相當數(shù)量的語言多樣性將得到保護。結(jié)合句意可知表示“可能”，應(yīng)用情態(tài)動詞may或might。故填may / might。

【9】

考查動詞時態(tài)語態(tài)。句意同上。此處主語與謂語動詞構(gòu)成被動關(guān)系，且根據(jù)后文seems可知為一般現(xiàn)在時，主語為languages，謂語動詞用復數(shù)形式。故填are spoken。

【10】

考查連接詞。句意：此外，如果語言變得更容易學習/當語言變得更容易掌握時，未來可能會有更多的相互理解。本句可理解為時間狀語從句，表示“當……時候”用as或when引導；也可理解為條件狀語從句，表示“如果”用if引導。故填as / when /if。