A
Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years，but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going.When the world was still populated by huntergatherers，small，tightly knit(联系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other.Some language experts believe that 10，000 years ago，when the world had just five to ten million people，they spoke perhaps 12，000 languages between them.
Soon afterwards，many of those people started settling down to become farmers，and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number.In recent centuries，trade，industrialisation，the development of the nationstate and the spread of universal compulsory education，especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades，all have caused many languages to disappear，and dominant languages such as English，Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.
At present，the world has about 6，800 languages.The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven.The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages，often spoken by many people，which hot，wet zones have lots，often spoken by small numbers.Europe has only around 200 languages；the Americas about 1，000；Africa 2，400；and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3，200，of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800.The median number(中位数) of speakers is a mere 6，000，which means that half the world's languages are spoken by fewer people than that.
Already well over 400 of the total of 6，800 languages are close to extinction(消亡)，with only a few elderly speakers left.Pick，at random，Busuu in Cameroon(eight remaining speakers)，Chiapaneco in Mexico(150)，Lipan Apache in the United States(two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia(one，with a questionmark)：none of these seems to have much chance of survival.
【语篇解读】 本文主要介绍了全球语言多样性的发展变化以及现在所面临的危机。
1．What can we infer about languages in huntergatherer times?
A．They developed very fast.
B．They were large in number.
C．They had similar patterns.
D．They were closely connected.
B [推理判断题。根据第一段的最后一句“Some language experts believe that 10，000 years ago，when the world had just five to ten million people，they spoke perhaps 12，000 languages between them”可知，在狩猎时代，人口少，语言却很丰富，故选B。]
2．Which of the following best explains“dominant” underlined in Paragraph 2?
A．Complex. B．Advanced.
C．Powerful. D．Modern.
C [词义猜测题。根据第二段最后一句“In recent centuries...all have caused many languages to disappear，and dominant languages such as English，Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over”可知，近几个世纪以来，随着社会的发展，很多语言已经消失，英语、西班牙语、汉语逐渐占主导地位。complex“复杂的”；advanced“高级的，先进的”；powerful“有影响力的”；modern“现代的”。故选C。]
3．How many languages are spoken by less than 6，000 people at present?
A．About 6，800. B．About 3，400.
C．About 2，400. D．About 1，200.
B [数字计算题。根据第三段最后一句“The median number(中位数) of speakers is a mere 6，000，which means that half the world's languages are spoken by fewer people than that”可知，目前全球不同语言使用人数的中位数仅是6 000，这就意味着世界上有一半的语言的使用人数不到6 000；结合第三段第一句“At present，the world has about 6，800 languages”可知，选B。]
4．What is the main idea of the text?
A．New languages will be created.
B．People's lifestyles are reflected in languages.
C．Human development results in fewer languages.
D．Geography determines language evolution.
C [主旨大意题。根据第一段第一句中的“but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going”和第二段可知，随着人类社会的发展，尤其是工业化、全球化以来，很多语言已经消失，即人类的发展使得语言的种类越来越少。故选C。]
