When Carios Westez died at the age of 76,a language died,too.Westez,more commonly known as Red Thunder Cloud,was the last speaker of the Native American language Catawba.Anyone who wants to hear the songs of the Catawba can contact the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,DC,where,back in the 1920s,Red Thunder Cloud recorded a series of songs for future generations.1 They are all that is left of the Catawba language.The language that people used to speak is gone forever.
　　We are all aware of the danger that modern industry can do to the world's ecology（生态）.However,few people are aware of the impact widely spoken languages have on other languages and ways of life.English has spread all over the world.Chinese,Spanish,Russian,and Hindi have become powerful languages as well.2 When this happens,hundreds of languages that are spoken by only a few die out.
　　Scholars believe there are around 6,000 languages around the world,but more than half of them could die out within the next 100 years.There are many examples.Araki is the language of the island of Vanuatu,located in the Pacific Ocean.It is spoken by only a few older adults,so like Catawba,Araki will soon disappear.Many languages of Ethiopia will have the same fate because each one has only a few speakers.3 In the Americas,100 languages,each of which has
　　fewer than 300 speakers,are dying out.Red Thunder Cloud was one of the first to recognize the danger of language death and to try to do something about it.He was not actually bomb into the Catawba tribe,and the language was not his mother tongue.4 The songs he sang for the Smithsonian Institution helped to make Native American music popular.Now he is gone,and the language is dead.
　　What does it mean for the rest of us when a language disappears?When a plant,insect,or animal species dies,it is easy to understand what has been lost and to appreciate what it means for the balance of the natural world.However,language is only a product of the mind.To be the last remaining speaker of a language,like Red Thunder,must be a peculiarly lonely destiny,almost as strange and terrible as being the last surviving member of a dying species.5
　　A.Some people might want to learn some of these songs by hearts.
　　B.Most languages have become less and less speakers.
　　C.However,he was a frequent visitor to the Catawba reservation in South Carcinoma where he learned the language.
　　D.These languages don't have many native speakers.
　　E.For the rest of us,when a language dies,we lose the possibility of a unique way of seeing and describing the world.
　　F.As these language become more powerful,their use as tools of business and culture increase,as well.
　　G.Papus New Guines is an extremely rich source of different language,but more than 100 of them are in danger of extinction(——).
　　参考答案及解析：
　　1、参考答案：C
　　参考解析：题干意为“与其他学生相比，Rowena和Billy最不同寻常的地方是什么？”从文章第一段第五句话"What makes Rowena and Billy differ-ent from most students is that they don't go to school."可以看出，他们最与众不同之处在于他们从来没有去过学校上学，因此正确答案为C.
　　2、参考答案：B
　　参考解析：题干意为“起初在20世纪踟年代父母给孩子们进行家庭学校教育是为了什么？”从文章第二段第一句话中"...SO they could pro-vide religiOUS education at home."可以看出，他们这样做是为了在家中给孩子们进行宗教教育，因此正确答案为B.
　　3、参考答案：D
　　参考解析：题干意为“根据文章，下面哪一条不是家庭学校的优点？”这道题需要把四个选项和原文逐一对比、逐一排除。从文章第二段倒数第二句话中"...they believe schools…Are occasionally dangerous places."可以排除A，从文章第三段第三句话"More importantly,these students are often mole self-directed and have a greater depth of knowledge."可以排除B和C，而文章没有谈到家庭学校和上好大学的联系，因此正确答案为D.
　　4、参考答案：D
　　参考解析：题干意为“作者的观点是什么？”文章第三、四、五段谈到家庭学校既有优势也有缺陷，因此A、B、C都有失片面，而D“在一些方面家庭学校不错”更合文意。故选D.
　　5、参考答案：A
　　参考解析：题干意为“文章最好的标题是什么？”A家庭学校：一个不断发展的趋势，8家庭学校：一个更好的选择，C家庭学校：一条通往成功的道路，D家庭学校：一种新的教育方式。根据文章主题，B、C都有失片面，而D则不准确，家庭学校在上世纪80年代就有了，并不是新的教育方式，而文章第二段和最后一段都提到家庭学校是一种趋势，因此A最贴切文意。故选A.