2024年3月14日发(作者：)

Revision Unit 5 Languages around the world

一．explore the Chinese writing system

At the beginning, written Chinese was a language _____(base) on some pictures, which ______(date)

back several thousand years to the use of time went by, these ancient symbols became a

well-developed and unified writing system. The writing system was of great ________(important) in

uniting the Chinese people and culture. Therefore, ____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

(无论中国人住在哪里，也无论说何种方言), they can all still communicate ___ means of writing.

Nowadays, it also develops as a beautiful art form --- Chinese calligraphy. Learning Chinese calligraphy

will increase your _________ (appreciate) of Chinese culture.

二．advice on learning English

1. 英语口语和书面语一样的重要。因而建议我们要尽可能多地讲英语。（equally）

2. 阅读中遇到生词时，不要停下来查字典，而是通过上下文理解这些生词后继续阅读。(refer to)

3. 尽管记忆词汇很费力 ，我们还是要努力扩大词汇量。(despite，demanding，struggle)

4. 写作时，确保每个句子都与主题句相关联。(be related to)

5. 学英语的主要因素在于我们的态度。不管遇到什么困难，我们都要保持积极的态度。

(major, no matter what, attitude)

三．话题写作

假如你是李华，进入高中后，高中课程多，内容难，你的学习压力很大，难以适应。请你给校

园英文报心理专栏的编辑写一封求助信。

信的内容包括：

1. 写信目的；2. 学习中遇到的问题，你的感受；3. 希望得到建议。

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

四．拓展性阅读

1.（2020年山东卷C篇）

In the mid-1990s, Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. He left after seven months,

physically broken and having lost his mind. A few years later, still attracted to the country, he returned to

Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea.

His visit, however, ended up involving a lot more than that. Hence this book, Chasing the Sea: Lost

Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia, which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to

Karakalpakstan, where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea. It is the story

of an American travelling to a strange land, and of the people he meets on his way: Rustam, his translator, a

lovely 24-year-old who picked up his colorful English in California, Oleg and Natasha, his hosts in

Tashkent, and a string of foreign aid workers.

This is a quick look at life in Uzbekistan, made of friendliness and warmth, but also its darker side of

society. In Samarkand, Mr Bissell admires the architectural wonders, while on his way to Bukhara he gets a

taste of police methods when suspected of drug dealing. In Ferghana, he attends a mountain funeral（葬礼）

followed by a strange drinking party. And in Karakalpakstan, he is saddened by the dust storms, diseases

and fishing boats stuck miles from the sea.

Mr Bissell skillfully organizes historical insights and cultural references, making his tale a well-rounded

picture of Uzbekistan, seen from Western eyes. His judgment and references are decidedly American, as

well as his delicate stomach. As the author explains, this is neither a travel nor a history book, or even a

piece of reportage. Whatever it is, the result is a fine and vivid description of the purest of Central Asian

traditions.

23. What made Mr Bissell return to Uzbekistan?

A. His friends' invitation. B. His interest in the country.

C. His love for teaching. D. His desire to regain health.

24. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A. Developing a serious mental disease. B. Taking a guided tour in Central Asia.

C. Working as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. D. Writing an article about the Aral Sea.

25. Which of the following best describes Mr Bissell's road trip in Uzbekistan?

A. Romantic. B. Eventful. C. Pleasant. D. Dangerous.

26. What is the purpose of this text?

A. To introduce a book. B. To explain a cultural phenomenon.

C. To remember a writer. D. To recommend a travel destination

2. （2018·全国Ⅰ卷C篇）

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 hunter-gatherers, 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, industrialization, the development of

the nation-state 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, while 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 y 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 question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of

survival.

28. What can we infer about languages in hunter-gatherer times?

A. They developed very fast. B. They were large in number.

C. They had similar patterns. D. They were closely connected.

29. Which of the following best explains "dominant " underlined in paragraph 2？

A. Complex. B. Advanced. C. Powerful. D. Modern.

30. 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

31. 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.

3.（2022·新高考Ⅰ卷D篇）

Human speech contains more than 2,000 different sounds, from the common “m”and “a” to the rare

clicks of some southern African languages. But why are certain sounds more common than others? A

ground-breaking, five-year study shows that diet-related changes in human bite led to new speech sounds

that are now found in half the world’s languages.

More than 30 years ago, the scholar Charles Hockett noted that speech sounds called labiodentals,

such as “f” and “v”, were more common in the languages of societies that ate softer foods. Now a team of

researchers led by Damián Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has found how and why this trend

arose.

They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human adults were aligned (对齐),

making it hard to produce labiodentals, which are formed by touching the lower lip to the upper teeth. Later,

our jaws changed to an overbite structure (结构), making it easier to produce such sounds. The team

showed that this change in bite was connected with the development of agriculture in the Neolithic period.

Food became easier to chew at this point. The jawbone didn’t have to do as much work and so didn’t grow

to be so large.

Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global change in the sound of world

languages after the Neolithic age, with the use of “f” and “v” increasing remarkably during the last few

thousand years. These sounds are still not found in the languages of many hunter-gatherer people today.

This research overturns the popular view that all human speech sounds were present when human

beings evolved around 300,000 years ago. “The set of speech sounds we use has not necessarily remained

stable since the appearance of human beings, but rather the huge variety of speech sounds that we find

today is the product of a complex interplay of things like biological change and cultural evolution,” said

Steven Moran, a member of the research team.

32. Which aspect of the human speech sound does Damián Blasi’s research focus on?

A. Its variety. B. Its distribution. C. Its quantity. D. Its development.

33. Why was it difficult for ancient human adults to produce labiodentals?

A. They had fewer upper teeth than lower teeth. B. They could not open and close their lips easily.

C. Their jaws were not conveniently structured. D. Their lower front teeth were not large enough.

34. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A. Supporting evidence for the research results. B. Potential application of the research findings.

C. A further explanation of the research methods. D. A reasonable doubt about the research process.

35. What does Steven Moran say about the set of human speech sounds?

A. It is key to effective communication. B. It contributes much to cultural diversity.

C. It is a complex and dynamic system. D. It drives the evolution of human beings.

【答案】23. B 24. D 25. B 26. A

【解析】

本文是记叙文。文章讲述了Bissell写的《追逐大海:迷失在中亚帝国的幽灵》这本书。这本书是Bissell

在乌兹别克斯坦做志愿者后写的，是对乌兹别克斯坦人生活的一个快速观察。

【23题详解】

细节理解题。根据第一段的”A few years later, still attracted to the country. he returned to Uzbekistan to

write an article about the disappearance of the Ara Sea”可知，几年后，Bissell仍然被这个国家所吸引。

他回到乌兹别克斯坦写了一篇关于咸海消失的文章。因此推断出对这个国家的兴趣让Bissell先生再

次返回乌兹别克斯坦。故选B。

【24题详解】

词句猜测题。划线句是第二段首句，that用来指代上文提的事情，因此推断that指代写了一篇关于

咸海消失的文章这件事，根据第一段最后一句”A few years later, still attracted to the country, he returned

to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea(几年后，仍然被这个国家所吸

引。他回到乌兹别克斯坦写了一篇关于咸海消失的文章)”可知，that指代写了一篇关于死海消失的文

章这件事，故选D。

【25题详解】

推理判断题。根据第三段”This is a quick look at life in Uzbekistan, made of friendliness and warmth, but

also its darker side of society. In Samarkand, Mr Bissell admires the architectural wonders, while on his

way to Bukhara he gets a taste of police methods when suspected of drug dealing. In Ferghana, he attends a

mountain funeral(葬礼)followed by a strange drinking party. And in Karakalpakstan, he is saddened by the

dust storms, diseases and fishing boats stuck miles from the sea.”可知，在乌兹别克斯坦的旅途中，Mr

Bissell既体会到了友善和温暖，也看到了社会的黑暗面。在撒马尔罕，Mr Bissell欣赏到了的建筑奇

观。在前往布哈拉的路上，他因为被怀疑进行毒品交易，他尝到了警察的伎俩。在费尔干纳，他参

加了一个山区葬礼，然后参加了一个奇怪的酒会。在卡拉卡尔帕克斯坦，他为沙尘暴、疾病和被困

在数英里外的渔船而难过。由此可知，在旅途中，他经历了很多事情。结合选项，B选项(充满事件

的，多事的)可以表达此意。故选B。

【26题详解】

推理判断题。文章第一段提到书的作者的乌兹别克斯坦之行，引出他写的书，接下来三段讲述了他

的书《追逐大海:迷失在中亚帝国的幽灵》的故事内容，是乌兹别克斯坦生活的一个快速观察。因此

推断本文的写作目的是介绍一本书。故选A。

本文是一篇议论文。文章讲述了随着社会的发展人类语言越来越少及其原因。主题意义：语言文字

28. B【解析】推理判断题。根据文章第一段中的When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers,

small, tightly knit (联系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of when

the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.可知，当

世界以依靠狩猎为生的人居住的时候，小而联系紧密的群落形成了他们彼此之间独立的讲话模式。

当世界上的人口数量不到一千万时，语言种类达到了12000种。由此推知，当时的语言种类很多。

故选B。

29.C【解析】猜测词义题。根据文章第二段中的dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese

are increasingly taking over.可知，英语、西班牙语和汉语正在替代其他语言。由此推知dominant

languages意为：强有力的语言。故选C。

30.B【解析】细节理解题。根据文章第三段中的At present, the world has about 6,800 languages.和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，目前世界上大约有6800种语言，但是讲的人数少于6000人

的占一半即3400.故选B。

31.C【解析】主旨要义题。根据文章第一段中的主题句Languages have been coming and going for

thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going.可知，语言的产生

和消失进行了几千年，但最近时代语言产生的少，消失的太多。故选C。

答案】32. D 33. C 34. A 35. C

【解析】

【导语】本篇是一篇说明文。主要介绍因为饮食的改变导致了现在在世界上一半的语言中发现了新

的语音。

【32题详解】

细节理解题。根据文章第二段中的“More than 30 years ago, the scholar Charles Hockett noted that speech

sounds called labiodentals, such as “f” and "v", were more common in the languages of societies that ate

softer foods. Now a team of researchers led by Damian Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has

found how and why this trend arose.（30多年前，学者Charles Hockett注意到，被称为唇齿音的语音，

如“f”和“v”，在吃软食物的社会的语言中更常见。现在，瑞士苏黎世大学的Damian Blasi领导的一组

研究人员发现了这一趋势产生的方式和原因。）”可知Damian Blasi的研究重点是在语言的演变上。

故选D项。

【33题详解】

细节理解题。根据第三段中的“They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human

adults were aligned，making it hard to produce labiodentals，which are formed by touching the lower lip to

the upper teeth. Later, our jaws changed to an overbite structure , making it easier to produce such sounds.

（他们发现，古人类的上门牙和下门牙是对齐的，因此很难产生唇齿音，唇齿音是通过下唇接触上

牙齿而形成的。后来，我们的下颚变成了覆盖咬合结构，更容易发出这样的声音）”可知，因为古代

成年人的下颚结构使他们很难发出唇齿音。故选C项。

【34题详解】

主旨大意题。根据第五段中的“Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global

change in the sound of world languages after the so Neolithic age, with the use of “f” and “v”increasing

remarkably during the last few thousand years. These sounds are still not found in the languages of many

hunter-gatherer people today.（对语言数据库的分析也证实，在新石器时代之后，世界语言的发音发

生了全球性的变化，在过去几千年里，“f”和“v”的使用显著增加。这些声音在今天许多狩猎采集者的

语言中仍然没有发现）”可知，第五段主要是通过列明数据分析结果来进一步证明研究结果。故选A

项。

【35题详解】

推理判断题。根据文章最后一段中““The set of speech sounds we use has not necessarily remained stable

since the appearance of human beings, but rather the huge variety of speech sounds that we find today is

the product of a complex interplay of things like biological change and cultural evolution,” said Steven

Moran, a member of the research team.（研究小组成员Steven Moran说:“自从人类出现以来，我们使用

的语音不一定保持稳定，我们今天发现的各种语音都是生物变化和文化进化等复杂相互作用的产

物。”）”可知，Steven Moran认为语音是一个复杂的动态系统。故选C项。