One of the main challenges that many countries face is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multilanguage trend. "One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that,with a few important excep?tions,mother tongue education is not practised in any of the independent African states."said Neville Alexander,director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.

In response to the spread of English and the increased multilanguage trends arising from immigration,many countries have introduced language laws in the last decade. In some,the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions was the "Toubon Law" in France in 1994,and the idea has been copied in many coun?tries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often considered as futile by language experts,who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguaLs is a natu?ral process.

It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the "purity" of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare,Eng?lish has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world,but that has not been a barrier to acquiring superiority and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of the state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things. English has never had a statecon?trolled authority for the language,similar,for example,to the Academic Francaise in France.

The need to protect national languages is,for most western Europeans,a re?cent phenomenon―especially the need to ensure that English does not necessarily take over too many fields. Public communication,education and new ways of communi?cation promoted by technology may be key fields to defend.

5. Neville Alexander believes that         .

   A. mother tongue education is not practised in all African countries

   B. globalization has resulted in the economic failure of Africa

   C. globalization has led to the rise of multilanguage trend

   D. lack of mother tongue education can lead to economic failure

6. The underlined word "futile" in Paragraph 2 most probably means "         ”.

   A. workable   B. practical   C. useless   D. unnecessary

7. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

   A. English has taken over fields like public communication and education.

   B. Many aspects of national culture are threatened by the spread of English.

   C. Most language experts believe it is important to promote a national language.

   D. Europeans have long realized the need to protect a national language.

8. What would be the best title for the passage?

   A. Fighting against the rule of English

   B. Protecting local languages and identities

   C. Globalization and multilanguage trend

   D. To maintain the purity of language by law

 When students and teachers at School 16in Rochester,NY, start the new school year in a newer school building,they'll leave their old building's list of problems behind.

As teachers finish unloading boxes and setting up their new classro?oms,they hope the newer buildings will give students renewed pride in their school. Ed?ucation experts say the move could also bring a rise to the school's flagging test scores,because better school buildings actually improve academic performance.

When School 16  was moved to a newer building,the school's old building was in terrible condition：bathrooms lacked sinks and privacy; stairs were missing safety rails; and the 100-year-old building was crowded. Students describe peeling paint and rats in the classrooms.

Teacher Michele Michel says the poor condition of the old building weakened the school of its spirit. "You look at that and it's like,why? Why do you want to take care of your school?" Michel says. "So what if I throw a piece of paper on the ground? It doesn't make a difference; there's other paper on the ground."

More than bad looks,bad buildings are a drain on academic performance,ac?cording to Glen Earthman,a professor. "Students see surroundings that are not very pleasant,and it does reduce their desire to learn”，Earthman says.

He says students who attend schools in disrepair score 3  to 10 percentage points lower on state tests than students in satisfactory buildings,and the effects are worse over the years students spend in the buildings.

With bigger hallways and larger classrooms,teacher Michele Michel says the boost to student confidence in the new building will improve academics. "I think if you come in and you're happy,you know,you will be all about this place," Michel says. "I think you will get it,and you'll get more successful."

But Jaida Thomas,an eighth grader,says she is not sure all of her peers will take pride in their new building. "With the negative people in the school? they'll probably just mess up the school," Thomas says. "They'll just mess it up for themselves."

1. The underlined word "flagging" in Paragraph 2 may mean "      

   A. pleasing   B. rising   C. falling   D. surprising

2. What statement may Michel agree to?

   A. Students are concerned about the safety of old buildings.

   B. Students have no mood to care for buildings.

   C. Students make no difference to the school buildings.

   D. Students behave badly in poor school buildings.

3. According to Glen,bad buildings         .

   A. make students lose interest in learning

   B. leave students in poor condition

   C. cause students to suffer pain in their eyes

   D. are to the advantage of students

4. Thomas' attitude towards the effect of new building is         .

   A. hopeful   B. doubtful   C. optimistic   D. unclear

I have the greatest job in the world. I travel to unusual places and work alongside people from all over the world. 1.        my job is occasionally dangerous? I don't mind because danger excites me and makes me feel alive.

I 2.        (appoint) as a volcanologist working for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory twenty years ago. My job is collecting information for a database about Mount Kilauea,3.       is one of the most active volcanoes in HawaⅡ. Having collected and evaluated the information,I help other volcanologists to predict 4.        lava from the volcano will flow next and how fast. Our work has saved many lives because people 5.        the path of the lava can be warned to leave their houses. 6.        (fortunate) ，we cannot move their homes out of the way,and many houses have been covered with lava or burned to 7.         

ground. - Today,I am just 8.        enthusiastic about my job as the day I first started. 9.        (study) volcanoes now for many years,I am still amazed 10.        their beauty as well as their potential to cause great damage.

5. It is in the west of China that there is no doubt        it is going to rain tomorrow.

4. There        no bus,she had to go home on foot.

3. ―Hello,may I have an appointment        the doctor? ―Certainly. May I know your name?

2. I was about to leave        the telephone rang.

1. We don't want to appoint him        chairman of the meeting. He is not fit for the position.

10. The old man lay on his back at the corner of the street,his eyes         

(close) and his hands        (tremble) .

9. A healthy fear of crime keeps teenagers away from        (potential) dangerous people,places,and activities.