Can a Language Become Extinct? A language can become extinct when the last person who can speak it passes away. Or more likely when the secondlast person who speaks it dies because then there is no one left to talk to. According to linguists there is nothing unusual about a single language dying out. But what is happening today is quite remarkable. According to the recent statistics, there are approximately 6,000 languages in the world as we speak. Of these, about half are going to die out in the next century. There are several reasons as to why a language can eventually die out. These range from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one. The former can cause tribes to leave their natural habitat and therefore become fewer and fewer in number. However, it doesn't happen very frequently. In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia. For instance, Chemehuevi is one of the languages which is really close to dying out since its sole speaker is an old, yet healthy, man named Johnny Hill, Jr. It is very important for as many languages as possible to be preserved. Scientists have been trying to raise people's awareness on how certain tribes have specific words which cannot be expressed in let's say English simply because there is no equal meaning. Namely, the Yupik of Alaska have 99 names to describe different layers of ice formation, or how the Tofa of Siberia classify reindeer . In other words, when languages die out, mankind's wisdom reduces. On a happier note, there are many famous cases which show what can be done to preserve languages in danger of extinction. In particular, the Maori in New Zealand have created socalled "language nests": organizations which help children under five learn the language. They provide them with a setting where they are exposed to the language... The author believes that _ . A) all languages are finally going to die out B) human wisdom can be reflected in languages C) the protective approaches have proved ineffective D) the current situation of languages hardly requires attention
B
(Question)
Who won China's first gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics? It was Li Jianrou. The 27-year-old finished first in the women's 500m short track speed skating on Feb 13. The race was full of drama. Three athletes fell over because of an accident caused by Elise Christie of Britain in the second turn and Li became the surprise winner. Three-time defending champion Wang Meng of China missed the Olympics after breaking her ankle last month. Li had little experience in the race, where getting off to a quick Start is important. But she kept her cool while everyone else was falling around her. "I feel very lucky," Li said through a translator. She and one of her coaches cried tears of joy after China joined South Korea as the only countries to win the same short track event four Olympics in a row. The Koreans won the 3,000 relay in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. "I cried because I was so excited," Li said. "My coach told me this medal is for Wang Meng as well, so I felt very moved." Li's victory made up for the surprising fall of teammate Fan Kexin in the semifinals. In the semis, Fan didn't even complete the first lap of the race, catching her left blade as she skated near the front. She crashed on all fours into the crew of workers who maintain the ice between races. They climbed onto the top of the pads to avoid being injured by Fan's long, sharp blades. Arianna Fontana of Italy took the silver and Park Seung-hi of South Korea earned the bronze. Which country won the women's 500m short track event 4 Olympics in a row as well as China? A) Italy B) Japan C) Britain D) South Korea
(Answer)
D
Ques: Every September in China, people love to talk about the overprotective parents following their children around everywhere during university enrollment. Now, with more than 420,000 youngsters in the UK starting their new college school year, what is their first day like? BBC's Sean Coughlan described it in a recent report. According to Coughlan, at the very beginning it is not hard to spot something familiar to Chinese-a stream of parents arriving with their sons and daughters at the student village. Mothers, fathers and a teenager-now most likely taller than they are - stand together like the three might have done on the first day of primary school. "The approach road to the student village is a long traffic jam of family cars, stuffed full with boxes, pillows and nervous families," he writes. "The door closes on a student's room and parents and children go their separate ways. For many families, if childhood has a final moment, this is it." But saying goodbye to parents is not the only similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China. In both cases, new arrivals most want to know about their Internet connections. "It's their most urgent concern," notes Coughlan. Even on their first day, university in the UK won't be an entirely lonely experience for some new students. "Before they arrive they have been using social networking to get to know their future roommates," writes Coughlan. Still, the first night is something no UK university student ever forgets. There are people they meet and then spend three years avoiding and people who become their friends for the rest of their lives. First week stories are all about over-partying, bad cooking and misguided clothing, Coughlan says. As he concludes: "These new students are entering their own soap opera of romance, friendship and ambition. It's a huge adventure that they've worked for years to achieve." A similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China is that _ . A) the approach roads to their colleges are packed with cars filled with nervous families B) they have contacted their future roommates through social networking sites C) once they get to the campus, they want to make sure that they have access to the Internet D) they spend their first week getting to know their roommates and partying
Ans: C
Summer School for Effective Leadership 2014 The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) partners with 2 world-class universities, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to offer you the best international summer schools in town! This year the Summer School for Effective Leadership (SSEL) is divided into the HKU Chapter--An Overture to Global Leadership, and HKUST Chapter--The Art of Public Speaking. Please find out more from the introduction below: HKU Chapter--An Overture to Global Leadership An Overture to Global Leadership, now in its seventh year, is cooperation between the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the University of Hong Kong with the aims: 1. To nurture youth leaders with solid fundamental knowledge and intensive leadership skills; 2. To strengthen their critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills and problem solving abilities; 3. To reinforce their willingness to serve the community; 4. To further develop global perspective and promote intercultural awareness amongst participants. Date Between 18 July 2014 (Friday) and 26 July 2014 (Saturday). Full attendance is _ for the 9-day-8-night programme. Shared-room accommodation in the University dormitory is required. Application Deadline Non-residents of Hong Kong: 6:00 p.m., Friday, 16 May 2014 (Hong Kong Time) Non-residents of Hong Kong may need to apply for a student visa, please visit the website: http://l21.hkfyg.org.hk/ssel/hku/overview.html for further details. For application, please visit: http://l21.hkfyg.org.hk/ssel/hku/application.php HKUST Chapter--The Art of Public Speaking The Art of Public Speaking is a new collaboration between the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with the aims: 1. To enhance the leadership skills and public speaking skills of participants; 2. To allow youth leaders and speakers to learn from one another, and encourage cultural exchanges; 3. To demonstrate how public speaking skills... The Art of Public Speaking is organized by _ . A) HKFYG & HKU B) HKFYG & HKUST C) HKU & HKUST D) HKUST & SSEL
B