A
Language experts say that as many as half of the 6，900 languages spoken in the world today are endangered.This means that by the year 2050 over 3，000 languages will have become extinct.Four of the most likely languages to disappear are listed below.
Yuchi
Yuchi is a language spoken by just five people all aged over 75 in Oklahoma, USA.They are members of a Native American Indian group of people called the Tsoyaha, meaning Children of the Sun.Its nouns have ten genders(性), six for Yuchi people, one for nonYuchis and animals and three for inanimate objects.
Jeru
Jeru is an Andamanese language spoken by fewer than 20 people on the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean.These languages are generally believed to be the only ones in Southeast Asia surviving from ancient times.They are thought to date back to a settlement of the area by the first humans to leave Africa.
Thao
Among the inhabitants(居民) of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan, China are a handful of old people that speak the Austronesian language of Thao.The rest of the community speaks Taiwanese Chinese.The language of Thao is related to others in the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Pacific.
Ainu
This language is spoken by the original inhabitants of Japan.It is used by a small number of old people on the island of Hokkaido in the far north of the country.Ainu has very complex verbs that include meanings most languages need a whole sentence to express.
【解题导语】 本文是一篇应用文。文章介绍了四种濒临灭绝的语言。
21．Which language is now spoken outside of Asia?
A．Yuchi. B．Thao.
C．Ainu. D．Jeru.
A 解析：细节理解题。根据Yuchi部分中的Yuchi is a language spoken by just five people all aged over 75 in Oklahoma, USA.可知，Yuchi是美国的一种土著语言。
22．Where did the first Jeru speakers probably come from?
A．America. B．Africa.
C．Japan. D．India.
B 解析：细节理解题。根据Jeru部分中的They are thought to date back to a settlement of the area by the first humans to leave Africa.可知，讲Jeru这种语言的人可能是来自非洲的移民。
23．What can we learn about Ainu?
A．Its nouns have ten genders.
B．It originates from Indonesia.
C．It is spoken by less than five people.
D．Its verbs can express rich meanings.
D 解析：细节理解题。根据Ainu部分中的Ainu has very complex verbs that include meanings most languages need a whole sentence to express.可知，Ainu这种语言有复杂的动词，能表达丰富的涵义。
