Ⅰ.阅读理解
Silbo Gomero is an ancient language of whistle that enabled people to communicate across long distances before the invention of the telephone or the computer. It's now being revived on mountainous Canary Islands and the island of La Gomera, where the usual language is Spanish.
The Canary Islands government is providing funding to help school children on La Gomera to learn this ancient whistling language as part of their heritage.It sounds like birdsongs and was developed thousands of years ago by islanders to enable them to communicate up to two miles across La Gomera's valleys.
In the past, Silbo Gomero has been passed down from parent to child, but the islanders felt embarrassed at this form of communication when they came into contact with the outside world and modern technology.It started to die out when the telephone arrived and the island open to tourism.However, the government realized what was happening and decided to make sure that it would not be lost.So, since 1999 Silbo Gomero has been part of the school curriculum and now about 3,000 Gomero children spend at least 25 minutes a week learning it.This is enough time for the basics to be learned.
Probably originating in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, the language was brought to the island by settlers 2,500 years ago.It was adapted to Spanish speech patterns, but uses tones rather than vowels and consonants(辅音)．These are whistled at different frequencies(频率)to produce over 4,000 words, making proper conversations possible.
The importance of the language is growing.In 2003 the island held the first International Congress of Whistled Languages.Research is now being carried out in all places to which Gomerans have traditionally emigrated (移居国外)and where forms of the language survive.The Canary government's Historical Heritage Department hopes to attract outside support so that it will continue.
文章大意：本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了 La Gomera岛上的口哨语 Silbo Gomero。
1．In order to save Silbo Gomero， A .
A．the local government provides financial help
B．students spend 25 minutes daily learning it
C．the islanders begin to do research where it originated
D．the islanders frequently use it to communicate with the outside world
解析：细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The Canary Islands government...part of their heritage.(加那利群岛政府正在提供资金，帮助拉戈梅拉学校的孩子们学习这种古老的口哨语言，作为他们遗产的一部分。)”可知，为了拯救 Silbo Gomero，当地政府提供了财政援助。故选A。
2．What do we know about Silbo Gomero？ C
A．It originated in the island of La Gomero.
B．It was adapted to English speech pattern.
C．It was developed for longdistance communication.
D．It has more than 4,000 words made up of vowels and consonants.
解析： 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“It sounds like birdsongs...La Gomera's valleys.(它听起来像鸟鸣，是数千年前由岛民发明的，使他们能够跨越拉戈梅拉山谷长达两英里的距离进行交流。)”可知， Silbo Gomero被发展是为了进行远距离交流。故选C。
3．According to the passage, which of the following is the reason for the disappearing of Silbo Gomero？ B
A．The limited vocabulary.
B．The arrival of modern technology.
C．Gomerans' traditional emigration.
D．Its complex speech patterns.
解析：推理判断题。根据第三段中的“It started to die out when the telephone arrived and the island open to tourism.(当电话到来并且岛上开始开放旅游时，它开始逐渐消亡了。)”可推知，现代技术的到来是Silbo Gomero 濒临消亡的原因。故选 B。
4．What is the purpose of the text？ D
A．To call on people to protect cultural heritage.
B．To advertise for La Gomera.
C．To promote the use of Silbo Gomero.
D．To introduce the dying language Silbo Gomero.
解析：推理判断题。根据第一段“Silbo Gomero is an...telephone or the computer.(Silbo Gomero 是一种古老的口哨语言，在电话或计算机发明之前，它使人们能够进行远距离交流。)”以及下文内容可推知，本文的目的是介绍 La Gomera 岛上濒临消亡的口哨语 Silbo Gomero。故选D。
