As one of the most momentous languages in the world, Latin had humble beginnings. It originated along the Tiber River in Italy and only a handful of people spoke the language. Over time, Latin became more distinguished as Romans procured political power. Many famous literary texts and scientific classifications were written in Latin. Even though knowing Latin indicated a person was educated, according to Britannica, in the 20th century far fewer people learned Latin”, leading it to be classified as a "dead” language.
There are around 7, 000 living languages in the world, but, according to Britannica, “more than half are at risk of dying out by the end of the 21st century”. Civilizations evolve over time and so do languages. More often than not, a language dies because everyone who speaks the language dies. For example, Marie Smith Jones, perhaps the last native speaker of the Alaskan Eyak language, died at the age of 89 in 2008, and so did the language. Now, fewer and fewer people speak Latin, which raises public's awareness about its preservation.
Actually, there are many other reasons in respect of why Latin should be preserved or taught. “It is a window into an engaging ancient civilization, and studying an ancient civilization teaches us to respect different points of view and unfamiliar cultural practices," says Kathleen Coleman, James Loeb Professor of Harvard University.
Since it isn't used in ordinary conversations, there are a lot of difficulties that arise from teaching Latin. Teaching a 'dead' language is distinct from teaching other languages, explains Coleman, “because there are no native speakers to demonstrate us how it sounds or answer questions about the meanings of words or justify idioms. While it's tough, we still can find the answers to our questions from the fragmentary evidence available in written texts.”
【小题1】What can we learn about Latin from Paragraph 1?| A．Latin was well-known since its birth. |
| B．Only educated people learned Latin in the past. |
| C．Latin was not favored by scientists and writers. |
| D．All people didn't learn Latin in the 20th century. |
| A．Latin is going to be a "dead” language. |
| B．what it really means when a language dies. |
| C．why people should be aware of protecting languages. |
| D．he is the last native speaker of the Alaskan Eyak language. |
| A．To show unfamiliar practices. |
| B．To respect others' opinions. |
| C．To learn about an ancient society. |
| D．To protect a "dead” language. |
| A．The learning materials. |
| B．The development of Latin. |
| C．The learning methods. |
| D．The difficulties in learning Latin. |
One cause of misconceptions is ethnocentrism, the belief that one’s own culture’s way of doing things is better than the way of other cultures. It’s ethnocentrism that leads to failure in international business. To avoid ethnocentrism, it’s necessary to study the different elements (组成部分) of culture: language, values and attitudes, and customs and manners.
Language
A knowledge of the local language can help international business people in four ways. First, people can communicate directly. Second, people are usually more open in their communication with someone who speaks their language. Third, an understanding of the language allows people to infer meanings that are not said directly. Finally, knowing the language helps people to understand the culture better.
Values and attitudes
Values are people’s basic beliefs about the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. An attitude is a way of thinking or acting. Values and attitudes influence international business. For example, many people in the United States believe that chocolate from Switzerland is better than chocolate from other countries, and they buy a lot of it.
Customs and manners
Customs are common social practices. Manners are ways of acting that the society believes are polite. For example, in the United States, it is the custom to have salad (色拉)before the main course at dinner, not after. It’s not acceptable to talk with food in mouth at table. Failure to understand the customs and manners of other countries will bring difficulty selling their products. Orange juice as a breakfast drink of an American company in France doesn’t sell well because the French don’t usually drink juice with breakfast.
【小题1】A knowledge of the local language allows international business people _________.
| A．to be more open with their customers |
| B．to communicate without outside help |
| C．to express their thoughts indirectly |
| D．to have a better idea of their own culture |
| A．manners | B．values | C．attitudes | D．customs |
| A．Misconceptions in Business | B．Basic Beliefs in Business |
| C．International Business Culture | D．Successful International Business |
| A．how to take a right attitude in business |
| B．how to avoid misunderstandings in business |
| C．how to use a local language in business |
| D．how to act politely and properly in business |
Have you ever thrown a camel? Camels are large and heavy animals, so it would be hard to do so. But in the French-speaking Democratic Republic of the Congo, “to throw a camel” is a way of saying “to make a spelling mistake”. In the past, a phrase like that was not accepted by the French government as an official French term. But recently, the French Ministry of Culture worked on a new kind of dictionary that accepts the idea that many people in other countries and regions speak the language. The language has changed as time goes by and is different in places like Ivory Coast in West Africa or Quebec in Canada, compared to how it is in Paris.
The new online French dictionary includes new French words from around the world. It was released (发布) on March 18—just in time for International Francophonie Day on March 20. After its release, it is updated (更新) on a regular basis. It now contains about 600,000 terms. The French Culture Minister says the dictionary is not just for France’s 67 million citizens, but for the 300 million French speakers worldwide.
Supporters say the new dictionary is more democratic (大众化的) than earlier French dictionaries that only showed the way highly educated French people spoke. Official dictionaries produced by the French Academy in Paris were first published hundreds of years ago and are regularly updated. The online dictionary, however, has a new part you cannot find in a book. If you live in Senegal, for example, you can search the dictionary, and it will give you the meaning of a word based on its use in that country.
“The French no longer have a monopoly (独占) on French,” a French magazine that supports the dictionary wrote recently. “And that is good news”.
【小题1】What do we know about the phrase “to throw a camel”?| A．It tells us camels are too large to be thrown. |
| B．It can be found in an ancient French dictionary. |
| C．It is a phrase still not accepted by the French government. |
| D．It can be used when you see someone makes a spelling mistake. |
| A．It needs updating regularly. | B．It is mainly for non-French speakers. |
| C．It takes in worldwide French usages. | D．It includes few official French terms. |
| A．It helps spread standard French. | B．It’ll attract more people to learn French. |
| C．It’ll benefit French’s development. | D．It brings 300 million French speakers. |
| A．Culture. | B．Opinion. | C．Technology. | D．Lifestyle. |
The "point" is the idea or piece of information that Americans suppose is, or should be, at the center of people's thinking, writings, and spoken comments. Speakers and writers are supposed to "make their points clear", meaning that they are supposed to say or write clearly the idea or piece of information they wish to express.
People from many other cultures have different ideas about the point. Africans traditionally tell stories that express the thoughts they have in mind, rather than stating the point clearly. Japanese traditionally speak indirectly, leaving the listener to figure out what the point is. Thus, while an American might say to a friend, "I don't think that coat goes very well with the rest of your outfit," a Japanese might say, "Maybe another coat would look even better than the one you have on." Americans value a person who "gets right to the point". Japanese are likely to consider such a person insensitive if not rude.
The Chinese and Japanese languages are characterized by vagueness and ambiguity. The precision and directness Americans associate with "the point" cannot be achieved, at least not with any grace, in Chinese and Japanese. Speakers of those languages thus have to learn a new way of reasoning and expressing their ideas if they are going to communicate satisfactorily with Americans.
【小题1】According to the passage, Americans expect speakers and writers to _____.
| A．express their personal views |
| B．be clear about their main ideas |
| C．be honest about their true feelings |
| D．give as much information as possible |
| A．Americans. | B．Chinese. | C．Japanese. | D．Africans. |
| A．appearance | B．behavior | C．speech | D．clothes |
| A．mind their manners |
| B．explain their reasons clearly |
| C．change their ways of expressing ideas |
| D．be careful about their choices of words |
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