Hangzhouhua (杭州话)：use it or lose it
There are about 6.000 languages in the world and some experts say that as many as half of these languages will disappear(消失) in the next one hundred years. Will Hangzhouhua be one of 1)________? It’s a 2)________ that more people are asking.
In China, Putonghua is the official language. That 3)________ it’s the language of government, business and the media (媒体). And it’s also the language that is 4)________ in schools.
Hangzhou is a special city. It used to be the capital of Wu and Yue States in the 10th century during the Five Dynasties period. Now it is modern, fashionable and also beautiful. And Hangzhouhua shows that by being modern, fashionable and beautiful.
Young people still speak Hangzhouhua but not as 5)________ as their parents and grandparents. They are under more and more pressure to speak Putonghua. So the language is being used 6)________ often in everyday life. Some people want to keep the language from disappearing completely 7)_________ building museums and having cultural festivals to save it. But a language isn’t a painting 8)________ a book. It’s a living thing and you 9)________ use it or lose it.
If people 10)________ using it in their daily lives, a museum or a festival will not help. It will be lost forever, like the Yangtze River dolphin.

Are only clever and good-looking students happy in the school? Best-selling ___31___ Xiao Nizi (Nini) doesn’t think so.
“___32___ has his own place in the sky." she said.  "We're all special in our ownways.”
Nini, from Hunan, writes stories about young people in the school. Her books,___33___ Devils Kiss and Un-e on Midsummer’s Night, are very ___34___ with students.
In her stories, the main characters arc usually common girls who are neither pretty ___35___ smart. But they always win the love of a Prince Charming(白马王子)，or___36___ successful stars.
"It’s not because of luck."' said Nini. ""They are ___37___ honest and they don't lie. They know what they arc good___38___ and work hard to realize their dreams. "
Nini herself is like one of the characters in her stories. She was a shy girl at school. But she thought a lot and liked languages, and that made her ___39___ to be a writer. She hopes her stories ___40__ make more kids happy.
【小题1】A. writer        B. reader         C. speaker
【小题2】 A. Nobody     B. Everyone      C. Someone
【小题3】A. as           B. for example    C. such as
【小题4】 A. successful    B. popular        C. funny
【小题5】 A. nor          B. or            C. but
【小题6】A. become      B. make         C. take
【小题7】 A. still          B.only         C. ever
【小题8】 A. at           B. for           C. with
【小题9】A. deciding      B. to decide      C. decide
【小题10】 A. can          B. must        C. need

A young man called Jack has visited many countries. He knows few foreign languages, but he can always find someone who knows enough English to understand what he says. Last summer he went to China. He enjoyed himself in China and liked Chinese food very much.

One day he went into a restaurant in a small village. He knew the Chinese word ‘rice’, so he ordered some rice. The village was famous for its mushrooms, and Jack thought they must be very fresh and delicious. He asked the waiter in English. However, the waiter couldn’t understand at all, so he could do nothing for Jack. Jack thought hard. When he saw a piece of paper on the table, he had a good idea. He took out a pencil and drew a picture of a mushroom carefully. The waiter looked at the picture for a long time, then he smiled and left. A few minutes later, he came back with a black umbrella in his hand.

1.What does ‘mushrooms’ mean? 

A．洋葱             B．花菜             C．洋伞             D．蘑菇

2.The waiter didn’t help Jack because _____________.

A．he had no mushrooms in the kitchen         B．he disliked the mushrooms

C．he didn’t know English well               D．he thought the mushrooms were poisonous

3.Jack asked the waiter for ___________.

A．a pencil           B．a picture          C．an umbrella        D．some mushrooms

4.The waiter smiled because __________.

A．the picture was beautiful                 B．he was very happy

C．Jack gave a gift to him                    D．he thought he understood Jack

5.At last the waiter came back with an umbrella, because _______.   

A．it is raining outside                      B．it is going to rain

C．the mushroom Jack drew looked like an umbrella   D．Jack was good at drawing