Today, several of the world's nearly 7,000 languages face a serious risk of extinction. "For example, Ainu, a language in Japan, is now seriously threatened, with only 10 native speakers left," said lead study author Tatsuya Amano at the University of Cambridge in England. The scientists found that 25 percent of the world's languages are threatened. After identifying where the endangered languages were, they looked for any environmental and social or economic factors those languages might have in common, such as rugged terrain or rapid population growth. "We found that at the global scale, language speaker declines are strongly linked to economic growth-that is, declines are particularly occurring in economically developed regions," Amano said. One important implication of this new study "is that languages in the tropics and Himalayan region are likely to be increasingly threatened in the near future, because these regions still have many local indigenous languages   with a small number of speakers, and at the same time are experiencing rapid economic growth," Amano said. Economic growth may endanger languages for a variety of reasons. For instance, speakers of endangered languages may view another more dominant language as offering economic opportunities, and thus forego their own languages. There are other important factors that might endanger languages, the researchers said. For instance, policies regarding how languages are used and taught in schools can be very different among countries and even within each country, and these factors may explain more detailed patterns in language endangerment. Amano suggested it could be possible to forecast future threats to linguistic diversity. "There exists detailed information on projected future changes in the environment, economies and climates," Amano said. "Using such information, together with the findings of this study and further analysis, we would like to understand what will happen to the world's languages, where it will happen and which languages will be... What may endanger the languages most according to Amano? A) The diversity of society. B) The decline of the population. C) The development of economy D) The improvement of the environment.
C
------
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82. Many people paid tribute to the former astronaut. But other people feel regret that no human has been back to the moon since 1972, just three years after Armstrong landed on it and gave his famous "giant leap for mankind" speech. Elliot Pulham, Chief Executive of the Space Foundation, thinks that America's space agency NASA should get more money, like in the 1960s, during the moon landings programme, when astronauts went to the moon. "In this age of limited goals and tiny NASA budgets, Armstrong is a reminder of what our nation was once capable of," he said.  Armstrong died because of heart problems after surgery. His recovery seemed to be going well, and his death was a surprise to many people. His family described him as a "reluctant American hero" and said: "Honour his example of service, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink." Speaking from the White House, Barack Obama said Armstrong was "among the greatest of  American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time". He added: "And when Neil stepped on the  moon for the first time, it was a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten." Buzz Aldrin flew with Armstrong on Apollo 11. He was the second man to walk on the moon. He said he was very sad at the death of his good friend and companion. "When I look at the moon I remember that special moment, over forty years ago, when Neil and I stood on the moon," he said. "Looking back at our brilliant blue planet Earth hanging in the darkness of space, I realized that even though we were farther away from Earth than two humans  had ever been, we were not alone. Almost the entire world took that memorable journey with us. I know many millions of people around the world will join me in mourning the death of a true  American hero and the best pilot I ever knew. My friend Neil took the small step but giant leap that changed the... Why is Neil Armstrong's death described as 'a surprise to many'? Because  _  . A) he was  ly young B) it was believed he was recovering well from bypass surgery C) he was a larger-than-life reminder of what America was once capable of D) he was the only person to land on the moon
B
------
If there is something that appears most frequently on Chinese dining tables, it is doufu--beancurd.Beancurd looks like soft cakes and it's made from dried soybeans.Beancurd used to be considered a favourite of the poor because of its low cost.Beans have high yields   every year with their short growing period and suitability for various   soil both dry and wet. Historical records show beancurd was invented by Liu An, Prince of Huainan and uncle of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty(206BC--220AD).He had a dream of finding the pill for longevity  .He traveled all over the country and found soybeans, which looked much the same as gold in terms of colour.He collected soybeans, put them in the water and crushed them into pulp  .It got solidified and became known as doufu.Although it's not able to keep longevity, it's really good for one's health with high protein and low fat. With a long history, beancurd is rooted deep in Chinese culture.People eat more meat and fish than beancurd.But they are encouraged to have beancurd every once in a while for it's really good for health.Most Chinese people still keep beancurd as one of their favourite dishes. Why did Liu An travel all over the country? A) He had a dream. B) He wanted to invent beancurd. C) He wanted to find something that could make people live longer. D) He wanted to find gold.
C
------
Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you. Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand and nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs from culture to culture. People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less than ten percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand. Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before. The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed at before. Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They may have a disorder called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives. In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed... What's FALSE of the study led by a team from the University of Zurich? A) They wanted to study the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. B) They wanted to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. C) They did such a survey in order to prevent people from being laughed at in public. D) They surveyed more than 22 thousand people coming from different cultures.

C
------