Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage Two.
Esperanto
Cu vi paroli Esperanlon? Ne?Can you understand this? Should you be expected to? Depending on who you ask, somewherefrom 10,000 to two million people in places all over the world could understandthis sentence, and presumably reply in this same language. And it is not onethat ever evolved through any natural process. To give it its technical name,it is a 'constructed auxiliary language’. More specifically, it is 'Esperanto’,and out of the several attempts throughout modern history to create artificiallanguages, Esperanto remains the most widely spoken.
'Widely spoken’ is a relativeterm here. Compared to any natural language, the number of Esperanto speakersremains pitiably small — a far cry from the high hopes of its inventor, Dr.Ludwig Zamenhof, who was an eye doctor growing up in the racially dividedEastern-European town of Bialystok. In this complex and uneasy mixture ofPoles, Jews, Russians, and Germans, each speaking their own language, ahigh-minded Zamenhof lamented how these languages so obviously categorised thecity’s residents into different, and often hostile, groups. He resolved tocreate an easily learnt and politically neutral language, one that wouldtranscend nationality, ethnicity, race, colour, and creed. It would be auniversal second language, and his first book detailing this idea was publishedin 1887.
Surprisingly perhaps, the conceptquickly gained acceptance and a loyal following. It seems that in alinguistically divided Eastern Europe, many people possessed the same idealismwhich drove Zamenhof. From there, then to the West, then into the Americas andAsia, Esperanto journals, magazines, and clubs, were formed, ultimately leadingto the first world congress of Esperanto speakers in France, in 1905. Thesecongresses have been held every year since then, apart from when world warsdelayed proceedings. And today, Esperanto is still present, although very muchunder the radar. Whilst not yet having achieved the status of being an officiallanguage of any state or governing body, it is, at least, occasionally taughtat schools and educational institutions on an informal or experimental basis.
What actually keeps Esperantogoing is the motivation of those who become interested. Language books,journals, and various online and video-based self-learning technologies exist,as well as an active speaking community, but the key question remains: whetherit is worth investing the time in acquiring the language. In other words, doesit have any innate advantages over other languages or equip its speakers with auseful skill in life? The first question can be promptly answered. Proponentsexplain that, by being so simple and internally consistent, Esperanto is easyto learn, being able to be mastered in a fraction of the lime needed for anyconventional language.
While we may accept that, thesecond question is far more problematic and raises further issues, the main onebeing whether the language is even necessary. Would international communicationindeed be better if we all spoke Esperanto? Are there not other factorsinvolved? And why cannot the English language take that role (which it virtuallyhas)? Why divert state funds to support what may always remain a marginalisedspeech community, especially when there exists so many other languages spokenby far more people, and of far greater utility? The answers are emotional,complex, and confusing.
One problem with Esperanto isthat it is culturally European. Its vocabulary and internal rules ofconstruction derive from European languages, making it difficult for Asianlearners. There is also a large and imposing vocabulary, with many nouns ratheridiosyncratically chosen, and a certain unnecessary complexity which Zamenhof(who was not a professional linguist) had not realised. In 1894, he suggested a'reformed Esperanto’; however, the Esperanto speakers of that day were loatheto alter a language which they had already mastered, rejecting Zamenhof’sproposals, and also those of a special French committee formed 13 years laterto discuss the adoption of a standard international language.
In the meantime, anotherartificial language had emerged. Called 'Ido’, it was a product of variousacademics who embedded the changes that Esperanto was thought to have needed.This new language, sharing the same lofty goals, divided the support base ofEsperanto. A large number defected to Ido, which then underwent further changesthrough committee after committee, and eventually the formation of anindependent academy. However, Ido suffered substantial decline when itsbest-known advocate was killed in a car accident, and with the advent of WorldWar One. After the war, its most vocal proponent published his own constructedlanguage, 'Novial’, making the schism all too confusing, such that the originalEsperanto quickly became the predominant language of its type.
Esperanto may lead the field,but it falls far short of the aim of both its creator and many of its speakers— that of a truly global second language uniting all in mutual understanding.This high-minded goal, almost universally shared in the early days of thelanguage, has mellowed among many followers, who are now content just to have aspecial language and its culture and community with whom they can interact. Theunlikelihood of achieving more than this was even admitted in an Esperantoconvention in 1980, although many still cling to the pracelo, the 'originalgoal’, of an official status and worldwide use. Will this ever be achieved? AllI can say is estus agrable pensas tiel, sed preshau certe ne estos.
SECTION 2: QUESTIONS 14-26
Questions 14-17
Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOTGIVEN.
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE
if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN
If there is no information on this
14 _________________ The number of Esperanto speakers is quitelarge.
15 _________________ Zamenhof spoke many languages.
16 _________________ Esperanto is easier to learn than otherlanguages.
17 _________________ Esperanto World Congresses have been held everyyear since 1905.
Questions 18-21
Complete the sentences.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWOWORDS from the passage for each answer.
The different ethnic groups inZamenhof s hometown were frequently 18 _________________
The first Esperanto speakersshared Zamenhofs 19 _________________
English now essentiallyprovides the means of 20_________________
Official support of Esperantocould be considered a waste of 21 _________________
Questions 22-26
Answer the questions.
Choose the correct letter,E, I, or B.
E
Esperanto
I
Ido
B
Both
Which language
22 _________ had many stages in its development?
23 _________ had its development affected by World War One?
24 _________ has some strange words?
25 _________ was designed by many people?
26 _________ has never achieved its aim?
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雅思阅读第097套P2-Esperantohttp://www.tuonindefu.com/?p=2727雅思阅读第097套P2:Esperanto
