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  3. Prior to the 20th century, many languages with small numbers of speakers survived for centuries. The increasingly interconnected

Prior to the 20th century, many languages with small numbers of speakers survived for centuries. The increasingly interconnected

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问题     Prior to the 20th century, many languages with small numbers of speakers survived for centuries. The increasingly interconnected modern world makes it much more difficult for small language communities to live in relative isolation, a key factor in language maintenance and preservation.
    It remains to be seen whether the world can maintain its linguistic and cultural diversity in the centuries ahead. Many powerful forces appear to work against it: population growth, which pushes migrant populations into the world’s last isolated locations; mass tourism; global telecommunications and mass media; and the spread of gigantic global corporations. All of these forces appear to signify a future in which the language of advertising, popular culture, and consumer products become similar. Already English and a few other major tongues have emerged as global languages of commerce and communication. For many of the world’s peoples, learning one of these languages is viewed as the key to education, economic opportunity, and a better way of life.
    Only about 3,000 languages now in use are expected to survive the coming century. Are most of the rest doomed in the century after that? Whether most of these languages survive will probably depend on how strongly cultural groups wish to keep their identity alive through a native language. To do so will require an emphasis on bilingualism(mastery of two languages). Bilingual speakers could use their own language in smaller spheres — at home, among friends, in community settings — and a global language at work, in dealings with government, and in commercial spheres. In this way, many small languages could sustain their cultural and linguistic integrity alongside global languages, rather than yield to the homogenising(同化的)forces of globalisation.
    Ironically, the trend of technological innovation that has threatened minority languages could also help save them. For example, some experts predict that computer software translation tools will one day permit minority language speakers to browse the Internet using their native tongues. Linguists are currently using computer-aided learning tools to teach a variety of threatened languages.
According to the author, whether the linguistic and cultural diversity of the world can be maintained in the future is still a mystery because______.
选项 A、globalisation makes it possible for people to live without small languages
B、many migrants start to speak major languages to replace their mother tongue
C、major languages are gaining great popularity among people all over the world
D、languages with small numbers of speakers are useless in commerce and communication
答案C
解析 根据题干中的the linguistic and cultural diversity将本题出处定位于第2段。该段第1句指出将来世界上语言和文化是否可以保持多样性还有待观察。随后作者给出了一系列原因：populationgrowth，mass tourism，global telecommunication and mass media，the spread of gigantic globalcorporations，这些都说明世界性的交流越来越广泛。随后作者又指出English and a few o
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