Every 14 days, another language dies. There are many reasons for this. Some people think more common languages have more economic(经济的) if power. Because of this, young people choose to learn a common language as they think it is more useful. Another reason is that some languages aren't written down. Guujaaw is a leader of the Haida Nation, whose people have lived on the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada, for more than 10,000 years. Their language is endangered. Traditionally, it wasn't written down, and, as a result, some people are worried that it will die one day. Guujaaw replies to this, "We talk to each other, listen, visit and believe in the spoken word. Expressing yourself without writing is natural. However, if Guujaaw's language and others like it are going to stay alive, writing may have to become part of their lives.

    When a language dies, a lot of knowledge dies with it. To begin with, language is a huge part of the culture of the people who speak it. Language allows speakers to say certain things: words that describe a cultural idea may not translate exactly into another language. Furthermore, many endangered languages have rich spoken cultures. Stories, songs and histories are passed on from older people to younger generations(一代). Elizabeth Lindsey, an expert in languages, emphasizes(强调) this. "When an elder dies, a library is burned," she says.

    Also, language death affects our knowledge about nature. Local people often have a deep understanding of plants, animals, and the relationship between them. David Harrison, a researcher on endangered languages, reflects, "80% of plant and animal species(物种)have been undiscovered by science. But that doesn't mean they're unknown to humans."

    Many languages are endangered. However, it's not too late. Children often grow up speaking two languages．“ No one… becomes richer by giving up… one language to learn another，” Harrison said. If children feel both languages are important, they will use both. So, it is necessary that children realize how useful their local language is.

特殊的礼物

倪琴琴

    ①去年的这个时候，我像往常一样下了公交去学校上班，在一桥墩处，肩包被一辆正拐弯的货车顺势带了进去，于是，我毫无防备地一屁股坐到了地上，眼睁睁地看着我的左脚被车轮碾过。

    ②在家休息了一段时间，我瘸着脚上班了。像我这种特殊职业，无法麻烦别人长时间代班，尽管伤势还重，但我还是义无反gù地前去上班了。在小区门口，我拦了一辆出租车。也许是因为司机看到我瘸着脚，我一上车，他就关心地问：“脚受伤了？”我把当时的事故向他轻描淡写地诉说了一遍，然后询问他能否每个早晚都来接我上下班。他沉吟了一下，然后约定还是打电话再联系吧。傍晚时分，我正失望的，他打电话来了，并告诉我就在单位门口等我。

    ③司机收费的价格很公道，并没有因为我的特殊理由而增加，尽管早晚都成了我的专职司机。他每天都要起早，因为7点前必须把我送到单位，傍晚正是打车高峰期，我跟他约定，他不一定要遵守时间，我有耐心等待，但他从不会超过10分钟的误差。

    ④我渐渐习惯了坐他的车，有时我们也会在途中聊些日常生活。他话不多，但开口也会说出些哲理。有一天，他来接我的时候，问我：“你走路不方便，楼梯怎么上去？”我笑笑: “扶着扶梯上去啊。“有没有想过要一副拐？”“怎么没有想过呢？每天单位的午餐，都是同事亲手端到我手里，有时还要学生帮忙，我心里很过意不去，如果我有拐，就可以自己去食堂。”我对他说的是实话。

    ⑤下车的时候，司机从后备厢内拿出了一副拐，看上去还是崭新的。“给，送你的。”他很真诚地递过来。“送我的？”我有点惊愕。“希望你不要介意，这拐以前我妻子用过，她也和你一样受过脚伤，如今痊愈了，拐放家里，闲着也是闲着，所以我想你大概用得着。只是——”他顿了一顿，“有种迷信说法，病人用过的东西是不能再还回去的。所以，这拐送你，希望你别介意。”“怎么会介意呢？你简直是雪中送炭啊。”我非常高兴地接过拐，试走了几步，真不错!司机也非常欣慰：“你喜欢就好，我就怕你有心理负担。不过，老师就是老师，是相信科学的。”

    ⑥晚上，我拄着拐在客厅里自由活动，这拐设计得还真到位，腋下的部位处，那位司机的妻子用一块暗红的布包缝制了一块海绵，非常厚实，可减轻腋部的摩擦力。第二天，这拐已被我用得娴熟。我一上车，司机又从车位上递过一只袋子：“昨天，忘记把零件一并交给你。这是我妻子自己缝的拐套，你把它们套在拐底部，可以防滑，家里的地板上用得着。”“谢谢，谢谢……”平时能在课堂上滔滔不绝的我此时只会重复地说这两个词。我接过袋子，仿佛手里捧着珍珠玛瑙，心里涌起了一股暖意……

    ⑦半个月后，我的脚已渐有起色，肿也退去。那天傍晚，司机来接我，我特地把准备好的车费一并给他，里面也有我的心意。我感激他风雨无阻的接送，他的守时更让我尊重。特别是他送的特殊礼物，让我感受到了陌生人的关爱。

    ⑧事情已过去了一年，每当看到上海马路上的出租车，我的心里总会涌动一份感激，仿佛这些车里坐着那位熟悉的“的哥”……

读下图，完成下面小题