Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle(口哨)language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley cannot easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of the telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera island you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.
小题1:If a person on Comera island is ill,
.
| A．others will phone the doctor in town |
| B．the whistle language will pass the news to the doctor |
| C．his family will take him to the doctor |
| D．people will take him to the hospital |
小题2: From the passage we know radio and TV
at that time.
| A．killed the special ways of speaking |
| B．whistled all the news and opinions |
| C．helped Comera people to communicate |
| D．did not appear on Comera island yet |
小题3: Comera island is special in that
.
| A．it attracts visitors every year |
| B．no visitors have ever been there |
| C．people there have special ears to hear whistles |
| D．people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other |
小题4: Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle. |
| B．The whistle language can only be found on Comera island. |
| C．The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer. |
| D．The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away. |
