VOA常速英语2008年-Thousands of Languages Dying Out

By Nathan King
New York City
26 February 2008
 

The United Nations last year made a landmark¹ declaration on the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous² people. And the U.N.'s Permanent Forum³ on Indigenous Issues says thousands of the indigenous languages spoken around the world are in danger of dying out. The world body is working to change that. Nathan King reports

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。