小托福大智慧--阅读系列【学海无涯】—

小托福大智慧--阅读系列【学海无涯】——朱彦琳

发布时间：2013-12-05

作者：

来源于：昂立外语网站

Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word "obey" is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the children. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises. Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can't be said to show the baby's intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation(模仿) leads on to deliberate(有意的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech. It is a problem we need to get our teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation; and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world. Thus the use, at seven months, of "mama" as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaning-less sound simply because he also uses it at another time for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself. I doubt, however, whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.

1. Before children start speaking .

A. they need equal amount of listening

B. they need different amounts of listening

C. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obey spoken instructions

D. they can't understand and obey the adult's oral instructions

2. Children who start speaking late .

A. may have problems with their listening

B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them

C. usually pay close attention to what they hear

D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly

3. A baby's first noises are .

A. an expression of his moods and feelings

B. an early form. of language

C. a sign that he means to tell you something

D. an imitation of the speech of adults

4. The problem of deciding at what point a baby' imitations can be considered as speech .

A. is important because words have different meanings for different people

B. is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually

C. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age

D. is one that should be completely ignored(忽略) because children's use of words is of-ten meaningless

5. The speaker implies .

A. parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds

B. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak

C. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly

D. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating

【答案解析】本文探讨了小孩从模仿发音到语言形成的几个发展阶段.

1. B.细节题.根据第 1 段 Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking 可知此题答案为 B.

2. D.细节题.根据第 1 段中的 …later starters are often long listeners 可知答案选 D.

3. A.细节题.根据第 2 段 …the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on 可知正确答案为 A.

4. C. 细节题. 根据第 3 段 …and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the word 可知 C 为正确答案.