Can you remember the day you spoke your first word?If you can, you are unusual．Probably it happened sometime near your first birthday．
Try to imagine what the first few months of your life were like．You spent most of your time eating and sleeping．It took only a few sounds to let people know when you were happy or if you needed something．As you grew older you were not asleep more of the time．Your parents spent more time playing with you and talking to you．You watched and listened．You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things．It seemed that there had to be a certain sound for each thing and each person．
In time you began to try to make the sounds you heard．And one day you were able to make the right sound for one thing．On that day you“found out”the secret of language．The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing．One sound might be as good as another．“Abbadabba”would be just as good as a sound to mean“dog”．But it's no good as a word unless everybody agrees on its meaning．Only when a group of people use the same group of sounds for things can everybody understand one another．Then, and only then, do these people have a language．
After you discovered the secret of language, you learned words．Some of the words meant things, such as“book”,“chair”,“bed”and“shoe”．Some words meant doing things, such as“go”,“give”,“eat”and“throw”．And some words described things such as“good”,“bad”and“funny”．Soon you learned to put words together to express an idea such as“I want to go out and play with my friends．”You have discovered language．You were learning to use it to get what you needed and wanted．
(1)
This passage tells us ________．
[ ]
A．
the language we use is not a secret
B．
people began to speak when they were babies
C．
how people came to have a language
D．
the words we use mean things or doing things
(2)
Language is necessary because ________．
[ ]
A．
we use it to get what we need and want
B．
we want to eat and sleep
C．
we need something when we are happy
D．
our parents want to play and talk with us
(3)
If you want to express an idea, you have to ________．
[ ]
A．
make the right sound for one thing
B．
learn to put words together
C．
spend more time playing with your parents
D．
be able to describe things
(4)
To understand one another we should ________．
[ ]
A．
make many new words
B．
remember the day when you spoke your first word
C．
learn to use the same group of sounds for things
D．
learn“abbadabba”and so on
(5)
What is the secret of language?
[ ]
A．
Each person gives a certain sound a different meaning．
B．
To learn a language you have to work very hard．
C．
“Abbadabba”would be just as good a sound to mean“dog”．
