Question

【题目】根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

It is hard to know what babies want. They can’t talk, walk, or even point at what they’re thinking about. 【1】 And, compared to adults, they develop these skills quickly. People have a hard time learning new languages as they grow older, but infants have the ability to learn any language easily.

For a long time, scientists have tried to explain how such young children can learn complicated(复杂的) grammatical rules and sounds of a language. 【2】 This new information might eventually help kids with learning problems as well as adults who want to learn new languages. It might even help scientists who are trying to design computers that can communicate like people do.

Most babies go “goo goo” and “ma ma” by 6 months of age. 【3】 For decades, scientists have wondered how the brains of young children figure out how to communicate using language. With the help from new technologies and research strategies, scientists are now finding that babies begin life with the ability to learn any language.

They get into contact with other people, listen to what they say and watch their movements very closely. 【4】 Studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world.

There are about 6,000 sounds that are spoken in languages around the globe, but not every language uses every sound. For example, while the Swedish language has 16 vowel sounds, English uses 8 vowel sounds, and Japanese uses just 5. Adults can hear only the sounds used in the languages they speak fluently. To a native Japanese speaker, for example, the letters R and L sound the same. 【5】

A. Children don’t respond to this kind of sound.

B. Most children speak in full sentences by age 3.

C. A baby’s brain focuses on the most common sounds.

D. That is why they quickly master the languages they hear often.

E. So a Japanese speaker cannot tell “row” from “low”, or “rake” from “lake”.

F. Yet newborns begin to develop language skills long before they begin speaking.

G. Now, researchers are knowing about what’s happening in the brains of the youngest language learners.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】F

【2】G

【3】B

【4】D

【5】E

【解析】

试题分析: 婴儿可以很快的学会听懂复杂的语言，研究表明他们在六个月的时候就能够辨认出所有的声音。

【1】F 考查对上下文语境的理解。空前的意思是：他们不会说话，不会走路，或者甚至指出他们所想的。空后的意思是：和成年人相比，他们发展语言非常快。所以这里选F（然而新生儿在学习说之前他们就开始发展语言技巧。）与上下文一致。

【2】G 考查对上下文语境的理解。空前的意思是：很多科学家试着解释这些小孩子是怎么样学会这么复杂的语法和声音的；空后的意思是：这些新的信息可能会帮助孩子解决学习的问题，还有对那些学习新语言的成年人。所以这里选G（现在科学家正在找出这些年轻的语言学习者的大脑里发生了什么。）与上下文一致。

【3】B 考查对上下文语境的理解。空前的意思是：大多数孩子在六个月的时候就已经会goo，mama这样的单词了。空后的意思是：近年来，这些科学家在想这些孩子的大脑是怎么样弄清楚如何用与语言交流的。所以这里选B（大多数孩子在三岁的时候就可以说完整的句子了。）与上下文一致。

【4】D 考查对上下文语境的理解。空前的意思是：他们和他人接触，听他们所说的，非常仔细的观察他们的动作。空后的意思是：研究表明，在六个月的时候婴儿就可以辨别世界上所有的声音了。所以这里选D（这就是为什么他们很快的掌握他们听到的语言。）与上下文一致。

【5】E 考查对上下文语境的理解。空前的意思是：例如，对本土日本人来说，R和L的发音的相同的。所以这里选E（所以日本人不能辨别row和low，rake和lake。）与上下文一致。