Question

阅读理解 　　Of all systems of symbols(符号), language is the most highly developed．It has been pointed out that human beings, by agreement, can make anything stand for anything．Human beings have agreed, in the course of centuries of mutual(相互的)dependency, to let the various noises that they can produce with their lungs, throats, tongues, teeth, and lips systematically stand for certain happenings in their nervous systems．We call that system of agreements language． 　　There is no necessary connection between the symbol and that which it stands for．Just as social positions can be symbolized by feathers worn on the head, by gold on the watch chain, or by a thousand other things according to the culture we live in, so the fact of being hungry can be symbolized by a thousand different noises according to the culture we live in． 　　However obvious these facts may appear at first glance, they are actually not so obvious as they seem except when we take special pains to think about the subject．Symbols and the things they stand for are independent of each other, yet we all have a way of feeling as if, and sometimes acting as if, there were necessary connections．For example, there are people who feel that foreign languages are unreasonable by nature：foreigners have such funny names for things, and why can’t they call things by their right names?This feeling exhibits itself most strongly in those English and American tourists who seem to believe that they can make the natives of any country understand English if they shout loud enough．Like the little boy who is reported to have said：“Pigs are called pigs because the are such dirty animals,” they feel that the symbol is inherently(内在地)connected in some way with the things symbolized． (1) Language is a highly developed system of symbols because human beings ________． [　　] A． have made use of language for centuries B． use our nervous systems to support language C． have made various noises stand for any events D． can make anything stand for anything by agreement (2) What can we conclude from Paragraph 2? [　　] A． Different noises may mean different things． B． Our culture determines what a symbol stands for． C． The language we use symbolizes our social positions． D． Our social positions determine the way we are dressed． (3) In Paragraph 3,“take special pains” probably means “________”． [　　] A． try very hard B． take our time C． are very unhappy D． feel especially painful (4) The example of the little boy is used to show that ________． [　　] A． adults often learn from their young B． “pig” is a dirty word because pigs are dirty C． words are not connected with the things they stand for D． people sometimes have wrong ideas about how language works

Answer 1

答案：1．D;2．B;3．A;4．D;
解析：

(1)	根据短文第一段的第二句“It has been pointed out that human beings, by agreement, can make anything stand for anything．”我们可以断定：语言就是“约定俗成”的。
(2)	第二段的最后一句“so the fact of being hungry can be symbolized by a thousand different noises according to the culture we live in”是主题句。因此，不同的文化背景下，同一个符号会代表不同的东西或事物。
(3)	此题考查考生在语境中理解词语、猜测词义的能力。根据上文“很多事实实际上并不是表面所显示的那样，需要用心思考”我们可以猜出take pains to do sth．是“尽力、用心、下苦功”的意思。
(4)	小男孩说“因为猪是肮脏的动物，所以我们才把它们叫猪”，他人为“猪”这个词与它所代表的意思有内在联系，这种认识是错误的。因此，作者举此例是为了说明：人们有时对语言会产生错误的观点。