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 exact as a description of the eager and delighted co- operation（合作） usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gestures 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’s agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particular expression like 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（自我模仿）leads out to deliberate（有意的）imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises 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 meaningless 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 his ability in an attempt to teach new words.

　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

　　A baby’s first noises are ________ .

　　A. an expression of his moods and feelings

　　B. an early form of language

　　C. an imitation of the speech of adults

　　D. a sign that he means to tell you something

　　The problem of deciding at what point a baby’s imitation can be considered as speech ________ .

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

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

　　C. is one that should be ignored（忽略）because children’s use of words is often meaningless

　　D. is one that can never be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age

　　The speaker implies that ________ .

　　A. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitation

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

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

　　D. patents can never hope to teach their children new sounds

    阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。

    One afternoon just before Christmas, an old gentleman was wandering through the city center. The    1    were all filled with good things and crowded with    2  shoppers. The children were    3    all the toys on display in windows, and the old man suddenly saw a dirty boy sitting on the pavement    4    bitterly. When the    5  old man asked him    6    he was crying, the little boy told him that he had    7  a ten penny piece that his uncle had given him. At once the old man    8    a handful of coins. He   9   out a shiny new    10    penny piece and handed it to the child. “Thank you very much,” said the little boy, and    11    his eyes, he cheered up at once.

    An hour or so    12    the old man was    13    his way back home    14    the same road. To his    15    he saw the little boy in the same    16    , crying just as bitterly as before. He went up to the boy and asked him if he had lost the ten penny piece he had just given him as    17   . The boy told him that    18    he had not lost the second coin, but he still could not    19    the first one. “If I could find my own piece,” he said tearfully. “I'd have twenty    20    now.”

    1．

A. streets　　　　　　　　　　    B. road

C. houses　　　　　　　　　　    D. shops

    2．

A. cheerful　　　　　　　　　　  B. angry

C. worried　　　　　　　　　　  D. surprised

    3．

A. looking for　　　　　　　　  B. looking at

C. looking after　　　　　　    D. looking on

    4．

A. singing　　　　　　　　　　   B. shouting

C. laughing　　　　　　　　　　  D. crying

    5．

A. cruel　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. polite

C. kind　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. angry

    6．

A. why　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. what

C. how　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. as

    7．

A. left　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. spent

C. missed　　　　　　　　　　    D. lost

    8．

A. pulled out　　　　　　　　    B. pulled on

C. put out　　　　　　　　　　   D. pushed on

    9．

A. selected　　　　　　　　　　  B. chose

C. picked　　　　　　　　　　    D. elected

    10．

A. one　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. two

C. twenty　　　　　　　　　　    D. ten

    11．

A. opening　　　　　　　　　　  B. drying

C. cleaning　　　　　　　　　　  D. washing

    12．

A. later　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. after

C. before　　　　　　　　　　    D. earlier

    13．

A. leaving 　　　　　　　　　　  B. walking

C. making　　　　　　　　　　   D. giving

    14．

A. on　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. in

C. by　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. at

    15．

A. delight　　　　　　　　　　    B. surprise

C. disappointed　　　　　　    D. satisfaction

    16．

A. spot　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. street

C. road　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. shop

    17．

A. good　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. well

C. before　　　　　　　　　　    D. ago

    <
/
span>18．

A. actually　　　　　　　　　　   B. finally

C. exactly　　　　　　　　　　   D. really

    19．

A. see　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. get

C. have　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. find

    20．

A. pence　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. penny

C. pieces　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. coins

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language. The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be our understanding of love. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.

Let’s analyze this remarkably simple metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is impressive in its beauty, its petals（花瓣）are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on perfection, each petal seemingly equal in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be？A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect.

However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns. The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky. So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns, “Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering.” This is the poet’s understanding of love—an admonition (劝诫). What is the point？Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.

1.According to the passage, a metaphor is a ________.

A. description of two similar objects in a poetic way

B. literary device specially employed in poetry writing

　 C. contrast between two different things to create a vivid image

D. comparison between two different objects with similar features

2.As is meant by the author, thorns of a rose ________.

　 A. add a new element to the image of love

B. protect the rose from harm

　 C. symbolize reduced love

D. cause acute suffering

3.It can be inferred from the passage that a metaphor is _______.

　 A. difficult to understand                B. rich in meaning

　 C. simple to use                       D. perfect in form

4.The main idea of this passage is that ________.

　 A. love is a rose in metaphor

B. a rose is a good image in poetry

　 C. a metaphor is a great poetic device

D. a poet should be careful to use a metaphor