Now go through TEXT G quickly to answer question 53.
The Origins of Language
Apart from the rote miming of parrots and myna birds, no animal can speak a human-like language. Many animals make complex sounds, of course, among them dolphins and chimpanzees, but only in humans do these sound represent objects and events in an arbitrary yet symbolic way. Though the words vary from dialect to dialect, they have specific meanings in each case and are solely the inventions of the human mind.
Since preserving the human voice was an innovation of modern times, the sounds voiced by our distant ancestors left no tangible trace. But by studying the size and shape of fossil hominid brains scientists can obtain a clue to the neural machinery that is necessary for the development and organization of language.
The development of language was a slow and laborious process that seems to have begun with the forerunners of modern man, Homo erectus, some 1.5 million years ago. Studies of the cranial capacity of early man indicate that his brain possessed a left hemisphere (which in modern man is the seat of language) slight large than the right hemisphere. Homo erectus also had a well-developed frontal section of the brain, now known as Broca's Area, which coordinates the muscles of the mouth and throat that we use when we speak. Thus, early man was not hampered by a lack of speech apparatus; in fact, he possessed an anatomical structure capable of producing the entire spectrum of vocal effects available to us today. Whether or not he actually used it is unknown.
In the total absence of any clue to the speech patterns of prehistoric man, scholars can offer only speculation about how language originated. Several theories have been in and out of vogue.
The Bow-Wow Theory, as named and proposed by the German-born British philologist Friedrich Max Muller in 19th century, posits that language grew our of man's attempts to imitate natural sounds, as an infant calls a locomotive a choo-choo or a cow a moo. According to this suggestion, man's first utterances were onomatopoetic or echoic words that emulated the sounds of what was happening around him -- for example, thunder, bump, sneeze, splash, slosh, sizzle, moan, and mumble.
The Pooh-pooh Theory holds that speech originated from the spontaneous exclamations and interjections of early humans: cries of fear, surprise, anger, pain, disgust, despair, and joy.
The Yo-He-Ho theory suggests that language evolved form reflex utterances -- grunts, gasps, glottal contractions -- evoked by strenuous physical exertion, such as hacking up a carcass after a successful hunt or dragging a heavy log through underbrush.
The Sing-Song Theory contends that human speech arose form primitive rhythmic chants associated with ritualistic dance.
Standing alone, each of these theories has flaws, and even combined, their composite effect cannot account for the full complexity of human language. This is particularly true because language as we know it is more the product of the human mind than it is the product of the human vocal cords.
At one time linguists believed that language originated merely to facilitate communication so that one individual could relate to another what the he or she should be doing next in the practical matters of daily life. Today, however, it is widely thought that language originated so that early man could think more effectively. For without the acquisition of words, and the structure of language to string them together in logical and meaningful order, there can be no such thing as complex human thought. This is evident in human language's most supreme attribute: its limitless creativity. Even today language grows at a rapid pace with the use of what words coined from technology or derivatives of old words attached to trends.
Alone of all the creatures on earth, humans can say things that have never been said -- and still be understood. Animals can only repeat the same limited utterances over and over again, as their progenitors have done for millions of years. Man's accomplishment has bestowed on him the capacity to create something new ever time he speaks.
TEXT H
First read the questions.
54. If you want to sell a used color TV, you can call ____.
A. 62429991
B. 1371801367
C. 59766119
D. 64748821
正確答案是
55. If you are proficient in Chinese water painting and need a part-time job, you can contact ____.
A. at boycolour@hotmail.com
B. at GMoates@aol.com
C. at andylg@beer.com
D. at xueyini@public4.sta.net.cn
正確答案是
The Origins of Language
Apart from the rote miming of parrots and myna birds, no animal can speak a human-like language. Many animals make complex sounds, of course, among them dolphins and chimpanzees, but only in humans do these sound represent objects and events in an arbitrary yet symbolic way. Though the words vary from dialect to dialect, they have specific meanings in each case and are solely the inventions of the human mind.
Since preserving the human voice was an innovation of modern times, the sounds voiced by our distant ancestors left no tangible trace. But by studying the size and shape of fossil hominid brains scientists can obtain a clue to the neural machinery that is necessary for the development and organization of language.
The development of language was a slow and laborious process that seems to have begun with the forerunners of modern man, Homo erectus, some 1.5 million years ago. Studies of the cranial capacity of early man indicate that his brain possessed a left hemisphere (which in modern man is the seat of language) slight large than the right hemisphere. Homo erectus also had a well-developed frontal section of the brain, now known as Broca's Area, which coordinates the muscles of the mouth and throat that we use when we speak. Thus, early man was not hampered by a lack of speech apparatus; in fact, he possessed an anatomical structure capable of producing the entire spectrum of vocal effects available to us today. Whether or not he actually used it is unknown.
In the total absence of any clue to the speech patterns of prehistoric man, scholars can offer only speculation about how language originated. Several theories have been in and out of vogue.
The Bow-Wow Theory, as named and proposed by the German-born British philologist Friedrich Max Muller in 19th century, posits that language grew our of man's attempts to imitate natural sounds, as an infant calls a locomotive a choo-choo or a cow a moo. According to this suggestion, man's first utterances were onomatopoetic or echoic words that emulated the sounds of what was happening around him -- for example, thunder, bump, sneeze, splash, slosh, sizzle, moan, and mumble.
The Pooh-pooh Theory holds that speech originated from the spontaneous exclamations and interjections of early humans: cries of fear, surprise, anger, pain, disgust, despair, and joy.
The Yo-He-Ho theory suggests that language evolved form reflex utterances -- grunts, gasps, glottal contractions -- evoked by strenuous physical exertion, such as hacking up a carcass after a successful hunt or dragging a heavy log through underbrush.
The Sing-Song Theory contends that human speech arose form primitive rhythmic chants associated with ritualistic dance.
Standing alone, each of these theories has flaws, and even combined, their composite effect cannot account for the full complexity of human language. This is particularly true because language as we know it is more the product of the human mind than it is the product of the human vocal cords.
At one time linguists believed that language originated merely to facilitate communication so that one individual could relate to another what the he or she should be doing next in the practical matters of daily life. Today, however, it is widely thought that language originated so that early man could think more effectively. For without the acquisition of words, and the structure of language to string them together in logical and meaningful order, there can be no such thing as complex human thought. This is evident in human language's most supreme attribute: its limitless creativity. Even today language grows at a rapid pace with the use of what words coined from technology or derivatives of old words attached to trends.
Alone of all the creatures on earth, humans can say things that have never been said -- and still be understood. Animals can only repeat the same limited utterances over and over again, as their progenitors have done for millions of years. Man's accomplishment has bestowed on him the capacity to create something new ever time he speaks.
TEXT H
First read the questions.
54. If you want to sell a used color TV, you can call ____.
A. 62429991
B. 1371801367
C. 59766119
D. 64748821
正確答案是
55. If you are proficient in Chinese water painting and need a part-time job, you can contact ____.
A. at boycolour@hotmail.com
B. at GMoates@aol.com
C. at andylg@beer.com
D. at xueyini@public4.sta.net.cn
正確答案是