Is language, like food, a basic human need? Judging from the extreme experiment of Frederick in the 13th century, it may be. Hoping to discover what language a child would speak if he heard no mother tongue he told the nurses to keep silent.

All the babies died before the first year. But clearly there was more than language deprivation (剥夺，丧失). What was missing was good mothering. Without good mothering, in the first year of life especially, the ability to survive is seriously affected.

Today no such extreme deprivation exists as that ordered by Frederick. Nevertheless, some children are still backward in speaking. Most often the reason for this is that the mother is insensitive to signals of the baby, whose brain is programmed, to mop up language rapidly. There are critical times, it seems when children learn more rapidly. If these sensitive periods are neglected, the ideal time for acquiring skills passes and they might never be learned so easily again.

Linguists suggest that speech milestones are reached in a fixed order and at a constant age, but there are cases where speech has started late in a child who eventually turns out to be of high IQ.

Recent evidence suggests that a baby is born with the ability to speak. What is special about man’s brain, compared with that of the monkey, is the complex system which enables a child to connect the sight and feel of, say, a teddy bear with the sound pattern “teddy bear”.

But speech has to be developed, and this depends on interaction between the mother and the child, where the mother recognizes the signals in the child’s babbling, clinging, grasping, crying, smiling, and responds to them. Insensitivity of the mother to these signals reduces the interaction because the child gets discouraged and sends out only the obvious signals. Sensitivity to the child’s nonverbal (非语言的) signals is basic to the growth and development of language.

1.Frederick’s experiment was extreme because _________.

A．he wanted to prove children are born with ability to speak

B．he wanted his nurses to say another language

C．he was unkind to the nurses

D．he ignored the importance of mothering to the babies

2.The reason that some children are backward in speaking is most likely that _________.

A．they do not listen carefully to their mothers

B．their mothers do not respond to their attempts to speak

C．their brain has to absorb too much language at once

D．their mothers are not intelligent enough to help them

3.In paragraph 3, by “critical times” the author means _________.

A．difficult periods in the child’s life

B．moments when the child becomes critical towards its mother

C．important stages in the child’s development

D．times when mothers often neglect their children

4.If a child starts to speak later than others, he will _________ in future.

A．have a high IQ                          B．be less intelligent

C．not necessarily be backward               D．be insensitive to verbal signals

5.If the mother seldom responds to her child’s signals, _________.

A．the child will be able to speak properly

B．the child will continue to give out signals

C．the child will invent a language of own

D．the child will make little effort to speak

It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25. I was triage nurse (分诊护士) that day. I didn’t _36_many patients, so I was not happy about having to _37_ on Christmas. Just then, five bodies _38_at my desk: a pale woman and four small children.

“Are you all sick?” I asked _39_.“Yes,” the woman said weakly. But when they got to describe their problems, things got a little _40_. Two of the children had headaches, _41_ they weren’t holding their heads like headache sufferers _42_ do. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to _43_ it.

_44_ was wrong, but I didn’t say anything except that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She _45_ , “Take your time; it’s _46_ in here.”

Then I checked the chart after the admitting clerk had finished registering the family. No _47_–- they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.

I looked out at the family huddled by the Christmas tree. The smallest one was pointing at the television and exclaiming something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at an ornament on the tree.

I went back to the nurses’ station and mentioned we had a _48_ family in the waiting room. The nurses, irritated about having to work on Christmas, suddenly felt _49_ for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into _50_, much as we do when there’s a medical emergency. Only this time it was a Christmas emergency.

We were each entitled to a free meal in the hospital cafeteria on Christmas Day, so we _51_ that meal and prepared a banquet for our Christmas guests. We needed presents. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. From various departments, we _52_candies, crayons and other suitable items. As seriously as we met the physical _53_ of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs, and go beyond the _54_ , of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.

Later, as the family walked to the door to _55_, the four-year-old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”

1.                A．like            B．expect          C．imagine   D．recognize

2.                A．work           B．wait            C．return    D．repeat

3.                A．turned back     B．looked around    C．showed up    D．showed off

4.                A．patiently        B．carefully        C．jokingly   D．doubtfully

5.                A．strange         B．smooth         C．natural   D．difficult

6.                A．as             B．and            C．but D．so

7.                A．sometimes      B．seldom         C．never    D．usually

8.                A．reflect         B．produce        C．tolerate   D．prevent

9.                A．Something      B．Anything        C．Everything     D．Nothing

10.               A．advised        B．added          C．explained D．responded

11.               A．fun            B．warm          C．busy D．lucky

12.               A．phone         B．work           C．address   D．money

13.               A．funny          B．friendly         C．jobless    D．homeless

14.               A．care           B．duty           C．compassion D．dissatisfaction

15.               A．panic          B．action          C．research   D．discussion

16.               A．claimed        B．cooked         C．paid D．accepted

17.               A．shared         B．selected        C．discovered D．collected

18.               A．problems       B．needs          C．illnesses   D．standards

19.               A．power         B．control         C．expectations    D．understanding

20.               A．leave          B．enter          C．thank D．talk

The afternoon on December 25 in the waiting room , I was the nurse on duty . When I felt sad about having to_36_on Christmas Day , a woman and four small children showed up at my desk .
“ Are you all sick ?” I asked. “ Yes,” the woman said _37_and lowered her head. But when it came to telling me about their_38_ ,things got a little surprising. They all seemed to be well and there was nothing _39_ with their body.
Why did they tell a _40_that they were all sick? I did not say anything but _41_ that it might be a little time before a doctor could _42_ them . The mother said,“Take your time.We can _43_ here. It’s so warm.” When she finished the register chart , I noticed she didn’t write down their address----were they _44_ ?
I looked at the _45_ around the Christmas tree. The children were excited and _46_ to be healthy. The littlest one was pointing at the Christmas tree and say something to the mother. Then I was sure that they came here not because of _47_ but only for warmth.
I went back to the nurses’ station and _48_ the homeless family. The nurses, _49_ about working on Christmas Day like me, turned to feel sorry for the family and decided to _50_.
We bought delicious food in the hospital restaurant and _51_ a big dinner for our guests. We needed _52_. So we put apples in a basket and collected candies and clothes. Just as we were seriously prepared to meet the physical needs of the _53_, our team worked to meet the needs of a family who just wanted to be _54_ on Christmas Day.
Later, as the family was to _55 _ , the youngest child ran to me and said,“Thank you very much. Good bye.’
【小题1】A choose               B work              C shop             D clean
【小题2】A angrily              B joyfully          C weakly           D loudly
【小题3】A plans                B jobs              C habits           D problems
【小题4】A wrong                B new               C special          D strange
【小题5】A story                B lie               C joke             D secret
【小题6】A explained            B agree          C promised     D replied
【小题7】A visit                B educated       C see          D encouraged
【小题8】A sleep                B eat               C dance            D wait
【小题9】A careless             B homeless          C impolite         D unhappy
【小题10】A family               B team              C class            D police
【小题11】A seemed               B wanted            C decided          D happened
【小题12】A fun              B hunger            C illness     D tiredness
【小题13】A introduced        B mentioned         C reported         D greeted
【小题14】A writing    B learning          C worrying         D complaining
【小题15】A leave                B stop              C watch            D help
【小题16】A prepared             B cooked            C ordered          D started
【小题17】A vegetables           B materials         C presents         D fruits
【小题18】A doctors             B patients           C leaders           D nurses
【小题19】A satisfied           B excited            C warm              D full
【小题20】A watch              B sing               C win               D leave

完形填空 （共20小题；每小题1.5分， 满分30分）

  I just came home from visiting my 90-year-old grandpa after his heart surgery. We talked and laughed and before I left he __36__me, told me that he loved me and told me not to be_37_ if he died because he had loved his life.

  When my mom was in hospital due to breast cancer, I went to _38_ her. She wasn’t in her _39_. When I headed for the Nurses Station to _40_ her, I saw her coming down the hall. “ Mom, why are you out of bed? Where have you been?” She _41_ and said she’d been to the nursery floor to visit the babies.

  My lifelong friend almost lost her 50-year-old husband to cancer._42_, she did her full-time job at the hospital and two other jobs to _43_ losing their house. She continued to laugh, love and find_44_ every single day in life.

  And on and on---------

  Maybe that’s part of why I have a positive _45_. I’m really lucky to know so many _46_ people. I’ve known so many people in my life who have _47_ the difficulties and the horrors of life with grace, humor and _48_.

  When you say life isn’t worth _49_, when you say you want to die, when _50_ you know has used you, abused you, _51_ you, hated you, it’s you, your _52_ that have created a life for yourself that you don’t feel is worth living and a life no one else wants to live with you. I don’t feel_53_ for you. I don’t care about you. You’re a coward(懦夫). _54_, you should try to change things, move _55_ and learn something from the things you have experienced. Then maybe someone will really care about you.

  A. drew            B. pulled            C. hugged                   D. showed

  A. frightened       B. sad                C. nervous                  D. astonished

  A. support          B. visit                     C. encourage                D. invite

A. bed                B. office                    C. house                   D. chair

  A. hold            B. remind             C. scold                    D. find

A. sighed              B. smiled            C. nodded                   D. cried

  A. Fortunately      B.Gradually           C. Unbelievably             D. Actually

  A. avoid           B. stop               C. risk                     D. forget

A. work               B. advice            C. surprise                  D. joy

 A. attitude          B. reply             C. demand                 D. belief

 A. romantic         B. humorous         C. optimistic                D. careful

 A. lived for         B. shown off         C. looked for             D. gone through

A. strength           B. courage            C. feelings                 D. spirits

A. living            B. fighting            C. losing                   D. noticing

A. someone          B. nobody           C. everyone                D. everything

A. left              B. envied             C. educated                 D. appreciated

 A. selfishness       B. bravery             C. behavior                 D. honesty

 A. proud          B. sorry               C. excited                  D. happy

 A. Otherwise     B. Besides               C. However                D. Instead

 A. downward      B. backward             C. leftward                 D. forward  

Thanks to the good care of the nurses ,the boy is ______ recovering from his lung operation .

  A. quietly       B. actually         C. practically     D. gradually