阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

Language as a System of Symbols

　　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 countryunderstand English if they shout loud enough．Like the little boy who is reported to have said:“Pigs are called pigs because they are such dirty animals,”they feel that the symbol is inherently（内在地）connected iff some way with the things symbolized．

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完形填空

　　People from Great Britain brought the English language to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries．And in the 　　1　　 300 years, there were 　　2　　 many changes in 　　3　　 places that now people can 　　4　　 tell an English person 　　5　　 an American in the way he or she talks．

　　Many old words 　　6　　 in England but were kept in America．For example, 300 years ago people in Great Britain got their water from something they called either a“faucet”, a“spigot”, or a“tap”．All these words are 　　7　　 heard in different parts of America, but only“tap”is still common in 　　8　　．Americans often made up new words or changed old　　 9　　．“Corn”is one kind of plant in America and 　　10　　 in England．

　　Also, over the last three centuries the English language 　　11　　 thousands of new words for things that weren’t known 　　12　　．And often, American and English people used two　　 13　　 names for them．A tin can is called“tin”for short in England, but a “can”in America．The word “radio”is 　　14　　 all over the world, including America．But many English people call it a“wireless”．And almost anything having something to do 　　15　　 cars, railroads, etc．　　16　　 different names in British and American English．

　　But now American and British English may be growing close together．One 　　17　　 is the large amount of American speeches that British people hear daily in movies, on television, or 　　18　　 travelers．　　19　　 this, Americans seem to be influencing the British more or less．So some day, English may even be 　　20　　 on both sides of the Atlantic．

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