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

　 Several times each year the Queen gives afternoon tea parties at which guests are served tiny cakes filled with cream from her own cows. Cakes and sandwiches are brought in by footmen, yet you never see the Queen touch a thing. She simply sits beside a big silver plate, pouring cups of tea for everyone and carefully avoiding the cakes.

　 At cocktail parties the Queen moves from group to group, chatting informally, and manages to make one glass of diet(节食)drink to last an entire evening.

　 Tours abroad are difficult because hosts(主人)seem to believe the warmth of their welcome must be shown with wonderful state banquets(宴会). But the Queen has perfected the art of appearing to enjoy her meal without actually eating much.

　 During one visit to the Pacific islands of Tonga, a specially-prepared dinner was arranged in a hut made of wood and bamboo leaves. Deep holes were dug in the ground, filled with hot stones and baby pigs, and the pigs were slowly baked over several days. The Queen looked uneasily at her plate when she discovered a whole roast pig was her serving.

　 Then she became uneasy when a turkey, some meat, bananas and an apple were also carried in for each guest. So she depended on her old favorite trick of talking with her host., King Tupou IV, carrying on a warm conversation. At the same time she pushed her food around her plate and only ate a piece of turkey and some fruit.

　 Reporters traveling with her have noted that the Queen will sometimes seem so carried away by a foreign leader’s political chat that she simply never has time to finish a meal before it is time to get up and make her speech. She will lift her fork to swallow a mouthful, then put it down again to make another point, leaving almost all of her meal untouched.

1. The main idea of the passage is about ____.

　 A. the Queen’s favorite food

　 B. the Queen’s tours abroad

　 C. how the Queen keeps her diet during her tours

　 D. the Queen’s trouble with a foreign leader

2. The Queen talked with her host and carried on conversation with him. The purpose of doing this is ____.

　 A. to show her politeness

　 B. not to eat much　

　 C. to show her great interest in food

　 D. to hide her dislike to the food

3. We can infer from the passage that tours are difficult for the Queen, because ____.

　 A. she has to meet with so many important leaders

　 B. she has to eat much oily food

　 C. she has so many reporters to travel with her

　 D. hosts always present wonderful state banquets

4. What probably is the Queen’s art of acting at state dinners?

　 A. Appearing to enjoy her meal without actually eating much.

　 B. Drinking Malvern water.

　 C. Eating a piece of turkey and some fruit.

　 D. Eating much without being noticed.

 

Last week I was invited to a doctor’s meeting at the Ruth hospital for incurables. In one of the wards a patient, an old man, got up shakily from his bed and moved towards me. I could see that he hadn't long to 36, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close mine on the floor.
　 “Frank！” I cried in astonishment. He couldn’t 37, as I knew, but all the time 3 8 his foot against mine.
　 My 39 raced back more than thirty years to the 40 days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The 41 was an air-raid shelter, in which I and about hundred other people slept every night. Two of the regulars were Mrs. West and her son Frank.
　　 42 wartime problems, we shelter-dwellers got to 43 each other very well. Frank West 44 me because he wasn’t 45 not even at birth. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had 46 of a mind than a baby has. His “ 47 ” consisted of rough sounds——sounds of pleasure or anger and　 48 more. Mrs. West, then about 75, was a strong, capable woman, as she had to be, of course, because Frank 49 on her entirely. He needed all the 50 of a baby.
　 One night a policeman came and told Mrs. West that her house had been flattened by a 500-pounder. She 51 nearly everything she owned.
　 When that sort of thing happened, the rest of us helped the 52 ones. So before we 53 that morning, I stood beside Frank and 54 my right foot against his. They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. But as soon as he saw me he came running and placed his right foot against mine. After that, his 55to me was always the same.
36．A．work 　　　　　　　 B．stay　　　　　　　　　 C．live　　　　　　　　　　　 D．expect
37．A．answer　　　　　　　 B．speak　　　　　　　　 C．smile　　　　　　　　　 D．laugh
38．A．covering　　　　　　 B．moving　　　　　　 C．fighting　　　　　　　　 D．pressing
39．A．minds　　　　　　　　 B．memories　　　　　 C．thoughts　　　　　　　 D．brains
40．A．better　　　　　　　　 B．dark　　　　　　　　 C．younger　　 　　　　 D．old
41. A．cave　 　　　　　　 B．place　　　　　　　　 C．sight　　　　　　　　　　 D．scene
42．A．Discussing　 　　 B．Solving　　　　　　 C．Sharing　　 　　　　　 D．Suffering
43．A．learn from　 　　　 B．talk to　　　　　　　 C．help　　 　　　　　　　 D．know
44．A．needed　 　　　　　　 B．recognized　　　　 C．interested　 　　　　 D．encouraged
45．A．normal　 　　　　　　 B．common　　　　　 C．unusual　 　　　　　　 D．quick
46．A．more　　 　　　　　　 B．worse　　　　　　　 C．fewer　　　　　　　　　 D．less
47．A．word　 　　　　　　 B．speech　　　　　　　 C．sentence　 　　　　 D．language
48．A．not　 　　　　　　　　 B．no　　　　　　　　　　 C．something　 　　　　 D．nothing
49．A．fed　 　　　　　　　　 B．kept　　　　　　　　　 C．lived　　　　　　　　　　 D．depended
50．A．attention　 　　　　 B．control　　　　　　　 C．treatment　 　　　　 D．management
51．A．lost　 　　　　　　　　 B．needed　　　　　　　 C．destroyed　 　　　　 D．left
52．A．troublesome　　　　 B．unlucky　　　　　　 C．angry　　　　　　　　　 D．unpopular
53．A．separated　 　　　　 B．went　　　　　　　　 C．reunited　 　　　　　 D．returned
54．A．pushed 　　　　　　 B．tried　　　　　　　　 C．showed　 　　　　　 D．measured
55．A．nodding 　　 B．greeting　　　　　　　　 C．meeting　　 　　　　　 D．acting