2008年12月英语四级真题听力(MP3+中英字幕) 第6期 短文(2)
日期:2014-10-24 08:22

(单词翻译:单击)

Passage Two
段落二
There are between 3000 and 6000 public languages in the world, and we must add approximately 6 billion private languages since each one of us necessarily has one.
世界上有3000至6000种公共语言,既然我们每个人都要有一种,所以我们还要增加近6亿的私人语言。
Considering these facts, the possibilities for breakdowns in communication seem infinite in number.
考虑到这些因素,交流非常有可能出现问题。
However, we do communicate successfully from time to time. And we do learn to speak languages.
然而我们时常可以成功的交流,也学会了更多的语言。
But learning to speak languages seems to be a very mysterious process.
但是学习语言看起来是一种很神秘的过程。
For a long time, people thought that we learned a language only by imitation and association.
很长一段时间,人们通过关联模仿学习语言。
For example, a baby touches a hot pot and starts to cry.
例如,婴儿摸到了滚烫的锅后就会开始哭。
The mother says, “Hot, hot!” And the baby, when it stops crying, imitates the mother and says, “Hot, hot!”
妈妈会说:“烫,烫”。当婴儿停止哭泣时就会模仿的说:“烫,烫”。
However, Noam Chomsky, a famous expert in language, pointed out that although children do learn some words by imitation and association, they also combine words to make meaningful sentences in ways that are unique, unlearned and creative.
但是,著名语言学家诺姆·乔姆斯基指出许多孩子学习文字时通过关联模仿,但是他们也运用独特、自然又有创意的方式把单词组合成有意义的句子。
Because young children can make sentences they have never heard before, Chomsky suggested that human infants are born with the ability to learn language.
因为小孩子们可以使他们从来没有听说过的句子。乔姆斯基认为婴儿学习语言的能力是天生的。
Chomsky meant that underneath all the differences between public and private languages, there is a universal language mechanism that makes it possible for us, as infants, to learn any language in the world.
乔姆斯基认为在公共语言与私人语言的差异之下,有一种世界性语言机制能让我们像婴儿一样学习世界上的各种语言。
This theory explains the potential that human infants have for learning language. But it does not really explain how children come to use language in particular ways.
这一理论解释了婴儿学习语言的潜力。但它并没有真正解释孩子如何以特别的方式来使用语言的。
Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
基于你听到的回答问题30至32。
Question 30. Why does the speaker say there are great possibilities for communication breakdowns?
问题30. 为什么作者说交流非常有可能出现问题。
Question 31. What is Chomsky's point on the ability to learn a language?
问题31. 乔姆斯基指出学习语言的观点是什么?
Question 32. What does Chomsky's theory fail to explain according to the speaker?
问题32. 根据作者所说,乔姆斯基的理论无法解释什么?

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重点单词
  • approximatelyadv. 近似地,大约
  • associationn. 联合,结合,交往,协会,社团,联想
  • mechanismn. 机制,原理 n. 机械,机构,结构
  • universaladj. 普遍的,通用的,宇宙的,全体的,全世界的 n.
  • potentialadj. 可能的,潜在的 n. 潜力,潜能 n. 电位,
  • imitationn. 模仿,效法 adj. 假造的,冒充的
  • combinev. 结合,联合,使结合 n. 集团,联合企业,联合收割
  • mysteriousadj. 神秘的,不可思议的
  • particularadj. 特殊的,特别的,特定的,挑剔的 n. 个别项目
  • creativeadj. 创造性的