Culture is the total sum of all the traditions, customs, beliefs, and ways of life of a given group of human beings. In this sense, every group has a culture, however savage, undeveloped, or uncivilized it may seem to us.
To the professional anthropologist, there is no intrinsic superiority of one culture over another, just as to the professional linguist there is no intrinsic hierarchy among languages.
People once thought of the languages of backward groups as savage, undeveloped forms of speech, consisting largely of grunts and groans. While it is possible that language in general began as a series of grunts and groans, it is a fact established by the study of “backward” languages that no spoken tongue answers that description today. Most languages of uncivilized groups are, by our most severe standards, extremely complex, delicate, and ingenious pieces of machinery for the transfer of ideas. They fall behind our Western languages not in their sound patterns or grammatical structures, which usually fully adequate for all language needs, but only in their vocabularies, which reflects the objects and activities known to their speakers. Even in this department, however, two things are to be noted: 1. All languages seem to possess the machinery for vocabulary expansion, either by putting together words already in existence or by borrowing them from other languages and adapting them to their own system. 2. The objects and activities requiring names and distinctions in “backward” languages, while different from ours, are often surprisingly numerous and complicated. An accidental language distinguishes merely between two degrees of remoteness (“this” and “that”); some languages of the American Indians distinguish between what is close to the speaker, or to the person addressed, or removed from both, or out of sight, or in the past, or in the future.
This study of language, in turn, casts a new light upon the claim of the anthropologists that all culture are to be viewed independently, and without ideas of rank or hierarchy.
1. The language of uncivilized groups as compared to Western languages are limited in ____.
2. The author says that professional linguists recognize that ____.
3. The article states that grunt-and-groan forms of speech are found ____.
4. According to the author, languages, whether civilized or not, have ____.
5. Which of the following is implied but not articulated in the passage?
问题1选项
A.sound patterns
B.vocabularies
C.grammatical structures
D.both A and B
问题2选项
A.western languages are superior to Eastern languages
B.all languages came from grunts and groans
C.the hierarchy of languages is difficult to understand
D.there is no hierarchy of languages
问题3选项
A.nowhere today
B.among the Australian aborigines
C.among Eastern cultures
D.among people speaking “backward” languages
问题4选项
A.the potential for expanding vocabulary
B.their own sound patterns
C.an ability to transfer ideas
D.grammatical structures
问题5选项
A.The study of languages has discredited anthropological studies.
B.The study of language has reinforced anthropologists in their view that there is no hierarchy among cultures.
C.The study of language is the same as the study of anthropologists.
D.The study of languages casts a new light upon the claim of anthropologists.
第1题:B
第2题:D
第3题:A
第4题:A
第5题:B
第1题:
【选项释义】
The language of uncivilized groups as compared to Western languages are limited in ____. 与西方语言相比,未开化群体的语言在____方面是有限的。
A. sound patterns A. 声音模式
B. vocabularies B. 词汇
C. grammatical structures C. 语法结构
D. both A and B D. 声音模式和词汇
【答案】B
【考查点】细节事实题。
【解题思路】根据第三段第四句“它们(不文明群体的语言)落后于我们的西方语言,通常不是在完全满足所有语言所需要的声音模式或语法结构上(not in their sound patterns or grammatical structures),而只是在反映说话者所知道的对象和活动的词汇上(only in their vocabularies)。”由此可知,与西方语言相比,不文明群体的语言在词汇方面受到限制,所以选项B正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“声音模式”和C选项“语法结构”与原文表达的意思相反,原文讲“不是在完全满足所有语言所需要的声音模式或语法结构上”,属于反向干扰;
D选项“声音模式和词汇”中的“声音模式”不符合题意,属于反向干扰。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The author says that professional linguists recognize that ____. 作者认为专业的语言学家认识到____。
A. western languages are superior to Eastern languages
A. 西方语言优于东方语言
B. all languages came from grunts and groans
B. 所有的语言都来自于咕哝和呻吟
C. the hierarchy of languages is difficult to understand
C. 语言的等级是很难理解的
D. there is no hierarchy of languages
D. 语言之间没有等级制度
【答案】D
【考查点】细节事实题
【解题思路】根据原文第二段的内容“对于专业的人类学家来说,文化之间没有本质上的优越(no intrinsic superiority),正如对于专业的语言学家来说,语言之间也没有本质上的等级关系(no intrinsic hierarchy)。”由此可知,选项D符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“西方语言优于东方语言”原文并没有将西方语言与东方语言进行比较,属于过度推理;
B选项定位到第三段前两句“人们曾经认为落后群体的语言是野蛮的、未发展的语言形式,主要由咕噜声和呻吟声组成。虽然语言可能是从一系列的咕噜声和呻吟声开始的……”,由此可知,这只是一种可能性,并非确定的事实,属于曲解原文;
C选项“语言的等级是很难理解的”没有提及,属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
The article states that grunt-and-groan forms of speech are found ____. 这篇文章指出,咕哝和呻吟的语言形式被发现____。
A. nowhere today A. 无处可寻
B. among the Australian aborigines B. 在澳大利亚原住民中
C. among Eastern cultures C. 在东方文化之中
D. among people speaking “backward” languages D. 在说“落后”语言的人群中
【答案】A
【考查点】判断推理题。
【解题思路】根据第三段一、二句的内容“人们曾经认为落后群体的语言是野蛮的、不发达的语言形式,主要由咕哝和呻吟组成。虽然语言可能是从一系列的咕哝和呻吟开始的,但对‘落后’语言的研究证实,现在的口语语言都不符合这一描述。”也就是说,咕哝和呻吟的语言形式现在已经不存在了,所以选项A正确。
【干扰项排除】
B、C选项原文没有提及,属于无中生有;
D选项定位到第三段前两句的内容表述相反,属于反向干扰。
第4题:
【选项释义】
According to the author, languages, whether civilized or not, have ____. 作者认为,语言无论是否文明,都有____。
A. the potential for expanding vocabulary A. 扩大词汇量的潜力
B. their own sound patterns B. 他们自己的发音模式
C. an ability to transfer ideas C. 传递思想的能力
D. grammatical structures D. 语法结构
【答案】A
【考查点】细节事实题。
【解题思路】第三段提及“所有的语言似乎都有扩充词汇的机制,它们可以把已经存在的词汇组合在一起,也可以从其他语言中借用词汇并使其适应自己的系统。”由此可知,作者认为语言无论文明与否,都有扩大词汇量的潜力,选项A符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
B、D选项定位到第三段第四句“他们落后于我们的西方语言,不是在他们的发音模式或语法结构上,这些通常足以满足所有语言的需要,而是在他们的词汇表上,这反映了说话者已知的对象和活动”,与本题无关,属于出处错位;
C选项文中没有提及,属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following is implied but not articulated in the passage? 下面哪一项在文章中被暗示但没有被阐明?
A. The study of languages has discredited anthropological studies. A. 语言研究败坏了人类学研究的名声。
B. The study of language has reinforced anthropologists in their view that there is no hierarchy among cultures. B. 对语言的研究强化了人类学家的观点,即文化之间没有等级制度。
C. The study of language is the same as the study of anthropologists. C. 语言的研究和人类学家的研究是一样的。
D. The study of languages casts a new light upon the claim of anthropologists. D. 对语言的研究使人们对人类学家的主张有了新的认识。
【答案】B
【考查点】判断推理题。
【解题思路】最后一段讲“这种对语言的研究,反过来又为人类学家的主张提供了新的线索,即所有的文化都应该被独立地看待,没有等级或层级的观念。”B选项“对语言的研究强化了人类学家的观点,即文化之间没有等级之分”与最后一段表达的意思一致,所以正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、C选项原文没有提及,属于无中生有;
D选项是原文明确提出的观点,不符合题干的意思,属于曲解原文。