Question

    Babies have an astonishing talent that adults entirely lose. By the age of one, they can recognise the significant noises around them and group them into a language. When we have lost this capacity as adults, it becomes enormously difficult to distinguish between sounds that are glaringly different to a native speaker. It all sounds Greek to us. This is because the range of possible sounds that humans use to convey meaning may be as high as 2,000, but few languages use more than 100 and even then the significant noises－the phonemes (音素) of a language－each cover a range of sounds and so vague distinctions which would change the meaning of a word in other languages.

But where do these phonemes come from and why do they shift over time? New research suggests that the apparently arbitrary distribution of some sounds around the world may be partially explained by diet. This is unexpected. We’d rather think of language as product of our thought, rather than of the arrangement of our teeth. In reality, though, any given language must be both.

Hunter gatherer languages very seldom use the sounds known as labiodentals (唇齿音)－those such as f and v－that are made by touching the lower lip with the upper teeth. Only two of the hundreds of Australian aboriginal languages use them, for example. But in cultures that have discovered farming, these consonants (辅音) are much more common. The argument goes that farmers eat more cooked food and more dairy than hunter gatherers. Either way, they need to chew mush less, and to bite less with their front teeth. So farmers grew up with smaller lower jaws and more of an overbite than their ancestors who had to bite through harder foods. It became easier for them to make the labiodental consonants instead of purely labial (唇音) ones: one example is that f come to take the place of p. Romans said “pater” but English speakers (unless they’re Rees－Moggs) say “father”.

Beyond these particular changes, the story highlights the way in which everything distinctively human is both material and spiritual: speech must combine sound and meaning, and the meaning can ’t exist or be transmitted without a real object. But neither can it be reduced to the purely physical, as our inability to understand or even to recognise foreign languages makes clear. The food we eat shapes our jaws, and our jaws in turn shape the sounds of our language. The ease with which we eat probably shapes our thought too, as anyone who has suffered toothache could testify. What we eat may have shaped the sounds of our language, but how we eat changes how we feel and what we use language to express. A family meal is very different from a sandwich at the office desk, even if the calorie is the same. Food has purposes and meanings far beyond keeping us alive and pleasing the Palate (味觉).

1.Compared with adults, babies could more easily              .

A. create significant noises B. classify the forms of noises

C. understand the Greek language D. distinguish meaningful sounds

2.According to the passage, which of the following factors help shape language?

A. Lips and teeth. B. Jobs and habits.

C. Age and regions. D. Food and thinking.

3.The reason for farmers' making sounds of “f” and “v” is              .

A. enjoying more cooked foods B. biting more with front teeth

C. constantly chewing harder foods D. growing up with lager lower jaws

4.By writing this passage, the author intends to reveal              .

A. jaws help shape our thought

B. food determines our thought

C. diet has some influence on language

D. language consists of sound and meaning

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。主要叙述了人们一直以来认为语言是思想的产物，但是有新的研究表明饮食对于语言也会产生一些影响。且以f和v的发音为例，揭示了农民们发“f”和“v”音的原因是他们喜欢吃更多的熟食。同时这也强调了人类特有的一切都是物质和精神的结合:语言必须把声音和意义结合起来，没有真实的物体，意义就不可能存在或传播。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段第二句By the age of one, they can recognize the significant noises around them and group them into a language.可知一岁的婴儿和成人相比更能识别出周围的重要声音，故选D。

2.细节理解题。第二段第二句New research suggests that the apparently arbitrary distribution of some sounds around the world may be partially explained by diet.可知某些声音在世界范围内的任意分布，部分可以用饮食来解释。本段提到sound和diet是有关系的,也就是food食物；另外也和思考有关the product of thought,本段最后说到和两者都有关系。因此答案选择D。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段The argument goes that famers eat more cooked food and more dairy than hunter gatherers.可知农民比狩猎采集者吃更多的熟食和奶制品，即农民们发“f”和“v”音的原因是他们喜欢吃更多的熟食。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。根据第二段We’d rather think of language as product of our thought, rather than of the arrangement of our teeth. In reality, though, any given language must be both.可知任何一种语言的诞生都必须同时具备思想和饮食这两种因素的影响。以及文章内容可知叙述的都是日常饮食和发音对语言的影响，故选C。