1、专业八级-287 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、LANGUAGE USAGE(总题数：4，分数：100.00)All social animals communicate with each other, from bees and ants to whales and apes, but only humans have developed a language which is more than a set of prearranged signals. Our speech even differs in a physical way of the comm
2、unication of other 1 animals. It comes from a cortical speech centre which does not respond instinctively, and organises sound and meaning on a 2 rational basis. This section of the brain is unique to humans. When and how the special talent of language developed are impossible to 3 say. But it is ge
3、nerally assumed that its evolution must have been a long process. Our ancestors were probably saying a million years 4 ago, but with a slower delivery, a smaller vocabulary and above all a simple grammar than we are accustomed to. 5 The origins of human language will perhaps remain forever obscurely
4、. By contrast the origin of individual languages has been 6 the subject of very precise study over the past two centuries. There are about 5,000 languages spoken in the world today (a third of them in Africa), but scholars group them together into relatively a few familiesprobably less than twenty.
5、Languages are 7 linked to each other by sharing words or sounds or grammatical 8 constructions. The theory is that the members of each linguistic group have descended one language, a common ancestor. In many 9 cases that original language is judged by the experts to have been spoken in surprisingly
6、recent timeas little as a few thousand years 10 ago.（分数：25.00）Early anthropologists, following the theory that words determine thought, believed that language and its strueture were entirely dependent on the cultural context which they existed. This 11 was a logical extension of whatever is termed t
7、he Standard Social 12 Science Model, which views the human mind as an indefinite 13 malleable structure capable of absorbing any sort of culture without constraints from genetic or neurological factors. In this vein, anthropologist Verne Ray conducted a study in the 1950s, given color samples to dif
8、ferent American Indian tribes and 14 asking them to give the names of the colors. He concluded that the spectrum we see it as “green“, “yellow“, etc. was an entirely 15 arbitrary division, and each culture divided the spectrum separately. According to that hypothesis, the divisions seen between 16 c
9、olors are a consequence of the language we learn, and do not correspond with divisions in the natural world. A similar hypothesis 17 is upheld in the extremely popular meme of Eskimo words for snowcommon stories vary from fifty to downwards of two hundred. 18 Extreme cultural relativism of this type
10、 has now been clearly refuted. Eskimos use at most twelve different words for snow, which is not much more than English speakers and should be expected 19 since they exist in a cold climate. The color-relativity hypothesis have now been completely debunked by more careful, thorough, and 20 systemati
11、c studies which show a remarkable similarity between the ways in which different cultures divide the spectrum.（分数：25.00）The question of whether languages shape the way we think go back centuries; Charlemagne proclaimed that “to have a second 21 language is to have a second soul“. But the idea went o
12、ut of favor to 22 scientists when Noam Chomsky“s theories of language gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Chomsky proposed that there was a universal grammar for all human languagesessentially, 23 that languages don“t really differ from one another in significant ways. And because language
13、s didn“t differ from one another, the theory went, it made none sense to ask whether linguistic differences 24 led to differences in thinking. The search for the linguistic universals yielded interesting 25 data on languages, and after decades of work, not a single 26 proposing universal has withsto
14、od scrutiny. Instead, as linguists 27 probed deeper into the world“s languages (7,000 or so, only a fraction of them analyzed), innumerable predictable differences 28 emerged. Of course, just because people talk differently doesn“t necessarily mean they think differently. In the past decade, cogniti
15、ve scientists have begun to measure not just how people talk, also how they think, asking whether our understanding of even such 29 fundamental domains of experience that space, time and causality 30 could be constructed by language.（分数：25.00）Language and culture are not fundamentally inseparable. A
16、t the most basic level, language is a method of expressing ideas. That is, language is communication; while usually verbal, language can also be visual (via signs and symbols), or semiotics (via hand or body gestures). Culture, on the other hand, is a special set of 31 ideas, practices, customs and
17、beliefs which make up a functioning society as distinct. A culture must have at most one language, which it uses as a 32 distinct media of communication to convey its defining ideas, 33 customs, beliefs, et al., from one member of the culture to any 34 member. Cultures can develop multiple languages
18、, or “borrow“ languages from other cultures to use; not all of such languages are 35 co-equal in the culture. One of the major defining characteristics of culture is which language is the primary means of communication in 36 that culture; sociologists and anthropologists draw lines among 37 similar
19、cultures heavily based on the prevalent language usage. Languages, on the other hand, can be developed (or evolve) apart from its originated culture. Certain language has scope for 38 cross-cultural adaptations and communication, and may not actually be part of some culture. Additionally, many langu
20、ages are used by 39 different cultures (that is, the same language can be used in several cultures). Language is heavily influenced by cultureas cultures come out with new ideas, they develop language components to express 40 those ideas. The reverse is also true: the limits of a language can define
21、 what is expressible in a culture (that is, the limits of a language can prevent certain concepts from being part of a culture).（分数：25.00）专业八级-287 答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、LANGUAGE USAGE(总题数：4，分数：100.00)All social animals communicate with each other, from bees and ants to whales and apes, but onl
22、y humans have developed a language which is more than a set of prearranged signals. Our speech even differs in a physical way of the communication of other 1 animals. It comes from a cortical speech centre which does not respond instinctively, and organises sound and meaning on a 2 rational basis. T
23、his section of the brain is unique to humans. When and how the special talent of language developed are impossible to 3 say. But it is generally assumed that its evolution must have been a long process. Our ancestors were probably saying a million years 4 ago, but with a slower delivery, a smaller v
24、ocabulary and above all a simple grammar than we are accustomed to. 5 The origins of human language will perhaps remain forever obscurely. By contrast the origin of individual languages has been 6 the subject of very precise study over the past two centuries. There are about 5,000 languages spoken i
25、n the world today (a third of them in Africa), but scholars group them together into relatively a few familiesprobably less than twenty. Languages are 7 linked to each other by sharing words or sounds or grammatical 8 constructions. The theory is that the members of each linguistic group have descen
26、ded one language, a common ancestor. In many 9 cases that original language is judged by the experts to have been spoken in surprisingly recent timeas little as a few thousand years 10 ago.（分数：25.00）解析：第一个 offrom解析 介词误用。该句意为“我们的语言甚至从生理的角度来讲都不同于其他动物的沟通方式。”differ from 为固定搭配，故将介词 of 改为 from。解析：第一个 andb
27、ut解析 连词误用。该句意为“它来自于一个皮质语言中心，这个语言中心并不能做出本能的反应，但是却能以一种合理的方式组织声音和含义。”此句前后的逻辑关系为转折，故将 and改为 but。解析：areis解析 主谓不一致。该句意为“仍然无法说明这种特殊的语言能力是何时以及如何发展的。”该句的主语为 when and how 引导的从句，谓语动词应该用单数形式，故将 are 改为 is。解析：sayingspeaking解析 近义词误用。该句意为“我们的祖先也许在 100 万年前就说话了。”say 和 speak 都有“说”的意思，但是 say 为及物动词，而 speak 可以作不及物动词，故将sa
28、ying 改为 speaking。解析：simplesimpler解析 形容词比较级错误。该句意为“更小的词汇量和更简单的语法。”由于前面 smaller 为比较级结构，而 and 前后为并列关系，故将 simple 改为比较级形式simpler。解析：obscurelyobscure解析 词性混用。该句意为“人类语言的起源问题或许将永远保持不明朗的状态。”remain 为系动词，后接形容词，故将 obscurely 改为 obscure。解析：a a 解析 冠词冗余。该句意为“然而学者们将它们分为相对较少的种类。”由relatively 和后面的 probably less than twe
29、nty 可知，一定是分成更少的种类，few 具有否定含义，故将前面的不定冠词 a 去掉。解析：sharingshared解析 非谓语动词误用。该句意为“语言通过一些共有的词汇、声音或语法结构而相互关联。”share 和 words 之间是动宾关系，因此用过去分词 shared。解析：descendedfrom解析 介词缺失。该句意为“有一种理论认为每一种语系中的不同语言均起源于同一种语言。”descend from 为固定搭配，意为“起源于”，故在 descended 后加上介词 from。解析：timetimes解析 名词单复数错误。in recent times 中 times 为“时期，
30、时代”，因此为可数名词复数，故将 time 改为 times。Early anthropologists, following the theory that words determine thought, believed that language and its strueture were entirely dependent on the cultural context which they existed. This 11 was a logical extension of whatever is termed the Standard Social 12 Science M
31、odel, which views the human mind as an indefinite 13 malleable structure capable of absorbing any sort of culture without constraints from genetic or neurological factors. In this vein, anthropologist Verne Ray conducted a study in the 1950s, given color samples to different American Indian tribes a
32、nd 14 asking them to give the names of the colors. He concluded that the spectrum we see it as “green“, “yellow“, etc. was an entirely 15 arbitrary division, and each culture divided the spectrum separately. According to that hypothesis, the divisions seen between 16 colors are a consequence of the
33、language we learn, and do not correspond with divisions in the natural world. A similar hypothesis 17 is upheld in the extremely popular meme of Eskimo words for snowcommon stories vary from fifty to downwards of two hundred. 18 Extreme cultural relativism of this type has now been clearly refuted.
34、Eskimos use at most twelve different words for snow, which is not much more than English speakers and should be expected 19 since they exist in a cold climate. The color-relativity hypothesis have now been completely debunked by more careful, thorough, and 20 systematic studies which show a remarkab
35、le similarity between the ways in which different cultures divide the spectrum.（分数：25.00）解析：whichin解析 介词缺失。该句意为“语言及其结构完全取决于它们生存的环境。”此处为定语从句，先行词是表地点的名词 context，关系词在从句中作状语，故在 which 前加上 in。也可将 which 改为 where。解析：whateverwhat解析 从句关系代词误用。该句意为“这是对被称为标准社会科学模式的合理延伸。”此处 of 后面为 what 引导的宾语从句，whatever 的意思是“无论什么”
36、，不符合句意，故将whatever 改为 what。解析：indefiniteindefinitely解析 词性混用。该句意为“它把人类的思想视为一种可被无限塑造的结构。”修饰形容词 malleable，应该用副词，故将 indefinite 改为 indefinitely。解析：givengiving解析 非谓语动词误用。该句意为“人类学家凡尔纳雷在 20 世纪 50 年代进行了一项研究，他给不同的美国印第安部落人不同的颜色样本。”此处动词 give 作状语且是主动含义，应该用现在分词形式，故将 given 改为 giving。解析：it in 解析 代词冗余。该句意为“他得出的结论是我们视
37、为绿色、黄色等的光谱。”该处为定语从句，先行词是 spectrum，关系词在从句中作 see 的宾语，且已经省略了。从句中不应该再有宾语，故将 it 去掉。解析：thatthis解析 代词误用。该句意为“根据这一假设”。此处代词表近指，意思是“这”，故将 that 改为 this。解析：withto解析 介词误用。此处意为“这与自然世界中的分类方式并不一致”。correspond和 to 搭配，意思是“和保持一致”，故将 with 改为 to。解析：downwardsupwards解析 副词误用。此处意为“从 50 到 200”。downwards 的意思是“向下，往下”，表示数目或范围从大到
38、小，与句意不符。upwards 的意思是“向上”，符合句意，故将downwards 改为 upwards。解析：muchmany解析 形容词误用。此处意为“这并不比英语使用者多很多”。该句中指的是单词的数量，为可数名词，故将 much 改为 many。解析：havehas解析 主谓不一致。该句意为“这种与颜色相关的假设已经完全被更加严谨的、全面的、系统的研究推翻。”hypothesis 为不可数名词，谓语动词用单数，故将 have 改为 has。The question of whether languages shape the way we think go back centuries;
39、 Charlemagne proclaimed that “to have a second 21 language is to have a second soul“. But the idea went out of favor to 22 scientists when Noam Chomsky“s theories of language gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Chomsky proposed that there was a universal grammar for all human languagesesse
40、ntially, 23 that languages don“t really differ from one another in significant ways. And because languages didn“t differ from one another, the theory went, it made none sense to ask whether linguistic differences 24 led to differences in thinking. The search for the linguistic universals yielded int
41、eresting 25 data on languages, and after decades of work, not a single 26 proposing universal has withstood scrutiny. Instead, as linguists 27 probed deeper into the world“s languages (7,000 or so, only a fraction of them analyzed), innumerable predictable differences 28 emerged. Of course, just bec
42、ause people talk differently doesn“t necessarily mean they think differently. In the past decade, cognitive scientists have begun to measure not just how people talk, also how they think, asking whether our understanding of even such 29 fundamental domains of experience that space, time and causalit
43、y 30 could be constructed by language.（分数：25.00）解析：gogoes解析 主谓不一致。此处意为“语言是否会影响我们的思维方式这一问题早在几个世纪前就被提出来了”。该句主语是 the question，是单数形式，因此谓语动词用单数形式，故将 go 改为goes。解析：第二个 towith解析 介词误用。此处意为“但是这一观点并不受科学家们的欢迎”。go out of favor with 为固定搭配，意思是“不受的欢迎”，故将 to 改为 with。解析：wasis解析 时态错误。此处意为“乔姆斯基博士提出，所有的人类语言都有一个共同的语法体系”。
44、由于宾语从句表述的是客观事实，因此用一般现在时，故将 was 改为 is。解析：noneno解析 代词误用。此处意为“研究语言差异是否会导致思维方式差异是毫无意义的”。make no sense 为固定搭配，故将 none 改为 no。解析：the the 解析 冠词冗余。此处意为“探究语言普遍性”。linguistic universals 并非特指，故将定冠词 the 去掉。解析：andbut解析 连词误用。该句意思是“探究语言普遍性得出了有趣的数据，但是在经过几十年的研究之后，仍然没有一种普遍性能经受得起详细审查。”根据句意可知，该句前后两个分句之间的逻辑关系是转折，故将 and 改为
45、but。解析：proposingproposed解析 非谓语动词误用。universal 和 propose 之间是动宾关系，应该用过去分词修饰名词 universal，故将 proposing 改为 proposed。解析：predictableunpredictable解析 语义错误。该句意为“相反，随着语言学家对世界语言的更深入研究，很多不可预测的差异出现了。”根据句意可知，这些差异一定是不可预测的，故将predictable 改为 unpredictable。解析：alsobut解析 连词缺失。该句意为“认知学家不仅开始研究人们是如何谈话的，而且也研究他们是如何思考的。”not onl
46、y.but also 是固定搭配，因此在 also 前加上 but。解析：atas解析 连词误用。space，time and causality 是对 fundamental domains of experience 的具体举例，且 such.as 为固定搭配，故将 that 改为 as。Language and culture are not fundamentally inseparable. At the most basic level, language is a method of expressing ideas. That is, language is communica
47、tion; while usually verbal, language can also be visual (via signs and symbols), or semiotics (via hand or body gestures). Culture, on the other hand, is a special set of 31 ideas, practices, customs and beliefs which make up a functioning society as distinct. A culture must have at most one languag
48、e, which it uses as a 32 distinct media of communication to convey its defining ideas, 33 customs, beliefs, et al., from one member of the culture to any 34 member. Cultures can develop multiple languages, or “borrow“ languages from other cultures to use; not all of such languages are 35 co-equal in
49、 the culture. One of the major defining characteristics of culture is which language is the primary means of communication in 36 that culture; sociologists and anthropologists draw lines among 37 similar cultures heavily based on the prevalent language usage. Languages, on the other hand, can be developed (or evolve) apart from its originated culture. Certain language has scope for 38 cross-cultural adaptations and communication, and may not actually
