Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start s

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问题     Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and late starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word "obey" is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation 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 trace the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particularly indicative(标示的)of delight, distress, sociability, and so on. But since these cannot 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 sounds to their store. This self-imitation (自我模仿) leads on to deliberate imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arisen so to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
    It is a problem we need not 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 say seven months, of "mama" as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply Because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes.
    Playful(顽皮的) and apparently 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 cash in on this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.
According to the second paragraph, a baby’s first noises are _______.

选项 A、a sign that he means to tell you something
B、a reflection of his moods and feelings
C、an imitation of the spoken of adults
D、an early form of language

答案B

解析 事实细节题。文章第二段第二句说几个月大的婴儿发出的一两个声音表明他们高兴、痛苦、友好等,即这些声音反应了他们的情绪和感情,因此B项与原文内容一致,为正确答案。原文说these cannot be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate,这些声音不能表明婴儿想交流的意图,因此A项错误;D项可由they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language排除。婴儿这时发出的声音是self-imitation,而不是对成年人说话的模仿,故C错。
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