2. 外语
  3. Language is something more than a system of communications; it is also a social convention, which one must observe. Improper use

Language is something more than a system of communications; it is also a social convention, which one must observe. Improper use

admin2011-03-01  29
问题    Language is something more than a system of communications; it is also a social convention, which one must observe. Improper use of language can easily interfere with your success and advancement.
   Conversely, the proper use of the proper language can lead to success in both business and social relations. For this, there is a well-grounded psychological reason.
   Language is a set of roles agreed to and accepted by common agreement of all the speakers. There is no connection between the object "hat" and the word "hat" except that the word has been set apart by the English-speaking community to serve as the symbol of the object. A French- speaking community will use not "hat" but chapeau to represent the object we call a hat. It is unstable in the same way that a dollar bill, or a pound note is unstable of purchasing power.
   If you find yourself alone in a desert you will quickly realize that the value such dollar bills shrinks to nothing, and that a canteen of water is infinitely more valuable than a handful of hundred-dollar notes. You will also find that your language is of no particular value, since there is no one to use it on.
   But human beings normally do not live alone in deserts. They live in communities of their fellowman, and in such communities symbol values come into play. The dollar bill has no value in itself; it is only a piece of paper. But it is everywhere accepted as a symbol of purchasing (购买) power. In the same way, language becomes of value because it is accepted as the symbol of thought.
   Why is a forged (伪造的) dollar bill not accepted, while one produced by the government presses is? This is because we know that government has the silver with which to redeem the paper note.
   In language, the community has decided that certain words and forms are valid as symbol of thought and shall be accepted by all members of the community, while others, for one reason or another, are not valid.
We can conclude from the passage that______ .
选项 A、people living alone in the desert regard money as of no value
B、compared with a man who can properly use language, a man who can’t do so has less chance of success
C、water is often more valuable than dollar bills in the desert
D、all words and forms are valid in a speech community
答案B
解析 本题考查主旨。抓住文章的中心内容是关键。选项A独自住在沙漠亡的人们把钱看得毫无价值，这是文章的一个论据；选项C在沙漠水比钞票有价值，也是论据；选项D所有言辞和形式在语言社区都无效，与事实不符。选项B回到文章的一开头，论述语言的社会角色：他是人们生活的一个工具，用好了就会有助于成功；否则，就不利于成功。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/mLkd777K
本试题收录于： 公共英语三级笔试题库公共英语（PETS）分类
0

公共英语三级笔试

公共英语（PETS）

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)