2. 外语
  3. If ideas can symbolize the spirit of an age, then the symbol of the recent applied linguistic age is undoubtedly "language acqui

If ideas can symbolize the spirit of an age, then the symbol of the recent applied linguistic age is undoubtedly "language acqui

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问题
   If ideas can symbolize the spirit of an age, then the symbol of the recent applied linguistic age is undoubtedly "language acquisition". But what does this term mean? What exactly is "language acquisition"? For the moment we may characterize it as the process by which individuals "pick up" a language through exposure to it. There are two immediately obvious sorts of language acquisition. The first is L1(first language)acquisition, which every normal child manages at an early age. The second is FL(foreign language)acquisition where someone, a child or an adult, picks up a language, for example, while they are living in a target language country.
   Chomsky’s ideas stimulated the interest in L1(and, indirectly, FL)acquisition that there has been over the past few decades. For him, L1 acquisition is a conundrum, even a miracle. The big question is: how is it that the very young child, so poorly developed in many areas, is able to learn the rudiments of their native language so quickly and so successfully? Chomsky’s answer was that the individual has a machine in the head, an LAD(Language Acquisition Device), that does the job for them.
   The words "quickly and successfully" hold the key to one of the main reasons why applied linguists are interested in the acquisition idea. In an important article that appeared in 1968, Newmark and Reibel make the point that L1 acquisition is the quickest and most successful instance of language mastery that we know of. Since this is so, we might do well to study in some detail what is known about the L1 acquisition situation. What does the child do that makes acquisition so quick and successful? How do the adults who talk to the child behave? What assistance do they give to the acquisition process? What are the important aspects of the acquisition environment? Notice that though one of these questions is about the "organism" , the others are about the "environment" . This indicates that we are prepared to consider a role for the latter beyond that suggested by Chomsky.
   The applied linguist Stephen Krashen is one of those largely responsible for interest in foreign language acquisition. In fact he argues that there are two quite distinct ways of mastering an FL, and he calls these acquisitions and learning. Acquisition first: he describes this process as a " natural" , subconscious one, where there is no "conscious focusing on linguistic forms"(of the sort that you find in most classrooms). It is what we have already informally called the process of " picking up " a language, just as you do if you go and live in the target language environment. Indeed Krashen says that the minimal condition for acquisition to occur is " participation in natural communication situations".
   Learning, on the other hand, is a conscious process, and it usually takes place in the language classroom. For Krashen it is particularly marked by two characteristics. Firstly, there is error correction. When learners make mistakes, it is normal for the classroom teacher to draw explicit attention to them, and to correct the errors. The second characteristic is what Krashen calls rule isolation. In the language teaching classroom it is normal for a lesson(or part thereof)to focus on one language point. It may be a grammatical item like a particular tense, or a pronunciation point, or some "rule of use". The word isolation indicates that in this procedure language points are dealt with one by one.
Questions 66 to 70
Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage.
According to Chomsky, what enables a very young child to learn the mother tongue quickly and successfully?
选项
答案The language acquisition device(LAD)in their head．
解析 (根据第二段The big question is…the individual has a machine in the head，an LAD(language Acquisition Device)，that does the job for them．，可知小孩子能快速并成功地学会母语的原因是头脑中有语言习得装置。)
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本试题收录于： B类竞赛（英语专业本科专科）题库大学生英语竞赛（NECCS）分类
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B类竞赛（英语专业本科专科）

大学生英语竞赛（NECCS）

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