Communication can fail even when two people have the same native language. You see, in addition to their usual agreed-upon meanings, words and concepts have very personal meanings for each person based on memories and experiences. Does that make sense to you?
Student: I think so. Is it like when I hear the word "dog," I might think of the little beagle named Surge that I had when I was a kid, but my friend, who is afraid of dogs, might think of Cujo? You know, the huge dog that attacked people in that old Steven King Movie?
Professor: That's right! Exactly! Here's another example: A rose may be just a beautiful object to me, but it may remind you of a lovely summer in England or a romantic birthday present. So you can see the problem, right?
Student: Sure. Right. Uh-huh.
Professor: Also, there are between 3,000 and 6,000 public languages in the world and we must add approximately 5 billion private languages since each of us necessarily has one. Did you get that? With this many languages, it's amazing that we understand each other at all.
However, sometimes we do communicate successfully. We do learn to speak other languages. But learning to speak a language seems to be a very mysterious process. Now this brings us back to the first question on our list: Where does language come from? And how does it develop?
For a long time, people thought that we learned language only by imitation and association. For example, a baby touches a hot pot and starts to cry. The mother says, "Hot, hot!" and the baby—when it stops crying—imitates the mother and says, "Hot, hot." The baby then associates the word "hot" with the burning feeling. However, Noam Chomsky, a famous linguist, said that although children do learn some words by imitation and association, they also combine words to make sentences in ways they have never heard before. Chomsky suggested that this accomplishment is possible because human babies have an innate ability to learn any language in the world. Are you following me?
Student: (Hesitating) Maybe.
Professor: Chomsky says that children are born with the ability to learn language, but this does not explain how children begin to use language in different ways. For example, as children develop their language skills, they quickly learn that language is used for more than stating facts such as "The girl is tall." They learn to make requests, to give commands, to agree, to disagree, to explain, to excuse, and even to lie. The uses of language seem endless. This is the positive side of the paradox. Did you get that?
Students: (Hesitating) Maybe. Not exactly. I'm not sure.
Professor: In other words, language is a wonderful way of communicating our ideas to other people. The negative side of the paradox is that not all people speak the same language, and therefore we cannot understand each other.
So we're back to where we started. Can we ever really learn to speak someone else's language?
For now, let's assume that we can learn to speak someone else's language, not just a few polite phrases, but really learn to speak it fluently. We know that we will be able to communicate with other people who speak that language. But something else happens as well. I think that learning another language can transform. us as individuals—it can change our worldview and even our personalities. For example, if we speak French fluently, we
A. Because even when people hear the word "dog", they may have different associations.
Because we may communicate with each other through language, but sometimes we do not understand someone else' s words and symbols.
C. Because words and concepts have personal meanings based on each user's memories and experiences.
D. Because while languages help people understand each other, different languages also present difficulties.
下表所示为某项目的净现金流量,则该项目的投资回收期为 ()年。
A. 3.4
B. 3.66
C. 4
D. 4.4
听力原文:London: Researchers say women increase the risk of getting breast cancer with every alcoholic drink they consume. The study by Cancer Study UK says smoking, which causes 15 other types of the disease, does not cause breast cancer. Research teams examined the health records of 150,000 women for the survey.
Berlin: A train carrying a large shipment of nuclear waste from a French reprocessing plant was halted briefly by protesters after crossing into Germany on Tuesday. Two anti nuclear activists chained themselves to the rails to block the train on its way to the controversial nuclear dump at Gorlin in northern Germany. It is expected that hundreds of more protesters will attempt to slow down or block the train. Around 10,000 police are deployed to protect the shipment of radioactive waste due to arrive on Wednesday.
Tokyo: International credit-rating agency Standard & Poors has lost faith in the ability of Japan to deal with its economic crisis. S&P has downgraded its outlook on Japan's long term credit ratings to negative from stable. S&P believes not enough has been done by the government and the Bank of Japan to revive the world's second largest economy. The news comes less than a week after rival ratings agency Moody's put Japan's bonds under review for a possible downgrade. The benchmark Nikkei Index has lost a quarter of its value since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April.
New York: The Internet search group Google has overtaken Time Warner to become the world's largest media company as measured by the value of its shares. Google was founded seven years ago by two computer science students with a cheque for a hundred thousand dollars from a benefactor. There are some solid reasons for Google's recent success—the company has shown three quarters of spectacular growth. Despite the success, some investors are wondering whether this company is really worth more than one that owns a Hollywood studio, CNN television, magazines and the many other substantial assets that Time Warner has.
Amsterdam: Following Sunday's No vote in the referendum in France, the people of the Netherlands are voting on whether to accept or reject the proposed EU constitution. If, as widely predicted, the Dutch also vote No, the chance of the EU adopting the constitution Would probably be non-existent. In the Netherlands, even ardent supporters of the constitution have acknowledged in advance that a No vote is likely, perhaps an overwhelming one. If so, two founding member nations of the European Community would have rejected the constitution as a new political basis to unite the European continent, and it would be seen as a dead letter.
Questions:
6.What is the main finding of the research done by Cancer Study UK?
7.What happened to the train carrying nuclear Waste from France to Germany?
8.What do Standard & Poor and Moody's agree on the status and prospect of Japanese economy?
9.Which of the following is NOT true about the Internet search group Google?
10.What is most likely to happen in the Netherlands concerning the constitution of European Union?
(26)
A. Smoking cigarette causes breast cancer among women.
B. Alcoholic consumption may lead to more cases of breast cancer among women.
C. 150,000 women suffer the disease of breast cancer in Britain.
D. Alcoholic consumption causes more than 15 types of diseases.
Part B Listening Comprehension
Directions: In this part of the test there will be some short talks and conversations. After each one, you will be asked some questions. The talks, conversations and questions will be spoken ONLY ONCE. Now listen carefully and choose the right answer to each question you have heard and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
听力原文:Susan: Hi, Nicky. How was your first week on the AIDS ward?
Nicky: Ok, I guess. But I never realized how many different things nurse's assistants have to do. There's a lot to learn—(pause)
S: There sure is! That's why we're having this meeting today, Nicky. As your advisor, it's my responsibility to help you learn your new job. We've found that sometimes our new assistants have trouble adjusting to the AIDS ward.
N: Actually, I do feel worded about being here. I keep thinking that I might get infected with HIV. I know there isn't a very big risk, but I'm still worried. I try to be very careful. I always wear the protective clothing. But then something strange happened.
S: What happened?
N: I went in to see a patient, to bring him his lunch, and he looked at me and said, "Oh, you're new here, aren't you?" Then he was acting very angry at me after that. I think it was beck/use of the clothing!
S: Why do you think he was angry?
N: I'm not sure. I was just trying to protect myself.
S: I think the important thing to remember when you're working with AIDS patients is that you're working with people—people who are very sick, but who still need m be treated with respect. I remember what my boss told me when I first started working with AIDS patients. He said, "It's important to isolate the AIDS virus, but not the AIDS patient." We don't want our AIDS patients to feel that way. It's important that they fell just like all our other patients.
N: So what should I do?
S: Well, you have to think carefully before you go into someone's room. We know that it's impossible to get AIDS from just touching someone, or breathing the air next to them, or even sharing a glass of water. AIDS, as you know, is passed though blood or bodily fluids. So when you go into a patient's room, think to yourself: "What am I going to do in here? Will I be in contact with blood or other bodily fluids?" For example, when you serve lunch to someone, do you think you need to wear protective clothing? Is there going to be any blood then?
N: Um, no, I guess not. I guess I don't need to wear the clothing when I serve food.
S: How about when you draw someone's blood? Do you need the protective clothing then?
N: Well, there's a chance that I could prick my finger on the needle.
S: Right. In that case I'd wear gloves, just to be safe. I guess the rule to live by is to protect yourself when you need to, but don't wear the clothing unnecessarily.
N: You have such a good attitude. Don't you ever get depressed? You know, working with sick people all the time who will never get better... I'm not sure I can handle it.
S: It is sad sometimes, but remember that many people in the AIDS ward do get better. They aren't cured of AIDS, but they can become healthy again and go back to their lives. Especially now, with so many new AIDS medicines, many people live for a long time. But unfortunately, many people do die as well. Sometimes, when you've been working with a patient for a long time, and that person dies, it's almost like losing a good friend. But on the other hand, you'll need some of the most wonderful people here. There are people who are sick and dying, but they are still trying to be happy and live as best they can.
N: I feel a little bit better now. it's good to talk to someone who has experience. Thanks a lot!
Questions:
1.According to the conversation, what it Nicky's job?
2.What is Nicky worded about?
3.What does Susan say is important when treating AIDS patients?
4.According to S
An AIDS patient.
B. A nurse assistant.
C. A nurse advisor.
D. A physician on AIDS ward.