Languageissaidtobearbitrarybecausethereisnologicalconnectionbetween()andmeanings.
A. sense
B. sounds
C. objects
D. ideas
Languagecanbeusedtorefertocontextsremovedfromtheimmediatesituationsofthespeaker.Thisfeatureiscalled()
A. displacement
B. duality
C. flexibility
D. culturaltransmission
Questions16to20arebasedonthefollowingpassage.InatimeoflowacademicachievementbychildrenintheUnitedStates,manyAmericansareturningtoJapan,acountryofhighacademicachievementandeconomicsuccess,forpossibleanswers.However,theanswersprovidedbyJapanesepreschoolsarenottheonesAmericansexpectedtofind.InmostJapanesepreschools,surprisinglylittleemphasisisputonacademicinstruction.Inoneinvestigation,300Japaneseand210Americanpreschoolteachers,childdevelopmentspecialists,andparentswereaskedaboutvariousaspectsofearlychildhoodeducation.Only2percentoftheJapaneserespondents(答问卷者)listed“togivechildrenagoodstartacademically”asoneoftheirtopthreereasonsforasocietytohavepreschools.Incontrast,overhalftheAmericanrespondentschosethisasoneoftheirtopthreechoices.Topreparechildrenforsuccessfulcareersinfirstgradeandbeyond,Japaneseschoolsdonotteachreading,writing,andmathematics,butratherskillssuchaspersistence,concentration,andtheabilitytofunctionasamemberofagroup.ThevastmajorityofyoungJapanesechildrenaretaughttoreadathomebytheirparents.IntherecentcomparisonofJapaneseandAmericanpreschooleducation,91percentofJapaneserespondentschoseprovidingchildrenwithagroupexperienceasoneoftheirtopthreereasonsforasocietytohavepreschools.Sixty-twopercentofthemoreindividuallyoriented(强调个性发展的)Americanslistedgroupexperienceasoneoftheirtopthreechoices.AnemphasisontheimportanceofthegroupseeninJapaneseearlychildhoodeducationcontinuesintoelementaryschooleducation.LikeinAmerica,thereisdiversityinJapaneseearlychildhoodeducation.SomeJapanesekindergartenshavespecificaims,suchasearlymusicaltrainingorpotentialdevelopment.Inlargecities,somekindergartensareattachedtouniversitiesthathaveelementaryandsecondaryschools.SomeJapaneseparentsbelievethatiftheiryoungchildrenattendauniversity-basedprogram,itwillincreasethechildren’schancesofeventuallybeingadmittedtotop-ratedschoolsanduniversities.SeveralmoreprogressiveprogramshaveintroducedfreeplayasawayoutfortheheavyintellectualizinginsomeJapanesekindergartens.WelearnfromthefirstparagraphthatmanyAmericansbelieve()
A. JapaneseparentsaremoreinvolvedinpreschooleducationthanAmericanparents
B. Japan’seconomicsuccessisaresultofitsscientificachievements
C. Japanesepreschooleducationemphasizesacademicinstruction
D. Japan’shighereducationissuperiortotheirs
Questions16to20arebasedonthefollowingpassage.InatimeoflowacademicachievementbychildrenintheUnitedStates,manyAmericansareturningtoJapan,acountryofhighacademicachievementandeconomicsuccess,forpossibleanswers.However,theanswersprovidedbyJapanesepreschoolsarenottheonesAmericansexpectedtofind.InmostJapanesepreschools,surprisinglylittleemphasisisputonacademicinstruction.Inoneinvestigation,300Japaneseand210Americanpreschoolteachers,childdevelopmentspecialists,andparentswereaskedaboutvariousaspectsofearlychildhoodeducation.Only2percentoftheJapaneserespondents(答问卷者)listed“togivechildrenagoodstartacademically”asoneoftheirtopthreereasonsforasocietytohavepreschools.Incontrast,overhalftheAmericanrespondentschosethisasoneoftheirtopthreechoices.Topreparechildrenforsuccessfulcareersinfirstgradeandbeyond,Japaneseschoolsdonotteachreading,writing,andmathematics,butratherskillssuchaspersistence,concentration,andtheabilitytofunctionasamemberofagroup.ThevastmajorityofyoungJapanesechildrenaretaughttoreadathomebytheirparents.IntherecentcomparisonofJapaneseandAmericanpreschooleducation,91percentofJapaneserespondentschoseprovidingchildrenwithagroupexperienceasoneoftheirtopthreereasonsforasocietytohavepreschools.Sixty-twopercentofthemoreindividuallyoriented(强调个性发展的)Americanslistedgroupexperienceasoneoftheirtopthreechoices.AnemphasisontheimportanceofthegroupseeninJapaneseearlychildhoodeducationcontinuesintoelementaryschooleducation.LikeinAmerica,thereisdiversityinJapaneseearlychildhoodeducation.SomeJapanesekindergartenshavespecificaims,suchasearlymusicaltrainingorpotentialdevelopment.Inlargecities,somekindergartensareattachedtouniversitiesthathaveelementaryandsecondaryschools.SomeJapaneseparentsbelievethatiftheiryoungchildrenattendauniversity-basedprogram,itwillincreasethechildren’schancesofeventuallybeingadmittedtotop-ratedschoolsanduniversities.SeveralmoreprogressiveprogramshaveintroducedfreeplayasawayoutfortheheavyintellectualizinginsomeJapanesekindergartens.MostAmericanssurveyedbelievethatpreschoolsshouldalsoattachimportanceto()
A. problemsolving
B. groupexperience
C. parentalguidance
D. individually-orienteddevelopment