Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later 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 gesture and by making questioning noises.
Any attempt to study 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 as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But sincethese can't be said to show the baby's intention to municate, 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 words to their store. This self-imitation leads on to deliberate (有意的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
It is a problem we need to get out. 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 seven months ofmama 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 and 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 take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.
【小题1】Before children start speaking, . A．they need equal amount of listeningB．they need different amounts of listeningC．they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructionsD．they can't understand and obey the adult's oral instructions【小题2】Children who start speaking late .A．may have problems with their listening B．probably do not hear enough language spoken around them C．usually pay close attention to what they hearD．often take a long time in learning to listen properly【小题3】A baby's first noises are .A．an expression of his moods and feelingsB．an early form of language C．a sign that he means to tell you somethingD．an imitation of the speech of adults【小题4】The problem of deciding at what point a baby's imitations can be considered as speech .A．is important because words have different meanings for different people B．is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age C．is not especially important because the changeover takes place graduallyD．is one that should be pletely ignored (忽略) because children's use of words is often meaningless【小题5】The author implies .A．parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds B．even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating C．children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak D．children who are good at imitating learn new words more quicklyB
网友回答
(答案→)B
解析：本文探讨了小孩从模仿发音到语言形成的几个发展阶段。介绍听力和玩耍模仿在说话的过程中的作用。
【小题1】细节题。根据第 1 段 Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking 可知在孩子说话前，需要不同的量的听力训练，此题答案为 B。
【小题2】细节题。根据第 1 段中的 …later starters are often long listeners 可知说话晚的孩子经常花很长时间学会听，答案选 D。
【小题3】细节题。 根据第 2 段 …the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on可知孩子最初发出的声音是表达情感的方式，正确答案为 A。
【小题4】细节题。根据第 3 段 …and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the word 可知决定孩子在什么时候的模仿是说话的问题并不重要，因为这种变化是逐渐发生的，C 为正确答案。
【小题5】推断题。 根据第 3 段 Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself 可推知即使孩子学会说话了还是会模仿的。此题答案为 B。