2. 职称英语
  3. The first two stages in the development of civilized man were probably the i

The first two stages in the development of civilized man were probably the i

游客2024-05-09  16
问题     The first two stages in the development of civilized man were probably the invention of primitive weapons and the discovery of fire, although nobody knows exactly when he acquired the use of the latter.
    The origin of language is also obscure. No doubt it began very gradually. Animals have a few cries that serve as signals, but even the highest apes have not been found able to pronounce words, even with the most intensive professional instruction. The superior brain of man is apparently a necessity for the mastering of speech. When man became sufficiently intelligent, we must suppose that he gradually increased the number of cries for different purposes. It was a great day when he discovered that speech could be used for narrative. There are those who think in this respect picture language preceded oral language. A man could draw a picture on the wall of his cave to show in which direction he had gone, or what prey he hoped to catch. Probably picture language and oral language developed side by side. I am inclined to think that language has been the most important single factor in the development of man.
    Two important stages came not so long before the dawn of written history. The first was the domestication of animals; the second was agriculture. Agriculture made possible an immense increase in the number of the human species in the regions where it could be successfully practiced. Another fundamental technical advance was writing, which, like spoken language, developed out of pictures, but as soon as it had reached a certain stage, it was possible to keep records and transmit information to people who were not present when the information was given.
    These inventions and discoveries-- fire, speech, weapons, domestic animals, agriculture, and writing —made the existence of civilized communities possible. From about 3 000 BC until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution less than two hundred years ago there was no technical advance comparable to these. During this long period man had time to become accustomed to his technique, and to develop the beliefs and political organizations appropriate to it. There was, of course, an immense extension in the area of civilized life. There was no technical progress during this long time --there were even two inventions of very great importance, namely gunpowder and the mariner’s compass   but neither of these can be compared in their power to such things as speech and writing and agriculture. [br] Which of the following is true, according to the passage?
选项 A、Fire and the domestication of animals make agriculture possible.
B、Picture language and oral language might appear at the same time.
C、Gunpowder and marine’s compass are as important as speech.
D、Language and communication are the most important factors for human development.
答案 B
解析 第一段第一句的前半句讲的是“The first two stages in the development of civilized man were probably the invention of primitive weapons and the discovery of fire”表明人类文明的进程中原始武器和火的发明是最初的两个阶段。而对于原始武器，火的发明和农业的关系，文中并没有涉及。而且第二段第六句“These inventions and discoveries—fire，speech，weapons， domestic animals，agriculture，and writing made the existence of civilized communities possible．”表明火和武器使人类文明成为可能，因此 A是错误的。最后一段最后一句“There was no technical progress during this long time—there were even two inventions of very great importance，namely gunpowder and the mariner’s compass-but neither of these can be compared in their power to such things as speech and writing and agriculture．”这句话表明火药和指南针是很重要的发明，但是他们没有说话，书写和农业重要，由此断定C是错误的。第二段最后一句活“I am inclined to think that language has been the most important single factor in the development of man．”表明作者认为语言是人类发展过程中最重要的唯一的因素，作者没有提到交流，因此论证了 D是错误的。那么只有B是正确的，此外作者的第二段倒数第二句讲“Probably picture language and oral language developed side by side．”表明书面语言和口语可能是同时发展的。因此 B picture language and oral language might appear at the same time．是正确答案。
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