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1、 2022年12月大学英语四级4There are between 3000 and 6000 public languages in the world, and we must add approximately 6 billion private languages since each one of us necessarily has one. Considering these facts, the possibilities for breakdowns in communication seem infinite in number. However, we do commun
2、icate successfully from time to time. And we do learn to speak languages. But learning to speak languages seems to be a very mysterious process. For a long time, people thought that we learned a language only by imitation and association. For example, a baby touches a hot pot and starts to cry. The
3、mother says, “Hot, hot!” And the baby, when it stops crying, imitates the mother and says, “Hot, hot!” However, Noam Chomsky, a famous expert in language, pointed out that although children do learn some words by imitation and association, they also combine words to make meaningful sentences in ways
4、 that are unique, unlearned and creative. Because young children can make sentences they have never heard before, Chomsky suggested that human infants are born with the ability to learn language. Chomsky meant that underneath all the differences between public and private languages, there is a unive
5、rsal language mechanism that makes it possible for us, as infants, to learn any language in the world. This theory explains the potential that human infants have for learning language. But it does not really explain how children come to use language in particular ways.Questions 30 to 32 are based on
6、 the passage you have just heard.30. Why does the speaker say there are great possibilities for communication breakdowns?31. What is Chomskys point on the ability to learn a language?32. What does Chomskys theory fail to explain according to the speaker?Passage ThreeWhen US spacewoman Joan Higginbot
7、ham is not flying and working in space, she might be found somewhere on earth giving a speech. Higginbotham, who grew up in Chicago and became an engineer before joining NASA, that is the National Air and Space Administration, gives about a dozen speeches a year. Each speech is different because she
8、 tailors her remarks to each audience. Through interviews and E-mails, she finds out in advance her listeners” educational level and what information they want to know. On the subject of space walks, for example, audiences vary in their interests and how much complexity they can comprehend. To eleme
9、ntary school children, Higginbotham may discuss a problem that many kids want to know about. “How do spacemen in a spacesuit eat, drink, and go to the bathroom?“ Her answer is “the spacesuit is really a small spacecraft with room for food and water-containers, and a waste-collection system.” To a hi
10、gh school audience, she might satisfy a curiosity that often arises in her pre-speech interviews with students who obviously have seen many science fiction movies. “Do spacemen carry weapons in case they encounter enemies in space?” Her answer is “No“. To scientists, she might provide technical deta
11、ils on such topics as the design of spacesuits that protects spacemen from the deadly temperature extremes of space. Just as elaborate preparation is required for success in space, Higginbotham says that its important for speakers to learn as much as possible about their listeners before a speech be
12、cause every audience is different.33. What did Joan Higginbotham do before joining in NASA?34. How does Higginbotham prepare her speech on space walks?35. What does the high school audience want to know about space travel?Compound Dictation：Crime is increasing worldwide. There is every reason to bel
13、ieve the trend will continue through the next few decades. Crime rates have always been high in multi-cultural industrialized societies such as the United States. But a new phenomenon has appeared on the world scene: rapidly rising crime rates in nations that previously reported few offences. Street
14、 crimes such as robbery, rape, murder and auto theft are clearly rising, particularly in Eastern European countries, such as Hungary, and in Western European nations, such as the Untied Kingdom. What is driving this crime explosion? There are no simple answers. Still, there are certain conditions as
15、sociated with rising crime. Increasing heterogeneity of population, greater cultural pluralism, higher immigration, democratization of governments, changing national borders, greater economic growth and the lack of accepted social ideas of right and wrong. These conditions are increasingly observabl
16、e around the world. For instance, cultures that were previously isolated and homogenous, such as Japan, Denmark and Greece, are now facing the sort of cultural variety that has been common in America for most of its history. Multiculturalism can be a rewarding, enriching experience, but it can also lead to a clash of values. Heterogeneity in societies will be the rule in the 21st century, and failure to
