单选题
From childhood to old age, we all use language as a means of broadening our knowledge of ourselves and the world about us. When humans first
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, they were like newborn children, unable to use this
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tool. Yet once language developed, the possibilities for human kind"s future
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and cultural growth increased.
Many linguists believe that evolution is
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for our ability to produce and use language. They
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that our highly evolved brain provides us with a(n)
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language ability not found in lower organisms. Supporters of this innateness theory say that our
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for language is inborn, but that language itself develops gradually, as a function of the growth of the brain during childhood. Therefore there are critical
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times for language development.
Current
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of innateness theory are mixed; however, evidence
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the existence of some innate abilities is undeniable. Indeed, more and more schools are discovering that foreign languages are best taught in
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grades. Young children often can learn several languages by being
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to them, while adults have a much
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time learning another language once the rules of their first language have become firmly fixed.
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some aspects of language are undeniably innate, language does not develop automatically in a vacuum. Children who have been
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from other human beings do not possess language. This demonstrates that
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with other human beings is necessary for proper language development. Some linguists believe that this is even more basic to human language
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than any innate capacities. These theorists view language
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imitative, learned behavior.
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, children learn language from their parents by imitating them. Parents gradually shape their child"s language skills by
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reinforcing precise imitations and negatively reinforcing imprecise ones.
【答案解析】[解析] 上下文语义。本句中的this和even more basic分别指代上句的interaction with other human beings和necessary，此处所填词对应上文中的language development。也就是说，language acquisition语言习得。故答案为A。
【答案解析】[解析] 上下文语义和词组辨析。As a result“结果是”；After a11“毕竟”；In other words“换言之，换句话说”；Above all“首先”。本句功能是以另一种方式解释前文中的imitative，learned behavior(模仿性的后天行为)。故答案为C。