【正确答案】正确答案：Tones are pitch variations, which are caused by the differing rates of vibration of the vocal cords. Pitch variations can distinguish meaning just like phonemes; therefore, the tone is a suprasegmental feature. The meaning-distinctive function of the tone is especially important in what we call tone languages. English is not a tone language. Chinese is a typical tone language. It has four tones. The first tone is level(阴平), the second rise(阳平), the third fall rise(上声), and the fourth fall(去声). The role of the tone can be well illustrated by pronouncing the same sound combination such as [pa] in the four different tones and have different meanings: bā(八)High level " eight" bá(拔)High rising "pull out" bǎ(靶)Low falling rising "target" bà(坝)High falling "dam"

【答案解析】解析：(考查汉语为声调语言，在解释时一定要举例子说明声调是如何改变意义的。)