单选题 {{B}}Task 1{{/B}} {{B}}Directions:{{/B}}{{I}} After rending the following passage,
you will find 5 questions or unfinished statements, numbered 36 to 40. For each
question or statement there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. You should. make
the correct choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a
single line through the center.{{/I}}
To the professional linguist, there is
no superiority of any language. Therefore, it is well-accepted in the field of
linguistics that there exist no higher or lower grades among languages. People
once thought of the languages of backward groups as undeveloped forms of speech,
consisting largely of rough and simple sounds. It is possible that language in
general began as a series of simple sounds. But it is a fact established by the
study of "backward" languages that no spoken tongue answers that description.
Most languages of "backward" groups are extremely complex pieces of tool for the
transfer of ideas. They "fall behind" the western languages not in their sound
pattern or grammatical structures but only in their vocabularies. The sound
pattern or grammatical structures usually are fully adequate for all language
needs. The vocabulary reflects the objects and activities known to their
speakers. There are two things to be noted. Firstly, all
languages seem to possess ways for vocabulary expansion. Vocabulary expands
either by putting together its own words or by borrowing words from other
languages. Secondly, the "backward" languages are different from ours. The
objects and activities which require distinction are often surprisingly numerous
and complicated.
单选题
What does the word "superiority" (Line 1, Para. 1) mean?