【正确答案】正确答案：Assimilation refers to the process by which one sound takes on some or all the characteristics of a neighboring sound.(2 points)There are two possibilities of assimilation(1 point);If a following sound is influencing a preceding sound, it is a regressive assimilation; the converse process, in which a preceding sound is influencing a following sound, is known as a progressive assimilation.(2 points)

【答案解析】解析：考查同化的定义和分类。同化指一个音具有了邻近语音的一部分或者全部特征的过程。同化有两种可能，如果后面的音影响到前面的音，则称为“逆同化”；如果前面的音影响了后面的音，则称为“顺同化”。