Children display an amazing ability to become fluent speakers of any language consistently spoken around them. Every normal child, not brought up in virtual isolation from language, soon comes to speak one or more languages natively.
　　 The child’s acquisition of his or her native language is not dependent on any special tutoring Parents may spend many hours "reinforcing" every recognizable bit of their child’s verbal activity with a smile or some other reward. But there is no particular reason to believe that such activity affects the child’s ultimate success in becoming a native speaker of his parents’ language. Children can pick up a language by playing with other children who happen to speak it just as well as they can through the concentrated efforts of doting parents. All they seem to need is sufficient exposure to the language in question.
　　 This capacity for acquiring language is remarkable for a number of reasons. It is remarkable firstly because of its uniformity across culture. There are simply no cases of normal children who, when they are given the chances, fail to acquire a native language. By way of comparison, it is not at all unusual for a child to fail to master arithmetic, reading, swimming, or gymnastics despite a considerable amount of instruction. Language acquisition, in other words, is "inherently human”. It is also specific.
　　 Every normal person learns a human language but no other animals, not even the most intelligent apes, has been shown to be capable of making the slightest progress in this direction although some animals can learn to solve problems, use tools and so on. Language acquisition thus appears to be different in kind from acquisition of the other skills mentioned.
　　 The progress is further remarkable for its comparative speed and perfection When we actually attempt to take a language apart to see how it works we find it is extraordinarily complex and that it involves highly abstract organizational principles. Yet, within the first few years of his life every child has succeeded in mastering at least one such system. Furthermore, the linguistic system that the child masters is identical to the one employed by the people around him or her. If a child is regularly exposed to two languages, he will very probably learn both. Moreover, they will succeed in keeping the two linguistic systems separate, which is a considerable achievement.
　　 1. What is most important in native language acquisition?
　　 A. Tutoring.
　　 B. Reinforcement.
　　 C. Exposure.
　　 D. Concentration.
　　 2. Which of the following is easier to learn for normal children?
　　 A. Native language.
　　 B. Arithmetic.
　　 C. Swimming.
　　 D. Gymnastics.
　　 3. When the author says that language is “inherently human", he means that _________.
　　 A. human beings learn language faster than animals
　　 B. all human beings share the same linguistic system
　　 C. all human beings are capable of language acquisition
　　 D. the principles of different languages are the same
　　 4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
　　 A. Apes have no intelligence whatsoever.
　　 B. Apes can make slow progress in language learning.
　　 C. Language learning is beyond even the most intelligent ape.
　　 D. Some species of apes have their own specific language.
　　 5. Since language is complex, it is remarkable that children _________.
　　 A. are exposed to several language at the same time
　　 B. learn their native language so quickly and so well
　　 C. can successfully combine separate linguistic systems
　　 D. can achieve speed and perfection in language learning
　　 答案：C A C C B