What does the professor imply about the idea of a critical period？A．It is a notion that is

that we develop language skills through social interaction? Youve read ... at least I hope youve read the reading assignment Language and the Mind by Noam Chomsky. So youre familiar with his argument that were born with a device that helps us acquire a language intuitively. He calls it a language acquisition device, or LAD, for short. But psychologists like Jerome Bruner are highly critical of his theory, so today were going to examine both sides of the debate. In reality, the dispute is connected to the broader debate of nature versus nurture. What do I mean by nature and nurture? Well, let me ask it this way. Is language development controlled by biology, or do we learn from our social environment? Think about these questions and then Ill ask your opinion again at the end of the lecture, okay? But before examining Chomksys theory, I need to clarify one point first. Our discussion today will focus on the acquisition of a childs first language, or mother tongue, as it is sometimes called. And more about that term later, lets begin by discussing what Mr. Chomsky has to say about language development. Well, his language acquisition device or LAD theory is based on three key assumptions about the process. The first assumption is that children have an innate ability for language development. In other words, theyre born with a set of skills that allows them to intuitively comprehend language. In fact, Chomsky claims that their brains are preprogrammed with what he calls a universal grammar. And that device allows them to understand the =~ structure and grammar of a language just by being exposed to it. Let me elaborate on this point. From Chomskys perspective, a childs brain is like a computer. It has already been wired to process and store different kinds of information. Do you see what I mean? Yes? Good! Now this hypothesis leads us to the second assumption: young children can acquire their first language skills independently. That is to say, they dont have to rely on parents or the social environment to teach them the grammar and structure of their language; they simply use the LAD to figure it out for themselves. The third assumption is that the LAD makes it easy for young children to learn a language. However, Chomsky does admit that theres a small window of opportunity for language development. He thinks, or rather he refers to this short time period as the critical period. And a recent study of language development in feral children--the children whove grown up in extreme isolation from humans--has provided persuasive evidence of the notion of a critical period. For example, when they were found, feral children couldnt speak at all. In fact, they could only make grunting noises like animals. Thats why theyre called feral. It literally means untamed or wild. In any case, researchers discovered that when these children returned to normal living conditions, they had great difficulty acquiring language unless they were exposed to language before the age of twelve. The argument was that the brains of these abused children hadnt developed neurologically, so the LAD couldnt function properly. You can read about the actual feral experiences of a young girl in the book, Genie: A Scientific Tragedy. But getting back to the issue at hand, as you can see from this discussion, Chomksys LAD theory leans heavily toward the nature side of the debate. In other words, he and other linguists who support this theory believe that biology predetermines our ability to acquire language. And youll notice that the LAD theory focuses on acquiring language, not learning it. But psychologists like Jerome Brunet argue that language development is also a learning process. So whats the difference between acquiring a language and learning it? Well, for one thing, learning a language requires ongoing social interaction, and that assumption forms the basis of Bruners theory of the language acquisition support system, or LASS, for short. You see, according to Bruner, some type of LAD may exist, but parents and siblings also play a key role in a childs language development. How? By involving young children in routine behaviors like saying hello and goodbye and daily rituals like meal times and bath times. So its probably no surprise that the expression mother tongue evolved. After all, we all remember listening to the familiar sounds and repetitive phrases our mothers used when we were young. In fact, a researcher named Moerk nicknamed this type of language modeling as motherese. The second assumption of Bruners theory is that language learning is developmental. In other words, parents or siblings create a learning environment that supports the child as he or she builds language skills. So in the beginning, they are quite vocal and the child is rather passive. But as children develop the language skills, they become more active. From this perspective, language learning is more a process of discovery, and children learn to construct new ideas by linking it with previous knowledge and experiences. Therefore, its evident that Bruners theory strongly supports the notion that nurture is as essential as nature in language development. Now based on what youve heard today, where do you stand? P And a recent study of language development in feral children--the children whove grown up in extreme isolation from humans--has provided persuasive evidence of the notion of a critical period. What does the professor imply about the idea of a critical period?

What is the lecture mainly about?

A．Ways to enhance language development in young children.

B．A comparison of two theories on first language acquisition.

C．Methods for teaching language skills to preteen children.

D．The influence of mothers on a baby"s language development.

What does the student imply when she says this:

A．She wants to take on more duties than he"s offering.

B．She feels overwhelmed by the number of duties.

C．She feels the professor is taking advantage of her.

D．She is unsure whether she has the time for this jo

ers.

A．To illustrate to the class that consumers pay too much attention to packaging.

B．To explain the types of experiments that environmental psychologists conduct.

C．To highlight the likelihood of people criticizing new products that are being tested.

D．To validate the claim earlier in the lecture that color influences people in specific ways.

Why does the professor mention the auditorium?

A．To familiarize the students with the environmental design of the auditorium.

B．To point out how the unusual features of the classroom affect their environment.

C．To explain the values of environmental psychology to the students.

D．To illustrate how environmental psychology principles can be applie

dded to the passage. This is because the construction, which took place between 1927 and 1941, was often suspended due to lack of funding and poor weather conditions. Where would this sentence best fit?

A．(Ａ)

B．(Ｂ)

C．(Ｃ)

D．(Ｄ)

Why does the author mention "the Louisiana Purchase"?

A．To demonstrate how the westward expansion of the United States came about.

B．To illustrate Washington"s contribution to the evolution of the United States.

C．To explain why Jefferson was chosen to be one of the presidents on Mount Rushmore.

D．To show why Jefferson"s inclusion on Mount Rushmore was a contentious issu

The word "envisaged" in the passage is closest in meaning to

A．discussed.

B．conceived.

C．rejected.

D．foresaw.

their behavior?

A．The species develops strong communication skills.

B．The species becomes more social.

C．The species grows increasingly aggressive.

D．The species develops bigger brains.

read the passages and answer the questions. Most questions in the Reading section are worth 1 point, but the last question for each passage is worth more than 1 point. The directions for the last question include the point value of the question. Some passages will include a word or phrase that is underlined. You can see its definition or an explanation in the Glossary box. Within each part in the real test, you can go on to the next question by clicking the Next icon. You may skip questions and go back to them later. If you want to go back to previous questions, click the Back icon. You may click the Review icon at any time and the review screen will show you which questions you have answered and which you have not. From the review screen, you can go directly to any question you have already seen in the Reading section. Continental Drift Continental drift, and the subsequent theory of plate tectonics, forms the modern framework for geological study of the Earth. Continental drift stems from scientific notions as early as the 16th century that the Earths continents were once a single land mass, which scientists have termed Pangaea, meaning "all lands" in Greek. In 1912, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed that natural forces such as earthquakes and floods broke Pangaea apart between 225 and 200 million years ago, and it eventually fragmented into the continents as we know them today. Wegener based his theory on four major observations: first, the amazing fit of the African and South American continents; second, the similarities of unusually structured plant and animal fossils discovered along the coastlines of South America and Africa, even though they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean; third, similarities in rocks and ice sheets on these two continents; and fourth, evidence that some ancient climates were diametrically opposite of modern ones. Wegeners theory of continental drift would eventually spark a new way of viewing the Earth. Initially, however, colleagues generally dismissed it as absurd, despite the fact that it seemed to complement available scientific information. Their primary criticism was Wegeners inability to adequately explain how the large masses of land could drift such great distances. (A) Wegener speculated that they simply plowed through the ocean floor, but English geophysicist Harold Jeffreys refuted that contention, noting that it is physically impossible for a gargantuan mass of solid rock to do so without breaking up. (B) It was not until the 1950s--two decades after Wegeners death--that technological advances enabled scientists to confirm Wegeners hypotheses. Improved techniques in ocean floor mapping revealed that the bottom of the ocean was not mostly flat and featureless as most scientists had speculated, and that geologic processes on land, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, were linked to dynamics on the ocean floor. (C) Scientists discovered that hot rock boils up from the Earths mantle1 near ridges in the middle of the ocean, spreading over the sea floor and forming new oceanic crust. (D) As this crust spreads, it moves continents an average of one or two centimeters each year. Scientists also found that as new crust forms at ocean ridges, older crust descends into trenches2 at the rim of the Pacific Ocean Basin, effectively recycling the ocean basins and maintaining the Earth at a steady size. Seismic activity is most prominent in earthquake zones parallel to these trenches at the edge of continents, likely due to the fact that sinking crust melts, causing hot rock to bubble up, leading to eruptions and violent quaking. These findings on the ocean floor led to the theory of plate tectonics, which holds that the Earths outermost layer consists of more than a dozen large and small plates--massive slabs of solid rock, both above and beneath the water--that are drifting about the surface of the Earth, occasionally colliding, rubbing against each other, clustering and separating, and even disappearing completely under one another. These interactions are constantly shaping the face of the planet, signified by the term "tectonics" from the Greek word meaning "to build." The results of plate-tectonic forces are most evident at plate boundaries--narrow zones between plates. At divergent boundaries, plates pull away from each other, creating new crust. A prominent example can be seen in Iceland, which is splitting as the North American Plate moves westward relativeto the Eurasian Plate. At convergent boundaries, crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another. This tends to form. mountain ranges on continental, or surface, plates, such as the South American Andes and the Asian Himalayas. At transform. boundaries, plates slide horizontally past each other and crust is neither created nor destroyed. Since the plates lack smooth edges, pressure is generally built up and suddenly released, making these types of boundaries--such as the San Andreas Fault in California--particularly susceptible to earthquakes. At a fourth type of boundary, called plate boundary zones, there are broad areas where boundaries are ill-defined and the effects of plate interaction are not well understood. Because plate boundary zones feature at least two large plates and one small plate caught between them, they have complicated geological structures and earthquake patterns. The theory of plate tectonics has gained widespread scientific acceptance, though there still remains debate over specific aspects. One of these, ironically, is the same question that dogged Wegener: What is the nature of the forces propelling the plates?

All of the following are mentioned as factors that cause urbanization EXCEPT

A．natural increases in population due to people having children.

B．the change in an area from town to city.

C．the migration of people from rural to urban areas.

D．the implementation of infrastructure to encourage urban growt

cs?

A．It was theorized by Wegener in 1912.

B．It is not widely accepted by scientists.

C．It still does not explain continental drift.

D．It is a relatively new geological theory.