在职艺术硕士（MFA）全国联考英文阅读理解-试卷7
(总分：40.00，做题时间：90分钟)
一、 英文阅读理解题(总题数：4，分数：40.00)
Sign has become a scientific hot button. Only in the past 20 years have specialists in language study realized that signed languages are unique—a speech of the hand. They offer a new way to probe how the brain generates and understands language, and throw new light on an old scientific controversy： whether language, complete with grammar, is something that we are born with, or whether it is a learned behavior. The current interest in sign language has roots in the pioneering work of one rebel teacher at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the worlds only liberal arts university for deaf people. When Bill Stokoe went to Gallaudet to teach English, the school enrolled him in a course in signing. But Stokoe noticed something odd: among themselves, students signed differently from his classroom teacher. Stokoe had been taught a sort of gestural code, each movement of the hands representing a word in English. At the time, American Sign Language (ASL) was thought to be no more than a form of pidgin English (混杂英语). But Stokoe believed the hand talk his students used looked richer. He wondered: Might deaf people actually have a genuine language? And could that language be unlike any other on Earth? It was 1955, when even deaf people dismissed their signing as substandard. Stokoes idea was academic heresy(异端邪说). It is 37 years later. Stokoe—now devoting his time to writing and editing books and journals
and to producing video materials on ASL and the deaf culture—is having lunch at a cafe near the Gallaudet campus and explaining how he started a revolution. For decades educators fought his idea that signed languages are natural languages like English, French and Japanese. They assumed language must be based on speech, the modulation (调节) of sound. But sign language is based on the movement of hands, the modulation of space. What I said, Stokoe explains, is that language is not mouth stuff—its brain stuff. (340 words)（分数：10.00） (1).The study of sign language is thought to be______.（分数：2.00） A.a new way to look at the learning of language
B.a challenge to traditional views on the nature of language √ C.an approach to simplifying the grammatical structure of a language D.an attempt to clarify misunderstanding about the origin of language
解析：解析：本题属于细节推断题。这篇文章开头介绍了手语研究的进展以及意义，“进展”指过去的20年研究人员发现了手语的独特性(realized that signed languages are unique)，意义是指手语的这一发现为研究大脑如何应用与理解语言开辟了新的方向(a new way to probe how the brain generates and
understands language)，同时为一个古老的科学论题带来了新的希望：语言到底是天生的还是后天习得的(whether language…is something that we are born with，or whether it is a learned behavior)。可知答案为B。 (2).The present growing interest in sign language was stimulated by______.（分数：2.00） A.a famous scholar in the study of the human brain B.a leading specialist in the study of liberal arts C.an English teacher in a university for the deaf √ D.some senior experts in American Sign Language
解析：解析：本题属于细节理解题。题目问的是，当前对手语的越来越高涨的兴趣是由谁激发的。第一段段末和第二段段首给我们介绍了一位先驱人物Stokoe的基本信息：华盛顿特区一所聋人大学的教师。他在学校教授英语。对照选项，
显然答案为C。
(3).According to Stokoe, sign language is______.（分数：2.00） A.a substandard language B.a genuine language √ C.an artificial language
D.an international language
解析：解析：本题属于细节理解题。根据文章第三段，我们了解到当时人们普遍认为美国手语不过是一种混杂英语(thought to be no more than a form of pidgin English)，这里也在强调手语从属于语言。之后是Stokoe自己的发现与思考：他认为学生们使用的手语意义比人们的普遍认为的要更为丰富(the“hand
talk”his students used looked richer)，同时受到了启发：或许聋人确实拥有一种真正的语言。可知答案为B。 (4).Most educators objected to Stokoes idea because they thought______.（分数：2.00） A.sign language was not extensively used even by deaf people B.sign language was too artificial to be widely accepted C.a language should be easy to use and understand
D.a language could only exist in the form of speech sounds √
解析：解析：本题属于细节理解题。题目问的是，许多教育者都反对Bill Stokoe的观点，是因为他们认为什么。根据“For decades educators fought his idea that signed languages are natural languages
like English，French and Japanese．They assumed language must be based on speech，the modulation(调节)of sound．”，即得出答案为D。
(5).Stokoes argument is based on his belief that______.（分数：2.00） A.sign language is as efficient as any other language B.sign language is derived from natural language C.language is a system of meaningful codes D.language is a product of the brain √
解析：解析：本题属于细节理解题。根据文章最后一段我们得知：很多教育家们反对Stokoe的观点，认为语言必须以语音为基础，是声音的变体(language must be based on speech，the modulation of sound)，而Stokoe则认为手语恰恰以手的动作为基础(sign language is based on the movement of hands)，进一步解释说“语言不是嘴巴层次的东西，而是大脑层次的东西(brain stuff)”。由此可知答案为D。
Reebok executives do not like to hear their stylish athletic shoes called
ootwear for yuppies
(雅皮士，少壮高薪职业人士). They contend that Reebok shoes appeal to diverse market segments, especially now that the company offers basketball and childrens shoes for the under-18 set and walking shoes for older customers not interested in aerobics (健身操) or running. The executives also point out that through recent acquisitions they have added hiking boots, dress and casual shoes, and high-performance athletic footwear to their product lines, all of which should attract new and varied groups of customers. Still, despite its emphasis on new markets, Reebok plans few changes in the upmarket (高档消费人群的) retailing network that helped push sales to $ 1 billion annually, ahead of all other sports shoe marketers. Reebok shoes, which are priced from $27 to $85, will continue to be sold only in better specialty, sporting goods, and department stores, in accordance with the companys view that consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution. In the past few years, the Massachusetts-based company has imposed limits on the number of its distributors (and the number of shoes supplied to stores) , partly out of necessity. At times the unexpected demand for Reeboks exceeded supply, and the company could barely keep up with orders from the dealers it already had. These fulfillment problems seem to be distribution now, but the company is still selective about its distributors. At present, Reebok shoes are available in about five thousand retail stores in the United States. Reebok has already anticipated that walking shoes will be the next fitness-related craze, replacing aerobics shoes the same way its brightly colored, soft leather exercise footwear replaced conventional running shoes. Through product diversification and careful market research, Reebok hopes to avoid the distribution problems Nike came across several years ago, when Nike misjudged the strength of the aerobics shoe craze and was forced to unload huge inventories of running shoes through discount stores. (355 words)（分数：10.00）
(1).One reason why Reeboks managerial personnel don like their shoes to be called
在职艺术硕士MFA全国联考英文阅读理解 试卷7
