How did men first learn to invent words? It is still unknown to people; in other words, the origin* of language is a mystery. All we suppose is that some early men invented certain sounds, in one way or another, to express thoughts and feelings,actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined* to present those sounds, and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken or written in letters, we call words.
We are sure that the power of words lies in their associations-- the things they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words make us think of the glad and sad things of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something increases.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which strongly
appeal to people and have great effect on our minds and feelings. This lovely and wonderful use of words is what we call literary* style. Above all, the real poet is a owner of words. He can express his meaning in words which sing like music and which by their position* and association can move men to tears. We should learn to choose our words carefully and use them true, or they will make our speech silly and low.
小题1:From the passage, we learn that language might begin with
.
| A．feelings |
B．actions |
C．signs |
D．sounds |
小题2:The underlined phrase
appeal to probably means
.
| A．to interest |
B．to let... down |
| C．to make...relaxed |
D．to surprise... |
小题3:What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The power of new words |
| B．The importance of old words |
| C．The association of our experience with words |
| D．The change and development of words |
小题4:From the passage, we can learn that ________.
| A．people have discovered how words came from |
| B．it’s enough for a good writer to have great thoughts |
| C．the anthor suggest people to use words with right skills |
| D．the longer we live, the number of words that mean something will be smaller. |
