Task 3

　　How men first learned to invent words is unknown, in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feeling, 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 represent those sounds and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letter, we call words.

　　The power of words, then lies in their associations ---the things they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meanings for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increase.

　　Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appear powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. above all , the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should , therefore, learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and vulgar.

　　46.The origin of language is ______

　　A)a legend handed down from the past

　　B)a matter that is hidden or secret

　　C)a question difficult to answer

　　D) a problem not yet solved

　　47.One of the reasons why men invented certain sounds to express thoughts and action was that _______

　　A)they could agree upon certain signs

　　B)they could write them down

　　C)they could communicate with each other

　　D) they could combine them together

　　48.What is true about words?

　　A)they are used to express feeling only.

　　B)they can not be written down

　　C)they are simply sounds

　　D) they are mysterious

　　49.The real power of words exists in their ______

　　A)properties B)characteristics C)peculiarity D) representative function

　　50.Which of the following statements is true ?

　　A)the more we read and learn, the more ignorant we are

　　B)the more we read and learn, the more confused we will be

　　C)the more we read and learn, the more learned we are

　　D) the more we read and learn, the more snobbish we become