READING PRACTICE 9

Passage 1. Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.

The Creators of Grammar

No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By
changing word sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs ( trợ động từ) and
suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny variations ( biến thể) in meaning. We can
turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is soon to take
place, and perform many other word tricks ( thủ thuật) to convey subtle ( tinh tế)
differences in meaning. Nor is this complexity inherent to the English language. All
languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have clever grammatical
components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between
'you and I', 'several other people and I' and 'you, another person and I'. In English,
all these meanings are summed up in the one, crude pronoun 'we'. Grammar is
universal (phổ quát) and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.
So the question which has baffled (=prevented) many linguists is - who created grammar?
At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how
grammar is created, someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation,
documenting its emergence ( nổi lên, xuất hiện). Many historical linguists (nhà ngôn
ngữ học) are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in
order to answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the
researcher needs to observe how languages are started from scratch. Amazingly,
however, this is possible.
- Trace sth back to: truy vết
- Start from scratch: bắt đầu từ con số 0
Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time,
slaves from a number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under
colonizer's rule. ( cai trị của thực dân). Since they had no opportunity to learn each
other's languages, they developed a make-shift language called a pidgin. Pidgins ( tiếng
lai/ tiếng bồi) are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner (địa
chủ). They have little in the way of grammar, and in many cases it is difficult for a
listener to deduce (suy đoán/ suy luận) >< induce (= conclude: quy nạp) when an event
happened, and who did what to whom. [A] Speakers need to use circumlocution (lê
thê, dài dòng) in order to make their meaning understood. [B] Interestingly, however,
all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to be
exposed to ( tiếp xúc) it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. [C] Slave
children did not simply copy the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted
(điều chỉnh) their words to create a new, expressive (diễn cảm) language. [D] Complex
grammar systems which emerge from (xuất phát) pidgins are termed creoles, and they
are invented by children.
- All it for … to do sth
Further evidence of this can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign
languages are not simply a series of gestures; they utilise the same grammatical
machinery that is found in spoken languages. Moreover, there are many different
languages used worldwide. The creation of one such language was documented quite
recently in Nicaragua. Previously, all deaf people were isolated from each other, but in
1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were taught
speech and lip reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds they began to invent their
own sign system, using the gestures that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin.
Each child used the signs differently, and there was no consistent grammar. However,
children who joined the school later, when this inventive sign system was already around,
developed a quite different sign language. Although it was based on the signs of the
older children, the younger children's language was more fluid (trôi chảy) and compact
( cô đọng, súc tích), and it utilized= use= employ a large range of grammatical devices
to clarify meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the same way. A new
creole was born.
Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established (thành lập) languages
were creoles at first. The English past tense –ed ending may have evolved ( phát triển)
from the verb 'do'. 'It ended' may once have been 'It end-did'. Therefore, it would appear
that even the most widespread languages were partly created by children. Children
appear to have innate ( vốn có, bẩm sinh) grammatical machinery in their brains,
which springs to life ( kích hoạt) when they are first trying to make sense of ( nhận
thức) the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex
structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.
- Make sense of: nhận thức về cái gì
Questions 1-10
1. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee
language?
A To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures
B To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar
C To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees.
D To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language

2. What can be inferred about the slaves' pidgin language?

A It contained complex grammar.
B It was based on many different languages.
C It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.
D It was created by the land-owners.
3. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT:
A The language has been created since 1979.
B The language is based on speech and lip reading.
C The language incorporates signs which children used at home.
D The language was perfected by younger children.
4. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed?
It included standardised word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the
pidgin language, nor the language of the colonizers.
A
B
C
D
5. 'From scratch' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
A from the very beginning
B in simple cultures
C by copying something else
D by using written information
6. 'Make-shift' in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:
A complicated and expressive
B simple and temporary
C extensive and diverse
D private and personal
7. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence?
“Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it
is.”
A All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain
grammar.
B Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.
C Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common that languages that
contain a little.
D The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved.
8. All of the following are features of the new Nicaraguan sign language EXCEPT:
A All children used the same gestures ( cử chỉ) to show meaning.
B The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language.
C The hand movements were smoother ( mượt mà, trơn tru) and smaller.
D New gestures were created for everyday objects ( đồ vật) and activities.
9. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?
A English was probably once a creole.
B The
English past tense system is inaccurate.
C Linguists have proven that English was created by children.
D Children say English past tenses differently from adults.
10. Look at the word 'consistent' in paragraph 4. This word could best be replaced by
which of the following? A natural B predictable C imaginable D uniform
Passage 2.

11. Some -> all centres are open all winter. (P1 L4)
True
False
12. The activities available depend on weather. (P2)
True False
13. Action Sports Camps courses are unsuitable for people who are excellent at sport. (P2
L5)
True
False
14. You need to have your own sports equipment.
True False
15. Children and adults spend some time together each day.
True False
16. Some of the staff are unqualified.
True
False
17. Action Sports Camps only recommend accommodation of a high quality.
True False
18. You have to pay the total fee one month after you book.
True False
19. Action Sports Camps charge you more if you pay with your credit card.
True False
20. If you cancel three weeks before your camp, you will get half your money back.
True False