We use language every day. We live in a world of words. Hardly any
moment passes with someone talking, writing or reading. Indeed, __1__
languages is most essential to mankind. Our lives increasingly depend
on fast and successful use of language. Strangely enough, we know __2__
more about things around us than on ourselves. For example, language __3__
is species specific, that is, it is language that differs human from __4__
animals. However, we do not know yet how exactly we inquire language __5__
and how it is possible for us to perceive through language; nor we __6__
understand precisely the combinations between language and thought, __7__
language and logic, or language and culture; still less, how and when
language started. One reason for this inadequate knowledge of language
is that we, like language users, take too many things for granted. __8__
Language comes to every normal person so naturally that a few __9__
of us stop to question what language is, much less do we feel the
necessity to study it. Language is far more complex than most people
have probably imagined and the necessity to study it is far greater than
some people may have assured. Linguistic is a branch of science which __10__
takes language as its object of investigation.
参考答案及解析:
1. with 改为 without。”hardy any moment passes without someone…” , 两个否定: without 和hardly，意思是“每一时刻有人……”。
2. fast 前面加the因为fast and successful use 这个词组后边有一个前置词短语 of language 修饰use，所以被修饰的词前面加定冠词。
3. than on ourselves 改为than things on ourselves。在这里比较的是两件事：things around us and things on ourselves(我们周围的事物和我们自身的东西)。第二个things不能省略，否则引起误解。
5. inquire改为acquire“习得语言”应该是acquire language，名词短语是language acquisition。 Inquire 是“询问”的意思。
8. like 改为as。根据上下文，要表达的意思是“作为语言的使用者”，不是“像语言的使用者”。
9. a 去掉 这里是否定的意思：“我们没有多少人……”而不是“我们一些人.….”。
10. assured 改为 assumed. 这句的后半部分意思是“研究语言的必要性比我们想象的要大得多”。Assure译为“确保”；assume译为“假设”或者“想象”的意思。
