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grammar, and speakers need to use too many words to make their meaning understood. Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. Slave children didn’t simply copy the strings of words used by their elders. They adapted their words to create an expressive language. In this way complex grammar systems which come from pidgins were invented.

Further evidence can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are not simply a group of gestures; they use the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken languages. The creation of one such language was documented quite recently in Nicaragua. Previously, although deaf children were taught speech and lip reading in the classrooms, in the playgrounds they began to invent their own sign system, using the gestures they used at home. It was basically a pidgin and there was no consistent grammar. However, a new system was born when children who joined the school later developed a quite different sign language. It was based on the signs of the older children, but it was shorter and easier to understand, and it had a large range of special use of grammar to clarify the meaning. What’s more, they all used the signs in the same way. So the original pidgin was greatly improved.

Most experts believe that many of the languages were pidgins at first. They were initially used in different groups of people without standardization and gradually evolved into a widely accepted system. The English past tense—“ed” ending— may have evolved from the verb “do”. “It ended” may once have been “It end-did”. It seems that children have grammatical machinery in their brains. Their minds can serve to create logical and complex structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.

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43. What can be inferred about the slaves’ pidgin language? A. It was difficult to understand. C. It was created by the landowners.

B. It came from different languages. D. It contained highly complex grammar.

44. What is the characteristic of the new Nicaraguan sign language? A. No consistent signs were used for communication. B. Most of the gestures were made for everyday activities. C. The hand movements were smoother and more attractive. D. The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language. 45. Which idea does the author present in the last paragraph? A. English grammar of past tense system is inaccurate. B. Children say English past tense differently from adults. C. The thought that English was once a pidgin is acceptable. D. Experts have proven that English was created by children. 46. What is the best title for the passage? A. The Creators of Grammar C. Why Pidgins Came into Being

B. The History of Languages D. How Grammar Systems Are Used D

A Competitive Sport

Over the years, cheerleading has taken two primary forms: game-time cheerleading and competitive cheerleading. Game-time cheerleaders’ main goal is to entertain the crowd and lead them with

Cheerleading team cheers, which should not be considered a sport. However, competitive cheerleading is

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more than a form of entertainment. It is really a competitive sport.

Competitive cheerleading includes lots of physical activity. The majority of the teams require a certain level of tumbling (翻腾运动) ability. It’s a very common thing for gymnasts, so it’s easy for them to go into competitive cheerleading. Usually these cheerleaders integrate lots of their gymnastics experience including their jumps, tumbling, and overall energy. They also perform lifts and throws. This is where the “fliers” are thrown in the air, held by “bases” in different positions that require strength and working with other teammates.

Competitive cheerleading is also an activity that is governed by rules under which a winner can be declared. It is awarded points for technique, creativity and sharpness. Usually the more difficult the action is, the better the score is. That’s why cheerleaders are trying to experience great difficulty in their performance.

Besides, there is also a strict rule of time. The whole performance has to be completed in less than three minutes and fifteen seconds, during which the cheerleaders are required to stay within a certain area. Any performance beyond the limit of time is invalid.

Another reason for the fact that competitive cheerleading is one of the hardest sports is that it has more reported injuries. According to some research, competitive cheerleading is the number one cause of serious sports injuries to women. Emergency room visits for it are five times the number than for any other sport, partially because cheerleaders don’t use protective equipment. Smiling cheerleaders are thrown into the air and move down into the arms of the teammates, which may easily cause injuries. Generally, these injuries affect all areas of the body, including wrists, shoulders, ankles, head, and neck.

There can be no doubt that competitive cheerleading is a sport with professional skills.

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Hopefully, it will appear in the Olympics since cheerleaders are just as athletic and physically fit as those involved in the more accepted sports. It should be noted that it is a team sport and even the smallest mistake made by one teammate can bring the score of the entire team down. So without working together to achieve the goal, first place is out of reach. 47. What is the main purpose of competitive cheerleading? A. To compare skills of participants. B. To make the audience feel amused. C. To attract more people to watch events. D. To cheer up the competitors on the court.

48. The underlined word “integrate” in Paragraph 2 probably means “______”. A. examine

B. combine

C. identify

D. replace

49. We can learn from the passage that competitive cheerleading ______. A. lacks necessary guidelines to follow B. enjoys greater popularity than other sports C. requires more designed actions than gymnastics D. has a relatively high rate of damage to the body

50. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage? A.

B.

C.

D.

I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion

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