雅思阅读真题（Part 3）
Part 3 · 最近考试：2026.9.6上海第二工业大学
Stephen Oppenheimer explores the origins of human speech
A
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答案：Condillac
原文定位：The theory sees gesture language as arising originally among apes as sounds accompanying gestures, with these sounds gradually becoming coded into 'words' as the new skill drove its own evolution
同义替换：「The development of」↔「gradually becoming」，「can be traced back to」↔「arising originally among」
答案：neither Chomsky nor Condillac
原文定位：However, the abstract thought demonstrated in 20th century experiments with chimpanzees and bonobos put this theory in doubt
同义替换：「Animal research」↔「experiments with chimpanzees and bonobos」
答案：Chomsky
原文定位：One view of language development, held by linguists such as Noam Chomsky and anthropologists such as Richard Klein, is that language, specifically the spoken word, appeared suddenly among modern humans a mere 35,000 to 50,000 years ago and that the ability to speak words and use syntax was recently genetically hard wired into our brains in a kind of language organ
同义替换：「emerged」↔「appeared」，「in human evolution」↔「among modern humans」
答案：Condillac
原文定位：He argued that spoken language had developed out of gesture language (langage d'action) and that both were inventions arising initially from the simple association between action and object
同义替换：「Non‑verbal language」↔「gesture language」，「was essential」↔「had developed out of」，「in the development of verbal language」↔「spoken language had developed out of」
答案：neither Chomsky nor Condillac
原文定位：The unique features of a language such as French clearly do not result from any physiological aspect of being French, but are the cultural possessions of the French-speaking community. Each language evolves from one generation to the next, constantly adapting itself to cope with the learning biases of each new set of young, immature minds
同义替换：「The development of different languages」↔「Each language evolves」，「related more to environmental」↔「cultural possessions」，「than biological factors」↔「do not result from any physiological aspect」
答案：Chomsky
原文定位：This view of language is associated with the old idea that logical thought is dependent on words, a concept originating with Plato and much in vogue in the 19th century – that is, animals do not speak because they do not think
同义替换：「The ability to think rationally」↔「logical thought」，「is linked to」↔「is dependent on」，「the ability to speak」↔「words」
答案：NO
原文定位：Those anthropologists and fossil experts who accept that speech started early still tend to think of language evolution as a gradual 2 million year process, with our own modern human species (homo sapiens) way out at the top. A major reason for this is the perception that brain growth among humans was gradual over a similar period. Several recent changes in the fossil evidence though, bring this into doubt
同义替换：「the point in time when speech began」↔「speech started」
答案：NO
原文定位：So, we have the paradox that over the period when our brain was growing most rapidly, our material cultural development, as measured by stone tools, advanced only marginally; then, over a million years later, when the development of anatomically modern humans finally started to accelerate, artistically and technologically, our brains were actually getting smaller
同义替换：「development」↔「accelerate」，「in ancient times」↔「a million years later」，「brain size」↔「brains were actually getting smaller」
答案：YES
原文定位：When brain sizes for all available skulls are plotted against time using the revised dates, the result is startling; the bulk of increases in brain size was over by around 1.2 million years ago, with some African human species having brain volumes easily within the modern human range by that time
同义替换：「The period when the brain was growing most quickly」↔「the bulk of increases in brain size」，「has now been identified」↔「using the revised dates」
答案：NOT GIVEN
答案：YES
原文定位：If each new generation invented just one new skill or idea and passed it on with the rest to their children and cousins, you could predict exactly the same curve of cultural advance as we see from the archaeological and historical record – first very slow, then faster and faster
同义替换：「development」↔「advance」，「has been seen to follow」↔「as we see from the archaeological and historical record」，「a particular pattern」↔「first very slow, then faster and faster」，「throughout human history」↔「archaeological and historical record」
答案：1.2 million years ago
原文定位：When brain sizes for all available skulls are plotted against time using the revised dates, the result is startling; the bulk of increases in brain size was over by around 1.2 million years ago, with some African human species having brain volumes easily within the modern human range by that time
同义替换：「Revised fossil evidence」↔「using the revised dates」，「indicates」↔「the result is startling」，「most brain growth」↔「the bulk of increases in brain size」，「complete」↔「over」
答案：1.2 million years ago
原文定位：The near maximum in brain size achieved by 1.2 million years ago indicates that those early ancestors could already have been talking perfectly well
同义替换：「suggests」↔「indicates」，「was complete」↔「could already have been talking perfectly well」
答案：2.5 million years ago
原文定位：Around 2.5 million years ago, the weather took a decided turn for the worse, becoming more variable and colder and drier. The search for food became more taxing, and there would have been a real need to communicate more effectively and cope with the worsening environment in a co-operative way
同义替换：「An external change」↔「the weather took a decided turn for the worse」，「may have influenced」↔「would have been a real need to communicate more effectively」，「language development」↔「communicate more effectively」