D) an attempt to clarify misunderstanding about the origin of language
22. The present growing interest in sign language was stimulated by .
A) a famous scholar in the study of the human brain
B) a leading specialist in the study of liberal arts
C) an English teacher in a university for the deaf
D) some senior experts in American Sign Language
23. According to Stokoe, sign language is .
A) a substandard language
B) a genuine language
C) an artificial language
D) an international language
24. Most educators objected to Stokoe’s idea because they thought .
A) sign language was not extensively used even by deaf people
B) sign language was too artificial to be widely accepted
<br>C) a language should be easy to use and understand
D) a language could only exist in the form of speech sounds
25. Stokoe’s argument is based on his belief that .
A) sign language is as efficient as any other language
B) sign language is derived from natural language
C) language is a system of meaningful codes
D) language is a product of the brain
Passage Four
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip co Angola in 1997, to support the Red Cross’s campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines. Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured in explosions caused by landmines. I knew the statistics, she said. But putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13- year-old girl who had lost her leg, and people like her.
The Princess concluded with a simple message We must stop landmines. And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which refused to support a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the press. They described her as very ill-informed and a loose cannon (乱放炮的人).”
The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms This is a distraction (干扰) we do not need. All I’m trying to do is help.
Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess. To make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged that the Princess’s trip had been approved by the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British government’s policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the government.
To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkidnd, claimed that the Princess’s views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was working towards a worldwide ban. The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was a misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.
26. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997 .
A) to voice her support for a total ban of landmines |
