专四2018年真题_2025专四专八真题及备考资料_2025专四备考资料_01历年2009-2024专四真题及答案PDF_2009-2023年专四真题

TESTFORENGLISHMAJORS(2018) -GRADEFOUR- TIMELIMIT:130MIN PARTⅠ DICTATION [10MIN] Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading,whichwillbedoneatnormalspeed,listen andtry tounderstandthe meaning.For thesecondand third reading, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done atnormalspeed again and during this timeyou should check your work.You will then begivenONEminutetocheckthroughyourworkoncemore. PleasewritethewholepassageonANSWERSHEETONE. PART Ⅱ LISTENINGCOMPERHESION [20MIN] SECTIONA TALK In this section you will hear a talk. You will hear the talk ONCE ONLY. While listening, you may look at the task on ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure what you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may each gap. Make sure what you fill inisbothgrammaticallyandsemanticallyacceptable.Youmayusetheblanksheetfornote-taking. YouhaveTHIRTYsecondstopreviewthegap-fillingtask. Nowlistentothetalk.Whenitisover,youwillbegivenTWOminutestocheckyourwork. SECTIONB CONVERSATINS Inthissectionyouwillhear twoconversations.Atthe endofeachconversation,fivequestionswillbeasked aboutwhatwas said.Boththe conversations andthe questions willbespokenONCE ONLY.After eachquestion there will be a ten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of [A], [B], [C] and [D], andmarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO. YouhaveTHIRTYsecondstopreviewthechoices. Now,listentotheconversations. ConversationOne Questions1to5arebasedonConversationOne. 1.[A]ManyforeignlanguagesarespokeninBritain. [B]EveryoneinBritaincanspeakaforeignlanguage. [C]TheBritishareunabletospeakaforeignlanguage. [D]TheBritishcansurviveontheirmothertongue. 2.[A]Chinese. [B]Polish. [C]Punjabi. [D]Urdu. 3.[A]Tohelpimproveinternationaltrade. [B]Toallowaspeakertoholdasimpletalk. [C]Toimprovetheeducationsystem. [D]Toencouragelearninganotherlanguage. 4.[A]Itgivesyouself-satisfaction. [B]Itmakesyoumoreconfident. [C]Ityouanadvantage. [D]Itmakesyouworkhard. 5.[A]Workmates. [B]Schoolmates. [C]Teacherandstudent. [D]Brotherandsister. ConversationTwo Questions6to10arebasedonConversationTwo. 6.[A]Anunreasonablefear. [B]Adangerousevent. [C]Asmallprobability. [D]Arisk-assessingability. 7.[A]Oneinonemillion. [B]Oneinfourmillion. [C]Oneinfourteenmillion. [D]Oneinfortymillion.8.[A]Futureevents. [B]Catastrophicevents. [C]Small-scaledisasters. [D]Smokinghazards. 9.[A]Travelingbyair. [B]Ridingabicycle. [C]Catchingbirdflu. [D]Smokingcigarettes. 10.[A]Theygetpleasurefromrisks. [B]Theycancontrolpotentialrisks. [C]Theycanassessdangerfromrisks. [D]Theyhavestrongneedsforrisks. PART Ⅲ LANGUAGEUSAGE [10MIN] There are twenty sentences in this section. Beneath each sentence there are four options marked [A]. [B], [C] and [D]. Choose the one that best completes the sentence or answers the question. Mark your answers on ANSWERSHEETTWO. 11.TheBentPyramidoutsideCairo________ancientEgypt’sfirstattempttobuildasmooth-sidedpyramid. [A]hasbeenbelievedtohavebeen [B]wasbelievedtobe [C]isbelievedtohavebeen [D]isbelievedtobe 12. U.S. News ________rankings of colleges since 1983.They are a very popular resource for students looking to applytoauniversitycampus. [A]maintains [B]ismaintaining [C]maintained [D]hasbeenmaintaining 13.Hewasluredintoacrimehewouldnot________havecommitted. [A]actually [B]otherwise [C]accidentally [D]seldom 14. She was once a young country wife with chickens in the backyard and a view of ________ mountains behind theappleorchard. [A]Virginiabluehazy [B]Virginiahazyblue [C]hazyblueVirginia [D]bluehazyVirginia 15.Ilongtoalleviate________,butIcannot. [A]theevil [B]evil [C]evils [D]anevil 16.Indeed,itisarguablethatbodyshatteringistheverypointoffootball,askillingandmaiming________. [A]war [B]arewar [C]ofwar [D]areofwar 17. At ________, photography is a chemical process, during which a light-sensitive material is altered when exposedtolight. [A]itsmostbasic [B]itsbasic [C]themostbasic [D]thebasic 18.Shehiredalawyertoinvestigate,onlytolearnthatGabrielhadremovedhernamefromthedeed.Theinfinitive verbphrase“onlytolearn”isused________. [A]toexpressanintendedpurpose [B]toindicateahighdegreeofpossibility [C]torevealanundesirableconsequence [D]todramatizeastatedfact 19.WhichofthefollowingitalicizedwordsDOESNOTcarrythemetaphoricalmeaning? [A]Iwonderwhat’sbehindthischangeofplan. [B]Jimturnedtospeaktothepersonstandingbehindhim. [C]Thisworkshouldhavebeenfinishedyesterday.I’mgettingterriblybehind. [D]IsupposeI’mluckybecausemyparentswerebehindmealltheway. 20. My mother was determined to help those in need and she would have been immensely proud of what has been immensely proud of what has been achieved theses last 20 years. The italicized part in the sentence expresses ________. [A]ahypothesis [B]asuggestion [C]acontradiction [D]asurprise 21.When the police officers who took part in the King beating were first brought to ________, their lawyers used thevideotapeasevidenceagainsttheprosecution. [A]justice [B]testimony [C]trial [D]verdict22. ________, the most controversial candidate in the election campaign, he has been strongly criticized for his crudecommentsaboutwomen. [A]Questionably [B]Arguably [C]Contentiously [D]Debatably 23.Prieshaverecentlyriseninorderto________theincreasedcostofrawmaterials. [A]cut [B]buoy [C]offset [D]offer 24.The celebrity says in courtpapers she “has no ________ ofgiving anyauthorization to anyone to proceedwith adivorce.” [A]recommendation [B]recording [C]recognition [D]recollection 25.Whatactually________agoodangle—oragoodselfieoverall—isrootedinwhatweconsiderbeautiful. [A]consists [B]constitutes [C]composes [D]constructs 26. The school is going the ________ mile to create the next generation of sporting stars thanks to its unique developmentprogram. [A]final [B]further [C]supplementary [D]extra 27.Theteachers’union________alawsuitagainstthedistrictcallingforrepairing“deplorable”schoolconditions. [A]filed [B]fired [C]fined [D]filled 28.LastMarchthe________ofa19thcenturycargoshipwasfoundbyanunderwaterarchaeologicalteam. [A]debris [B]ruins [C]remains [D]wreck 29.She’swornhisdesignson________occasionsfromredcarpetstomoviepremieres. [A]numerical [B]numeral [C]countless [D]countable 30. A leading ________ intelligence and operations company has released its analysis of worldwide reported incidentsofpiracyandcrimeagainstmariners. [A]oceangoing [B]oceanic [C]marine [D]maritime PART Ⅳ CLOZE [10MIN] Decide which of the words given in the box below would best complete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blank.Thewordscanbeused ONCE ONLY.Mark the letter foreachwordonANSWER SHEET TWO. [A]accompanies [B]automatically [C]couple [D]goes [E]indebtedness [F]kind [G]manner [H]mercifully [I]one [J]obey [K]renowned [L]subscribe [M]unknown [N]virtue [O]widespread Afewyearsago,auniversityprofessortriedalittleexperiment.HesentChristmas cardstoasampleofperfect strangers.Although he expected some reaction,the response hereceived was amazing—holiday cards addressed to him came pouring back from the people who had never met nor heard of him. The great majority of those who returned a card never inquired into the identity of the (31)_______ professor. They received his holiday greeting card, and they (32)________ sent one in return. This study shows the action of one of the most powerful of the weapons of influence around us—the rule for reciprocation. The rule says that we should try to repay, in (33)________,whatanotherpersonhasprovidedus.If awomandoesusafavor,weshoulddoher(34)_______in return; if a man sends us a birthday present, we should remember his birthday with a gift of our own; if a (35) ________invitesustoaparty,weshouldbesuretoinvitethemtooneofours.By(36)________ofthereciprocity rule, then, we are obliged to the future repayment of favors, gifts, invitations, and the like. So typical is it for (37) ________ to accompany the receipt of such things that a term like “much obliged” has become a synonym for “thankyou,”notonlyintheEnglishlanguagebutinothersaswell. Theimpressive aspectofthe rule for reciprocationandthe senseofobligation that(38) ________with itis its pervasivenessinhumanculture.Itisso(39)________thatafterintensivestudy,sociologistscanreportthatthereis nohumansocietythatdoesnot(40)________totherule.PART Ⅴ READINGCOMPREHENSION [35MIN] SECTIONA MULTIPLECHOICEQUESTIONS In this sectionthere are three passages followed by ten multiple choice questions. For eachmultiple choice question, there are four suggested answers marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Choose the one that you think is the bestanswerandmarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEETTWO. PASSAGEONE (1) The earliest settlers came to the NorthAmerican continent to establish colonies which were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. The historic decisions made by those first settlers have hada profoundeffectonthe shapingof theAmerican character.By limiting the powerofthe governmentand the churches and eliminating a formal freedom is probably the most basic of allAmerican values. By “freedom,” Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interferencefromthegovernment,arulingnobleclass,thechurch,oranyotherorganizedauthority. (2) There is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: self-reliance. It means that Americans believe that they should stand on their own feet, achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parentsasearlyaspossible,usuallybyage18or21. (3)Asecondimportantreason whyimmigrants have traditionally beendrawnto the UnitedStates is thebelief thateveryonehasanequalchancetoenteraraceandsucceedinthegame.Becausetitlesofnobilitywereforbidden intheConstitution,noformalclasssystemdevelopedintheUS. (4)Thereis,however,apricetobepaidforthis equalityofopportunity:competition.Ifmuchoflife isseenas a race, then a person must run the race in order to succeed; a person must compete with others. The pressures of competition in the life of an American begin in childhood and continue until retirement from work. In fact, any group of people who does not compete successfully does not fit into the mainstream of American life as well as thosewhodo. (5)AthirdreasonwhyimmigrantshavetraditionallycometotheUnitedStatesistohaveabetterlife.Because ofits abundantnaturalresources,the United States appeared tobe a “land of plenty”where millions couldcome to seek their fortunes.The phrase “going from rags to riches” became a slogan for theAmerican dream. Many people did achieve material success. Material wealth became a value to the American people, and it also became an acceptedmeasureofsocialstatus. (6)Americans pay a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work. Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans throughout their history. In some ways, material possessions are seen as evidence of people’s abilities. Barry Goldwater, a candidate for the presidency in 1964, said that most poor people arepoorbecausetheydeservetobe.MostAmericanswouldfindthisaharshstatement,butmanymightthinkthere wassometruthinit. (7)Thesebasicvalues donottellthewhole storyoftheAmericancharacter.Rather,theyshouldbethoughtof as themes, as we continue to explore more facets of the American character and how it affects life in the United States. 41.Para.4seemstosuggestthat________. [A]Americansarebornwithasenseofcompetition [B]thepressureofcompetitionbeginswhenonestartswork [C]competitionresultsinequalityofopportunities [D]successfulcompetitionisessentialinAmericansociety 42.WhichofthefollowingmethodsdoestheauthormainlyuseinexplainingAmericanvalues? [A]Comparison. [B]Causeandeffect. [C]Definition. [D]Processanalysis.PASSAGETWO (1)TheNobels arethe originals,of course.Alfred Nobel,theman whoinvented deadly explosives,decidedto tryanddosomethinggoodwithallthemoneyheearned,andgaveprizestopeoplewhomadeprogressinliterature, science,economicsand—perhapsmostimportantly—peace. (2) Not all awards are as noble as the Nobels. Even though most countries have a system for recognizing, honoring and rewarding people who have done something good in their countries, there are now hundreds of awardsandawardsceremoniesforallkindsofthings. (3)The Oscars are probably the most famous, atime for the( mostly)American film industry to tell itself how good it is, an annual opportunity for big stars to give each other awards and make tearful speeches.As well as that therearealsotheGoldenGlobes,apparentlyforthesamething. (4) But it’s not only films—now there are also Grammies, Brits, the Mercury Prize and the MTV and Q awards for music. In Britain, a writer who wins the Booker prize can expect to see their difficult, literary novel hit thebestseller listsandcompetewith“TheDaVinciCode”forpopularity.TheTurnerPrize isanawardforaBritish contemporary artist—each year it causes controversy by apparently giving a lot of money to artists who do things likedisplayingtheirbeds,puttinganimalsinglasscasesor—thisyear—buildingagardenshed. (5)Awardsdon’tonlyexist forthearts.TherearenowawardsforSports Personality oftheYear,for European Footballer of theYear andWorld Footballer of theYear.This seems very strange—sometimes awards can be good to give recognition to people who deserve it, or to help people who don’t make much money carry on their work withoutworryingaboutfinances,butprofessionalsoccerplayersthesedayscertainlyaren’tshortofcash! (6) Many small towns and communities all over the world also have their own awards ceremonies, for local writers or artists, or just for people who have graduated from high school or got a university degree. Even the BritishCouncilhasitsownawardsfor“InnovationinEnglishLanguageTeaching”. (7) Why have all these awards and ceremonies appeared recently? Shakespeare never won a prize, nor did LeonardodaVinciorAdamSmithorCharlesDickens. (8)Itwouldbepossibletosay,however,thatin thepast,scientists andartists couldwin“patronage”fromrich people—a king or a lord would give the artist or scientist money to have them paint their palaces or help them develop new ways of making money. With the change in social systems across the world, this no longer happens. Scientificresearchisnoweitherfundedbythegovernmentorbyprivatecompanies. (9)Perhapsawardsceremoniesarejustthemostrecentphaseofthisprocess. (10) However,there is more to it than that. When a film wins an Oscar, many more people will go and see it, or buy the DVD. When a writer wins the Nobel Prize, many more people buy their books. When a group wins the MTV awards, the ceremony is seen by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. The result? The group sellsalotmorerecords. (11) Most awards ceremonies are now sponsored by big organizations or companies.This means that it is not onlythepersonwhowins theawardwhobenefits—butalsothesponsors.TheMTVawards,forexample,are great forpublicizingnotonlymusic,butalsoMTVitself! (12) On the surface, it seems to be a “win-win” situation, with everyone being happy, but let me ask you a question—howfar do you think thatpublicity and marketing are winning here,and howmuch genuinerecognition ofachievementistakingplace? 43. What is the author’s tone when he mentions awards such as the Oscars, the Golden Globes and Grammies (Paras.3&4)? [A]Amused. [B]Appreciative. [C]Sarcastic. [D]Serious. 44.AccordingtoPara.4,whatwouldhappentoawardwinningwriters? [A]Theywouldenjoyamuchlargerreadership. [B]Theywouldturntopopularnovelwriting. [C]Theywouldcontinuenon-fictionwriting. [D]Theywouldtrycontroversialformsofart.45.WhichofthefollowingstatementsbestsumsupPara.6? [A]Awardsceremoniesareheldforlocalpeople. [B]Awardsceremoniesareheldonimportantoccasions. [C]Awardsceremoniesareheldincertainprofessions. [D]Awardsceremoniesareheldforallsortsofreasons. 46.AccordingtoPara.8,onedifferencebetweenscientistsandartistsinthepastandthoseatpresentliesin_____. [A]natureofwork. [B]personalcontact [C]sourceoffunding [D]socialstatus 47.ItcanbeconcludedfromPara.12thattheauthorthinksawards________. [A]dogoodtobothmarketandpopularity [B]promotemarketratherthanachievements [C]helpthosewhoarereallytalented [D]areeffectiveinmakingpeoplepopular PASSAGETHREE (1) Knowing that Mrs Mallard was suffering from a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gentlyaspossiblethenewsofherhusband’sdeath. (2)ItwashersisterJosephinewhotoldher,inbrokensentences.Herhusband’sfriendRichardswasthere,too, near her. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when news of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of “killed”. He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a secondtelegram. (3) She weptat once,in her sister’s arms.When the storm ofgrief had spentitself she went away to herroom alone.Shewouldhavenoonefollowher. (4) There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physicalexhaustionthathauntedherbodyandseemedtoreachintohersoul. (5) She couldsee in the opensquarebeforeher house thetops of trees.Thedelicious breath of rainwas in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reachedherfaintly,andcountlesssparrowsweretwitteringintheeaves. (6) There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one abovetheotherinthewestfacingherwindow. (7)Shesatwithherheadthrownbackuponthecushionofthechair,quitemotionless,exceptwhenasobcame upintoherthroatandshookher,asachildwhohascrieditselftosleepcontinuestosobinitsdreams. (8) She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines indicated repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed out there on one of those patches of blue sky. It was notaglanceofreflection,butratherindicatedasuspensionofintelligentthought. (9)Therewassomethingcomingtoherandshewaswaitingforit,fearfully.Whatwasit?Shedidnotknow;it was too subtle and thus hard to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds,thescents,thecolorthatfilledtheair. (10) Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will—as powerless as her two white slenderhandswouldhavebeen. (11)When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of herbody. (12)Sheknew thatshewouldweepagainwhenshesawthekind,tenderhandsfoldedindeath;theface,fixed andfray anddead.Butshesaw beyondthatbitter momentalongprocessionof years tocome thatwouldbelongto herabsolutely.Andsheopenedandspreadherarmsouttotheminwelcome. (13)There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself.There would beno powerful will bending hers in that blind hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they havearighttoimposeaprivatewilluponafellow-creature. (14) And yet she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongestimpulseofherbeing! (15)“Free!Bodyandsoulfree!”shekeptwhispering. (16) Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for admission. “Louise,openthedoor!Ibeg,openthedoor—youwillmakeyourselfill.WhatareyoudoingLouise?Forheaven’s sakeopenthedoor.” (17)“Goaway.Iamnotmakingmyselfill.”No;shewasdrinkinginaveryelixi（r 长生不老药）oflifethrough thatopenwindow. (18)Her fancywas runningriotalongthose days aheadofher.Spring days, andsummer days, andallsorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thoughtwithashudderthatlifemightbelong. (19)Shearoseatlengthandopenedthedoor.Therewasafeverishtriumphinhereyes,andshecarriedherself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister’s waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richardsstoodwaitingforthematthebottom. (20) Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his bag and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine ’s piercing cry; at Richards’quick motion to screen himfromtheviewofhiswife. (21)ButRichardswastoolate. (22)Whenthedoctorscametheysaidshehaddiedofheartdisease—ofjoythatkills. 48.HowdidMrsMallardgetthenewsofherhusband’sdeath? [A]Herhusband’sfriendtoldher. [B]Shehadreaditfromthepaper. [C]HersisterJosephinetoldher. [D]Herdoctorbrokethenewstoher. 49.WhenMrsMallardwasaloneinherroom,she________. [A]satwithherbackfacingthewindow [B]satinanarmchairallthetime [C]satandthenwalkedaroundforawhile [D]satinachairandcriedallthetime 50.Howdidshefeelaboutherlovetowardsherhusband? [A]Shewasindifferentnow. [B]Shehatedherhusband. [C]Shefoundithardtodescribe. [D]Shehadlovedhimallalong. SECTIONBSHORTANSWERQUESTIONS In this section there are five short answer questions based on the passages in Section A. Answer the questionswithNOMORETHANTENWORDSinthespaceprovidedonANSWERSHEETTWO. PASSAGEONE 51.Ofallthevaluesmentionedinthepassage,whichoneisregardedasthemostfundamental? PASSAGETWO 52.Whatcanbeinferredfromthesentence“NotallawardsareasnobleastheNobels.”accordingtoPara.2? 53.WhatconclusioncanbedrawnfromPara.5? PASSAGETHREE 54.WhatwasMrsMallard’smoodwhenshewasleftaloneintheroom? 55.ThedoctorssaidthatMrsMallarddiedofheartdisease—ofjoythatkills.Whatdoyouthinkistherealcauseof herdeath?PART Ⅵ WRITING [45MIN] Readcarefullythefollowing report,andthenwriteyourresponsein NOLESSTHAN 200words,in whichyou should: summarizethemainmessageofthereport,andthen commentonthetwopointsmadebyStephenCorry,Survival’sDirector. Youcansupportyourselfwithinformationfromthereport. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failuretofollowtheaboveinstructionsmayresultinalossofmarks. Reportexposesthedarksideofconservation A report launched by Survival International—the global movement for tribal peoples’ rights—reveals how conservation has led to the eviction of millions of tribal people from “protected areas,” since “protected areas” like nationalparksshouldgenerallybe“nogo”formining,agriculture,dams,roadsandpipelines. Survival’s report shows that nearly all protected areas are, or have been, the ancestral homelands of tribal peoples, who have been dependent on, and managed them for thousands of years. But in the name of “conservation” tribal people are being “illegally driven out” from these lands and accused of “poaching”; meanwhile,touristsandfee-payingbig-gamehuntersarewelcomedin. Bushman Dauqoo Xukuri from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana said, “I sit and look around thecountry.Wherevertherearebushmen,thereisgame.Why?Becauseweknowhowtotakecareofanimals. Survival’s report concludes that the current model of conservation needs a radical shake-up. Conservation must stick to international law, protect tribal peoples’rights to their lands, listen to them, and then be prepared to backthemupasmuchastheycan. Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said, “Millions are being spent by conservationists every year, and yet the environment’s in deepening crisis. It’s time to wake up and realize that there is another way and it’s much, much better.Firstly,tribalpeoples’rightshavetobeacknowledgedandrespected.Secondly,theyhavetobetreatedasthe best experts at defending their own lands. Conservationists must realize it’s they, themselves, who are junior partners.” WriteyourresponseonANSWERSHEETTHREE. ——THEEND——PART Ⅱ LISTENINGCOMPRENSION SECTIONA TALK 下列各题必须使用黑色字迹签字笔在答题区域内作答，超出红色矩形边框限定区域的答案无效。 TheLinguisticGiftofBabies Criticalage Declineofbabies’languagelearningabilityoccursattheageof (1) . (1)......................... Labwork Researchfocus:  Howbabieslearn (2) inthefirstcriticalperiod (2)......................... Researchaims: developingamodelforbabiesintheircriticalperiodsof —languageacquisition —social,emotionaland (3) development (3)......................... Researchprocess: Babiesneedtolisten.  Theyaretrainedtoturntheirheadswhen (4) . (4)......................... Apandabearpoundsadrumifbabiesarecorrect. Participants:  (5) babies (5)......................... Results:  Babiescan (6) ofalllanguages. (6).........................  Babiesbecomelanguage-boundbefore (7) . (7)......................... —soundreactionbetweenAmericanandJapanesebabies —6to8monthsold: (8) (8)......................... —towmonthslater: (9) (9)......................... Twoeventsduringthecriticaltwomonths — (10) whenlisteningtoalanguage (10)......................... —changeofbabies’brainswhendistributionsgrow Conclusion Languagelearningmayslowdownwhensounddistributionsbecomestable.