From childhood to old age, we all use language as a means of broadening our knowledge of o

urselves and the world about us. When humans first【C1】______ , they were like newborn children, unable to use this【C2】______ tool. Yet once language developed, the possibilities for human kind's future【C3】______ and cultural growth increased.

Many linguists believe that evolution is【C4】______ for our ability to produce and use language. They【C5】______ that our highly evolved brain provides us【C6】______ an innate language ability not found in lower【C7】______ . Proponents of this innateness theory say that our【C8】______ for language is inborn, but that language itself develops gradually,【C9】______ a function of the growth of the brain during childhood. Therefore there are critical【C10】______ times for language development.

Current【C11】______ of innateness theory are mixed, however, evidence supporting the existence of some innate abilities is undeniable.【C12】______ , more and more schools are discovering that foreign languages are best taught in【C13】______ grades. Young children often can learn several languages by being【C14】______ to them, while adults have a much harder time learning another language once the【C15】______ of their first language have become firmly fixed.

【C16】______ some aspects of language are undeniably innate, language does not develop automatically in a vacuum. Children who have been【C17】______ from other human beings do not possess language. This demonstrates that【C18】______ with other human beings is necessary for proper language development. Some linguists believe that this is even more basic to human language【C19】______ than any innate capacities. These theorists view language as imitative, learned behavior.【C20】______ , children learn language from their parents by imitating them. Parents gradually shape their child's language skills by positively reinforcing precise imitations and negatively reinforcing imprecise ones.

【C1】

A．generated

B．evolved

C．born

D．originated