How men first learnt to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a mystery． All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters． These letters could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down． Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters, we call words．
The power of words, then, lies in their associations---the things they bring up before our
minds． Words become filled with meaning for us by experience, and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases． Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions． This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style． Above all, the real poet is a master of words． He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music and which by their position and association can move men to tears． We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and vulgar（粗俗的)．小题1:Which is TRUE about the origin of language?
| A．Men, as well as animals, in vented certain sounds to express thoughts． |
| B．The origin of language is a complicated question． |
| C．Words did not haven written form, at first． |
| D．Words were invented to represent meanings． |
小题2:The power of words lies in
．
| A．the fact that it can associate the things in the world with the ideas in our minds． |
| B．the fact that once word is connected with another |
| C．the fact that it can associate one person with another |
| D．the fact that it can recall to us the events of our past |
小题3:The following statements are true EXCEPT that
．
A．the more we read and learn, the larger our vocabulary will be |
| B．the longer we live, the number of words that mean something to us increases |
| C．words can be used to represent various meanings |
| D．literary style is usually very charming |
小题4:What does this passage primarily concern?
| A．The Meaning of Words． |
| B．The Characteristics of Words． |
| C．The Origin of Words． |
| D．The Power of Words． |
